I look down at my hands, resting in my lap. “What if I say no?” I ask quietly.
“Then that would be the end of it and we would find another way forward,” Papa says.
I rise to my feet, too much anxiety and uncertainty coursing through me to sit still. I pace the room, stopping at the window overlooking the city. This is my country, the place I've always lived. This is the home I’ve fully expected to remain in for my entire life, married someday, with children of my own.
When was the last time anything truly unexpected happened to me? Something exciting, something different?
Never, a voice in the back of my head whispers. Nothing exciting ever happens in my world.
Not until now.
I turn back to face them. “Can I think about it?”
“Sweetheart, you’re considering this?” Mama asks, and I think I detect a note of hope in her voice, but I could be wrong.
I shrug. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like I have any particular connection to Frederic or anything, but helping my country? Helping you? I like that idea.” I pause. “And if I’m perfectly honest, it all sounds like quite an adventure as well.”
What girl doesn’t want to marry a handsome prince and one day become queen of a beautiful country on the Mediterranean?
Even if that prince is as interesting as watching paint dry in a particularly dull shade of beige.
Mama smiles softly. “Itwouldbe an adventure, Asti, only I would worry about you too.”
“I know.”
“There’s no hurry,” Papa says. “They’ve given us time to respond. Take all the time you need, my darling.”
Time. Time to decide whether to marry a man I barely know for the good of both our countries.
That evening, I lie in my bed and stare at the ceiling, moonlight through the lace curtains casting delicate patterns across the room.
This whole idea is nothing short of bonkers. It’s like a fairy tale, a story told to entertain children.
Prince Frederic could be my husband.
PrinceFrederic.
The man who can barely crack a smile. The man who refuses to laugh at my jokes. The man devoid of not only a funny bone, but seemingly a personality too.
Of course Ishouldbe horrified by the idea. But the more I think about it, the more it begins to make sense. Here in Elkevik, I’m like a bird in a gilded cage, one that’s just slightly too small. Elkevik is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, and the people are incredible. This country will always be my home.
But there’s a part of me that wants… more. More of the world beyond our mountains. More than this small country can offer me.
I sit bolt upright in bed and hug my knees, excitement and nerves bubbling like boiling water in my stomach.
If what Ledonia needs is warmth to make their prince less of a stiff, uptight puppet, I can do that. I can bring some life to that man. I might even teach him how to live.
There’s got to be more behind that handsome façade.
I’ve spent my entire life making people smile, making people feel good about themselves. I’ve done it hundreds, if not thousands of times already.
What’s one more man?
I lean back on my pillows and bite my lip. Perhaps it’s time to crack open that atlas.
Marry Crown Prince Frederic of Ledonia?
Challenge accepted.
