When Ylenna's maid came to fetch her, she got changed and went for a stroll to the Kozhar castle's garden, her thoughts still quite confused with what Prince Rhovian said earlier.
"He thinks I despise him? For what, I wonder? It is totally the opposite."
— Was his highness kind to you, my daughter? — asked Queen Letinna.
— Huh? Ah… yes, he was… really kind, mother.
— I see. That is good. I know you both barely know each other, but you will have time to bond. The most important thing is that you be always graceful and attend to him whenever he desires. That is the best way for you to produce an heir.
— An… heir, you say… But, mother. The Heir Prince, Rhavi, has not yet fathered a boy. Is it okay for… Prince Rhovian to beat him to this?
— The Heir Prince and his wife are still young. And they have not been married for long. I am sure good news will be heard from them soon. So you can rest assured and focus on conceiving your own babies. I am sure they will be the most beautiful children having such dazzling parents. — The Queen smiled in proud anticipation of her grandchildren. — I cannot wait to see a chubby face running towards me, calling me "grandma", to be honest.
— Ah, is it, indeed? — The princess felt dizzy with nervousness.
— Please, make sure to give me as many grandchildren as possible! I will be happy with girls just as much as boys.
— Hum, yes… surely, mother. — Ylenna nodded and smiled faintly.
Later that evening, she sat in her new room. A spacious bedroom with an enormous comfy bed, a sturdy fireplace and big windows that faced the lake behind the castle. Ylenna was lost in thoughts while staring at the lake and the paths that surrounded it. She imagined herself playing by the lake with three kids resembling Rhovian, watching them give their first steps towards the prince himself and smiling back at her while babbling "mama". It was a perfectly adorable scenery, and she felt a warm pleasant sensation on her chest while picturing Rhovian's happy face when sweeping his children off their feet and spinning them around.
But still, what did he mean with that talk of her despising him? Was it not clear that she dolled herself up whenever they were supposed to meet? Or that she was the one trying to make them go through their marital duties on the night before, while he was definitely avoiding her?
— Can you not hear me? — A low tuned voice came from her side, startling her up from the chair.
— I-I… Your… highness. — She bowed to him. — I am sorry, I was quite distracted.
— I have already told you not to call me by my title, especially when we are alone. You are a King's child, as well, and we are married now.
— Yes… husband. I will try to remember it.
— Well, anyway. I was saying that dinner is going to be served in half an hour in the dining room. Are you gonna change your clothes?
— Oh, yes. I should. I will call for the maids.
— I have already done that. They are outside the door. I will let them in.
— Thank you, I appreciate you foreseeing the matter.
— No need to thank me for trivial things, again. I will be waiting for you at the hall. — He said, going to the door and opening it to the ladies in waiting, leaving right after it.
As soon as they got to the dining room, everyone cheered on their arrival.
— Happy to see you, my new daughter. — The King of Kozhar greeted her from his place at the center of the main table.
— Thank you so much for the kind reception, your majesty. — She made a curtsy while holding her husband's arm.
— Come, sit here, you two. You should eat a lot tonight to strengthen your body. Let us hope you both succeeded in conceiving on your first night. — The King winked at her, making the young woman's face flush red.
— Your majesty, please, do not make my wife even more shy than she already is. — Rhovian's tone was friendly and light, he sounded as warm as a son taking his father's joke in the best lights, but his eyes towards his Majesty revealed an impatient and reprimanding glance.
The King, however, seemed unfazed.
— Of course, son. I would not want my pretty daughter to feel uncomfortable. Now, let us enjoy tonight's banquet. My dear friends, the King and Queen of Behrman, alongside their adorable children, are leaving tomorrow. Let us drink in their honor!
Perhaps taken by all nervousness that she had been feeling, Ylenna ended up taking the King's invitation more like an order and gulping down more goblets of wine than she was used to. When the banquet finally ended, she felt lightheaded and tipsy.
— We should take our leave now. Since I am not sure if I will have the opportunity to bid you farewell tomorrow before your departing, I hope you have a nice trip on your way back, your majesties, and also my new siblings-in-law. Rest assured, for I will be taking good care of my wife and providing her with all the best.
Ylenna looked up. Next to her, Rhovian bowed his head to her family, on the lateral table.
— That makes any father really happy to hear, my boy. I appreciate your good wishes. Please, do not refrain from visiting us when you so wish.
— Thank you, your majesty.
— Also, I will be hoping to hear good news soon, my new son. — Queen Letinna smiled and nodded to the young guy, who smiled back.
— Now, I beg your permission to excuse us, your majesty. — He turned to his own father.
— Well, why not? You have stayed until quite late for a recently married couple. I am sure you have more interesting matters to attend to-
— Thank you, father. — Rhovian interrupted him quite so discreetly.
— Oh… Yes, I should not further embarrass my daughter-in-law. Good night, then. — The King held a playful smile.
Only then did Ylenna actually make sense of the whole conversation, feeling her husband's hand pulling on hers, she got up and bowed as gracefully as she could with the tipsiness, before following him out to the corridor.
— Are you feeling well? You seem quite drunk.
— I… I only feel a bit… — She meant to say "sleepy", but the word never left her mouth.
— A bit too drunk, I see.
Upon arriving at their bedroom, the ladies-in-waiting helped her undress and bathe, while the prince was nowhere to be found. He returned as soon as they left Ylenna laying in her nightgown, one quite discreet, compared to the one she was made to wear on the night before.
Rhovian was already bathed and dressed in his night garments. He spared her only a quick glancing to check she was okay and headed to the sofa.
— Good night.
— Are you… again, not gonna sleep by my side?
The prince froze in his tracks while pulling a cover over his body.
— Good night, Ylenna.
With a heavy lump on her throat, the princess once again blew both candles by their bed's side and lulled herself to sleep.
— Your highness, why do you look so down on such a beautiful morning? — Asked Zena, her maid.
— I just had a bit too much to drink last night, that is all.
— I see… I will prepare some tea for you, then.
— Thank you, Zena. — She smiled faintly.
Though it was true that she had a bit of a headache, that was not by far the reason why she bore such a gloomy expression.
"Good night, Ylenna."
His cold voice and such short answer, that actually avoided the whole point of her question, still lingered around Ylenna's mind.
— How can he still tell me I am the one who despises him, while keeping me at arms length like this? — She muttered to herself.
She knew that nobility almost never married for love, but she did not think he would continue with that cold and nonchalant behavior toward her. After all, they did get married and, in everyone else's minds, consummated marriage. They could not undo this now. So why was he acting like that? Would he never make an effort so they would be friendly to each other?
More importantly, would he refuse to bed her until they were too old for him to even have to refuse?
When she woke up on the first morning together, he was at least still there. But today, not even that was a fact.
— Your highness, your tea. — Zena announced, having come back.
— Thank you. Perhaps… do you know of his highness?
— Prince Rhovian is at the training grounds with Sir Nivan.
— Sir Nivan…?
— Oh, you must not remember since there were so many knights at your wedding. He is his highness' right arm. He gifted you with a puppy, as per the tradition.
Since ancient times, the royal groom's personal knight was supposed to bless the newly married couple with a puppy, representing that he would remain loyal not only to the prince, but also his wife.
— Ah… I remember him now. So, are they quite bonded?
— They have been friends since his highness was twelve years old. So it has been thirteen years now. I believe they are pretty close.
— I see… Where is this puppy, by the way?
— I can tell she loved you, your highness. — The master of the kennel smiled when seeing the female hound wagging her tail happily while jumping to her highness' lap.
— She is adorable. Is she doing well here by herself?
— Oh, yes. The dogs are all quite friendly to each other, and to her they are even more affectionate. I believe they take her as a protegee, since she's still young.
— I see. I want to visit her more, from now on.
— That would be lovely, your highness. Have you and his royal highness decided on a name yet?
— Ah… A name. No, we have not even discussed this… I will talk to him.
In the afternoon, Ylenna sat by the window, staring at the lake again. Now, the scenery she had in mind also pictured a dog.
She supposed that, if she could manage to bear a child in the next month, that dog would be only one year older than her baby. That should be enough for them to have time to bond, right? And… What would they call the puppy?
"I am being so foolish right now. How could I be daydreaming about a happy family afternoon with a man who is not even willing to sleep by my side? I cannot even imagine bringing up the puppy's naming, let alone all the rest…"
— You know, you are my wife now, though everything... So whatever is concerning you, you can just tell me and I will do whatever is in my powers to solve it. — The bass voice sounded from behind her. Again, she jolted up, startled. He seemed to find her reaction funny.
— Also, if you react like that every time I catch you staring through the window when I come back from my duties, I will start thinking you are planning an escape.
— Go-Good evening… Welcome back, husband.
"I will do whatever is in my powers to solve it." That was so ironic. If only he knew himself to be the source of her concerns…
— Do you feel well? I imagine you had quite the hangover. — Again, he cut off her trail of thought.
— I was… a bit sick when I woke up, but Zena brought me some tea that made me feel better.
— I see… That is good. Do you want to dine at the dining hall? I could ask the servants to bring the food up here, if you prefer. Since the festivities are already over, there's no obligation to be there.
— I am fine dining down there with everyone.
— Okay, then. We should go. — He started turning around when she announced:
— Husband… I have a question.
— Go ahead. — He turned back to face her.
— Last morning… why did you say I despise you? I felt… utterly outraged by that. — Now that she had gathered the courage to bring the topic up, she could make more sense of how she felt about it.
The prince looked slightly surprised, then sat on a chair, an honest look on his face.
— Do you feel offended by me bringing up the truth? I mean, we were by ourselves, so I was not exposing you to any-
— That… is not the problem. The problem is it is not true. Why did you think I despised you?
He arched an eyebrow, clearly shocked.
— You are saying you do not despise me, then?
She scoffed, utterly frustrated. Her hands went up and down while she stomped her foot once.
— Where did you get that idea from? It is so absurd! What have I ever done for you to think that of me?
Her voice was higher pitched than normally and sounded even more angry than she intended to. Not as graceful as she wanted to behave, but she could not back off now.
— You know, this… is the most honest I have ever seen of you.
— St-Stop… beating around the bush, I beg you. And please, do answer my question at once.
Rhovian sighed, seemingly finding fun in all that situation.
— Whenever we met… you always had a quite specific expression that you reserved only for me. You looked as if you would rather be feeding pigs on a swamp than being by my presence.
— Wha… What?! — Ylenna got caught off guard. — I do not understand what you are talking about.
— You would squeeze your eyes, tighten your lips, frown and even turn your face from me. Actually, you looked as if you were saying "Why am I obliged to greet him?"
— That… That was not my true thought. I was actually upset, yes, but because I was wondering why you would have to look at me like you did.
— Me? — He asked, confused. — How did I look at you?
— Well? You looked at me as if… you could not find anything less interesting in the world. You had a blank gaze, expressionless face and… looked totally uninterested in me. Actually, I really thought you hated me.
Rhovian stared at her for a long thirty-seconds, before muttering:
— I… am sorry if that was how I made you feel. I guess, I do make that expressionless face quite more often than I wanted to. It was not intentional. I beg you to forgive me for all the times you felt offended.
She was surprised, but that was not everything.
— And, also… — Ylenna intended to talk about the time she heard him and his father arguing about their engagement, but figured out it would be embarrassing to say she stood there, eavesdropping. Instead, the woman tried to change her sentence. — also… It seemed that you were against being engaged to me. When my father announced it at that banquet, you looked so angry I thought you would break the goblet in your hand.
Again, Rhovian sighed, gazing down and nodding.
— Well… That is true. I did not want to marry you.
Though she knew the truth and thought herself prepared to hear him saying those words, the reality was way harsher. It felt like her ground had disappeared from beneath her feet.
— You… say it with so much ease… — She scoffed, fighting the tears threatening to moist her eyes. — It shall be… nice feeling this indiffer-
— Because. — He continued. — I thought you despised me. And also… There was another reason, one not regarding you. I did not wish to marry. At all. Nor you, nor whoever would be presented as a potential fiancee for me. I did not plan to take on a wife.
Ylenna blinked, completely flustered.
— You… did not… — Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. — Are you… perhaps… — He arched an eyebrow, waiting. — not interested in… female, but rather, male bodies?
He stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter.
— Dear Gods… Had I known you were so funny, I would have tried to engage in some conversations at the common banquets.
— Is it… not the case, then?
— No, Ylenna. That is not the case. I am not into other men. — He scoffed. — Though I may admit it would be easier for me, had I been. I am just… in a situation where I would find it better to live by myself.
— I… see…
— So rest easy, I do not hate you, nor have I ever felt like that toward you. And, again, I am sorry if my behavior made you react in such a way that I ended up finding the opposite to be true and believing you despised me. I realize now it all started with my own failure in perceiving and controlling my expressions.
With that, Rhovian got up and headed to the door, holding it open.
— Now, shall we go dine?
Taking a deep breath, Ylenna gulped down and followed Rhovian out.
"Well… so he is just really bad with facial expressions?" Ylenna thought while walking the corridors holding his arm. "And the reason why he was so angry was not because he was marrying me, but because he got engaged against his will… And he actually thought I hated him. Yes. I think it is starting to make sense now. So the last thing to be solved now is for me to find out about what a married couple actually does in bed… WAIT! What am I thinking right now?!"
Ylenna stopped on her tracks, abruptly. Rhovian was slightly startled, turning to check on her.
— Are you feeling sick? What happened?
— I… Nothing. I just… — "Think of an excuse quickly… This!" — I just suddenly remembered that we got a dog puppy as a wedding gift, from your right hand knight.
— Ah… — Rhovian nodded slowly, gazing away, seeming to have only now remembered that as well. — Yes, indeed. So what?
— I went to visit her today. She is adorable.
— Hum… is that so? — He answered casually, but his face showed that he was still wondering the real point of it.
— We should decide on a name for her soon.
Rhovian nodded, now more firmly, having finally made sense out of her words.
— I understand. Well, you can name her as you wish. — He went back to walking, pulling her with him.
— I dare not. — Ylenna said, shaking her head vehemently. — She is a gift from your friend. And also, the first thing we get to name as husband and wife. When we have our children, I shall also not name them by myself, so-
This time, it was Rhovian's turn to stop abruptly.
— Is… something wrong?
He stood there in silence, not turning to face her. From that position and with the poor lighting on that corridor, she could not see his face well.
— As I have said before. It is still quite early to think of children of our own. Actually, I would prefer if you would not bring that topic again before I do. — He swallowed his own saliva. — We can name the dog together when I come back from the training grounds, tomorrow. I will come earlier.
The coldness in his tone and the meaning of his words sent shivers to Ylenna's spine. Her chest felt tightened and her eyes, once again that night, threatened to let tears run down, but she did her best to avoid them.
— I… understand, husband.
And that was all they talked about for the rest of the night.