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

Dinner that night was awkward. Adela and Leroy picked up on the tension between their parents. It was a heavy weight hanging over everyone. No one dared say a word. The only sound was the silverware scraping the plates. She felt her brother kick her under the table, and she glared at him.

Do you know what is going on? His eyes seemed to be asking.

She didn't know what was going on, but discussing it with her brother might give her some ideas. Adela was looking at her curiously. She wondered if Lucia had anything to do with the shift in dynamics between their parents. She would be there when Leroy did the questioning. She turned her head to her father, who was looking at her. There was sorrow in his eyes. What was he thinking about? What was going on? She looked at her mother, who was watching her husband. There was an unmistakable hardness in her eyes.

It Will Blow Over