Andrew Robinson
Stories
4
Chapters
1,142
Words
1.6 M
Comments
0
Reading
5 d, 16 h
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Everyone but the crown prince and his wife began bowing and murmuring "Your Highness." I was frozen in shock but still managed to snap down into a barely passable curtsy. "Brother," Prince Sigmund said with displeasure. "I have seen you dance with Lady Catherine exactly once. What is the meaning of this?" This couldn't be happening. Al, the guy I thought of as the most normal person in this world, was Prince Alpheus? The main character of this novel?! This wasn't right! He was supposed to already be…-
42 •
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The next few weeks were hell on earth. I was only allowed outside my room for social events and tea time. Duke Orla refused to give up but over time my suitors gradually dwindled from two dozen to about eight. Since I was so uncooperative, barely showing the minimum required social politeness, most of them gave up in order to hunt easier prey. My suitors now included Duke Orla (the most persistent), Al (who I had only seen in passing at a few higher end events—who was he anyway?), the second son of…
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42 •
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The man I knew as Al smiled to himself after I left the shop kicking and screaming. He had seen Percy coming through the window and didn't bother telling me to hide, knowing that if I went back to my family's clutches there was a decent chance he could become my husband. If I ran away, he had no chance at all and would end up lonely as ever with some insignificant baron's airheaded daughter. His family did not want him having any political power, after all. Unknowingly, I had captivated this man's…
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42 •
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My mouth rounded into an 'o' of surprise. Honestly, he had been so friendly and normal that I had completely forgotten he was among the throng of my admirers. "You're different," I admitted. "You don't act like they do." "I suppose that is a pretty high compliment coming from you." My cheeks turned red. "I meant no offense. It's just…you talk to me like a normal person. The rest of them either don't think I have a single thought in my head outside of ribbons and tea time or want to use me as a…
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42 •
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So Al was on the beach my first day in town. Interesting. He did say he liked coming here. "You saw all that?" I asked hesitantly. Percy's worry that I would be seen by someone important acting so impulsively was valid after all. I didn't think nobles went to the beach. Everyone else I saw then looked like an average citizen, not that there were many people there in the first place. He nodded. "It was quite brave, what you did. Standing up to that old doctor even though the chances of him listening to…
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42 •
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I couldn't wait for Marcy to go to the palace. I needed to get out of here before the duke or some other rich, influential man won over my heartless money-grubbing mother completely. I didn't need much. All these frills and fancy dresses would give me away. I snuck a couple of generic servant dresses that looked like they would fit into a bag and slung it over my shoulder before sneaking out the window and down the trellis. I never would have attempted something like this at home but my body was much…
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42 •
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The rest of the ball was a blur. I must have danced with at least two dozen different prospective suitors. None of them asked me any interesting questions. All were complimentary of my beauty. Most seemed to think that I was nothing more than a pretty, empty-headed doll. Not the frightening duke though. He complimented my intelligence. And that weird guy, Al. He seemed more like someone from my world than anyone else I had met here. Maybe that was why I had fun with him. The next day our house was…
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The next song was about to start when I got approached by some random nobleman in his 40s. He must have lost his wife and was on the hunt for a new one. I desperately scanned the room. Percy! Where are you! Get over here and keep your promise! To my surprise and gratitude, the strange guy with the sad eyes who was watching me earlier swooped in to save me. "Forgive me, Lord Myron, but the lady has promised the next dance to me." The older guy looked intensely disappointed but bowed briefly before…
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The banquet hall was completely stuffed and yet there were additional halls set up for the lesser nobility that wouldn't fit. In our room, I spotted the king and queen, Duke Orla, and the crown prince. The duke hardly took his eyes off me, which made me uncomfortable, but someone else was doing the same thing. Someone I didn't know. He had the same dark hair as the duke but instead of brown, his eyes were a smoky gray. I had never seen such eyes. Sadness pooled within them but they still stared at me…
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42 •
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The morning of the presentation to the monarchy I was woken up unwillingly at the crack of dawn. "Whyyyyy," I moaned tiredly. My maid urged me up. "Please get up my lady, there's much to do! You need to be bathed in perfumed oil, have your hair dried and styled, and have your makeup done!" Great. Dressing me up like a doll. I wasn't a fan of the fashion here. It could be very restrictive, especially the corsets. Which didn't even make sense because the dresses were mostly empire-waist styled. What…
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