Chapter 1

It has been nearly three years since Derek and Genevieve got married; Ashlyn, Blair, and Delia had all married. Ashlyn and her husband have two children, a girl named Emily and a boy named Adam, and of course, the girl is the oldest. Blair is currently pregnant with her first child; she will become a mother in two months. Then there's Delia, they don't have children yet, but they're trying to have one; let's hope she gets her wish.

Of course, they live with husbands in their kingdom, while Genevieve, Derek, Courtney, Edaline, Fallon, Hadley, Isla, and the triplets live in the palace with their father. Since Genevieve's father named her and Derek the future kings, they are to stay there till the king retires, and in the meantime, Derek gets his future king lessons.

One afternoon Genevieve was with her father playing chess but not just with any board; it was her favorite; the unique thing about it was that her mother, Queen Isabella, had given her the chess board for her tenth birthday.

Since her mother saw that she loved the game very much and was very good at it, she got her daughter one, and to this day, she still uses it. It was also the last gift she got from her mother when she passed away a few weeks after her eleventh birthday.

"Perfect." said Genevieve as she moved her elbow across the board, "checkmate." She said as her father dramatically moaned, and she giggled.

Her father has always been like that and acted huffy when she did well in chess, even now that she's a grown woman with a husband.

"I certainly didn't see that coming!" exclaimed the king. Genevieve watched her father stare at the board, his blond hair already had some gray ends, and his eyes seemed slightly tired.

Her father's eyebrows knitted together for a second, but his face lit up, and he moved one of the ivory pieces. Genevieve smiled as she planned her next move; she and her husband Derek had been chosen by her father to take over the kingdom of Glidonia when her father could no longer rule.

Derek was currently taking his political lessons to train how to be a proper king and make decisions based on what is suitable for Glidonia. Although Genevieve was never taught to rule since she thought she'd just married off to some king, she did the best she could. Derek's training was supposed to last for six years, and then the king would hand over Glidonia, Genevieve and Derek had only been wed for three years, so it would only be a short amount of time before he would be king.

The match continued, and in the end, she won again as always. "Your mother used to beat me every time we played," said her father, staring fondly at the board.

"You certainly are her daughter; I don't know where she got her brains, but I know you got them from her." Said Randolph.

"Mother was a scholar," Genevieve reminded him with a little smile, "she was intelligent because she read." She finished.

"Derek is doing quite well in his studies," said king Randolph jovially. "I'd thought you'd be happy to hear it, put a crown on his head, and no one would have ever guessed he was never born a prince. He will be a wonderful ruler and a wonderful husband; in fact, he already is," said Randolph.

Genevieve smiled back; her fathers had always been concerned mainly with her happiness. The older she got, the more she realized her happiness was placed even before the kingdom's needs; the only time he'd put others before the princesses was when he called upon the help of his cousin Duchess Rowena.

That decision had almost killed him; back then, Genevieve had been so naive. She didn't expect the Duchess would harm her cousin until it was evident she meant to kill her father to take over the kingdom, the older she got, the crueler she learned the world was.

"Papa, I know you always expected me to marry royalty," Genevieve said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as she smoothed her long pink dress with her white hands.

"I always wanted you to be happy, and I got it," said her father.

"Papa, if you allowed me to marry the man I love, why are you making Courtney marry the prince of Thraas? She doesn't love him; why not let her marry someone who makes her happy." She finished.

The king thought and frowned; Genevieve could immediately tell her father never expected the conversation to head this way. "Your sisters are happy in the marriages I have arranged for them," he said.

"Yes, papa, I know," she began.

"And your mother and I were in an arranged marriage; of course, your mother was against it from the very beginning, but I was in love the moment I set eyes on her. Who's to say I won't be the same for your sister or the rest of them." Said Randolph.

"But prince Levi isn't anything like Courtney," Genevieve said.

"How do you know? Courtney has never expressed love for a man, and she's ready for marriage; besides, king Laurent is a dear friend. We've wanted to join our houses for a while, and know that there's an opportunity, I can't turn my back now. I can assure you prince Levi will make Courtney happy; if I weren't sure of it, I wouldn't be arranging the marriage." Said Randolph as Genevieve bit her lip, her father had been correct so far with some of her sister's marriages, but something about this arrangement made her feel uneasy.

Her elder sister Ashlyn is twenty-five years old; She and her husband are delighted; he wasn't a king but a high-ranking lord; his name was Atticus Reed.

Blair had wed a prince whose father was still alive, though the moment he passed, he'd taken the throne; her husband's name is Brayan. Again, it's another happy marriage.

The next in line would have been Courtney, but when Edmund had arrived to take her hand, things changed drastically when instead, he fell in love with Delia. Sensing the two's romantic involvement, Courtney begged her father to allow Edmund to wed Delia.

Then there was Genevieve, who married the cobbler who assisted her in saving her father's kingdom from Rowena. At the time, she was overcome by love, but sometimes she wonders if she'd made the right choice, she loves him dearly and could never see herself with another man.

But the day her father named him heir, the weight of reality made itself at home in her stomach consistently. "You are certain he will make her happy?" she asked.

"Of course, I am my princess; I promise you that Courtney will be protected and loved by Laurent's son. Someday, I know you'll be an excellent mother; like how you care for your sisters, I know you'll care the same for your children." Said her father, she found herself smiling as her head was looking down at the floor, but then she put her head up to reach her father's face.

"Thanks, Papa. Do you know when prince Levi arrives?" Genevieve asked.

"This evening, at eight o'clock, did you want to know that you could be late for the meeting." Said her father chuckling.

"Oh, ha-ha, funny papa," Genevieve said dryly. "Where's Courtney? How's she preparing for this?" asked Genevieve.

"She's been getting ready since this afternoon; she's been washed, given a new dress, and her hair is currently being made up for his arrival. She's very nervous, as you can imagine, but I believe she's very excited; I'm excited for her too; I know she will have a wonderful wedding just like you and your sisters did." Said Randolph.

"Yes, I'm sure." Genevieve smiled. Her father rose from his seat and told her he had to prepare for the prince's arrival; he excused himself and walked out of the room. Once he was gone, Genevieve let out a low sigh and got to her feet; she wished her mother would have lived longer to teach her the ways of war.

She didn't think she'd ever need to know about it, but ever since she knew she and her husband would be the ones to rule Glidonia, she wanted to be prepared. She put away the checkboard game and went to see if Derek was finished with his lessons; arriving, she waited by the door for him to come out.

"Genevieve!" he said as he exited the room where the lessons were held, he swept into her embrace and lightly kissed her on the lips.

"How were the lessons?" asked Genevieve.

"Nearly perfect; they would have been better if you were there." He said as she couldn't help the grin that spread along her face; she knew very well that she was also blushing; Derek was always trying to say these things to her.

"How are your shoes? I've noticed you've been on your feet quite a lot this past week, and they are beginning to wear. Do you need new ones?" asked Derek with concern.

"No," she said immediately. "Derek, you're not a cobbler anymore; you're a prince, and very soon a king to be; your old life is behind you now," she said as he sighed, and his brown eyes sparkled; she loved him more than anything else in the world, except for his father and sisters. Her love for Derek was different, something special that cannot be compared to anything else.

"It's hard, all, right?" He confessed. "I've lived my whole life as a shoe cobbler; I just want to make you happy and make you the most comfortable wife in the kingdom." He said. Her gaze softened, and she kissed him gently on the lips.

"As long as I'm with you, I will always be happy," said Genevieve.

"Come on, we should get going, the prince of Thraas is arriving soon, and as future rulers of Glidonia, we need to be there to make an impression." Said Genevieve.

The two wrapped their hands to one another and headed for the castle's entrance hall; as they walked, Genevieve caught a glimpse of Courtney coming out of one of the rooms. Though Courtney looked stunning, Genevieve could recognize a hint of panic in her face; please let her be okay; please let prince Levi be her one true love thought Genevieve. Genevieve and Derek took their places behind her father, and suddenly, the great horn was blown, announcing the arrival of prince Levi.