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

Lucia found herself lounging by the pool with a book in her hand. Michael had had to take a call from the city. She had waved him off and wandered around the palace with a book in her hand, looking for the best corner to make herself comfortable. When she wandered into the pool room, the decision had been instantaneous. She found the nearest lounger and settled down. A maid had found her a few pages into her book and had given her warm towels and a drink to make her more comfortable.

She was lost in the frustrating world of fictional romance when Michael walked into the pool room. He was wearing shorts and a simple t-shirt. She did not look up at first. All her senses were closed off to reality. A shadow fell over her page, and she looked up expecting to find the maid and was surprised to see him.

"Having fun?" he asked as he sat by her legs.

Freedom Thief