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 watched her mother and the Queen talk in the corner of the room; the pair looked mighty proud of themselves. Her father was talking to King Philip, and they were smiling. She liked that. She had noticed that her father had been tense in the last few days.

"Today the Queen will find a way to get you to agree to a date for your wedding," Caroline told Lucia.

Adela smirked as she exchanged glances with Caroline.

"Speaking from experience," Caroline told her younger sister.

"That's terrifying," Lucia said as she lifted her champagne flute to her lips.

Adela looked over at her brother and smirked. He was debating with the Vershian princes about which team was going to take this year's football match. It was so easy to entertain men.

"When is your fiancé coming back?" Caroline asked, and Adela felt her body tense.

Things Are Changing