Intro
The first few chapters are admittedly a bit slow, but they serve as a necessary introduction. The pace picks up later on, and everything changes once our protagonist is kidnapped. Thank you so much for giving me and my work a chance; I'm eternally grateful.
Princess Una and Prince Luca were the children of the North.
Their parents ruled as sovereigns for many decades, justly, treating everyone with unequivocal fairness. Una grew up as the brains - like their father. And Luca the charm - like their mother.
Now at twenty years old, twins of the House Vallen-Rhea face true challenges. A threat coming from the West, the very one King and Queen hoped to have wiped out already. Yet, blissfully unaware, they were not there, having retired to the High Valley summer home. A royal pied-à-terre, if you will. The fate of their kingdom depended on the children. Rumors travelled across the land that the Western Lords would be preparing a masquerade ball, inviting almost everyone influential across the realms.
As Una cascaded down the cobblestone stairs of the court, her long dark velvet dress billowed in the wind. Luca was tossing a silver dagger into the air beside her, catching it with a smile. He just told her that West had sent a letter. Potential invitation. Given the tensions between North and West, receiving a letter would be enough to raise the alarm, but for some reason she wasn’t scared. More like ready to get it over with.
"Let’s hear what our rider has to say,” Luca said, eyes alight with mischief.
"Make haste.” She replied curtly, her pace determined.
The messenger suppressed a visible shiver before Una’s piercing, unblinking gaze. He adjusted his parchment, choosing his words carefully. ”My Lady...The rumors... they do not stem from the local houses. They come from the High Seat. Word is traveling that the Western lords intend to use this masquerade ball not merely to entertain, but to force a pledge... W-with your hand in marriage. They believe your father’s recent silence is a sign of waning strength, and they view you, being young and untried in open court, as the key to fracturing the Northern line."
Una’s eyes narrowed. A forced pledge under the guise of festive indulgence. How typical. How unimaginative.
They think her green. They think her father’s quiet retreat is weakness. They see a twenty-year-old girl in silk and assume she is a prize to be won.
"They mistake caution for decline,” Una says quietly, tone brisk. ”And they mistake me for my brother."
Luca rolled his eyes behind her. He didn't even pretend to be hurt. On matters of court and pure strategy, she has him beat and is, therefore, right.
She knows she can’t involve her parents, as it will complicate and deepen the issue further. Admittedly, King Vane isn’t at the peak of his health. If she is to secure her standing, she must handle this opening move herself.
The command came calmly. ”You will speak to no one of what you told me. If a single word of this ‘gossip’ reaches the courtyard before sunset, I will know precisely where it leaked, and your position in this household will be lost forever."
She didn't wait for his bow before turning her back to him.
If they want a ball, she will give them one.
