In no time at all, the wedding hastily ended.
Dessa had attended other princesses and noble ladies' weddings before and she smirked at the speed at which they carried out what should have been a special occasion. The ministers and noblemen all wanted the benefits that would come from the marriage alliance but it didn't mean any of them wanted to be in the same place as the prince of Rhodes.
Dessa released a deep, quiet sigh when everyone started to quickly move and disperse. She almost couldn't believe how quickly the hall became empty.
Her husband offered her his hand which she took with a fake smile.
Of course Dessa had prepared herself for this for a long time. She was going to live in Rhodes, the demon's land, so she had worked on her courage. But it didn't stop the fear she was feeling at the moment. She looked at the queen as the demon prince led her towards the door.
Queen Klara was crying. Sobbing quietly where she stood and it took all of Dessa's willpower to stop herself from following her lead. Despite everything that queen Klara had done for Dessa, from saving her from the slave traders to making her a princess, she had never considered the queen as her mother, not even as a second mother. Even if she called the queen mother with love, she had never actually meant it. She only had one mother, and she had allowed herself to get adopted into this place and later get married out in order to avenge that mother and she would never replace her.
But despite all this she couldn't deny she had gotten a little attached to the gullible woman. Seeing the beautiful queen she had fooled countless times standing there and crying for her sake, she felt sad and her eyes couldn't help but redden.
But the queen was only a chess piece in Dessa's life that had played her part. The only reward Dessa could give her was to secure the life of the child in her womb.
***
As the carriage moved on the bumpy road of Rocenko, going up and down, Dessa felt road-sick. She was crouched at the corner of the carriage, trying seriously to merge herself with the window.
She was trying to not notice her charming husband who had literally been staring at her since the beginning of the journey.
Zamien was amused by the little woman's fear. Smiling as she turned the other way and pretended to not feel his gaze, constantly tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Scared?"
His deep and masculine voice echoed inside the carriage, causing the already tensed Dessa to flinch.
Startled, Dessa almost twisted her neck as she turned to look at him. She realized that she was clutching her dress so hard, her knuckles had turned white. She felt ashamed of herself for showing fear and immediately straightened her shoulders.
"Of course not."
This was a lie for sure. She was scared to death. It didn't help that her new husband was such a gorgeous creature or the thought that she haad rigorously trained in secret for the past 9 years.
"I thought demons didn't ride in carriages."
She said the first thing her mind could think of that had nothing to do with how perfect he was, in her desperation to act indifferent. And perhaps also help to subdue her growing fear. She needed to relax. There was nothing this overly handsome man could do to her and it was best she showed no sign of fear, if not he would definitely take advantage of her.
When she saw a small smile on her husband's face, Dessa almost forgot to breathe.
"What do you mean Dessa, what else could we possibly ride in? or do you mean that we fly?"
Smug, Dessa thought. The tone in which he said it was as if he was bragging about it. it wasn't like she didn't have wings either. She was part guardian angel so she could fly as well. But of course her husband didn't know that, if he did, he wouldn't be smiling so proudly.
"That was what I meant, your highness."
His response to this was a soft sigh.
"Irridessa."
He called out and Dessa didn't know why she held her breath. The sound of her name from his lips sent a strange feeling through her.
"Do you know my name?" he asked
She looked at him curiously, wondering where he was getting at.
"I do, your highness."
"Then use it when you address me."
"Oh, yes, your…um, I mean, prince Zamien."
His brows creased, causing Dessa to subconsciously flinch.
"Without the title, Irridessa."
"Zamien."