Chapter 1 #2
“Exile?” Rose stared at her, startled out of her anger. “Queen Gwendolyn brought you to Arcadia herself! She seemed genuinely fond of you.”
“It wasn’t Gwen who barred me from court,” Natalie said, fair as always. “She even argued my case to my parents. But they were convinced that the best thing for me was to go back to an ordinary life and forget about everything that had happened.”
She scowled out at the unoffending view.
“Perhaps,” Rose said, sounding like she was once again smothering a laugh, “they were concerned about your obsession with becoming royal. Or is that a newer goal?”
Natalie looked across at her, smiling reluctantly.
“The idea may have occurred to me back then, yes. But it started as a momentary dream, fueled by beautiful dresses and the excitement of the moment. It was only later that I realized that becoming royal was the only way to ensure no one could shut me out again.”
Natalie’s declaration that she would marry Prince Leo one day had been the smallest of her parents’ reasons for excluding her from court, but Natalie had no desire to explain the largest. She had played no part in her older brother Baden’s betrayal, and it was unjust of her parents to punish her for his crimes.
He had been truly exiled—banished from the mountain kingdom—and Natalie hadn’t seen him in three years.
Usually she didn’t even like to think about him.
He had lost his place in their family when he chose to turn against them all.
But her parents had been convinced that Natalie’s presence at court was an unwelcome reminder of her brother’s role in the rebellion.
Even though Natalie had successfully completed the task assigned to the two of them on her own—assembling the crucial assistance that had turned the tide—she couldn’t escape the shadow of her brother’s actions.
In fairness, her parents had been seeking to protect her as much as to protect their family’s position at court. They didn’t want her exposed to the vitriol of the court in Baden’s place. Not everyone had felt that banishment was sufficient punishment for a traitor.
But whatever her parents’ intentions, their actions had sentenced Natalie to three endless, tedious years of watching the happenings of the kingdom from afar.
And if she hadn’t fled the mountains, she might still be in that position despite having turned eighteen.
Gwen viewed Natalie with affection, but she had already assembled her court, and there was no empty place for Natalie to fill.
But Lanover was different. They had yet to fill the position of crown princess, and there was no reason Natalie shouldn’t be the one to step into that role. In Lanover, she could make a place for herself—a place that would always be at the center of everything that mattered.
“There must have been a lot of work needed to rebuild the mountain kingdom after the old queen’s brutal rule,” Rose said, her tone sympathetic. “I can understand why it was hard to be excluded from that after being central to the rebellion. But that’s hardly poor Prince Leo’s fault!”
“You say that as if I intend to mistreat him!” Natalie protested.
“I have every intention of being a delightful wife. You’re supposed to love someone for who they are, and Prince Leo’s rank is an integral part of who he is—as well as his future.
It would be more of a disaster for him to marry someone unsuited or unwilling to one day be queen than to marry someone who wants that role.
His place in the royal family is his whole future.
” She regarded Rose curiously. “Wouldn’t you consider your rank to be an integral part of you? ”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Rose murmured, not meeting Natalie’s eyes.
“Exactly,” Natalie said, satisfied. “How many girls throughout history have taken one look at a good-looking young man and decided on the spot to fall in love with him? I don’t see how this is any different.”
“I suppose it’s true that people do that.” Rose sounded unconvinced. “But how many of them delude themselves in the process, only to rue that decision later? What if you don’t actually like Prince Leo when you meet him?”
Natalie scoffed at that possibility. “The chances of that seem small. He’s sure to be good-looking for a start—the Lanoverian royal family is famed for their beauty. And aren’t princes trained to be both charming and responsible? I’m sure he’ll be delightful.”
“But what if he’s arrogant and entitled? He is a crown prince, after all.”
“So is your brother,” Natalie countered, naming the only other crown prince she’d ever met. “And he’s never seemed arrogant. From what I’ve seen, he’s kind, charming, and honorable. I’m sure Leo will be the same.”
“Don’t tell me you have a misguided affection for Harry!” Rose sounded horrified, and Natalie reciprocated the feeling.
“For Prince Henry? No! He’s married! And too old, besides. Leo, on the other hand, is only a year or so older than me.” Her voice turned dreamy. “It’s perfect.”
“But what if you don’t like him?” Rose asked, apparently unwilling to enter into Natalie’s delight. “What if he laughs at all the wrong things, and you find everything he says boring?”
Natalie couldn’t help picturing the awful possibility. The Lanoverian royal family were supposed to be both delightful and intelligent, but every family had an odd one out.
“Then it will all have been for nothing,” she said in a small voice.
But she couldn’t believe it was true. It couldn’t be!
“But I’m sure he’ll be perfectly charming!” She spoke the words with conviction, as if she could make them true with her determination.
“Even if you do fall in love with him, what if he doesn’t fall in love with you?” Rose watched her with narrowed eyes. “You won’t be the first girl to show interest in him.”
“But none of those girls are me.” How many of them had taken down a monarchy at fourteen? Natalie had been called plenty of things in her eighteen years, but no one had ever said she was boring.
“I suppose there isn’t anything wrong with you making the attempt,” Rose finally conceded.
“As long as you won’t pursue a match unless there turn out to be real feelings on both sides.
” She grimaced. “That’s what my parents are hoping will happen with me, after all. It’s almost exactly the same, in fact.”
“You see!” Natalie cried, triumphant. Now Rose was understanding.
“Far too many people fail at what they want in life because they don’t make the effort to go out and get it.
Like in my kingdom. Everyone suffered under that usurper for far too long because all the adults dithered instead of taking back the kingdom. ”
“You say it like it’s that easy!” Rose exclaimed.
Natalie shrugged. “I never said it was easy. But if you truly want something, you have to be prepared to sacrifice for it. And dithering in the meantime won’t get you anywhere.” She made a scornful sound in her throat.
“So what’s your plan?” Rose asked, finally shedding the last signs of condemnation.
“I’ll have to see the lay of the land first.” Natalie wished she had a better answer, but despite the many hours she’d spent thinking about the future, it was hard to make plans when she knew so little about the regular operation of the Lanoverian court.
“I expect my biggest issue will be getting enough time with Prince Leo. He may be closely guarded.” She stared into the distance as she pictured the potential obstacles.
“Whereas I, on the other hand…” Rose sighed.
But a moment later, her whole demeanor changed. She leaned toward Natalie, her eyes alight. “What if we swapped?”