Catherine of Eurin had been raised to be perfect.
As the eldest of five royal siblings, she grew up beneath quiet expectations that followed her through every corridor of the palace. While her younger brothers and sisters raced through the gardens chasing dragonflies and inventing imaginary kingdoms, Catherine spent long afternoons in sunlit rooms learning the many things expected of a royal lady.
Etiquette. Languages. Music. Diplomacy.
"How many now, Your Highness?" her tutor asked one afternoon, watching her neatly finish translating a passage.
"Five fluently," Catherine replied, setting the quill aside. "Three more I can understand."
The tutor stared at her in astonishment.
Catherine simply folded her hands politely.
Mastery was expected of her. Surprise was unnecessary.
Throughout the court she was praised as the perfect princess. Her silver-white hair fell like moonlight down her back, and her soft pink eyes carried a quiet calm that made servants lower their voices around her.
Despite people's expectations and her perfect demeanor, there were moments when she was not a princess but only an older sister.
"Catherine! Catherine!"
Small footsteps rushed down the corridor before the youngest prince collided with her skirts.
"Slow down," Catherine said softly, steadying him before he could trip.
"Look!" he said excitedly, holding up a crooked wooden sword. "I defeated the dragon!"
"You defeated a chair," their second sister corrected from behind him.
"It was guarding the dragon," he argued.
Catherine knelt down, examining the sword seriously.
"Well done," she said. "But next time, try not to destroy the palace furniture in the process."
The boy beamed.
"Will my future husband be a knight?" one of her sisters, the fourth sibling suddenly asked, plopping beside her.
Another giggled. "If that happens, maybe he'll bring you shields and daggers instead of flowers every day."
"Y-you!"
Catherine brushed a stray curl away from her sister's face.
"Eleanor...You shall marry whoever you wish to get married to, but I still think you are quite young so how about we focus on our lessons first! If you don't finish learning your waltz steps then how are you going to dance with your knight!" She said softly.
"You are right! I will go and continue my lessons right away!" Eleanor rushed of to her dance lessons.
"Sister....you are so smart...you knew she was skipping her lessons right?"
"Let's keep that a secret, Isabella."
"Sure....sometimes you really do remind me of mother....I have really faint memories of her but...it's like a feeling I cannot explain...I see her in you."
Catherine's lips curved into a faint smile.
The late Empress had been the only person who could make Catherine forget she was being prepared for a crown.
She remembered sitting beside her mother beneath the blooming cherry trees in the palace courtyard, the air filled with drifting petals.
"Mother," young Catherine once asked seriously, "are fairytales real?"
The Empress laughed softly, brushing Catherine's silver hair away from her face.
"Sometimes," she said.
"Have you ever seen one?"
The Empress tilted her head, pretending to think.
"I saw one the day you were born."
Catherine frowned. "That is not a fairytale."
"It is to me," her mother replied warmly.
Years later, after the Empress passed away, Catherine often returned to that courtyard.
The cherry trees still bloomed every spring.
But the fairytales had long since faded.
------
The royal announcement came on a quiet winter evening.
The council chamber doors closed behind her as Catherine stepped inside.
Her father sat at the head of the long table, his expression solemn.
"The alliance with Aurora Vale has prospered for years," the King said carefully. "But alliances must be strengthened if they are to endure."
Catherine listened silently.
"We have arranged a marriage to secure that bond permanently."
A parchment bearing two royal seals rested on the table.
"You will marry Crown Prince Arthur of Aurora Vale."
The candles flickered softly in the silence that followed. Catherine lowered her gaze to the document.
"I understand."
"Very well. The delegation will arrive within this week, so you should start preparing for your departure. The ceremony will be held at "Diamond Palace". "
"I understand." Catherine replied calmly.
"Very well. You are allowed to leave."
The corridor outside the council chamber was quiet when Catherine stepped out, the heavy doors closing behind her with a dull echo.
For a moment, she allowed herself a breath.
Then hurried footsteps broke the silence.
"Catherine!"
She turned just in time to see her second eldest sibling, Prince Aaron striding down the hallway toward her, his usually composed expression replaced with unmistakable worry.
"Is it true?" he asked, stopping before her. "I by chance heard the council discussing Aurora Vale. They said—"
He stopped himself, running a frustrated hand through his hair.
"They said you're being married to their Crown Prince."
Catherine held his gaze calmly.
"Yes."
His eyes widened. "And you agreed to it just like that?"
"It was not a request."
"That doesn't matter!" he said sharply, lowering his voice when a passing servant glanced their way. "You could have refused. At least asked for time."
Catherine's expression remained gentle, though a faint sadness touched her eyes.
"You know that would not change the outcome."
"That's not the point!" he insisted. "You've never even met this man. For all we know he could be arrogant, insufferable, or completely unworthy of you."
She gave a small, almost amused smile.
"You speak as though I am being sent into battle."
"Aren't you?" he replied quietly.
The words lingered between them.
Her brother looked at her, frustration giving way to something softer.
"You're my sister, Catherine. Not a bargaining piece for the council."
Catherine reached out and lightly adjusted the crooked collar of his jacket—a small habit she had carried since they were children.
"I know. But as the eldest daughter and the princess of this nation, this counts as my duty." She replied.
His jaw tightened.
"You always say that like it explains everything."
"In many ways, it does."
He looked away for a moment before sighing heavily.
"You deserve more than this. I know you are acting like a perfect princess and a daughter so you can hide our imperfections and make things easier for us!"
Catherine didn't have an answer for her brother's statement.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tall palace windows cast long streaks of afternoon light across the marble floor.
Finally, her brother looked back at her.
"…Are you afraid?"
Catherine thought about the distant kingdom she would soon call home. The prince she had never met. The life waiting beyond the sea.
Then she smiled faintly.
"A little," she admitted.
His expression softened.
"But fear does not change what must be done."
Her brother studied her for a long moment before finally letting out a quiet breath.
"You really are impossible to argue with."
Catherine's smile returned, soft and familiar.
"You've been trying for years."
He shook his head, though a reluctant smile tugged at his lips.
"Just promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"If that Crown Prince treats you badly…" he said, his voice suddenly serious again, "I will personally sail to Aurora Vale and remind him that you have four siblings who can make his life miserable."
Catherine laughed softly—rare, warm, and genuine.
"I will remember that."
--------
Across the sea, the mood in Aurora Vale was considerably less solemn.
"You are getting married, Your Highness."
Noah had now said this three times.
Crown Prince Arthur of Aurora Vale remained thoroughly unimpressed.
"Yes, Noah. I heard you the first time."
The prince leaned casually against the balcony railing, sunlight catching in his golden hair as he watched the bustling city below. Music drifted up from the streets, along with laughter and the clatter of merchants' carts.
Noah crossed his arms.
"This is not a festival announcement. It is your wedding."
Arthur lifted a brow. "Is there a difference?"
Noah stared at him in disbelief.
"You are marrying the Princess of Eurin. The woman who will be queen beside you one day."
"Possibly."
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You should be preparing. Learning about her. At the very least pretending to care."
Arthur finally turned toward him, light golden eyes bright with amusement.
"Tell me, Noah," he said lightly, "have you met this princess?"
"No."
"Then how do you know she is not equally thrilled to marry a stranger she has never met?"
"That is not the point."
Arthur chuckled.
"You worry too much."
Arthur stepped closer.
"You are the crown prince. Your marriage is not just a ceremony—it represents the future of two kingdoms."
Arthur looked back over the city, the smile on his face softening slightly.
"I know."
Noah paused, surprised by the sudden seriousness.
Arthur straightened, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve.
"Do not worry," he said. "I will attend the wedding."
Noah sighed with relief.
"I will stand at the altar." Arthur said.
"That's great. For a moment I thought I was talking to a wall, Your Highness."
"H-hey!"
Noah chuckled.
------
Later that night, Catherine sat alone in her chamber. Moonlight spilled across the desk where a sheet of parchment lay waiting.
She dipped her pen in ink and began to write.
Not to another kingdom.
Not to the prince she had never met.
But to herself.
To Catherine of Eurin,
You have been chosen to marry the Crown Prince of Aurora Vale.
You will leave the palace where you were raised and become the bridge between two kingdoms.
You must not fear the unknown, nor expect anything from it.
The pen paused for a moment before she continued.
Do not expect affection.
Do not expect warmth.
And above all—
Her hand hesitated.
Then she finished the sentence.
—do not expect a fairytale.
Catherine folded the letter carefully and sealed it.
Outside her window, the winter wind stirred the palace gardens.