|🌴| Shipwrecked Princess |🌺| A Novel |🌺| Complete |🌴|

🌴 Chapter Seventeen 🌴

Over the next few days, Rosalya had spent almost all morning and afternoon looking over the wedding ideas. From food to fabric to patterns to props. It was a burden to plan a wedding she didn't even want. She insisted she let her mother deal with it but her mother thought it was best if she dealt with her wedding. Now she was up to her neck in ideas and the wedding was still a month away. She had to figure it out by the end of the week. No, ifs, ands, or buts about it.

She just couldn't take anymore and needed a break. She stood on the balcony looking over the water. As far as the horizon was she could see nothing but azure blue waters. Everything seemed so calm out there. It was therapeutic to watch the sun sparkle off the water, seeing the waves gently rolled into the harbor.

There was stirring in her heart. It felt like a stormy ocean inside her body. The ache was unbearable, pushing it off made it hurt worse. Her hand rested against her chest, right over her head. She rested her other hand on the railing and closed her eyes. Her heart was beating so rapidly, she felt like she couldn't catch her breath to match her heart.

She sighed looking over the fast blue ocean. No wonder William loved the open sea, it just felt so free. She didn't per se envy Essa for having grown up on a deserted island in the middle of the sea. She was more on the admiring side of things. Growing up without a care in the world, without the rules and expectations of royal life.

She looked down at the courtyard where William's siblings were running around. "I can't follow through with the marriage, I just can't." She mumbled to herself. She knew it would disappoint her family, make a mockery of tradition, but she thought her happiness meant more than an alliance.

Leshay walked into the room, her heels wicked against the marble floor echoing about the vast bedroom. "Hmm? What's the matter, dear?" She asked, glancing at the messy table filled to the brim with wedding planning arrangements. She walked over and stood beside her daughter.

Rosalya jumped at the sudden voice of her mother. She had not expected her to come in without knocking. "Oh! Mother, nothing. I was just simply speaking to myself." She stammered trying to play it off as it was nothing. She couldn't let her mother know she was still having second thoughts.

Leshay knew her daughter was having second thoughts. She wasn't the only one to be having them. "Now don't play coy. I know you are having second thoughts about this marriage. I overheard that William had tried to reason with his parents again about this marriage." She said, turning around and walking towards the table.

Rosalya turned towards her mother. She was a bit surprised he had brought it up again. He didn't want to follow through with it and she didn't either. "He brought it up again?" She questioned, wondering how many more times was he going to try and fail.

Leshay groaned, was her daughter that surprised? She doubted it. It was more of a shock that he was still trying to get out of it. "Don't act surprised. We are trying our best to keep people from talking about both of your hesitations. You need to just accept your duty and stop being such a child. I raised you better than this! If your sister can marry a man she never met then you can too."

Rosalya crossed her arms over her chest and looked back over the sea. "Maileena wanted to be queen and rule. I don't want to rule a kingdom. William certainly doesn't either. It is one of many things we can agree on, whether you like it or not." She pointed out. She couldn't see herself ruling over a kingdom, it just wasn't her forte.

Leshay sighed gently, picking up a book full of fabric swatches. "Even if you both agree it is in the laws that the only way an arranged marriage can be ended is in death or both parents agree to end the arrangement. Which we won't do. We need this alliance and William is the only suitable candidate for your husband and of your age. You must marry an heir seeing as you are the youngest in our family." She explained, seeing the ones she had dog-eared the corners of the pages.