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 Myrian King had announced his wedding and, in the process, got people talking about Dominique Handhoff, his family, his alleged crimes, and his current status. They were discussing his daughters and their marriages. Through his two girls, he now had familial ties with Vershia and Myria—two countries that were economic giants, one of which was due to his direct influence as a businessman.

The Myrian Times had a report titled "The Handhoff Sisters: Political Marriages or Genuine Romance?"

It started by saying, "The royal landscape across Myria and Vershia is abuzz following the recent engagement announcement of Adela Handhoff to King Gustav of Myria, raising questions not just about the future of the kingdom, but also the wider political implications this union may hold."

Wider political implications? Lucia felt they were referring to the fact that she was the daughter of a man exiled from his own kingdom and stripped of his titles.

Between The Lines