I listened to his words and desperately wanted to believe what he was telling me. After all, I knew well enough that the beastmen were neither monsters nor our enemies. From the lion beastman and his cub that I’d once known, I had received nothing but kindness and friendship. 

I didn’t hate the beastmen and I wanted to see the war end, but if given a choice, how could I agree to marry someone I’d never met? I wasn’t even sure if I could trust the First Prince’s intentions. He was saying all the right things, but what if he turned out to be no different from my father?

I had learned over and over again that I couldn’t trust anyone. People who claimed to be on my side were liars, and nobody cared what happened to an unloved, mute bastard like me. If my own father abused me, loathed me, and threw me away, how could I expect any better from the First Prince?

“Oh, you poor dear,” Amelie suddenly said, looking at me with a sad expression, “it’s been hard for you hasn’t it?”

Unbidden, tears began to fill my eyes and threatened to spill down my cheeks, but I refused to let them escape. I looked away from her compassionate gaze and stared at my hands in my lap, trying to contain my emotions. Who knew kindness could feel so cruel?

“Julien,” the First Prince continued, “Perhaps, rather than asking if it is your will to be here, I should ask you a different question. Would you be willing to meet with the beastmen and consider helping us? My brother might be working against us, but his claim that you and your sister are the only ducal children of marriageable age is still true. I am quite certain that your father will resist if I try to press the matter of your sister. I may not be pleased with how we got to this point, but I also think you are the better choice. I won't order you to do this, but I will certainly ask. Julien, I request, no, I implore you, please meet with General Rastari and consider it."

I took a deep breath to calm my emotions and looked at the First Prince again. Try as I might, I couldn’t see any deception or malice in his eyes. If he so desired, he could force me to do it, send me back to my father, or just throw me in the dungeon to rot. But he didn't. He asked.

Hesitantly, I nodded, agreeing to his request. 

The beastman generals would be summoned immediately. I was still terrified, but there was a faint feeling of hope in my heart as Lord Erris went to retrieve them.

“I hope you know that you have my heartfelt gratitude for agreeing to this,” the First Prince said to me after Lord Erris had left. “I don’t know all of your story, but from what Amie told me, I think you’ve been through quite a bit. Since my youth, I have always been the First Prince of the Kingdom before I was Elantro de Vray, but I cannot deny that I was cherished and nurtured by my father, the King. Your father, the Duke of Ramport has long been a thorn in my side, being the miserable and hateful man that he is, and I can't imagine your upbringing was a pleasant one. I still can't get over the fact that he kept you hidden so well for so long. Odd indeed that the entire kingdom has seen Emma, his beautiful daughter whom he cherishes so dearly, yet I only discovered you existed when we chose his daughter for this marriage.”

I stared down at the floor, neither confirming nor denying what he was saying. My sister Emma certainly was the darling child, taken to Royal events and banquets, and frequently shown off to the nobility of the Kingdom. I, on the other hand, was kept in a single wing of the Duke’s residence, and rarely left my room. Unloved. Unknown. Unwanted. It was as if I didn't really exist. I understood now, that if it weren't for this treaty, I might have never truly existed. A faceless name that my sister used to run the duchy; a prisoner in my own home for life.

Amelie got up from her chair to kneel next to mine. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she took my hand in hers and told me, “It's okay. I can cry for you.”

I met her tear-filled gaze for a moment before the weight of it became too much to bear. After years of abuse, it almost broke me to see someone crying for my sake. Amelie rested her forehead on the arm of the chair and gripped my hand tightly. I reached out with my other hand and stroked her hair, the way my mother used to do for me. It was enough that I had to endure this pain. No one else should have to suffer with me.    

The moment was broken by a knock at the door. The beastmen had arrived.