twelvewstars

Gifted a candle that was said to make wishes come true, Alice Clemente burned it to find herself awake in a different world. She had wished for a life of adventure away from the city and its routine. With her wish granted, she was no longer in the 21st century and was instead lost in the middle of the Kingdom of Gladiolum, a place reminiscent of the 1800s.

With luck, she soon gained connections to the rich and powerful of this new world— the nobility. However, how much of it was good and how much of it would eventually be detrimental? After all, mingling with royals not only meant extravagance and daily parties. It also meant warfare and death. 

Caught in the middle of the two princes and other nobles, Alice would soon have to face the battle between those two royal brothers― a fight for the throne.

She had wished for adventure, after all, and she received just as such.

Kept in the center of all this, would Alice be able to emerge from the rabbit hole unscathed? Or will the overwhelming troubles of love and war be too much for her to bear?


***

“And what if you, too, are unable to help?” Alice threw the question back. “What if helping would risk everything?”

Spade didn’t miss a beat.

“You are everything.”

“Don’t say things that you don’t mean,” Alice chided. “You’ll leave a trail of broken hearts.”

“And would you believe me if I say that I have no intention of breaking yours?” Spade countered. “However, mine is yours to play with. Shatter it, fix it, do anything you desire. As long as it feels the warmth of your hand, I am content.”

***

Image used in cover not mine.

A Courtyard of Roses

"I…" Alice stuttered, unable to properly reply.

If Alice truly had a choice in the matter, she would rather have the ground swallow her whole so that she needn't reply to the queen. Even her little camping trip gone wrong ― an event she had come to dub as the biggest mistake of her life ― hadn't been this much of a torture.

She stood in front of the king and the queen, her hands trembling as she resisted the urge to fist and pull at the fabric. It wasn't an act that she should be doing, after all, as Prince's Spade fiancée. She knew fairly well that if she did do such a thing, the king and queen would have something to say about it.

Instead, Alice simply took a deep breath. She exhaled slowly, first calming down her heartbeat. Then, with eyes glazed over in determination, she met the queen's gaze without fear.

Or at least, she masked as much as she possibly could.

The Fitting Punishment