Third Prince Marco of the Katapangan Empire meets the fallen princess Alexandra in an undesirable situation. A fraudulent marriage!

One is set up and the other is a victim. A hatred rooted from centuries ago between two opposing families continue.

"Tell me how much. I'll be able to give you anything."

"I am not an easy woman."

"You are my woman."

"I don't hate you. I love you."

An uprising will cause the couple to accept duties they didn't wish to gain. It is a forced crown that is too heavy to wear.

-----🖤🖤🖤-----

Two families are at constant war for more than half a century. Hong family, the largest family among the nobles began to conspire with other greedy families to overthrow the king.

Enrico Angenas, the 5th emperor of the Katapangan Empire, has resorted to death penalty to whoever found guilty of crimes. Knights were authorized to kill the criminals according to their judgment without undergoing trials.

Many rebels rose from different regions and began terrorizing the people. Until such time, people began an uprising to dethrone the king.

The king who thought for the people's good never commanded his loyal knights to kill any civilian. The palace, formerly the safest and most peaceful place, had become the worst place to stay. The people had broken in with their farming and construction tools. Several high ranking knights have turned their backs on the king.

History has been twisted upon the Hong's succession to the throne. Marco Angenas lit a cigarette as he read the worthless history book.

Marco, the third prince of the newly redeemed Katapangan Empire decided to marry a woman in a foreign land. His long-time girlfriend and now fiancée is standing in front of him in her white dress. He is marrying not for love, not for fame, not for money but for an heir.

The crown prince Cielo only has a daughter before he was poisoned and has become impotent. The first prince Nico is more interested in men than women.

"You're being rebellious now, baby boy," Nico tapped his younger brother's shoulder as he helped him dress up for the wedding.

"Why don't you stay to be my witness?" Marco asked but Nico shrugged.

"I can't. My boy is waiting for me tonight," Nico said showing a glint of excitement to meet the man he was talking about. Marco eyed him as if something is not right with his brother's behavior. He just shrugged the thought off and grinned at Nico.

"You're the most handsome when you smile. But you look scary when you grin," Nico mumbled as he brushed Marco's sleeve with his hand. "By the way," he spoke and went to the bed to take a bottle of wine. "Your future wife gave me this. She told me to give you."

Marco smirked. "Myra personally told you about their custom?"

(Inaccuracies in title/position of the characters are not the story's fault because this is not set in a historal period but set in a fantasyland where the characters have their own world and everything is possible.)

Marco smirked. "Myra personally told you about their custom?"

"Custom? No. She said you'd know."

"Right. People in Kalayaan have a weird tradition to give the groom some wine to drink before getting married. Do you know that?"

"Oh! I remember grandpa talking about Kalayaan's wedding tradition. They even sign their copies of marriage contracts and exchange them to sign the other’s copy after the ceremony ended. Aren't they afraid someone might tamper the names and signatures? Anyways," Nico shrugged as Marco took two glasses of wine from the drawer before they opened the bottle to have a drink.

"Do we really need to do the tradition?" Alexandra asked her fiancé and soon to be husband.

"Of course. Kalayaan men who didn't follow the custom didn't have good marriages. They were doomed to fail, either their partner died or they didn't last long and got divorced," Janrey said. He is not a trustworthy man but Alexandra was too naïve and simple to tell that.

Alexandra felt guilty to her family. She is the only direct descendant of Marie Hong and the Hong family has high expectations from her. They want her to take the throne back from the Angenas. "What are you thinking, Alex?" Janrey asked when he noticed that Alexandra was lost in thoughts.

"Nothing," she smiled. Janrey tapped her head.

"I have to leave so I can prepare as well.”

"Go," Alexandra smiled.

"Don't forget the wine," Janrey reminded before stepping out of the room. As the door closed, Alexandra's smile faded. She should be happy to marry the man of her dreams but she couldn't rejoice as she could imagine how the Hong family would react.

Kalayaan is a foreign land where she worked as a volunteer helper to the poor and needy when she was in her teens. Now at 21, she is a palace maid assigned in the kitchen of the Katapangan palace.

The kitchen is one of the most isolated place in the palace. It is a place where very few or no nobles have wandered off to. Even so, she was able to see the crown prince and the second prince's faces during banquets. Only the third prince was missing every time they held banquets.

Rumors say that he is the most handsome yet the most cold-blooded prince among the three. Handsome or not, she only cares about whether she can do the task or not. But so far, she couldn't commence her plans. Any attempts were interrupted by a pair of flirting palace maid and palace guard, the head maid calling her for a task, or a coworker pulling her for a break.

Alexandra just shook her head and instead of getting a glass, she drunk the wine straight from the bottle. The burning sensation from the liquid made her feel uncomfortable but she continued to drink until it was halved.

She spilled a few drops on her gown but it didn't leave any stain. "Ah white wine," she grinned and hiccupped after a few seconds. Her head began to spin as her sight became blurry. She shook her head to gain her sanity but to no avail.

She grinned and left the room while looking for her groom. Janrey grinned upon seeing Alexandra's drunken state. "You look beautiful but I can't marry you," he said as he led her towards the wedding hall.

"What are you saying? We're getting married, aren't we?"

"Oh yes. For the sake of the ceremony, I will stand in for the real groom," he said as they entered the wedding hall. No one was surprised to see a drunk bride as it is the custom. Women have weaker alcohol tolerance so no one suspected Janrey's schemes.

"By the power vested on me, I now pronounce you man and wife," the priest declared. Marco grinned as he shook his head. Did he need to get so drunk to attend his own wedding ceremony? Marco squinted his eyes to focus his gaze on his bride but Myra remained doubled or tripled, even quadrupled.

Myra was sorry to Marco but she cannot back out now that her mission is almost complete. She can finally avenge her father who died during the rebellion ten years ago.

She assisted Marco towards the room she booked for Marco and a random woman. "You could be accused of sexual abuse or if you are lucky, you might meet an angel to invalidate your crime."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Myra said as she helped Marco towards the bed. She placed the contract on the bedside table and a pen beside it.

Janrey carried Alexandra towards the bedroom his sister booked for the Angenas bastard. "Sorry Alex, my duty is more important than you. Blame your luck for not helping you," Janrey said as he laid Alexandra on the bed. He placed the contract on top of the bedside table beside Marco's contract.

He can hear the water splashing from the bathroom so he hurried to leave the room.

Alexandra frowned, feeling a little dizzy. She then woke up after a few minutes and checked the contract. Upon seeing her name on hers, she immediately grabbed the other one to sign her complete name. She stood up and went to the balcony to get some fresh air.

Marco was done bathing but the effect of the wine couldn't be easily washed off. His sight is still blurry and his body feels hotter than earlier. His face is blushing but he couldn't distinguish it in the mirror.

With his black robe on, he dried his hair with a small towel before heading out.

He grabbed the contract and signed his name on the blank without reading the spouse's name. He lied down thinking he could suppress the heat arising from his body. But when he heard a woman's voice who just came from the balcony, he jolted up and grabbed her when she came closer.

Marco pinned Alexandra down on the bed and kissed her forehead. "You are mine tonight, my wife," he whispered and sniffed her neck. "You reek of alcohol yet you have a nice and sweet fragrance from your body."

Alexandra smiled upon hearing that husky masculine voice whispering in her ear. It does not sound like Janrey but her body feels an unusual reaction to that. She, out of her character, pushed the man aside and she laid atop him.

She began to peel off the uncomfortable dress and threw whatever she took off piece by piece. The fresh scent of his soap is making her more intoxicated. His warm skin made her tremble at the slightest touch. Same things happened to Marco.

"I hate being under," Marco said and flipped her so that he is on top.

"Whichever you choose, I'm fine with it," Alexandra said with a smile and pulled his nape. Just for tonight, she wanted to forget the pressure from the Hong family. She would spend the night with her secret husband. Tomorrow, she would be back to Katapangan and become a lowly palace maid again.

"I will be gentle," he said as their eyes met.

"You should be," she replied and pulled him closer.

Alexandra woke up with a heavy head. She has never been drunk like last night. It was unexpected. She became proactive and a little daring to initiate a kiss. She got up only to find her body full of marks. Her waist is a little bit aching so she slowly turned towards her husband.

To her shock, she covered her body with the blanket they shared. The man looked at her with a cold gaze and a frown. "Who are you?" both asked.

"No," she shook her head feeling at a loss. "It can't be," she said as she looked at his ***** body. He's hot but it wasn't supposed to be him. "Where's Janrey? You couldn't be the one I spent the night with. There must be a mistake," she said and pulled the blanket to get off the bed but he caught her wrist.

Marco smirked upon realizing that he fell into a scam marriage. "Let me go!" the woman pulled her hand away but he tightened his grip.

"At least calm down and get properly dressed," he said as he picked up his black robe on the floor just below his side of the bed. Marco wore his robe and went to take fresh clothes from the wardrobe. He took a shower and came out fully clothed.

He took the contracts and read the names before glancing at the woman who is still slouched on the bed, shedding her tears. He smirked. "Nothing's funny," Alexandra looked up and met the cold pair of eyes gazing at her.

While he was in the bathroom, she took the chance to review the contract. She felt as if her world has collapsed or her body has broken to pieces. ANGENAS. That surname made her shake and tremble. "Fate is playing with us miss," he said and sat on the edge of the bed knowing that she must have checked it first.

"I've never wanted to take revenge on you. Why are you doing this to me?" she blamed as if he knew about the setup.

"Revenge? Who should be speaking about revenge?" he smirked as he crossed his long legs. "And I must be the one asking you. Why are you all doing underhanded tactics? Ever since your grandmother's time, the Hong family has been doing the same thing," he said with clenched teeth.

"Underhanded? You say the Hongs but you refer to my grandmother disrespectfully," she talked back with gnashing teeth. "You're still doing dirty tricks…"

"Dirty tricks! What dirty tricks? Name one," he challenged.

"Well...I…" she was speechless. How was she supposed to know anything when she was not yet born on the time her grandmother took over the throne fifty years ago? People were talking and gossiping about the cruelty and tyranny of the late king, Enrico Angenas.

Wherever in Katapangan she goes, upon mentioning history, all she hears from the younger generation are the Angenas' cruelty. But one time in the countryside, she met a couple who were about 70 years old and they were talking about the Angenas. Surely they mentioned about the said tyranny but they remarked it as a control measure to avoid further invasion and terrorism from rebel groups outside and within the empire.

"Stop acting like a damsel in distress," he said and wiped her cheek. Alexandra didn't notice that she was already weeping. She swatted his hand away because his touch felt good rather than disgusting. Marco retracted his hand and smirked.

"I'm not your damsel in distress," she said and whimpered. He left her and she just whimpered with her head on her knees. If this is a punishment, why must I be the one to suffer? It wasn't me!

Alexandra took a shower for about an hour as she tried to remove all Marco's marks on her body. Marco on the other hand ordered someone to prepare a fresh set of clothes for Alexandra. He constantly looked at the watch while glancing at the bathroom door. When he heard the clicking of the knob, he stood up and fixed his tie.

Alexandra's heart leapt from her ribcage upon seeing Marco standing beside the bed with his back facing her. She tried to remain composed as Marco turned towards her. Just as she heard, Marco or the third prince of Katapangan is the most handsome among the princes, and maybe the most coldblooded as well. "Wear this," he said and left the room.

The dress looked beautiful and it suits her perfectly. She would have a reason to hate Marco Angenas if he didn't have a sense of fashion. She looked into the mirror and assessed her reflection. She is now a married woman with her chastity taken by an Angenas. It wasn't by her own will but under the influence of alcohol that she gave herself to the enemy.

Tears formed in her eyes but she sniffed to push them back. "I'm strong. I'm strong. I'm not a damsel in distress," she spoke trying to encourage herself. She exhaled before heading out. At the door, she took another deep breath before opening it.

Food is served as Marco remained seated on the couch. He only looked up when she closed the door behind her. "You must be hungry. Have breakfast with me," he said so casually as if he did nothing wrong so she copied his blank expression as she sat on the couch in front of him.

"You're not trying to make me more uncomfortable than I really do, are you?"

"No, except that I want to fill my stomach. If I keep dwelling on the past, can I ever move on?" he asked as if telling something aside from what happened last night. "And if you feel uncomfortable to the point that you have to miss breakfast because you are dining with an Angenas, then you are at a loss. In battle, even enemies accept each other's help if they want to survive and continue to fight for another time," he shrugged and took a sip of coffee, "at least it's what I can think of."

"Right," she said and picked up her fork. She would really be at a loss if she didn't sit down to eat. Most of the dishes are her favorites. Her mouth began to water when she saw the chicken tinola steaming hot from the pot as Marco removed the lid.

"Dig in," he told her as he put a serving in his bowl. He offered his hand but she didn't give her bowl so he brought the serving spoon down and let her fill her own.

"What you lost is what I lost as well," he said without blinking. She jolted as she burnt her tongue by his sudden remark. "Sorry, please go on," he remarked as he scooped some rice.

She almost lost her appetite but seeing his nonchalant behavior made her disregard their issue. After a quiet meal, Marco smoothed his tie. "As I was saying earlier, what you lost is what I lost as well. I can give you a land or money for compensation…"

"Unacceptable!" she slammed the table and the plates and utensils clashed. She stood up and looked down on him who didn't even flinch.

"What do you want then?" he clasped his hands and crossed his legs as he laid back comfortably. "I can give you jewels, bags, shoes…"

"Hold your horses Mr. Angenas! I'm not a **********. And I won't accept anything from your dirty money," she said and walked out.

"Even if you give me a palace, I won't accept that. I'm not a woman whose dignity is bought or chastity is sold," she grumbled as she left the building.