Majic gazed out from the only window gracing her forsaken chamber—a room she was compelled to clean herself with found scraps to avoid bug bites; although she was the eldest daughter of King Carpio, the mighty ruler of the Susumira realm, and thus entitled to the crown and future queenship.

The sixteen-year-old princess, slender with wavy, reddish hair—a distinctive feature of the royal Maruzba family of Susumira—had lived in that room for eight years, situated in a dark tower, farthest from the central part of the palace; her skin was exceedingly pale, receiving scant sunlight when allowed a weekly stroll around the tower. During these moments, she cherished the sight of the vast sky overhead, pondering what existed beyond the palace walls and whether she'd ever encounter the grey-eyed boy from her hazy dreams.

Shortly after her mother's death, Majic had been confined to this place, her education ceasing at the age of eight. On this particular day—her sixteenth birthday—there was unusual bustle outside, at least from what little she could discern from the small window. This activity filled her with dread, as it often meant no one would bring her food, leaving her starving for days.

Suddenly, she heard a key enter the lock of her perpetually secured door. She hoped against hope for a meal, which would be a small mercy. However, she was taken aback as several maids entered with a resplendent golden dress, high-heeled shoes, and intricately crafted jewelry.

"What's happening?" the girl inquired.

"His Majesty has commanded that we bathe you, dress you, and make you beautiful," declared the apparent head of the serving girls.

"But why?" Majic asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"It is the king's command, just obey," retorted the maid, indifferent to the fact that the young woman was her sovereign's daughter.

Majic refrained from further questions, wishing to avoid a beating, which was the usual consequence of her inquiries or delayed obedience to the maids who would come bearing what they claimed were orders from King Carpio, her father.

The serving girls bathed the princess with cold water, and despite her shivering, none showed pity; they scrubbed her skin raw to cleanse her from filth that had accumulated from infrequent washes in the tower. The only luxury she had was brushing her teeth with dew collected from the small window early in the morning.

Once bathed, she was clothed in new garments, from undergarments to the glittering dress. The corset required little tightening due to her scant nourishment; she was so thin that it felt torturous to wear so much heavy attire. They then applied makeup and styled her hair to make her appear taller, adorned her with sparkling jewels, and placed a delicate tiara on her head. She put on the shoes, quite a discomfort since she had gone barefoot for eight years.

She was escorted to the central palace and had to wait in the antechamber before the royal throne room to be announced. Majic took the opportunity to glimpse at her reflection in a mirror, unable to recognize the princess she looked like—so divergent from her life of the last eight years in rags, barefoot, and without care.

Soon she was announced, "Princess Majic of the royal Maruzba family of Susumira." The maids instructed her to proceed. She walked gingerly, her shoes causing pain, approaching the king devoid of protocol, offering no formal curtsy nor the deepest of reverences. She merely nodded lightly when near her father.

"Chancellors of the Magical Realms Community of Hurmaya, behold my sweet Majic, the apple of my eye, my most beloved daughter, present as agreed," said the king, feigning immense love that belied his true feelings—a ruse Majic found baffling.

The young girl didn't recognize the people with her father, certainly not from Susumira, given that the elegantly dressed man and woman bore foreign emblems on their attire.

The woman appraised Majic thoroughly, lifting her chin. Majic, versed in silence to avoid punishment, held her breath as the lady touched her waist and hips, causing her to step back alarmingly.

"Chancellor, my daughter is pure; handle her with care—she is precious to me," asserted the king with gravity, further astounding Majic.

"We are the agreement's guarantors, ensuring conditions are met for producing an heir for the King of Fontana, and naturally, that she is wholly untouched," the accompanying stranger stated.

"I have accepted this pact as requested by Hurmaya's monarchs for peace, offering my most beloved child for marriage to Fontana's king. Never would I offer unworthy kin; my daughter has known no man," King Carpio assured.

"The King of Fontana will verify the young princess's purity upon our arrival in his domain, where we shall witness. Should she pass the test, the marriage shall transpire, solidifying the peace treaty," the mysterious lady declared.

The king drew near his daughter, embracing her and whispering, "Enjoy your new life; here you could only return in death." With a melancholic glance and a virtual whisper of apology, he kissed her forehead, concealing his heartfelt emotions.

"Take care of my princess, my greatest treasure," the king stated before turning away, leaving his eldest child, the rightful heir, to withdraw from the palace with the Chancellors.

It dawned on Majic then—her father had bartered her off as mere merchandise to an unknown monarch. Perplexed by what awaited her in this new kingdom, she know protest would only bring harsh discipline. The poor girl silently prayed her future realm would not eclipse the inferno of what was supposed to be her sanctuary.

Magic ascended into the carriage, readied in advance, where a chest with her alleged belongings lay, yet the chancellors informed her that she could take nothing from the kingdom of Susumira; the king of Fontana had made it abundantly clear—the only thing he would accept from that kingdom was the princess, the most cherished daughter of the king, for he would provide new belongings for her in his realm.

As she voyaged in the carriage, she beheld the vast palace gardens, as lovely as when she last saw them at age eight, then they traversed the primary city, bustling compared to the sepulchral silence of the tower where she resided for eight years, to her it seemed that life outside that place was exceedingly colorful.

Eventually, they arrived at the countryside, the sky had darkened somewhat; the guards dismounted from the carriages and appeared to arrange stones of different hues around them; one approached and, through the window, gazed at her sternly.

"Keep your entire body inside the carriage, or the instantaneous journey will make your head explode," the guardian said, tersely.

The young princess closed her window, and stayed silent within the carriage; abruptly, she felt for a brief second as though her body had disintegrated into millions of pieces, only to reassemble; it was an odd sensation, she dared not open the carriage window due to the guard’s remark.

The princess had lived a long time in that tower and was unaware that those colored stones were magical artifacts that enabled teleportation from one place to another, given there weren’t too many people around.

Minutes later, the carriage resumed motion, but now the area they had been seemed to have turned darker and windier all at once. The carriage halted again and another guard opened the door.

"Get out, we'll switch carriages from here," the guard stated, offering no assistance to the princess.

She observed how to disembark and found it strange that they were no longer in that field, but instead in a rocky place and it was already night; how this had happened so swiftly bewildered her, she felt quite dizzy and couldn't grasp why, nearly falling before reaching the other carriage, yet managed to steady herself using the door, which left her arm aching for an extended duration.

The carriage she was now in had larger windows; she could see as they passed through the city illuminated by green torchlight until reaching Fontana palace. The grand gates opened, this place too had beautiful gardens, but the flowers were very different from those in her kingdom.

Upon arriving at the central part of the palace, a guard opened the door for her; she knew she was expected to disembark on her own. She advanced a few meters and the Chancellors who brought her from her kingdom approached her.

"This is a peace treaty, which the council of kings has sought for a long time; there have been many deaths between these two kingdoms. I hope you realize the responsibility you carry on your shoulders; be agreeable to the king of Fontana and secure peace for the realms of this world," the chancellor spoke, the young princess didn't understand what was being said, merely nodded and followed.

As they reached the main hall, she beheld a tall man, with cinnamon skin, dark hair and eyes, a grim countenance, wearing a crown, so she assumed he was the king of Fontana, looking to be in his mid-twenties. She had assumed the king would be much older than herself, but was surprised there might be a decade's difference at most.

Magic moved slower, for the shoes were torturous; uninformed of the protocols, she approached and merely bowed her head without performing the proper curtsey due to a king and future husband. He thought the young princess to be utterly impertinent—what else to expect from King Carp's daughter?

"Your most excellent majesty, this is Princess Magic, the most beautiful and beloved daughter of King Carp of Susumira," the chancellor proclaimed.

"She has a slender waist and ample hips; despite her thinness, she appears to possess what's necessary to bear children. Nonetheless, we will remain here until the princess's purity is proven and the marriage takes place, as stipulated by the agreement," remarked the chancellor.

"If there's no other option, let's verify the purity of the princess at once and have the marriage ceremony tomorrow. Lady Marila, take the princess to her chambers; I will be there shortly. Prepare everything for the test and ensure she has nothing from Susumira," declared the king with utter indifference.

"Come with us, Princess," said Lady Marila to Magic, and the young princess had no choice but to follow.

Upon reaching the princess's quarters, Magic was most astonished; while seemingly remote from the palace's core, the room was clean and well-lit, with a bed that seemed comfortable, vastly unlike the bunk in the wretched room her father had provided.

"Is this my room?" the nervous young princess inquired.

"Perhaps it may seem small compared to what you had in your palace, but it will be your room. You must understand that this is a marriage of convenience to maintain the peace of the kingdoms. When you marry his majesty, and he summons you, only on those days will you attend the king's chambers. We have suffered much due to your father, so be mindful of your place here now," Lady Marila spoke with scorn.

Magic wished to express that the room was splendid and that she was thankful for it; however, she remained silent due to Lady Marila's tone, having learned in recent years that sometimes silence was her best defense.

Soon they brought in a large chest, began to remove jewels, and stored them in small boxes placed inside the chest; suddenly, from outside, it was announced, "His majesty, King Fortem, will enter." Everyone inside bowed their heads low to the ground, Magic watched them all, and realized she should do the same.

King Fortem entered, flanked by the Chancellor and two matrons, and seated himself in a chair facing the bed. He found it loathsome to marry the daughter of the man who had slain nearly his entire family; the young princess's red hair might seem particularly lovely to anyone, but for the inhabitants of Fontana, it signified death, and to the king even more so.

King Fortem signaled that they could rise, so Lady Marila and the maids began to remove the dress from Majic, who was uncomfortable with the whole ordeal; the young princess did not understand why they had to do this in front of the king.

"Is it necessary to undress me like this?" asked Majic timidly, as she stood in her underwear, trying to cover herself.

"It is a test of purity, princess. Do you not know what that means? It is something that should have been explained to you when they informed you of the marriage," Lady Marila said, surprised.

"I just found out today that I would be coming here, I just found out today that I have to marry the King of Fontana. I have no idea what a purity test is. What is it supposed to mean?" said the nervous young princess, trembling and blushing, looking for a way to cover herself with her hands.

The king grimaced with annoyance. The princess's attitude was causing him indignation; that the beloved daughter of King Carpio had not been briefed on her purpose in his kingdom felt like mockery to him; besides, with the underwear Majic was wearing, King Fortem could see that the princess's body had not yet fully developed, she was so thin she still seemed somewhat childlike, and that was not at all attractive to him. It was even more difficult given that she was the daughter of his greatest enemy.

"Do you really expect me to believe that, princess? It is truly annoying that you pretend to be innocent. To make it clear, I am also bothered by your presence. (Looking at the matrons and the chancellor) Make sure you verify the princess’s purity; I will trust in your word Chancellor and matrons. I will await the results in my office," said King Fortem seriously, and left the princess's room, slamming the door behind him, very upset.

Later, King Fortem was in his office having a little wine when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," said the king, and the chancellor and matrons entered the office.

"Your Majesty, the test has been conducted," stated the chancellor.

"And the result?" asked the king, hoping the princess was not pure, so he could send her back to her father immediately and dissolve the treaty, forcing King Carpio to maintain the peace agreement without needing to marry off his daughter.

"The princess is a virgin, Your Majesty. Your future wife has not been with any man. Her purity is assured," declared the Chancellor.

"I see. Then, as agreed, the wedding will proceed tomorrow. You may leave," said King Fortem resignedly. There was no turning back, his enemy's daughter would become his wife.

Meanwhile, Princess Majic was crying on her bed, not understanding why those women had to inspect her so intimately—it had been a deeply embarrassing experience for her. The young princess could not fathom the reason behind it. She was getting married tomorrow and had no idea what that would mean for her life.

She startled when someone knocked on the door, unsure if she should open it.

"Princess, your dinner is here," said the maid behind the door.

Majic quickly got up from the bed, running as fast as she could to open the door, not believing she was about to eat. In the tower where she used to live, she was only given lunch, and even that wasn't guaranteed every day.

As the maid entered, she placed the tray on a small table in the center of the room; on the tray were cooked vegetables, some chicken, and mashed potatoes. She couldn’t believe she was being brought such a feast, the poor princess, accustomed to eating only beans, did not realize this was a very simple dish for someone who would likely be the next queen of Fontana; so she thought that perhaps life in this place wouldn't be worse than in her father's palace.

"Thank you, thank you so much," the princess said, overwhelmed with gratitude.

Then she began to eat hastily with her hands, surprising the maid, who couldn’t fathom how a princess could behave in such a manner - clearly lacking basic manners. In just a few minutes, Majic finished the meal and was about to open the door with dirty hands.

"Don't do that, princess. You must wash up first," said the maid.

"Oh, but where?" asked Majic.

"In the bathroom, come with me," the maid said, opening the door to the facility.

Majic had not attempted to open that door, assuming it would be locked; she was amazed by everything inside. The young maid did not understand why she was helping the princess. Everyone in the kingdom hated the people of Susumira because there was not a family in Fontana that hadn't lost a loved one to the wars started by King Carpio. Yet, the young princess somehow elicited her empathy.

"My name is Yura; I will be responsible for bringing dinner to the princess. I hope you understand how everything works," Yura stated, then went to the room to take the tray and leave.

"You are very kind, and thank you for everything," Majic said, smiling warmly.

The maid withdrew quickly, fearing that if she stayed too long she would end up liking the young princess, which she could not afford; Majic was the daughter of the ruthless King Carpio.

Majic went to look out the window, she had not felt like this in a long time—clean, full-stomached, and with a comfortable bed. As she observed the floral path leading to the central part of the palace, she saw King Fortem riding in the distance. He seemed imposing, tall and with broad shoulders, his voice was powerful, and she noticed how large his hands were. She told herself that she would try not to annoy the king, who would become her husband the next day. She suspected that if she received a blow from the king with those large hands, she might end up dead.