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Surprised to see all chapters deleted? Have no fear! They'll soon be uploaded but beware, there are a LOT of changes! :D
Okay, I'm done with this pompous declaration. Yes, I'm back and yes, everything has changed. My old readers, I strongly advise you to read the new chapters. Even if you feel it's familiar, trust me when I say that there are a lot of changes. Not just dialogues but characters and plots. It is not the same!
The first part of this chapter doesn't have many changes but later on, entire chapters have been re-written so you might want to read it to avoid confusion :)
To all the new readers, welcome! Hope you like it :)
Enjoy the chapter! :)
Previously:
"To whom?" I asked, my voice sounding bleak to my own ears. I needed to know who was to be my future husband.
"Dimitri Belikov," came the reply. "King Dimitri Belikov of Russovia."
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO
Nine year old Prince of Russovia, Dimitri Belikov, wished to be back in his room, reading one of his mother's precious western novels rather than attend his friend, Christian Ozera's birthday party.
Dimitri did not like parties.
He didn't like faking smiles at strangers, trying to look as if he was honestly enjoying himself.
He didn't like faking anything. He always tried his best to be truthful, something his wise old grandmother had ingrained into him.
But his father repeatedly stressed the importance of parties for kings. According to him, it was a chance to make and strengthen alliances, socialize with other kings and try to keep yourself updated about the current political scenario.
Even at the age of nine, Dimitri took his duties seriously, trying his best to learn all that he could about being a king from his father.
He was already a good fighter, trained in archery and sword fight.
He didn't complain when his father took him to the long and boring Council meetings, despite his mother's protests that he was too young. He also didn't complain when his tutor forced him to memorize the names of all ruling families of all the countries. He knew it would contribute to making him a good king that he wished to be, just like his father.
So yes, Dimitri was a young boy who was very mature for his age.
But that didn't mean he wasn't still young.
He didn't throw tantrums. Oh, no. He wouldn't do that.
But what he would do was carefully plan his way out of tricky situations.
And being bored was definitely a tricky situation because he knew his parents would surely not let him escape the party.
If he could just find a way to alleviate the boredom...
"Mitya," his mother sighed as she walked over to where her son stood observing all the guests. "Go and mingle with others. Don't stand in a corner and sulk."
"I'm not sulking, mamma." Dimitri said indignantly.
Olena smiled. "Of course, you aren't sulking. You don't even mind the fact that neither of your sisters is here with you. Nor Ivan."
Dimitri smiled slightly at how well his mother knew him. "Okay. I'll socialize."
He just said that for his mother's satisfaction. Frankly, he didn't know whom to talk to. There were several boys his age but none that he knew well. Despite his father's insistence, Dimitri didn't like mingling with strangers. Or, near strangers.
He was close to Christian, yes, but the latter appeared to be busy with a little girl with platinum blond hair.
Sighing, Dimitri made his way over to the sofa situated in the opposite corner of the room, belatedly realizing that it was occupied by a young, brown-haired girl who looked just as bored as he felt.
With her dark hair and skin the color of the inside of an almost, the girl looked like a Lohan, the very country that was his host tonight.
Maybe he could talk to her, find out more about this country which appeared to be so different from his own.
With his mind made up now, Dimitri approached her, not knowing what impact this pretty little Lohan girl would have on him.
Seven year old princess of Loha, Rose Mazur pouted as she watched her best friend, Lissa, play with Christian Ozera.
It was Christian's eighth birthday and the Ozeras had organized a grand party for their only son. Christian's mother, Lady Moira, was a cousin and close friend of Queen Janine Mazur, hence making Rose's presence in the party compulsory.
But little Rose wasn't enjoying herself like all other children her age.
She was bored.
For the hundredth time, she cursed her elder brother Neal for catching the cold. Both of them had been playing in the rain but she hadn't gotten sick, had she? No, it was all Neal's fault. She'd never before attended a party without him and was slowly discovering how unpleasant it could be.
Her cousin Eddie was busy with his friends and her best friend Lissa was playing with Christian. They seemed to have developed a strange fascination to each other and that bothered Rose.
A lot.
You see, Rose didn't like Christian. Even though Rose and Christian knew each other since their diaper days, they often clashed with each other.
It had all started when Christian had snatched away her toy sword, declaring that princess don't play with swords. Even at a tender age of five, Rose had been a spit-fire. She'd thrown her book at him in anger, calling him a name she'd heard her father use before. From then on, their relationship had consisted only of bickering and playing pranks on each other.
So no, Rose wasn't going to go anywhere near that boy.
Sitting in one corner of the room, on a rather uncomfortable sofa, Rose surveyed her surrounding, looking for ways to escape this party.
It had to be done without alerting her mother. Her father was alright; he wouldn't punish her if he caught his little girl sneaking away. But her mother...she wouldn't be happy at all.
Rose sighed, swinging her legs and crossing her arms.
She was awfully bored.
She was beginning to contemplate the idea of joining her maids, though they were boring as well. Maybe she could go to the kitchen-
Her scheming was cut off when a young, brown haired boy joined her on the sofa.
"Hello," the boy greeted her politely. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
"No." Rose replied, smiling curiously at him. She deduced that he was close to her age, maybe a couple of years older than her.
The boy smiled back, showing his dimples before extending his hand to her.
Rose shook his hand, still eyeing him curiously.
"My name is Dimitri Belikov." He said as an introduction.
"Rose Mazur." Rose stated with dignity, just the way her mother had taught her.
"Princess of Loha?" Dimitri asked.
"Yes." She replied, surprised. He didn't look like a Lohan, as far as she could tell. Sure, he had dark hair and dark eyes which were typical for a Lohan but there was something about his face structure that told her that he wasn't from her country. "How did you know that?"
"My tutor insists that I learn the names of all the royal families." He said, sighing slightly.
Rose nodded sympathetically. "My tutor makes me learn stuff like the names of all rivers in my country and the names of all crop plants and which seasons they grow in."
The tone in which she said this made Dimitri laugh. "They are the worst, aren't they?"
Rose nodded vigorously.
It really was horrible. She was convinced that her tutor, Stan Alto, was the devil in disguise. He was always mean to her, even when she did nothing wrong.
"Which country are you from?" Rose asked, wondering if he was a prince or a son of one of the ministers. Being the minister in-charge of home affairs, Lucas Ozera was a well connected man with close ties with diplomats from foreign nations.
"Russovia," Dimitri said, smiling. "I'm the prince of Russovia."
"Does it snow there?" Rose asked immediately, having heard that Russovia was a cold country with snow fall seasons.
Dimitri grinned. "Yes, it does."
"Wow." Rose had always wanted to play in the snow. Pictures of building a snowman, skiing and snow fights had always captivated her. Hers was a tropical country so she'd never known snow. Even though some northern parts of her kingdom received snowfall in winters, the capital of Loha, where the royal family lived, never experienced snow fall.
"It's nice." Dimitri explained, catching her fascination. "During winters, we have a lot of fun. But it gets too cold at times. Also, we have road blocks when it snows too much. Sometimes, we cannot leave the palace at all."
Rose's excitement dimmed, imagining being confined to the palace. She knew she'd be bored out of her mind. She'd always been an outdoors type of girl; a fact that her mother hated.
"Tell me more!" Rose pressed, wanting to judge for herself if she'd enjoy the snowfall or not.
Dimitri promptly launched into a tale detailing one of his snow ball fights with his sisters and his best friend Ivan.
Conversation flowed freely between the two, as though they'd been friends for years. Rose laughed and smiled the whole evening, happy in the company of her new friend, Prince Dimitri. She told him all about her life, her friends and her fights with Christian and her brother Neal. In turn, he told her many stories about his siblings.
He even helped her sneak outside Ozera family manor when she'd declared that the party was too stuffy.
Together, they played under stars, passing the evening in laughter and stories.
Inside the manor, Janine and Olena smiled at each other as they watched their children bonding. Catching her husband's eye, Janine nodded before leading Olena away from the window and towards Lord Ozera's study.
There, King Ibrahim and King Feodor - Dimitri's father, signed a pact.
A pact intertwining the lives of Princess Rose of Loha and Prince Dimitri of Russovia, for better or for worse.
PRESENT TIME
Rose..
"Why?" I asked my father quietly as we walked aimlessly through the corridors of the palace.
King Abe Mazur, known for his double edged personality, sighed as he lightly stroked his beard, eyes fixed straight ahead. Gone was his usual flamboyant attitude, leaving behind a weary man that I hardly recognized.
It was good change, I realized as I tried to rein in my emotions. Talking to my father was easy when he lost his usual attitude. I was not up to the usual bickering that was so common between us.
My head felt heavy, still reeling with the weight of the proclamation.
Betrothal.
Marriage.
Dimitri Belikov.
"This marriage is for the best," was all that Dad said.
I clenched my fists. "Oh?"
He seemed to recognize the dangerous lilt in my voice, for he glanced over to scan my face. "You're angry."
"No shit, Sherlock."
"Language," he chided halfheartedly.
"What?" I asked him defensively. "Don't turn into a male version of mom, please."
Abe looked amused. "Don't let Janine hear you say that."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not eager to hear an earful, Dad." Swallowing, I turned away from him. "She must be so happy with this."
Abe sighed. "She is. But that's not what's important."
Without warning, he halted before a large window and turned to me. "Why aren't you? Happy, I mean."
I glared at him. "Are you seriously asking me that?"
He fixed his steely gaze on me. "Yes, I am. Dimitri Belikov is the most eligible bachelor in the world. He's the youngest monarch but he's one of the most successful ones. He's not been involved in a single scandal. Do you know how many women desire to marry him? How many kings want him to be their son in-law?"
"So let them have him," I shouted, giving up on any pretense of control by throwing up my hands. "I don't want to marry him. I don't want to marry anybody. I told you I wanted to wait until I was 23 at least."
"That's only two years away," was Abe's brilliant observation.
"I don't want to marry!"
"Now, you're just being childish." Dad said, surveying his nails coolly. "You can't afford to wait for two years if you want a good husband."
I punched the wall in frustration, only to cry out the next second. Damn! I think I broke my knuckles...
Dad lifted an unsympathetic eyebrow. "Are you done with your little fit?"
I huffed but didn't resist when he led me to a nearby bench. "Rose, listen carefully to what I have to say."
I resisted the urge to poke my tongue out at him, mainly because he was the only one who'd ever bother to give me an explanation, with the only exception being my elder brother, Neal. But he was off in an training camp, hundreds of miles away from this nonsense.
"There isn't and there never will be any other proposal better than this one." Dad said firmly, looking me in the eye. "Belikovs are a wonderful family. Dimitri Belikov is a great man. He hasn't had a single affair, not even a lover. He treats women with respect and honor. I couldn't have asked for a better match for my daughter."
"Proposal?" I asked, grabbing one word from his speech and ignored the rest. "Did they ask for this marriage alliance or did you?"
"It isn't like that," Abe said quietly. "This marriage had been arranged long ago."
"What?" I jumped up from the bench to glare down at him. "Long ago?"
"Rose..." Abe started, standing up too.
I held up my hand to stop him, not caring that I was disrespecting the king himself. "How long ago, Abe?"
"When you were seven."
I gaped at him silently, a storm brewing within me.
My marriage was decided when I was seven?
How could my own parents do this to me? Didn't they care enough about me to give me freedom to choose who I'll be spending my life with?
The answer came to me in a flash.
They did this for Loha.
To strengthen my country.
I had to admit, it was a good deal - this betrothal. Loha and Russovia were two of the most prosperous countries in the world. Bringing them together was to unify those powers, making both the rulers and the land more powerful.
I had no right to be complaining. My country's prosperity should be enough of a reason for me to marry Dimitri.
But what about me? I was being told to sacrifice my choice, possibly my happiness...maybe my whole life in order to secure my country's future. I knew I should do it. It was my duty, the welfare of my country my first thought.
It had always been that way and never before had I complained.
But this...I couldn't bring myself to be okay with this.
Being married meant an end to my freedom. To life as I knew it. No king treats his wife as a equal, with the exception of my own father. But that was because Lohan culture was such. No king would approve of his wife engaging in warfare or even self defense. Queens were rarely allowed to attend small meetings at the Court. I'd visited a fair few kingdoms myself and followed up on the news of many others. Nowhere is the Queen given so much freedom that she could take decisions on her own, or live her live the way she wants to. With the exception of a rare few, all that kings desire is to have a trophy wife, someone who looks good on their arm. In fact, kings were generally well known for their multiple marriages, affairs and wayward ways.
Abe seemed to be convinced that Dimitri was different. But how could he be sure? How could anyone be sure?
How can I be sure that the man to whom I was betrothed to was suitable for me?
AN: How was it? The last part's all new if you hadn't noticed...
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