My father, King Edmund, sold me to the Devils of Sonne.
I have an equal amount of hatred and loathing for the twin princes.
I slapped them in the face, ten years ago.
That’s how it all started.
I was a teenage girl, swimming naked in the palace pool when I found them sneaking up on me.
They had the audacity to comment on my assets.
A slap on the face was the least they deserved.
Animals.
Fast forward a decade later.
Our debt with Sonne can’t be sustained much longer.
Both kingdoms have agreed to a meeting, which I attend, undercover.
But Prince Cassius manages to recognize me, even behind my veil.
“Your Majesty.” — He addresses my father.
“With all due respect, on behalf of the Sonne kingdom, we reject your proposal to end the trade agreement.”
“You’re threatening us with war.” — I stand, not caring about any manners a Princess is supposed to have.
“Prince Cassius, I respectfully ask you to choose your next words wisely.”
I look him in the eye.
“What would you propose, Princess?”
“What would be best for our economy and people?”
Without giving me a chance to answer, he turns to my father.
“Your Majesty.”
“Give us Princess Arabella’s hand in marriage, and all outstanding debt would be forgiven.”
My heart drops, and a strangled sob escapes my lips.
“Father!”
I search for my father’s face for a sign that he would reject the proposal, but none comes.
Tears rise in my eyes, and I swear fiercely, drawing the attention of advisors from both of our kingdoms.
“Arabella,” he barks.
“You will do your duty, as you’re instructed.”
I shiver in disbelief.
This can’t be how it ends.
Not with marriage, and especially not to those two.
How can he do this to me?!
He knows there’s no one else in the world I despise more than the Sonne princes.
What will those bastards do to me now that I belong to them?
