Chapter 1

Seraphina's POV

Ever since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed being a princess and all the perks that come with it. Whoever says that it is hard and challenging is surely lying. I had never even been told "no" in my life. Until...

"No, Seraphina, we may not send your sister in your place. Be grateful that I'm not sending you away to marry a forty year old ripe man instead" My father, the King of France states shifting onto his throne, not even moved by the fact that he has just decided my fate as easily as he chooses the horse that will carry him.

"Do I not even get a say in this? You are marrying me off to a man that has killed millions of our people!" I protest, probably for the first time in my life since I never had to before.

"That's the whole point of this move. To stop this war without needing to spill any more blood. Besides, Prince Edmund hasn't even picked up a sword in his life before" He stands up, walking back and forth with his hands behind his back. If he has everything so figured out, then why is he so skeptical?

"Allow me to say that if it was that simple, there wouldn't be a need for so many lives to be lost in the first place. Don't you even have the slightest suspicion about the English's intentions regarding this marriage?" 

"Seraphina, enough" My dad interrupts me making use of his royal right to silence everyone whenever he pleases. Besides the fact that I get to occasionally taste a fragment of this power, I never deemed it fair to exist in the first place. 

"I'm not only your father, I'm also your king and your duty is to obey. You are going to marry Prince Edmund and that is final" He states but unless my eyes mistake me, I see that he isn't delighted by the idea either. 

"I hope you know what you are doing" I leave the hall without bothering to bow to him. It seems like I will soon have a different king to answer to anyway.

The next morning

Barely having waken up, I come across three of our female servants that barged into my room long before I was awake. From what it looks like they were preparing my bath. 

"You are departing for England in two hours, Your Highness" One of them states as she pours my favorite herbs into the water. 

"I see the King has chosen to settle this at short notice" I comment on the fact that I'm leaving today, meaning that the day of the engagement isn't as far as I hoped.

"His majesty knows what's best for our kingdom. After this, we will all be fine" The maid speaks as if she is trying to believe her own utopian words. However, I do have my doubts.

As I'm sliding my robe off my body, I let myself sink into the bathtub watching the water run down my brunette locks. I pray that time will not pass as fast as its drops flow. 

Some hours later

The voyage to England was pretty long but at least it gave me time to think. Now that I'm at the enemy's grounds, I can get to know them better. I may even find something useful or perhaps I could be proven wrong about the lack of trust I show them.

Setting my foot in the castle yard, I am kind of reminded of our home. They also seem to value the beauty of nature since wherever I look, I come across the greenest of trees and bushes. They even have a garden shaped like a maze which I already believe will be my hiding spot. 

While straightening the fabric of my dark blue dress, I make the guess that it was picked for me because it brings out the color of my eyes. Not that I complain though. 

"Her royal highness princess of France, Seraphina Lucretia Monet has arrived" Ettiene, our ambassador announces my presence and instantly the palace's door open widely revealing only one middle aged man who appears to be a servant. How silly of me to think that I would be highly anticipated. I carefully picked up my dress and made my way towards him, being held by Ettiene. 

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, my lady. I'm King's Fergus main seneschal. You may call me Tristan" He bowed in front of me and somehow, I felt somewhat welcomed.

"Take us to your King" Ettiene orders him abruptly and I felt the need to add:

"Please"

"As you wish" Tristan smiles at my display of kindness. Of course, I want to be in good terms with the king's right hand who also happens to know every little detail about their plans.

We did not have to wander a lot into the castle until I found myself before their king. He is also sitting on the throne like my father usually does. Due to the way he looks at me, I don't believe he regrets his choice.

"Welcome, princess Seraphina of France. I can already tell that you will make a fine wife for my son. Know that the honor you are about to bring to your country is immense" The King praises my so-called courage as if he cannot possibly infer that I was forced into this. 

"Thank you for having me. I am looking forward to giving your kingdom the queen it deserves" I bow, mastering all my cunningness to sound as obedient as possible. The last thing I want them to take notice of so soon is my sharp tongue. With the corner of my eye, I watch a woman approaching whose head is decorated with the jewels of the crown even more extravagantly than the King's.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, dear. This kingdom already has a queen. If you are virtuous enough though, you might appear as one before my son's eyes one day" The actual queen addresses me and judging from her tone, she intends to keep her title. However, I think I have misunderstood a few things.

"With all due respect your Majesty but isn't prince Edmund meant to become both my husband and king?" I ask, trying to sound as if I'm just curious and not worried. 

"As long as I live, there will be only one king, miss Monet. Both my sons are just the complementary faces of my ruling" The King laughs bitterly slightly making me cringe at the way he talks about his children. Doesn't he think of them as capable at all? Not to mention that I was not informed that there are two of them. 

"Enough with the political talk. I want to get to know you better, Seraphina. Care to join me for a walk in the gardens?" The Queen suggested but it sounded more like a demand. I hope it's just me, but it seems like she isn't really thrilled by me. 

"I would like nothing more" I smile, running a hand through my hair before bowing one last time before the king.

As she walked beside me, I took a moment to inspect her face. In contrast to the king, she is young, no older than forty. 

"I know exactly how you feel. I was around your age when I was brought here myself" She spoke in a quite melancholic tone indicating that she was not too happy either about this turn of her life.

"And mind you I wasn't the first one, but I intended to be the last one" She whispered as if she said something forbidden.

"I am afraid I don't understand, your Majesty" I whispered too respecting her need to keep the volume down.

"Before me, the King had many other potential spouses. Not one of them made it for longer than a year" She shared with me, and I can't say I'm surprised. Kings are always meticulous when it comes to their wives anyway. 

"You see, Seraphina... I am sorry, may I even call you that?" She stopped midway to ask me for my permission. 

"Yes. Yes, of course," I nodded impatiently because the truth is I want to hear what she has to say on the matter. 

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"So, Seraphina, to be a successful queen all you have to do is simply not act like one. You have a tongue, but not a voice. Your arms are to greet, not to fight. You don't bite, you smile" She states and picks up a pair of scissors that were lying on a bench in the gardens. I may say that my interest in this family is piqued.  

"Because no matter how beautiful you are, darling, if necessary, it doesn't stop you from getting..." She delicately approaches a red rose.

"Cut!" Her voice almost pierced my brain and the way she cut off the rose had me almost gasping. It was so fast, so unexpected that it made me question my place here. I surely did not want to end up like that.

"I see your point clearly" I cough willing to put an end to this conversation. That is definitely not the best way to start my stay here.

"I'm glad my son will be engaged to such a clever girl then" She laughs as if she did not just threaten me.

"Not like I'm not enjoying your presence but I'm afraid I'm kind of exhausted. I have done quite a long way. May I attend my chambers now?" 

"Of course. I hope I did not scare you. You will do great, I'm sure" She proceeds to laugh again, but less genuinely now.

"Don't worry about that. I don't get scared easily, your Majesty" I smile discreetly without giving her the satisfaction of seeing the effect of her advice on me.

Later that day

It turns out that I did not lie about being extremely tired afterall since I fell asleep almost instantly as soon as my head touched my pillow. So much about discovering the darkest royal secrets.

"Your Highness, you are finally awake. We must get you ready as fast as possible" A little girl stands in the middle of my room torn between three dresses that are most likely meant for me. They are all fancy looking and I do not have the heart not to let her choose the one she likes most. At the moment, she is perhaps pretending that she is dressing a doll. However, I had to ask about the occasion:

"May I ask where I'm supposed to head to?" 

The girl shifts her gaze on me, looking confused that I wasn't aware. I, on the other hand, am used to not being informed about stuff. Not a big deal.

"To the royal ball, of course! It is hosted to honor you" She elaborates and finally she has also decided what dress I should wear. It's a red gown, strategically picked to make me stand out.

"You surely got taste. I may as well promote you to personal stylist" I stroke the fabric of the dress, feeling the coldness of the silk in my fingers. It's the most exciting sensation I have felt in the last hours.

"If you need anything else, just ring the bell" The girl smiles at me warmly right before exiting my room letting me prepare in peace. Back in France, I would have at least three people fighting over who would dress me but now I'm on my own. I frankly prefer this type of loneliness.

I put my hair up as I usually do when I'm not sleeping and also felt tempted to try the fancy jewels I found on the counter near my bed. If I can't act like a queen for the time being, I may as well look like one.

Before the ball

When the time finally came, taking a deep breath I proceeded to walk down the stairs leading to the ballroom. At their end, Tristan waited for me and as soon as I placed my foot on the ground, he took my hand to lead me where I'm supposed to be.

"You look lovely, miss Monet" He compliments me in a completely innocent way that makes me feel somewhat comfortable and remarkable.

"You can call me Seraphina" I reply, and he nods in agreement. 

We were making our way through the ballroom when he abruptly stopped somewhere in the middle of the dance floor. He is now looking around nervously as if he is searching for someone specific.

"Is everything alright, Tristan?" I could not help but question him. 

"Yes, he just should have been here by now" He responds while checking his watch.

"I am sorry but who exactly are you referring to?" I query again starting to get annoyed by how clueless I am about everything.

"The prince of course" He murmurs as if that word is some kind of curse. 

And then I see Tristan averting his gaze behind me, the corners of his mouth raising in anticipation. I turn around and now I can see the reason for his exhilaration. 

No farther than six feet away stands the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on. He is wrapped in ebony, dressed in a total black suit and fully adorned with similar jewels to mine. Apart from his fair complexion, he looks as if the darkness has taken a human form. His black hair falls messily on his forehead, as his dark eyes appear to analyze me from head to toe. In the meantime, I take notice of the crown on his head which fills me with eagerness. If this is my husband, I must admit that I have made a fuss for nothing.

As he moves closer to us, it becomes clear that he is immensely tall too. Till now, I considered Tristan big but next to this mysterious stranger, he looks like a dwarf.

"Is this her?" He finally opens his mouth, and although his voice is deep enough to fascinate anyone possessing the sense of hearing, the way he referred to me sparked a sudden sense of insecurity in me. A timid thought that I am not worth even the smallest diamond in his vault. 

"Yes, your Highness. Isn't she delightful?" Tristan says enthusiastically but he does not seem to share his elation.

"I have seen better but she will do" He smirks cockily, and I can't help but gasp. What the actual fuck did he dare to utter?

"I'm sure there are plenty of mesmerizing girls out there who would effortlessly meet your standards. Perhaps you should have searched more thoroughly, your Highness" I reply, trying to sound as bitter as possible. I may behave like a saint in front of his parents but to him...well, that is a different story.

To my surprise, instead of irritating him, my response made his whole face lighten up. If he found that particularly smart, I do not dare to ask with what kind of women he associates with.

"Tristan,"

"I think she is perfect" He sneers at me maliciously while I can't seem to comprehend what he meant by that. 

"Perfect to what extent?" 

"To dance with me, will you?" He answers quicker than I expected him to, and I feel my heart skipping a beat. What for though? He is my soon-to-be husband so such interactions shall be considered normal.

I spare Tristan a glare and he nods his head approvingly as if he encourages that I move closer. Therefore, I hesitantly take a step towards the prince who I bet has full knowledge of my awkwardness. So far, I have managed to hide it well from everyone I have met here and yet it appears so obvious to him. 

"Don't be nervous. I am not my father" He gently takes my hand while his other arm rests on my lower back. At this point, I thank the girl that chose a backless dress. His ringed fingers feel better than any type of fabric on my sensitive skin.

"What do you mean? Your father is lovely" I try not to smile as if he cannot see through my irony. In response, he pulled me closer to him so quickly that I barely had time to move my feet. It was as if he lifted me off the ground. As if he made me fly. 

His chest is reinforced with muscle and as I collide onto it, I can't help but imagine how firm the rest of his body must be under all this layering.

"Already mocking your king? And especially in front of his son, Seraphina?" His tone is almost hypnotic and the way my name bounces onto his tongue does not help the situation at all. If he were not so beautiful, one could say that I'm flirting with death right now.

"You are the one who had the need to inform me about your difference to him, Edmund" I snap back, and he chuckles lightly, thrilled by my sassiness. I am astonished that I have managed to impress him in such a short amount of time.

"You have got quite the mouth. It was about time someone dared to raise their voice in here" He twirls me around in accord with the rhythm while his eyes set on my dress.

"Red is the color of rebellion, you know" He informs me and suddenly the urge to tease him takes over. 

"Then how come you're wearing black?" I question but instead of laughing or at least smiling, his eyes darken, and his jaw clenches and I instantly realize how I have misunderstood the extent of our intimacy. I just hope I will not lose my head for that.

"Black's the color of death. And I have gotten quite used to it by now" He quickly regains his composure without scolding me about what I said to him earlier. Did he choose to be nice to me or does he try to hide something of his own?

"But how? I'm sure, like most Princes, you don't even have a clue about how a battlefield looks like." 

"Being sure isn't something I advise you to do around me. For your own good" And as if scheduled the slow pacing time ended as soon as he finished his subtle threat.

"I am afraid the term "my own good" has lost its meaning since I've stepped my foot on English grounds" I reply recklessly not even daring to imagine my father's face if he could hear me right now.

Edmund though appreciates my boldness so far since the corner of his lips rose again in my favor.

"You have a beautiful neck, Seraphina. It would be a shame to end up with a rope around it, so I advise you watch your tone. Not everyone will find it as exciting" He raises his arm to the point where his knuckles barely graze my throat, and I withdraw a cut out breath. I bite my lip to contain myself, but I make the mistake of gazing into the dark void of his eyes. God, he really is irresistible.

"Not yet, darling" He chuckles once again retreating his large hand as if he could sense my interest. I, however, am left speechless. 

And with that being said, he got lost into the crowd and I exhaled the long breath that I was withholding in hopes that he would attempt to steal it away. Literally.