As the Crown Prince of Saint Hellington, I am accustomed to all of the perks and routines that come with being a prince. A prince's day begins with tea exactly at 7 in the morning. Fresh brewed, of course, and steeped for precisely 5 minutes. After this, a prince shall brush his teeth and be dressed for the usual daily repercussions. However, on one day that was supposed to be like any other, I found out something that would change me. This is the story of my little princess, and how she rebuffed my affections, only to return them tenfold.
Chapter 1
As I was walking along in the castle, I was reminded of all of the sweeter things in life. The birds chirping, the workers putting away dishes or planting flowers, and how much I absolutely loathed all of it. I, Sebastian Michaelis, was of course a spoiled prince. I did not like the simpler things in life that were unpredictable. The birds may not chirp one day and the workers may plant a tree in the wrong spot. It was something I couldn't control, which is something I despise in people. As I wallowed in my own pit of loathing, I passed a mirror. Ah, yes. Something I liked. I was a tall man, almost six feet and four inches, and it is obvious that my 21 years on this planet have done me well. My long, black hair was complimented only by my extremely abnormal eyes, consisting of a red deeper than any blood. My appearance was something I could control, whether I looked bad or good was up to me. It was a sharp contrast to the hatred I felt for everything else. This brings me to the topic of the day, my hatred for my parents. I walked elegantly into the throne room to meet with my mother and father per their request. Usually this means I get a raise in allowance to spend on a girl they wish me to court or an extra duty for the day. However, on this dreadfully happy morning, I saw their faces more grim than usual.
"Son, your mother and I wish to speak to you of a certain endeavor that you must partake in."
My heart almost sped up a little as they glanced at each other cautiously. Honestly, I shouldn't have been surprised at what was about to happen. My mother took over the speech, figuring I wouldn't be upset if she had said it rather than my father. Poor, poor woman, I wish to apologize to her for having a son such as me. No person should be burdened with a son of such beauty. I am one hell of a prince.
"Sebastian, there comes a time in life where you must grow and leave. This is your time. As you know, the nearby kingdom of Phantom is going through hard troubles. Money is tight and their people are dying. They have asked us for aid financially to spare their kingdom. However, as you know, an exchange must take place."
Her beauty and regality was unmatched in that moment, especially by any of the women I had courted. Courtship was not my favorite hobby. Normally my mother or father would find some aristocratic woman my age and invite her to spend a month in our castle. In this time, I was to entertain her and attempt to win her affections, which, of course, I always did. As I said, I am quite the sight. Usually that alone can woo the ladies. The only problem is that I did not like any one of them. They were all annoying, or too predictable, or simply unattractive. I had made up my mind that I shall not settle on a second class woman. My mother had almost had to settle for a second class man before my father came along. My mother was always a woman of business, yet still a mother first. She smiled at me and lifted her eyebrows in that motherly way that seemed to calm children and produce a shadow of excitement across her brow.
"They have a daughter. Albeit, she is younger than you, yet still of child bearing age and of the figure of a woman, but she is a good match. She is very lady like and I believe you will get along well."
If only I had been emotionally prepared for this moment, I would have breathed in and put on that small smile I usually do when I am in discomfort. However, seeing as I was not prepared, my jaw slackened a little and my eyes widened in surprise. I had never liked the idea of marriage, though I knew it was just another one of life's essentials. I had no clue this would happen at such a young age! 21 was no age to be married at. But I had no choice. My mother and father had those set stares on their faces, leading me to conclude that there was no changing their minds. I sighed and reset my posture to a more princely position, and placed that dainty, soft smile upon my lips.
"I understand, Mother. I am thrilled to be of service of a neighboring kingdom. I can only hope that this exchange will be beneficial to both parties. I shall court the young lady as best I can and hope an engagement comes to the table soon."
Lies, all lies. Of course they were only customary. I bowed my head respectfully and smoothed my sleeves, contemplating the apparent young nuisance that were to come. She would probably blend in with all other women I had seen. A sigh of relief was passed from both parents as they smiled at me. I, of course, was not as excited as they thought me to be. In fact, this is exactly what I hated about them. They bluntly came forth and passed on to me what they thought I should do. I had no say on the matter. As a prince, I accepted my duty and welcomed it with open arms. As a man, I hated every aspect of the idea and wanted nothing more than to just leave and go my own way. I understood that my duty was my duty and I must do as I am told. Who really wants to marry someone they don't know? I fumbled with my cloak sleeve as I contemplated the arranged love to come.
Ah, love. There's that word. I did not know what love was. It was as unknown to me as the feeling of being born. I had, of course, courted women before. But spark, fireworks, anything of any significance did not ever happen. It was something unrequited that I felt incapable of doing. Funny, really, is it that I could hate all without knowing the feeling of love.
As they smiled, my father suddenly let out a shout of "bring her in," and I looked to the door, unexpectant of the beauty that lay there. A small, thin, blue-grey haired beauty stood in her pink dress, looking at me with such disarray that could be taken either as hatred or embarrassment. To tell you the truth, this was the first moment I had ever taken such notice of a woman's eyes. She entered the room gracelessly, almost as if in a failed waltz, yet the movement itself was so charming that I couldn't help to look away. That small, agitated frown never leaving her lips as she took in her surroundings. This was the moment I fell in love.