The Fake Bride

“No” was the first word that came out of the princess’s mouth. While the earl’s reaction was aghast, and his cousin—well, being who he was, appeared faintly flabbergasted but amused. The princess, instead of being one of the two, was stone cold and dour in her response.

“You’ve said so yourself, they won’t know who I am since they don’t know your face. I’m sure—”

“That’s not the point, Trinity,” she interrupted with a cry. “It’s preposterous to even speak of.”

“No, Lord Detles is right,” Trinity argued, patting her chest repetitively as if that was enough to justify her cause. “We need somebody, anyone, to replace you. It must be someone you trust. And I’m the only one who can do it.”

Locking eyes with Trinity, the princess gripped her shoulders. “But this—it’s impossible.”

“It’s not impossible. If you believe in me, then I can do anything, even the impossible,” she said gently.

At the conviction in Trinity’s voice, the princess faltered. Trinity knew she had managed to plant a little hope in the princess’s mind. And that was all she needed. Only a bit more and she would be able to push it over the edge.

“I know I can do it,” she continued. “The only ones who know are the people in this room.”

“I am fully for it,” Lord Detles concurred suddenly. “It’s a gamble, but I would take it despite the risk.”

Trinity was grateful, for once, for his support; the princess—not so much. She glared him down. “Don’t speak so tactlessly. If you were me, would you let your best friend risk her life for you?”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t,” he said coolly. “But I also understand Trinity’s intention. I would not want to see my precious person suffer without doing anything.”

His voice was husky as if the underlying meaning was much more profound than mere empathy to Trinity. In the corners of her eyes, Trinity sensed the earl restlessly shifting his feet. And with one simple thought, she knew he was the key to unraveling the problem. She looked at him, and with the most earnest eyes, begged him to do it despite how despicable it came out.

“It is cruel for me to say this, but I do believe this could work,” he adhered. “Trinity is a smart girl; I trust that she can help herself.”

“I cannot believe this!” said the princess, appalled. “You of all people should not agree to this. Trinity is also your friend. Why would you let her do this?”

He heaved a crestfallen sigh, his smoldering brown eyes unreadable. “I’ve pledged myself to you before…at this point, I will not think of anyone but you. I want to be with you no matter what I have to do in order to get there.”

And, just as she had predicted, Princess Farsiris showed subtle hint of wavering, all the defenses around her mentality weakened. The guarded wall she had put up to stay determined was now as brittle as a wall made of straws. One huff and it would be over.

Vacillating, conflicting against her desire and her need to protect, her eyes swept over the three one by one. The defeated look on her face was a likeness to a wounded beast cornered to breaking point. She realized that no one was on her side, and an inexplicable fear engulfed her as she realized she was beginning to be swayed too.

“How could I?” Her voice trembled. “I…Are you certain of your words? Do you truly wish me to become a heartless friend for love?”

“I don’t blame you in anyway. It is my choice. You are not to blame for anything.” Overwhelmed by pure surge of emotions, she dropped to her knees and lowered her head before the princess. “Please, Your Highness, please let me do this.”

Her sudden action flustered the princess, who was at a loss for words. Bending, she grasped Trinity’s arms, urging her to her feet. “Why are you doing this?” she said, her voice strained with a choking sound. “Stand up. Don’t do this.”

But Trinity wouldn’t budge. “I’ve never asked you for anything. But just this once, I beg of you. You must allow me.”

“Why—of all the things you could have asked me, this is it? If you had wanted diamonds or pearls, I would have given them to you without a thought…without a thought,” she echoed.

“I don’t need diamonds or pearls.” She shook her head, smiling a tender smile though she felt her throat clenched with a suppressed sob. “All along, the only thing I wish for is your happiness.”

It took a while for those words to sink in. The princess always knew Trinity’s devotion surpassed those of ordinary means. Perhaps she always knew something like this would happen but chose to be nonchalant toward it. That vow of the lost little girl she had found those distant years ago was suddenly revived in her mind. At that time, if she had known, perhaps she should have turned a blind eye so that this day would never come.

Suddenly everything was a blur to her. The path she had intended to walk, the future she had anticipated, everything was crumpling right beneath her feet. The hopelessness, the fear, the regret—she felt every drop of those treacherous feelings when she collapsed where she stood, tears falling with no intention of ceasing. She was the cause of Trinity’s suffering. Since way before and even now. All because of her selfishness.

“I’m so sorry,” she cried, throwing her arms around her most beloved friend. “It’s my fault. I made you do this. It’s my entire fault. I only ever think of myself. I never take you into consideration. I’m so sorry I’m selfish—I hurt you because I couldn’t abandon love.”

The space filled up with the princess’s desperate cry, and piled up, too, in Trinity’s anguished heart. Taken into the princess’s embrace, she could feel that small and terribly fragile body shaking with grief. She secured her own arms around the princess, and together, huddled tightly like a tangled knot, the two shared hearts mourned the fates that had brought them together only to tear apart that bond in this inevitable parting.



Despite the circumstance, the two beet red and swollen faces were a sight to see. Heartless as he was, Lord Detles couldn’t control himself from fit of laughter when the two had calmed down and decided it was time. Well, at least one of them still had the heart to take humor in other people’s pain.

Noon was approaching and the time of departure had been delayed, so Trinity ushered the princess out the room to make preparations. As they left, she noticed the earl’s eyes following her. He appeared apologetic and regretful. Looking at him, she wondered if they should have offered him a shoulder to cry on too. She smiled at him and nodded, her way of telling him that everything would be fine, and exited.

Back in her room, the princess began to fiddle nervously as she paced the room. Her appearance was a mess, and her state of mind also seemed to be in turmoil. Sighing, Trinity went through the trunk of clothes and picked out a moderately mediocre dress, which proved to be a challenging task considering the princess was the person in question. Looking around the room, Trinity wondered what she should include for the princess’s journey. Money would be essential, of course. She could buy more clothes along the way; besides, the dresses in her possessions were too conspicuous. What about the jewelries? Would she need them for adornment? Although, they could be useful for—

“Trinity.” Her thought was shortly shattered. “Are you certain of this?”

Grinning too wide of a grin, she replied, “Yes, I am prepared.”

The other girl wasn’t smiling; her face hardened as if it were sculpted out of stone. Those sky-like eyes bore into hers, deep like the endless space they resembled. Just when Trinity thought her expression would perpetuate like an immortalized statue, the princess casted her guilt-ridden eyes downward, smiling pitifully.

“You’re so brave, Trinity, so brave that sometimes it scares me,” she said quietly. “If it were me, I would not have such courage.”

An inane laugh escaped Trinity mouth. She was aware that the sound was ludicrous even to her ears, and the laughter was on the verge of becoming a pathetic titter. “I wouldn’t dare say that I’m courageous. Besides, it’s not so bad being the queen of a country. Every day, I would be surrounded by riches. I could wear the finest silk and eat from a gold plate. What more could I wish for?”

Even as she said those words, she could not bring herself to face the princess, for she knew the truth was written plainly on her face.

“Don’t try to lie to me. You’re terrified, aren’t you?” She spun Trinity around and smiled gently upon seeing the other girl pressing her lips together tautly. “See, you are you after all.”

And in overwhelming grief, her head lay to rest on Trinity’s shoulder. “Me too,” she whispered. “I’m terrified, for my and your life. What will happen to us?”

Her voice was terribly weak like a lost child, but when she pulled away again there was no sign of vulnerability. “I ask you once again—are you truly willing to do this?”

And to that question, there was only one answer. “I was meant to do this. Always.”

Judging from the shock the princess received, Trinity thought she would put up a fight for a while. To her surprise, Princess Farsiris turned to the mirror table and grabbed the comb. She was further thrown into confusion when the princess urged her forward and forced her into the chair, where Trinity stared at her baffled face in the surface.

Beaming her usual dazzling smile, she said buoyantly, “Then, at least for one day, let me treat you like the princess you ought to be.”

Trinity started to protest, but seeing that joyous face, she lost the will to do it. After all, this would be the first and last time.

So, very slowly as if savoring the last of their time together, the princess ran the brush through Trinity’s hair many times, over and over, as she chattered on about little things that they both took for granted before. She braided Trinity’s hair into the fashion which Trinity always preferred. Her handiwork, as always, was clumsy right down to the last strand. Her braid hung loosely down along her back, a few wisps fell out the knots like loose threads. Still, she was endearing to Trinity.

Occupied with the tears welling in her eyes, she had not noticed it when the princess unclasped the necklace around her neck and lowered it around Trinity’s.

“Your Highness, this is—”

“My most prized possession, the royal family’s heirloom,” she finished, locking the chain securely around Trinity’s neck.

Painfully self-conscious of her place, of whom she was, the maid gingerly tugged at the chain as if it were a collar condemning her to a fate worse than death. “I can’t wear this. How could I?”
What she had said could be misinterpreted as pure condescension. But the princess wasn’t the least bit mad when she laid a warm, motherly hand over the one that struggled with the burden of the gift.

“I want you to have it. Only you and you alone are worthy of such treasure,” she said fervently. “The moment I caved in to my desire, I no longer have any right to keep it. Father would be disappointed in me.

“That is why you must accept this. From this moment onward, you are not merely Trinity; you are the princess of Netriasi. Be proud because I know you shine more brightly than anyone else.” Her voice dropped in intensity. “You must keep this with you at all time, for it may be the only thing that will keep you safe.”

Speechless, she could only stare at her reflection and the gleaming light of the red stone pendant. Such beautiful thing around her neck. She knew she did not deserve it. Having it would not make her happy; it was a burden that was weighing her down. But that quick glance in the mirror sparked a light in her. For a brief second, she dared thought that it belonged there around her neck. For once she looked dignified. Beautiful.

The red ruby embedded amid the carved golden rays of a sun glinted, the pulsing stream of gold flowed outward into the gold chain, radiating with unsuppressed energy. Powerful. Scintillating.

Like the sun.

“Like the sun,” the princess echoed Trinity’s thought. “Brilliant and eloquent. The symbol which represents the princess.”

“Nothing like me,” she mumbled meekly. The princess was the sun; Trinity was a pebble on the roadside.

“Of course not,” the princess said bluntly, and it ought to hurt Trinity’s pride, but she added, “You are not the sun because the sun can’t even compare to you. If you can’t be the sun, then you just have to outshine it.”

Such words of encouragement…she could easily dismiss as lies. But the princess she knew did not lie. She would never lie to Trinity, and that was why the words weighed on her heart more than anything else. There was no one else who could see the beauty in her as clearly as the princess, not even Trinity herself. She hoped that one day she could become what the princess had always seen her as. An existence which outshone even the sun.

“I just wish that the king, no matter what kind of man he may be, will be able to see you in the same light as I,” said the princess wistfully.

So, with those words, the two headed back to join the men. As much as she feared for her life, Trinity was more afraid of this eventual parting. She mourned leaving this important person’s side. For the first time in years, she would have to walk on this road of life alone, without this person. That prospect alone frightened her. But when she gave the princess’s hand to her lover, she knew what she had done was the right decision. So, with that tear-suppressing smile, she reluctantly let go.

As the two mounted the horses the earl had prepared for them, Princess Farsiris looked back for the last time. They did not exchange words; their thoughts were linked even without the power of speech. Leaning down from her steed, she wrapped an arm around Trinity’s shoulder, their cheeks touching. Without warning, she planted a playful kiss on Trinity’s cheek. Trinity blinked in surprise, to which the princess let out a childlike laugh—a laugh that always managed to brighten the world around her.

“You know, if I were a princess from a fairytale, then you have always been my lady knight in shining armor.”

So, for the last time, she bid them goodbye with tears in her eyes. The blue sky was its most splendid hue, the chirpings of birds hidden in the foliage was lively to an anguished heart, yet this deep sorrow dwelling in her heart could not be quenched. She thought she would cry until her tears ran out, and she did just that.

The new air of spring brought the gentle wind that freely travelled to every corner of the earth; she hoped that same wind would deliver her message no matter the distance between them.

Until the day we meet again…

Until then, she would live her life bravely as the princess had wanted.