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

The ballroom was well-lit and everything glittered. Lucia looked around as she and her family moved towards their hosts, the king and queen. They were talking to a group that Lucia recognized as the family of a Duke. They were cousins to the current king. She realized that very few people were allowed to approach the royal family of Vershia. She could see the looks of resentment her family was getting for this honour. She saw the moment the Queen saw them. Her eyes lit up and her smile became brighter, more real.

Lucia saw her lips form the words, "Excuse me," before she withdrew from the group and glided to meet Josephine.

"Your Majesty," Josephine said with a curtsy.

Her husband and son bowed too, while her daughters, Lucia and Adela, sank into graceful curtsies. They all managed to look so proud while they did so. One would have expected Dominique and Josephine to be awkward, but they somehow looked regal and proud.

The Social Battlefield