Willingly Blind
Sir Nealan of Queenscove didn't exactly like Lianne of Conte, per say. Oh she was a nice enough person, and he was sure she had a perfectly charming personality. She just had the misfortune to look exactly like her mother.
Of course, this was not at all a bad thing to Neal; after all, if you couldn't have the real thing, a substitute is better than nothing at all, especially when said substitute could easily be the mirror image of the real thing. In this case, the mirror image was almost better, for there were no wrinkles too mar the perfect face, and no sadness in the clear hazel eyes.
So he went to her willingly each night, and if he squinted just a little, he could almost see the beautiful queen, in all her glory, not just the little princess, playing at being a grownup.
Princess Lianne of Conte knew she didn't like Nealan of Queenscove. He was far too sarcastic, and wasn't always such a nice person. But she put up with him for what, in her mind, was a very good reason.
With his long, soft, brown hair, and bright, bright green eyes, he looked rather like someone else she knew. Someone else she actually liked. Or perhaps loved was a better word for what she felt towards this person.
There was just one problem. That being she couldn't ever have this person, despite the fact that his room was separated from hers by a mere few inches of stone. Despite the fact that she had known him all her life, and liked what she saw. Despite the fact that she knew she would never be happy with just a substitute.
But a substitute is better than nothing, right?
End