Aamae | To Crowns and Dreams | Book #1

Chapter Four: Upside Down Frown

"Straighten your back," Miss Wells said, her voice scratchy in Aamae's ears. Miss Wells was her teacher, albeit an unwilling one. She was a short woman with graying blonde hair that was cut in a short bob, an unusual style for a woman in her father's kingdom, with icy blue eyes that were almost as cruel as Ulric's, but she was the only woman in Aamae's life besides her maids, so she had no choice but to like her.

            Aamae obeyed her order, adjusting her position in her chair so that it was up to her teacher's standards. She flipped to the next page in the book on the desk in front of her and began to read aloud, her quiet voice being the only thing heard in the empty classroom, "To be a faithful wife, one must cater to the wishes of the husband..."

            Her voice continued, reading word afterword about how to be a faithful wife. A faithful wife. It was something she used to dream about being. Just not to the son of Manveer Evernot. When she was fifteen, it was all she dreamed about; she wanted to be married, to have someone she could always rely on after dealing with Ulric. She wanted that person to be Macil, but now, the man she wanted was her guard, standing along the wall and listening to her learn about what it means to be a wife to another man.

            Mekhi Evernot. A nightmare that now walked the halls of the castle and now resides in the room across from hers. "In order to make it easier for you to get to know your fiancé," was what her father had said. Fiancé. A word she never thought would be related to the only son of Manveer Evernot. A word that she once wished was related to someone else.

            "The wife is responsible for both her own and her husband's belongings..." Aamae continued.

            Miss Wells interrupted her. "That does not apply to you, Your Highness," she simply said, and Aamae glanced up at her. "You will still have the maids once you get married to take care of your belongings."

            Aamae nodded.

            Everything was going to be the same even after marriage. She would still have her maids that will take care of everything. She'll still have Macil protecting her like he has been for the past three years. Nothing will change.

            Except for the fact that she'll have someone sharing her bed.

            The thought made her back tense. She didn't want to share a bed with someone. It didn't matter if it was her husband or someone she actually loved. She knew she could never fully trust anyone, including her the people closest to her. Everyone around her always had some kind of motive; she knew this fact more than anyone else. Han wanted to be close to their father. Her father wanted to show the kingdom he was strict with even his own children. Majin wanted to show everyone that no matter what happened to him, he was still the carefree boy he was when he was a child. Macil wanted to prove that he can do his job right. Miss Wells wanted to stay in good graces with the king in order to one day be promoted.

            Ry wanted to change the kingdom by making an example of her.

            She wasn't sure what Mekhi Evernot's motive was, but she had an idea. She was the first of the royal children to be married. If Mekhi Evernot was able to prove that he was able to continue the Le Rosa bloodline, then his family would be rewarded profusely and they would be favored by the king. And she was going to have to share a bed with him, knowing exactly what he wanted and unsure of how far he was willing to go to accomplish it.

            Miss Wells began lecturing her about what was going to happen over the next few months. She was going to learn how to be a wife along with the rest of her lessons, and then, after both she and Aamae's father deemed her knowledgeable enough, they will announce the engagement to the rest of the country instead of keeping it within the castle like they were. After that, and only after that, they will decide a date.