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 did not miss the hidden message in his cousin's words. Although Dominique Handhoff was removed from the royal lineage of Rhodes, King Gustav still regarded him highly. He could see the appreciation on Dominique and Josephine Handhoff's faces. Michael shifted his gaze to Lucia and she was looking at King Gustav with a puzzled expression. She suddenly turned her gaze to him. A smile bloomed on her face and then she blushed and looked down.

"Come on," his mother told the group, "No need to stand around, take your seats."

In the box, the seats were arranged into a semicircular row and a coffee table was at the centre. The Queen took her seat at the centre and invited her cousin and the Handhoff parents to sit close to her, making sure to leave a seat for her husband. Leroy and Adela sat together and Prince Michael waited for Lucia to take a seat before he planted himself next to her.

Innocent Elegance