Andrew Robinson
Stories
4
Chapters
1,142
Words
1.6 M
Comments
0
Reading
5 d, 16 h
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"Mariela, did you enjoy your time with Catherine today?" Franz asked once he was seated across from his wife at the long table and the first course—some sort of fancy quail soup—was served. Her eyes lit up. "Oh yes, Katie is wonderful company." He scrutinized me and I scrutinized him right back. This was the first good look I had gotten at the second prince. His looks were more in line with Sigmund's than they were with Al's. He had light brown hair tied back with a strip of leather and his hazel…-
42 •
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Once the heavy stuff was out of the way, Mariela and I chatted for a while. She was a rather insightful person; given the chance, she really would make a terrific diplomat. My distaste at this world's chauvinistic ways grew the more I learned about her predicament. She would have shone like a star in my world. I could easily see her being one of those influential women that teenage girls idolize on social media. She could have become anything she wanted if she hadn't been born in this fantasyland.…
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42 •
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It took promising Al we would play cards after dinner to get him to let me go. By the time I reached the gardens, Mariela was waiting for me on a bench. She greeted me with a genuine smile. "Katie! I thought you might not be able to make it." I shook my head. "I'm sorry for being late. My fiancé held me up a bit." Surprise lit her beautiful violet eyes. "You were with Alpheus?" I was confused by her reaction. "Is that so strange?" "I hardly see Franz…and Rosenia sees Sigmund even less. They are…
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42 •
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Al didn't seem the least bit perturbed by my accusation and shrugged it off. "You never would have spoken to me again if you knew I was a prince from the get-go. Wasn't it more fun talking like normal people for a while first?" I rolled my eyes. That was not fun. That was sneaky and underhanded at best. I wouldn't be in this mess if he hadn't hidden his identity from me. "And you say I have a strange sense of fun." "It's not strange in a bad way," he promised with the brightest smile I had seen from…
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42 •
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I was at a loss for words. How was I supposed to motivate someone so utterly defeated? I had only taken one abnormal psychology class in college but it was glaringly obvious that the male lead of this novel was depressed. I had no room to judge. Being shunted to the side and isolated the way he had would be more than enough to damage the psyche of a child. His natural tendency to give up and run away without trying, on top of his overall apathy, were the clearest signs based on what I had read. I…
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42 •
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Bridal lessons started the next day under the direction of a very strict tutor the queen had chosen for me called Madame Chalaise. She was a tall, painfully thin woman whose appearance reminded me of a hawk. Apparently she had tutored Mariela and the unnamed princesses of Annalaias who had been shipped off to marry foreigners as well. When we met the royal ladies for tea, Mariela flinched at the sight of her. That made my impression of the rigid woman even worse. I needed to gain Mariela's trust. She…
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42 •
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Al certainly knew his horses. His personal horse, Rohan, was a gorgeous chestnut stallion. I eagerly rubbed his velvety nose. "Oh Al, he's beautiful!" "I thought you might like him. You're so tiny though, you'll need a much smaller horse." I barely resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. It wasn't my fault Catherine du Pont was so small. I had been above average height for a woman back home, okay? "Whatever you do, don't insult me with a pony." He coughed to hide the laugh that slipped…
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42 •
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"Your lessons will commence in the morning, Catherine. For now, Alpheus will show you around the castle. He has nothing better to do." Ouch. Blatant disrespect from his mother. Al stood stiffly, his happiness clearly dimmed, and held out a hand to help me off the settee. We bowed/curtsied to take our leave as the countess stayed behind to talk wedding arrangements. "Uh, is she always like that?" I dared to ask. He let out a heavy sigh. "Yes." "What's her problem?" I demanded. "You just let her…
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The countess would not stop gushing about how HER daughter was going to marry a PRINCE the entire carriage ride home. Percy squinted at me thoughtfully the entire time and the earl was largely ignoring everything after giving a simple congratulation to me. As we reached the house, the countess started ordering servants around immediately to prepare for me heading to the palace for bridal lessons once everything was settled. My brother pulled me aside. "You were meeting the prince the day you ran away?"…
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42 •
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No matter how much fury was obviously bubbling under the surface of the crown prince's façade, the king couldn't deny that it WAS more advantageous to marry a quality woman to his own son than another noble, even if that other noble was in his prized son's corner. "Proceed, Alpheus. I will send someone to make the necessary arrangements with Lord du Pont," the king said tiredly, rubbing his face. "Everyone else, as you were." Gossip sprung up immediately but the perpetrators made sure I couldn't hear…
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