A Princess of Low Birth

"Maribelle!" the man snarled in a low voice, sending Raina flinching to the floor. Her breathing was growing erratic and beads of tears began to pool in her eyes from dread.

Oh No. he must have seen through her. He must have realized that she was an imposter and not the real Raina. Oh god...these were monarchs. Royalty. They are going to behead her for impostering a royal Princess.

A woman scrambled out of somewhere. Her short hair bobbing left and right as she rushed towards the scary man and performed a strangle style of curtsy in respect.

"Get my wife back to her room and make sure she's presentable before she steps out again." He sounded offended and throws her a scathing look before storming out of the hall with the tiny toddler in tow. Hearing his words, Arabella quickly takes a peek at her clothes because why the fuck was that man angry at her dress. it was completely fine. she was wearing a white nightgown that covered her from her neck to her ankles.

The woman called Maribelle grasped as she climbed the stairs two at a time and grabbed Raina by her wrist.

"My God, you're Highness! You can't go this far!" Maribelle whisper shouted in disbelief as she dragged her through the same hallway towards the room.

"w-what do you mean?" maribelle shiv both of them in ice before slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Raina raised a brow at the heaving woman. The unceremonious way Raina was dragged...isn't she supposed to be some royalty? shouldn't the woman tread on eggshells as she cowered in fear around her not daring to even look her in the eye much less touch her?

'Pfftttt. you are so funny and utterly foolish.' the voice was back and hollered.

"agh..." the piercing noise forced Raina to shut her eyes as she winced from the sudden pain in her head.

Maribelle stumbled forwards and steadied Raina. Her face was twisted with concern, "are you alright, Princess?"

"Am fine." Raina lied hoarsely and Mirabelle helped her to bed, her mouth flapping.

"You're Highness! you know that you can't step out of your room in your intimate clothing then why did you do that?" she left her and vanished behind a door in the corner of the room and appeared with a royal blue dress in hand.

"What is that supposed to mean? Am wearing a modest nightgown not my bra and panties-" Maribelle gasped again, her eyes rounding with horror as she places one hand a too her heart.

Raina straightened. Afraid the woman might have a stroke at this rate of continuous gasping and panting. Ugh.

"Oh My Princess! You can't say such crude words. They aren't befitting of a noble lady like yours."

Raina choked in disbelief. whaaaattt?

"You should never ever do something like that again. Only your Lord Husband, his Highness the Ramoni first can see and touch you in your sleepwear. Disobeying the royal codes and dishonouring his highness have severe consequences and you can get banished!" maribelle explained a little breathlessly.

"Is this some middle age? Please tell me its still 2022 and not some ancient times?" it took a solid minute for bewildered Raina to digest everything.

"My Lady you can't talk or act so carelessly. I know that you don't care about your life or the consequences but it's us, the servants, who get punished in your stead." maribelle whispered and took a peek at Raina in alarm ready to take a slap for her audacity to even mention the servants her Princess didn't have the time to care about.

"Huh?!" Raina was speechless. Seeing her lady's expression who didn't seemed to be offended strangely, Maribelle continues.

"His highness the Ramoni First have been considerably lenient towards you despite your violations all these years but...I have never seen him so cold and angry before." she jerks in fright, remembering the cool and composed prince smashing the whole table of cutlery in rage.

"I would advise you to not offend him anymore...please princess! I beg you! I am scared for you...he might leave you at this rate...!" she pleaded. Seeing the woman so sad and afraid, Raina resented. it won't hurt to give some comfort.

"...don't worry. I am not stupid." Raina pouts. She didn't even want to be anywhere near the man. Her husband.

He was breathtakingly handsome but terrifying at the same time from the small interaction she had with him.

"Azazel-" Raina was forced to shut her mouth when two palms pressed against her lips.

"Dear God! You can't address his royal Highness by his sacred name! You could be beheaded for blatant disregard and disrespect!" Maribelle was trembling like a leaf and her words came out shaky as if she was afraid that someone might have already heard her.

"Isn't he my husband?" going in shock was becoming a regular thing for Raina by this point.

Sacred? What the...

"It's 'My Lord Husband for you' Princess."

"So he can call me 'wife' and not 'my Lord wife' but I can't?" yeah, right what the hell.

maribelle was on the verge of fainting hearing the princess utter such imprudent nonsense. It was as if the lady was tired of living. How could she defy His Highness Like that? No wonder the queen was regularly inviting women to his highness's palace.

No. maribelle must not let any woman replace her lady! Her lady will learn with time but it had already been almost three years by now...

"My Lady, pardon me but you weren't born of royal birth and his Highness is a decedent of the Khitrov II. His Highness is a blue bloodied prince and it's presumptuous to compare to him."

Huh. What a load of bullshit but it explained why Maribelle was so cautions. Raina wasn't of noble birth. She wondered why a prince agreed to marry her when she was supposedly of 'low birth'.

"Okay. We will talk all about this later, alright? I am tired." Raina tried to dismiss the woman who has turned pale suddenly. Everything that she got to know about this place was horrendous for her liking. A woman who lived in a free country.

Her thoughts began to drift towards her enigma of a new husband...

Amaze Ramoni Khitrov.

He was a prince of Ramoni Kingdom.

Of course she knew about the Ramoni Kingdom. It was a rich country known for its diamond and other rare earth element's mine. Only if she had known his full name, she would have already pieced together all puzzles. Sighing, she snuggled further into the bed but hearing maribelle's protest, she frowns in distaste.

"My lady you can't sleep right now. It past noon...how come you have already forgotten your strict routine?" she asks dumboudedly to which Raina at once straightened.

If she started lagging, suspicion will definitely arise. She shuddered at the thought.

"Alright. Lead the way." Raina grumbled weakly.

It turned out that Maribelle was her personal maid servant who overlooked all her needs. As if on cue, several maids entered the room and bowed in unison. Rain was ushered into the bathroom. She didn't have the time to enjoy the expensive built up before she was stripped stark naked to her horror and shoved into the bath tub full of Luke warm water and rose petals.

What a life...she thought. No wonder the royals she knew about were so arrogant.

The maids immediately took their positions and began soaping her fresh. One was washing her hair with such care as if it were silk and not strands of hair.

One thing she did notice was that the new maids in uniform appeared to be exceptionally afraid of her. They didn't dare meet her eyes and kept silent throughout the bath.

Raina found it quite strange but didn't dwell further in it.

After the bath, the maids left–except maribelle–who helped her wear that royal blue dress. It was one shoulder dress with one long slightly puffed sleeve. the fabric was soft to the touch and those fishy stones adorning the waist and neckline....she didn't even want to think about the cost of such jewels or else there was no guarantee that she would take it off and run away with it. The dress moulded to her body and ended right above her knees.

To her annoyance, this dress made the bloated shape of stomach obvious but it wasn't that much and she could hide it with a clutch or a hand bag.

Yeah. She was so smart. She gloated inwards.

Maribelle tried to twist her hair into a low bun but Raina stopped her and ordered to keep them down.

"but you never keep them open." maribelle fidgeted.

"why?"

"you said it yourself that his highness seemed to find you beautiful with your hair down. since that time...you started wearing a bun."

"is that so?" Raina asked curiously. it seemed like the original Raina had some issues with her husband

Just then, a knock sounded on the door and a man dressed in black suit stepped inside.

"Sir Adrian! You can't step inside a lady's room without permission." Maribelle shrieked but he ignored her and fixed Raina with a stare before bowing.

"Her Highness the Princess of Ramoni First had been summoned by his Highness at his study. I am here to escort you."

"why?" Raina was unwilling to go near her husband. but it was envitable. the man called Adrian didn't answer to her dismay and just thinned his lips.

what a rock. she thought as she sighed.

"alright."

she would just call upon the voice in her head and ask for help.