AnotidaMandemwa

[WSA 2024 Entry]
Everyone is playing a regal game. Everyone except Lucia (who probably should).

After her father faced accusations of trying to seize the throne from his father and king, he was exiled along with his family. They were no longer royalty, but his wife would not have it. She was friends with the queen of Vershia and used that to her advantage. Her two older daughters were the right age to marry the two princes, and she would make that happen come what may.

That became a problem when the oldest daughter was ignored by the crown prince, who formed a friendship with the youngest of the girls. There was still hope; Lucia could become the future queen. But Lucia was not groomed for this role. She did not want to live for the type of marriage she could snag. She did not want to take the man who had been planned for her sister.

But that’s the thing with plans, isn’t it? She never planned to fall in love with the man, and there she was: an unwilling participant in the regal games. Would she capture the crown? How would everything affect her relationship with her sister? Was there ever pleasing her mother?

Regal Games

Prince Michael had asked her to marry him. Was she hallucinating? Maybe she was dreaming. She blinked a couple of times. What in the world was going on? Had he really asked that of her? She shook her head in an attempt to shake the haze away. She let her eyes roam his face. She was looking for any signs that he was playing a prank on her. He was not the type to joke around. Was he ill? Had he gone mad?

He looked well enough. He looked healthy. She did not think he was crazy but she did not have the right qualifications to judge. She looked into his eyes searching for something that could give her a clue as to what was happening. His eyes were serious and scanning her face. His expression was expectant. What did he expect of her?

"I'm sorry," she got up from her seat and walked to the full-length window, "I don't understand."

The Marriage Proposal