Fantasy ★ Remunition of War ★ [1x1]

[Ozzi]

It had been only a few days when the war between Farbridgenton and Solis ended. Some celebrated and some were irritated at the defeat of Farbridgenton, blaming it on traitors within the council. They bitterly resented the peace treaty requirements, especially the one in which the prince would have the court with a princess from the other kingdom, to "seal the deal." Citizens have said that the prince should be courted into a respectful and notable kingdom rather than one that has caused them great losses. There was no choice. Neither kingdom could spiral into war again. Both were in no condition to begin with, and this peace treaty did have major advantages for both of them. It had offers neither of them could deny.

His mother was supposed to pass off the crown ages ago, but due to the war, she couldn’t. There was no time for a coronation and a party, so she decided to wait until the war ended. It had taken longer than anyone expected, but it had finally come to an end. Though still, his mother is hesitant. It’s not like she doesn’t trust her eldest daughter. Being the ruler of an empire is stressful, and she is afraid that because of the war, she hasn’t been able to teach her daughter that. Isaiah reassured her that having a younger sibling is just as stressful as ruling a kingdom, not that it actually is. He just wanted to calm her nerves. She simply laughed it off and said she’d pass it off in the next year or so. His eldest sister was mad. She believed she deserved it now and wanted it now. She didn’t directly say it to him, but he could definitely tell by the look on her face and how she articulated her words after the Queen announced that.

So here Isaiah is, about to be sent off to get married. He didn’t expect to marry this early in his life. Well, he is 25, but he didn’t expect to get married straight after a war. He thought he’d be defying the rules by marrying a commoner out of love, just like in one of those cheesy romance novels he’d read. It is called fiction for a reason, but a prince can dream. A prince can dream. As one, though, you have to expect everything and anything. It might sound absurd to a commoner, but you have to realise that you’re not, and when you do, it doesn’t sound so crazy anymore.

"Am I not always on my best behaviour as a mother? I will be on my best behaviour if she is well... nice. " He asked when she told him to be "good". He was about to head off and the Queen and the princesses came to say their farewells. His eldest sister was acting like he was being sent off to certain death. It certainly sounded like it when people described the kingdom, but he couldn’t judge because he had never been there before. Maybe those people just had one collectively bad experience. Isaiah, though, couldn’t deny the fact that he was nervous.

"She? Ohhhh.. Your mother has not told you yet. You know, there aren’t any princesses there, so I think you’re just marrying one of the boys. I mean, I would go, but there’s only three of us and they’re sending a prince here to marry me. Plus, you know Valentina would probably kill her husband in his sleep. So there aren’t really many options... and like.. " She said it far too fast for Isaiah to process any of what she just said.
The Queen shot the girl a look, and she immediately stopped talking. Listen, I was going to tell you this sooner, of course, but I was afraid that you would not comply. I’m not saying that I do not trust you, but we really need this to work. "

What? Of course he wouldn’t comply. He doesn’t want to marry a man. He is certainly not attracted to them, why wasn’t he informed sooner? The deal was already signed, and the backing of this could cost a great deal. Isaiah didn’t have a choice; it was his duty. Which is stupid, but he had to do it. "Mother, you are afraid of a lot of things and this... I shall go, but I do tell you that I am not very happy with marrying a man. How could I possibly carry on the bloodline if I can not have children? "

"Uh duh, do you think we didn't talk about this before? That’s what Valeria is for. " The eldest said.

“Excuse me, but you don't talk about me as if I'm going to start giving birth as soon as the prince arrives! Why don’t you get married, huh? Why did it have to be me? It was originally you, but you complained so much that our mother asked me to do it. I was just being a good princess and serving my kingdom..unlike you!"

“Oh you, you are just so damn annoying. I gave you my reasoning, but you still won’t listen." The two started to bicker back and forth, throwing all kinds of different insults at each other. The Queen let out a sigh and gave a quick glance at the two. They stopped and both stomped back inside. You could hear the two starting to go again as soon as the door closed behind them.

“Come on now, you don’t want to be late, do you? Goodbye Isaiah.. "

He exhaled sharply through his nose, giving a small smile and a nod as a goodbye. "Yes, of course. I will try to write when I arrive, if I arrive safely, that is. If I also have time, but yes, goodbye mother. "

The ride was long, very long. Maybe it was because he didn’t have anything to pass the time with. He let out constant sighs of boredom, annoyance, maybe anger; just a lot of feelings were rushing over him at once. He was deep in his thoughts when an abrupt stop brought him back to reality. Isaiah guessed they were here, he was so terribly tired. He should have taken a nap on the way but it is far to late now to sleep.

 

[ShenYu]

Ayre let out a deep sigh as he stood under the shelter of the tower near the gate of the city wall. He was currently in Roan City, located at the border of the Solis Kingdom. It was miles away from the Norzin, the capital of Solis. For the past few years, this city has been one of the sturdiest fortresses against the army of Farbridgenton. Since the location was the closest to Farbridgenton's border, there were a lot of wars going on near this place. It has thus become one of the central power of war between Solis and Farbridgenton. Back then, not even the citizen of Farbridgenton could get inside this wall. But now, the gate was wide open to welcome the prince of Farbridgenton. In a sense, it was very ironic.

Six years ago, back when he was still 18, Ayre had also been here. With the majority of his own people thinking that he would die in vain on the battlefield, he commanded the army and charged forward from this city, fighting hundreds of battles and surprising everyone with news of his victory over and over again. Finally, the long, drawn-out battles had come to an end with Solis emerging as the victory under his leadership. Just like that, the once invisible, unfavored prince had flipped the tide and officially becomes the dark horse that has the highest qualification to fight for the throne. The people admired him and his position as a prince in the people's hearts solidified. But this had made all his other half-siblings feel threatened. Thus, they scheme against him and gave him the 'glorious reward' of marrying a prince from the kingdom who had killed thousands of his comrades. He fought for his kingdom for years, risking his life and meeting countless deaths. Yet, what he got upon his return was a non-negotiable marriage with another man, which directly crippled his chance to inherit the throne.

"Commander, the enemies would soon arrive." A youthful voice respectfully called out to him, forcing his thought to be cut short. Ayre turned around and saw a familiar youthful figure with a serious face that didn't really fit his playful and soft features.

"I understand." Ayre slowly said. "But Ed, didn't I tell you to stop calling me commander? I'm not the commander of the army anymore. Also, don't call them enemies. We've signed the peace treaty and the prince would soon be my spouse."

Ayre lightly reprimanded the young soldier. However, instead of acknowledging his wrongdoings, Eden Moss only continued to put on that unnaturally serious expression as he loudly and respectfully said. "Yes, commander! I would not call the enemies, enemies anymore!" As he did so, he gave a righteous salute and stuck out his chest proudly.

Ayre eyed the younger man somewhat helplessly. He hardened his look and called out. "Ed, behave." This time, there is a stern warning in his voice.

Eden's body shook a little when he heard that tone of voice. Then, he finally collapsed his acting and dejectedly hunched his back. "Yes, your highness..." His lips were pouted as he stared at his former commander like a puppy who had been abandoned. "But your highness, you've done so much for the kingdom! Why do you have to be the one marrying the prince from Farbridgenton?! There are plenty of idle, good-for-nothing princes in the palace that could marry him. You're supposed to be the crown prince of this kingdom! But this was now ruined because you'll marry another man! And it was even the prince of Farbridgenton, to boot! This is so unfair! And, your highness, why did you readily agree to this unfair treatment?! You should've resisted as much as you could. You deserved the title of the crown prince. You're really too kind, your highness. Now, they took it for granted and trampled all over you!"

The young man complained with a face full of frustration. It was as if he was the one who had suffered some injustices instead of Ayre, the actual victim. Eden didn't hold back his words at all as he shared his displeasure about this arrangement to his former superior, not even minding how his words could very well make him have a one-way trip to jail.

"Ed, mind your words." Ayre frowned as he sternly reminded him, giving the young soldier a sharp look. Only then did Eden close his mouth, albeit begrudgingly. It's clear that he still had loads of grudges to vent out. But Ayre wouldn't allow him to do that.

Ed has been working under him for three years now. He started out as a footsoldier at the tender age of 14. Ayre discovered that he actually had a very high talent and personally trained him. He was a great soldier with high qualifications to become a knight. Sadly, maybe due to his young age, he was very unrestrained and upfront. He would never hold himself back if he saw anything wrong and knew he was right. Coupled with how Ed was rather close to him in the army and had him as his backing, he offended a lot of people and couldn't smoothly get a promotion. It made him worried about what this youngster would do now that he had lost his backing.

Ayre let out a sigh once again. The truth is, he also didn't want to accept this marriage. After facing so many dark schemes, he couldn't even be surprised anymore at how far his enemies could go just to take him down. In the end, no matter how much the people cherished him now, he was still a prince without any real backing. Not to mention his half-siblings, the many nobles who supported different princes would never allow him to take the throne. There is simply nothing else he could do at this point.

Not wanting to continue this discussion anymore, Ayre changed the topic. "Let's go to the gate now. We'll have to greet them as soon as they arrived."

Ayre walked down the tower and arrived at the front gate with Eden towing behind his back. The youngster was still muttering about how this doesn't make any sense or how things were unfair. But since the surrounding areas were so loud, his voice was completely drowned. Many knights and soldiers around the area respectfully saluted at him as soon as they saw him. Together, they controlled the crowd that has come to see the commotion and cleared out the area.

Despite locating at the border, Roan City is a pretty big city with a solid economic state. The city was very well-maintained. To welcome the arrivals of Farbridgenton's envoy, the road leading from Roan City to the capital was already cleared and decorated here and there. It even had a somewhat festive aura, something that rarely happened during the war. Seeing it made Ayre feel very conflicted. But he forced himself not to think about it as he stepped into the gate of the city wall where carriages of many sizes could be seen coming closer. The biggest of the carriage was placed at the center of the formation, bearing the symbol of Farbridgenton's royal family. Sounds of trumpets and drums could be heard coming from the city wall to welcome the Farbridgenton's envoy.

Ayre also brought his own envoy to welcome Farbridgenton's. He stood at the very front, with pure white formal prince attire with gold linings and buttons, along with the insignia of the Solis royal family on the right side of his chest. His white and yellow cape fluttered because of the wind. The biggest carriage soon stopped right in front of him. The footmen quickly took off from the carriage and opened the carriage door.

As the proper procedure, Ayre made a slight nod of his head with his right hand crossing his chest. "Laviere Fontessle de'Solis, the second prince of Solis Kingdom, welcome the prince of Farbridgenton and his envoys." He respectfully greeted with a radiant, gentlemanly smile on his face. Usually, when an arranged marriage between two kingdoms happened, the prince would welcome the princess at the gate and stretched out his hand to help her out of the carriage. But since they are both men, Ayre wasn't too sure what to do. In the end, he still chose to awkwardly stretch out his hand towards the opened carriage door.

 

[Ozzi]

The coach at the front turned back and said, "Your majesty, we have arrived..." Isaiah knew that already, and he was just trying to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. He doesn’t understand what’s so different about this time? He’s visited multiple kingdoms before, and both have greeted him the same way. Maybe because he’s here to get married to a man. Are they serious about trumpets and drums? There's no doubt that they aren’t too happy that today their former enemy set foot on their land. "Once" was the keyword here, but it still applied regardless. Well, they didn’t have a choice in greeting him like this.

Standing up, he ran his hands over his chest and sighed. A kind smile spread across his lips as he rubbed his face. It was the best smile he could muster up right now. It's not like he was upset, though. He needed to at least look happy, or it’s going to cause some problems. That’s the least thing he wants right now. That and this marriage. The Queen said he needed to make this work for the sake of the kingdom as an order, and who is he to deny that order?

"Sire..." One of the footmen whispered into the carriage. Isaiah looked at him and tilted his head slightly. They gave him a look that he could guess meant they were waiting for him to get into the carriage. They need to have patience. He was two seconds away from exiting, but there was no point in arguing or saying anything. He just gave a nod and muttered the words "I know" in reply.

He slowly stepped towards the door and caught a glimpse of the hand stretching out to help him out of the carriage. He then looked at the one who the hand was connected to. He’s marrying the supposed "crown prince". Well, he didn’t know, but a lot of people called him that. Isaiah didn’t like this guy at all, especially due to him mowing through their defensives like they were nothing. Isaiah knew that they were supposed to be impenetrable because he was the one who set out the formation. He knew all the different chances of how the enemy was going to attack. He created the perfect formation that should’ve won against anything and everything. It was just extremely frustrating and annoying to say the least. Was there no other option for him to marry? Certainly, there was.

They’re totally treating him like a princess right now; first the carriage, and now this. He let his smile drop for a good second. He didn’t want to seem rude, despite knowing he could perfectly get out on his own. Isaiah was a bit hesitant, but eventually he did take the hand and carefully stepped out onto the ground, muttering a small "thank you".

He looked around. Quite a few people came to greet him. The knights were obviously standing in front of them to prevent them from stepping further. Some people were whispering God knows what to each other, and some genuinely looked curious about just seeing him. Though a select few people were waving, Isaiah gave a small nod and smile as a greeting before turning back to look at the prince and his envoys. He takes a deep breath before speaking.

Thank you, first prince of Farbridgenton. Of course, the Queen and the princesses also say their greetings and thanks. It is a pleasure to be here and... He says, giving a smile and nod towards them this time. He was a bit stumped on what to say next, so he looked around to comment on something. The city looked well decorated, and it was obvious that they did a bit of cleaning up before he arrived. "This city is wonderful."

 

[ShenYu]

Ayre waited patiently outside the carriage door with his hand stretched out. His smile didn't even falter at all as he was being forced to wait there because someone just had to take their time to take off from the carriage when it was already opened by the footmen. While he himself didn't look impatient at all, someone standing a few feet away from him sure looks ready to run his mouth and viciously spit out curses for the Farbridgenton's prince. Eden's eyes were vicious, full of unreserved hostility. His initial impressions of people from Farbridgenton were already very bad. Now that the prince did something like this to his former commander in their first official meeting, his impression of the prince has already reached rock bottom. Of course, none of Eden's impressions, emotions, or thoughts actually matters since the main attentions were still on the two princes here.

After a good while, the prince of Farbridgenton finally moved to alight from the carriage. Ayre didn't miss the smile that slipped out of the other's face as soon as he saw him and his outstretched hand. It was clear that he didn't like it at all despite not saying anything. But does he even have a choice? Ayre's golden eyes went a few shades darker. Thankfully, the prince still took his hand and muttered his thanks after he was helped out of the carriage. It was all for formalities' sake. Solis was a kingdom with strict customs, traditions, and formalities, after all. Sooner or later, whether the prince likes it or not, he would have to get used to it.

Ayre knew a good amount of information about this prince, Isaiah St. Farbridgenton Jr. As the only prince of Farbridgenton, it was not too hard to gather basic information about him. After all, there was a saying 'Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.' Gathering intel is very important. But most importantly, Ayre knew that throughout the wars between Farbridgenton and Solis, prince Isaiah was responsible for the majority of battle tactics and war strategies used by the Farbridgenton. As someone who was in full contact with those formations and battle tactics, Ayre knows full well how much of a genius Isaiah was as a strategist even if the other never participate in the battle himself. Although he managed to get over it eventually, the price he had to pay for each consecutive win was priceless. Had it not been because of that, the war wouldn't have dragged on for such a long time. This was the reason why Ayre had no good feelings towards this prince at all. It could be said that throughout the time he had participated in the war, instead of the Farbridgenton's army, he considered Isaiah as his biggest rival.

But, of course, none of his inner thoughts showed on his face. The smile he put on was still as dazzling and gentlemanly as before. He pretended to be oblivious of Isaiah's feelings towards him which were most probably just as bad as his own. As the prince commented on the city, Ayre gave a timely flattered expression as he continued to smile. "Prince Isaiah is too kind. We could only do some simple cleaning before your arrival. The situation was pretty chaotic. But I'm honored that the prince thought it was fine." He spoke lightly as he looked around. "You must've been exhausted after the long journey. Let's quickly head to the castle so you and your envoy could have some rest. This way, please."

Ayre gestured for Isaiah to follow him into another carriage with the insignia of Solis's royal family on them. This was the carriage that he and Isaiah would use to go back to the capital city of Solis. The rest of the carriages that came with Isaiah from the Farbridgenton would have to go through some strict inspection before they could continue their journey towards the capital. After all, even if they had signed the peace treaty, they were once enemies that fought with each other. Some basic inspections and cautions like this were reasonable and normal. While the carriages that come with Isaiah were being inspected, he and Isaiah would use the carriage of the Solis royal family to go to the castle in the middle of Roan City and rest there for the whole day. They would head to the capital tomorrow afternoon after the prince and his envoy had had enough rest.

When they arrived in front of the spacious white and gold carriage, the servant next to it quickly opened the door for them. Ayre stood at the side and politely gestured for Isaiah to go in first. "Please," he said softly, still with a warm smile on his face.

 

[Ozzi]

Isaiah never really engaged in battle, not because he was weak or couldn’t fight; it was just why do it when you can have people do it for you? Although he’d thought about it once or twice, he loved being in the background and the euphoria he felt when his battle tactics and strategies worked. It was something else. Those are very important in war, and if they weren’t perfect, they would’ve lost a lot of lives. Well, the kingdom did lose a lot of lives, but not as many as they would’ve. The only time he stepped onto the battlefield was to scold the knights for not following his plans and explain why they lost. At first, none of them trusted Isaiah's plans because they seemed ridiculous at first. If he was like them, he would probably agree and say it was ridiculous, but he wasn't, so he didn’t. Despite all that, after seeing how effective he was, they praised him as he deserved.

Of course, the situation in the city was pretty bad. Being the closest city to his kingdom's border, it was natural that they had to pass through here eventually. He was actually surprised by how well they were able to fix the damage and how quickly they were able to move the citizens back in.

Isaiah kept a small smile on his face while listening to the others talk. It was hard because there was a certain young man glaring at him like he was pure evil himself. Isaiah was trying hard to hide his feelings, but it was obvious to a good eye that he wasn’t happy. Of course, everyone would say the same thing, though it is said that we are neighbouring kingdoms. The journey is long. I hope you didn’t wait too long for us to arrive. "

They didn’t arrive exactly on time. His mother was making sure he knew all the customs and traditions before he came. She said they were extremely strict with this kind of stuff and that knowing this stuff beforehand would pay off in the future by not offending them. Isaiah said he was likely not to offend anyone if he acted innocent and said he didn’t know. Yet, she still pressed on, but she had to cut short because Isaiah kept complaining and saying that it was time to go.

He followed the other prince towards the carriage while just looking around the city. He could see the castle in the distance, and he guessed it would take a good 10 to 15-minute carriage ride. He looked back and saw that his carriages were getting inspected. It honestly didn’t look like it. They were just throwing stuff out. Their stuff was all over the ground. He looked back and sharply let out a breath through his nose, in annoyance. Do they seriously think Farbridgenton is that dumb? To throw everything away to ambush them? "Oh, thank you."

He stepped towards the carriage, only to be stopped from entering by one of the guards. "Sorry, Sir, we are just trying to be safe. It is also a protocall." They said that they immediately started patting the curly-headed male down. After they were done, he wiped the crinkles they made on his vest back down, then he finally entered the carriage. He sat down on one of the benches and looked out the window. He guessed the other prince was going to be riding with him. He knew that it was going to be pretty awkward. I mean, what are you supposed to say to your future partner that you just met 2 minutes ago? It’s one thing to break ice with someone you just met, but it’s another if you’re not too fond of them.

 

[ShenYu]

When the prince talked about their arrivals that were slightly behind schedule, Ayre didn't even show a hint of impatient and displeasure. Still with a welcoming and warm smile on his face, he slightly spoke. "Please don't mind about that. It's not a problem at all. The journey from Farbridgenton to Solis must've been a rough one. Getting a little behind the schedule was to be expected."

Ayre glanced at the guards that had started to inspect the prince's carriage. Most were still doing their best to be respectful and did their job honestly. But some, especially the more unrestrained one - Ed, for example - had begun to plunder the prince's belongings without a care in the world, like a true bandit that ransacked his prey's carriage after not finding anything of value. Of course, the prince's belongings were made up of some expensive-looking stuff. After all, he was still a prince. There is no way the things he brought with him would be of little value. But to Eden, the hot-blooded and unrestrained young soldier, none of these mattered.

The war has only ended a few days ago. Before the peace treaty was signed, they were bitter enemies. People, especially soldiers, guards, and knights that were present here today were those who had gone up against the Farbridgenton's army. They had lost many comrades, families, and friends under the enemy's hand. Would it be that easy to let go of those hatreds and anguish just because the Farbridgenton had now become their ally on paper? Undoubtedly, some of the ones that had suffered the most because of Farbridgenton would be unable to hide their resentment and vent it all out to the prince's belongings.

From the side, Ayre gave them a hardened and sharp look, putting away his smile for a moment to give an unspoken warning to the ones who had started the inspection of the prince's carriage. It was a warning to mind what they are doing and be more respectful. He didn't do this out of consideration for Isaiah, of course. That was just a tiny reason. He just found what they were doing barbaric and undeserving of the status they bare as soldiers of the Solis's army. He didn't spend a lot f his effort leading and grooming them just so they could act the same as the barbaric and classless bandits. How could he tolerate them acting like that?

Being stared at with that look by their former commander, they quickly started to behave themself and did the inspection in a more timely, efficient, and respectful manner. Some rough movements here and there were a bit inevitable. But at least they didn't continue acting as if the prince's belonging were some kind of trash anymore. Seeing this, Ayre finally felt satisfied and shifted his attention back to prince Isaiah. He saw some guards come forwards to inspect the prince for a short while before allowing him to get inside the carriage. This time, Ayre didn't say anything about their rough movements and let them do their job. He doubted that the prince would do anything to him in the carriage. Setting aside the questions of if he could even put up a fight against someone who had been on the battlefield for more than six-year, the prince was obviously not stupid enough to try to assassinate him right then and there. There is simply nothing he could gain from that except getting executed for his crime and adding a new warring era between Farbridgenton and Solis.

After Isaiah sat down in the carriage, Ayre followed after him and sat on the bench in front of him, directly facing the curly-headed prince. The servants closed the carriage door and, after a while, the carriage started to move slowly towards the castle. Ayre glanced at the window to see the scenery outside for a while. Then, he slowly closed the curtains of the window so that no one outside could see what was happening inside. With the still ample lightning from the sunlight that filtered through the thin curtain, Ayre stared straight at the other male's dark eyes. The gentlemanly and warm smile he had put on just a few minutes ago disappeared without a trace, replaced by a face with an expression that's hard to decipher. It was neither cold nor warm. It was also not friendly, yet also not hostile. There was no dislike nor like. Simply put, it was an impassive face devoid of any emotions, making it hard for others to guess what was on his mind. His golden eyes reflected the sparse amount of sunlight that came inside the carriage, making it look like it was glowing brightly.

"I'm sure you'll appreciate this sincere look even more than my previous act. So I won't bother putting up a facade and acting pretentiously around you. That should be fine, right?" While he phrase it as a question, the tone didn't sound like he was asking at all. It was simply a statement. One where he wouldn't care what the answer would be.

It may not look like it, but Ayre was truly being very sincere here. If he wants to, he could continue to put up his mask of a gentleman regardless of Isaiah's thoughts about it, donning what the highly observant people would call two faces, maybe just for the sole reason of irritating the other and making them uncomfortable. It was a face that the longer you look at it, the more you'll feel like this person was constantly scheming on you, brewing unpredictable plans behind the perfect, gentlemanly smile. But instead of doing so, Ayre put away his mask and faced the prince with his most sincere and true emotions. In a way, this could be said as him respecting his future marriage partner. But the real reason was just that Ayre found it not worth his time and effort. What used was acting in front of someone that would gain him nothing? In Solis, Isaiah could be said as nothing more than a political hostage. The things he could do in this kingdom were limited. So why bother?

"Now then, let's be very honest with each other. None of us wanted this arrangement. And none of us have any good feelings for each other. So let's make things easier for both of us." Ayre put one leg on top of the other and leaned back in his seat. The pair of golden eyes were unpredictable. Just like his face, his tone was neither cold nor warm, not friendly nor hostile. It sounded quite light, calm, and composed, with no hint of blame on them. It was as if he was just casually discussing something matter-of-factly. "While we would be married, we would each mind our own business and only act accordingly, as a married couple, when the situation calls for it. It would be like we were never married to each other and were only living in the same palace. In return, I would guarantee in my name and status that you'd be able to live comfortably in my palace as long as the marriage was still in place. I promise that you would be able to act however you want without minding manners or status within the boundary of my palace. All I asked of you was to not intervene with my business and cooperated with me in an act as a married couple when I need you to. Is that clear? or do you have anything to say about this arrangement?"

Ayre's golden eyes stared straight into the dark eyes of Isaiah, looking very sharp and clear with no pretense or malicious intent. As he had said, he was acting as sincere as he could be. And if Isaiah was as smart as he had heard, he would undoubtedly know that in Solis, a promise with the name and status on the line was one of the highest forms of promises one could give to other people. It showed that so long as Isaiah was within his palace and under his jurisdictions, he promised that the other would be able to live a comfortable life, not one that would be mistreated and thought of as hostage. They won't need to fulfill the obligation as married couples within his palace and only acted accordingly when the need arose. This was the simplest and most comfortable method he could find for both of them to coexist as married couples.

 

[Ozzi]

In one way or another, they were political hostages, bound by what were merely just words written on multiple pieces of paper. They were signed at the bottom, sure, but at the end of the day, what was holding the two against rebelling and not courting? Nothing, absolutely nothing, but these scraps of paper have such a hold on them that they will not and cannot break free. It withholds their freedom to meet someone in the future they actually love and want to marry. At the end of the day, what can they do? It was their duty, their duty to protect their kingdom and the people living there. They are unable to bear the cost because they do not wish to. That would be terribly selfish. You can't just do whatever you want, especially when thousands of people's lives are at stake.

Isaiah shifted in his seat, straightening his back and getting into a better posture. After giving a brief glance to the prince seated across from him, he carefully listened to what the other person said, quietly processing the information and nodding his head in agreement with what he was saying. He didn’t reply for a while, not because he didn’t have anything to say, but because he just didn’t want to say anything. For the most part, Isaiah agreed with what Ayre said. It wasn’t a bad arrangement. For the most part, at home, it would be the same as his previous living situation. He was minding his own business in a big empty palace and was not getting in anyone’s way. It hadn’t been like that for a while, though, because of the war. The palace had people coming in and out every second, delivering news. It was a bustling place at most. So, of course, he couldn’t mind his own business and he had to do his part as prince of that empire, not stand by and watch things go down as he did before. Once again, it is a responsibility, duty, obligation, or whatever you want to call it. He didn’t mind, of course.

There was no way he’d live out all his life without experiencing at least one war, especially in a time like this. Even the littlest things could turn into a whole mess. Isaiah wasn’t complaining; he had no right to imagine what it was like to be the leader of an empire. Being responsible for other people’s lives, he could never be That’s why he’s glad he was born last: he had the least responsibilities, not that he wasn’t a responsible person.

After thinking for a while, he looked back at the other’s eyes and began to speak with a smile. "I suppose..you are right." He took a pause to choose his words carefully. I do not have anything else to say. I mean, I never originally intended to. How should I say this? I don’t know... I never intended to do any of that anyway. My boundaries are the same as yours, and it is nice to establish them. Other than that, I do not have anything else to say. If you do, go ahead and say it. Could we also open the curtains on the window? I prefer not to be staring at a carriage wall the entire time. "

He finally averted his gaze, letting go of the smile he'd put on to converse with the other.He made it a habit to smile at people when he spoke to them; he wasn't trying to counteract the other person's serious expression or lighten the mood with it.It was just something he did, simply. Many people think he’s speaking condescendingly to them or trying to make fun of them. I mean, really, do people not like to be smiled at? Isaiah does. Is it not a sign that he sees it as a sign that they are happy to talk to him? Since it’s a habit and he’s not happy to be talking to this prince, maybe he should be frowning. Frowning is just not in his nature. Well, this is not something he should dwell upon any longer. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, he guessed.

 

[ShenYu]

Ayre stared deeply at the other prince's brown eyes before the other looked away, letting the carriage shrouded with silence for a while after Isaiah had finished speaking. Those golden eyes look deep and unfathomable, filled with unknown meaning. Finally, when things started to become awkward, Ayre spoke with the same bland and flat tone, as impassive as his face. "It's good that we are, at the very least, have the same opinion. I will take your words as a promise for now. Naturally, I would also keep the promises I've made before. Those promises would stand as long as you continue to keep your promises." After saying so, he silently moved to open the curtain again. But this time, he didn't fully open it and let half of the window, the half nearest to him, still be covered with the curtain. It makes the side in which he sat shrouded with darkness while Isaiah's side was bathed with sunlight. Then, he crossed his hands over his chest, leaned back on his seat, and closed his eyes, not saying any more words to the other prince. It was as if Isaiah's presence there didn't make any difference to him at all. In other words, he didn't care.

In Ayre's mind though, his thoughts kept on turning, working none stop. To be completely honest, he could've just acted however he wanted. There was no need to ask Isaiah's opinion on the arrangement he had made for both of them. In fact, he didn't actually need to promise Isaiah a comfortable life in his palace. The peace treaty only stated for them to be married. As long as the marriage still stands and the marriage partner is still alive, there is no other actual obligation he had to fulfill. It was a marriage base on a contract after all. None of them wanted it and Ayre had every reason to dislike Isaiah and vice versa. Due to various reasons, the starting line of their relationship was not a zero - as absolute strangers would be - but negatives. It meant that they had almost no good feelings toward each other at the very start. And now that Isaiah was sent as a political hostage to Solis, a place where he was in almost full mercy of this kingdom, whatever Ayre did to him wouldn't matter as long as it didn't cross the bottom line of the contract.

Ayre could've just tossed him somewhere at the corner of the palace and left him to fend for himself. No matter how others in the palace treated him, that would be none of his business. The bottom line was for Isaiah to not get seriously injured and die. But there are many other malicious ways to torture someone. As a prince from a kingdom that used to be hostile to Solis, Isaiah was guaranteed to face a lot of discrimination from inside and outside of the palace boundary. Something like mild bullying, royal servants not wanting to do their job to serve him, and barely passable and edible food, were only a few things Ayre knew Isaiah would face later on. And is he, as someone who also dislikes the Farbridgenton's prince, could've turned a blind eye to all of those 'mild' bullyings and continued on his business.

However, instead of doing all that, he chose to find an arrangement where both of them - not just him - could be comfortable throughout the marriage. Why is that? Wouldn't the rumored genius prince of Farbridgenton wonder about the answer? And most importantly, Isaiah didn't show much of a reaction even when he saw Ayre's drastic change of temperament. From gentlemanly, warm, and welcoming, the perfect image of a prince, to a detached individual with an impassive bearing. Ayre didn't even see a hint of surprise or doubt on that beautiful, doll-like face. Why?

Many doubts and suspicions were formed as his mind thought of countless calculations and scenarios. Ayre was never the type to easily trust others. He's the kind who would hold many doubts, adjusting his bearings over and over as he slowly probed the other parties to see their reactions and calculated them so he would know the best way to deal with them. While none of the things he had said was a lie, he didn't say them with a purely innocent motive.

Ayre appeared to be asleep throughout the journey to the castle. He didn't move an inch, not making a single sound. He was like a cold statue shaded in the dark. It was only when the carriage arrived at the castle and stopped did he finally open his eyes again. The golden pupils were as clear and sharp as ever, staring straight at the other prince in front of him. Without saying a word, he alighted from the carriage first. The gentle smile automatically and very naturally came back to his face as he faced the row of servants from the castle that had come to greet them. This time, he didn't stretch out his hand to help Isaiah step down from the carriage as he had done at the city gate. He simply stood at the side with a smile and wait for Jeremiah to come out.