400 Nervous Bride
After saying their vows came the part where they would exchange rings.
Two young priests approached, bringing the rings for the couple which they would put on each other’s fingers. When the High Priest finally declared them husband and wife, the guests cheered as it was the moment for the bride and the groom to kiss. The two kissed not just once but several times before so it was nothing new for them, but doing it under many expectant gazes, Esther still felt shy and nervous.
Seeing his blushing bride, Prince Theron could not help but grin as he stepped a little closer to her and pulled her into his arms. She let out a tiny cute yelp but he leaned down to kiss on her lips to silence her. The kiss lasted for several seconds, and the cheers of the guests turned into hoots and laughter, especially coming from the younger ones. The pinkish skin on her cheeks turned visibly red, and the colour climbed into the tips of her ears in embarrassment. However, instead of pushing her husband away, she decided to simply pretend they were alone so she could relish the sweet kiss.
There was still applause and sounds of cheering by the time Prince Theron parted from her lips. With a sly smile, he whispered to her in a low roguish tone only she could hear. “Tonight, you won’t be allowed to passively receive my kiss like this. I expect much more from my wife.”
Esther gulped and lowered her gaze, not daring to look at her shameless husband.
‘A rogue! He’s not even bothered with the presence of the people around! Saying such bold things to me…I should have known! Ugh!’
Prince Theron smirked playfully seeing her flushed face and thought, ‘My wife is so adorable. How come she’s this naive even though she claims to be much older than me?’
When they turned to face the guests, people nearest the newlyweds started exchanging pleasantries with them.
“Congratulations to the Crown Prince and the new Crown Princess!”
“May your union bless the kingdom!”
The two could not stop themselves from thanking them for their good wishes.
After the wedding ceremony, the wedding guests were led to another place for the banquet, while the couple had to change their attire for the next part of the celebration which was the wedding parade. As members of royalty, the newly wedded couple had to travel around the city in an open carriage and receive the good wishes of the common folks. The curious citizens crowded on the sides of the main streets to cheer for their next king and queen. The people felt high expectations for Esther because she was born a commoner and not from any noble family. This thing made the citizens feel that she was one among them.
Afterwards, the couple attended the wedding banquet to interact with the guests and the celebration lasted till the evening. As the night went on, the guests slowly started to leave the banquet while the bride was taken to the bridal chamber which was prepared within Prince Theron’s residence.
Being the new Crown Princess, Esther would now stay in the residence of the Crown Prince where she had her separate bedchamber next to his. This would be her home for the next several years until the time King Esteban passed the throne to his son.
The servants helped her change out of her ceremonial robe and prepared her to wash herself in the side chamber as it was the wedding night of the prince and princess. Afterwards, they put her into a silk nightgown and brought her back to the bedchamber, where dimly lit scented candles and flower petals were delicately arranged to create a romantic and sensual atmosphere within the room.
Esther looked at her new bedchamber where she would be staying from this day onward. Though the manor at the outskirts of Blackhelm would remain under her name, it would only be treated as one of her properties since she would be living inside the royal palace from now on. Knowing her husband, she might not even get to spend a night away from him again.
“Your Highness, please sit here,” one lady-in-waiting instructed, gesturing towards the bed. Esther blushed as she knew what would be happening next—it was the night when she and her husband would be consummating their marriage.
With a shaky breath, Esther sat at the edge of the bed. She swore her servants were smiling at her, and she felt even more embarrassed. Fortunately, the servants excused themselves after making sure that the preparations were complete. They closed the door behind them, leaving the shy bride waiting for her groom.
Time flew by slowly.
Esther was nervously fidgeting as she eyed the door, sensitive to the various kinds of sound from the other side of it. In order to calm herself, she had to close her eyes and focus on her breaths. However, her resolve broke after she heard footsteps outside of the door. Her eyes snapped open when the owner of those footsteps stopped outside of the chamber.
She knew that it was Prince Theron. After sharing a fragment of her soul with him, she could feel his presence even without seeing him.
The door opened and the handsome young man who was now her husband stepped inside the bedchamber. With her heart hammering inside her chest, Esther lifted her gaze to his dark eyes.
The Crown Prince closed the door and had just turned around when he locked eyes with her. He felt as if time stopped as he looked at his lovely wife who was sitting quietly at the edge of the bed.
For the past few months, how many times had he imagined this moment? The reality was even better than all the images he came up with on his own.
Prince Theron slowly walked towards her, his gaze never leaving her. With each of his steps, she felt her heart picking up pace. If she were human, she might have fainted at this point. Just as he reached the spot directly in front of her, she felt her throat go dry. She gulped and lowered her gaze.
It was not the first time they were by themselves inside a bedchamber in the middle of the night… but tonight, she knew the expectations were different.
‘Why am I acting like a nervous little girl? I have been alive for more than a century, and I am not some naive human who should be scared of something like this…this… wait, but I have never done this before…?’
Prince Theron could clearly see her nervousness and he kneeled in front of her.
Esther was stunned. “W-Why are you kneeling on the floor?”
“Ssh. I am fine,” he said and cupped her hands between his. “But you don’t seem to be fine at all.”
He had seen her fingers trembling while they were clutching the skirt of her nightgown. She might not be conscious of it, but he wanted to let her know everything would be fine. As he held her hands, he found her trembling fingers cold, and the skin on her arms even had goosebumps on them.
He smiled and said while looking into those caramel eyes, “It’s not like I have held your hands for the first time. Why do you look so nervous?”
“I-I am not,” she replied, trying but failing to hide her nervousness.
Prince Theron let out a soft laugh at his wife’s adorable response. He lowered his head and tenderly pressed his lips on her knuckles, trailing feather light kisses on her icy cold fingers.
“I love you, Esther.”