30 Days As A Substitute Prince

Chapter 1

“Are you excited?”

“Barely.” Princess Aria sighed as her mother dabbed blush on her cheeks.

Her youngest sister, Liziath, had asked with her own hint of excitement for her best friend and sister. Liziath had always been a romantic--reading books and daydreaming endlessly in the library, wanting her own true love one day. But Aria’s love was here, and that would simply have to do for now.

She couldn’t wait to watch the love story unfold in front of her. It would be like a live performance of what happens in books. That would be such a tremendous societal investment.

“Why not! Your Prince is coming today, and you are not excited?” Liziath couldn’t believe her sister. How could she be so stoic about this?

“I…” Aria trailed. She really didn’t have a reason for her hesitation. Maybe it was just nerves. “I have never met him a day of my life, Lizzy. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“That is why you are courting for a month, my dear,” Queen Sylvia chirped. She was just as eager as her youngest daughter. “I’m certain Prince Zadkiel will make a perfect husband. Queen Vivian assured it.”

“I hope,” Aria mumbled as her mother and youngest sister continued to blab about her union.

Aria never minded that her parents promised her to a prince. She understood her duty as the eldest daughter. But she was human after all, and nerves were simply a natural thing to happen.

She was to meet her groom at noon today. It had only been eight in the morning, and she was sweating like a pig.

The news of his arrival wasn’t sudden. Aria’s parents even sat her down to have a talk even before they contacted the royal family of the Imperial Kingdom. Still, Aria had her doubts.

Would he treat her well? Will they fall deeply in love like her parents? Will they have the most beautiful family one day? Or will he be authoritative, mean and demeaning, only seeing her as a wife and not a partner, as there was indeed a vast difference?

This is what the courting season is for, she tried to tell herself but barely listened. Aria could feel her palms sweating and her stomach churning violently. All the questions of possible ways this could end badly invaded her every thought. She was not prepared enough for this as she thought she was.

At least they will have a month to get to know each other. But that’s just it. Even if Aria and the prince aren’t happy together at the end of the month, they would still have to get married. This month is just a pitied decency to have them familiarised before the actual marriage.

There wasn’t any backing out of this.

“You’ll be a great wife, my dear. And soon, I’ll have beautiful grandbabies running around the castle.” Her mother laughed in delight, making her eyebrows pull uncomfortably farther than her tight hairdo had already caused.

Aria simply smiled and nodded, and suddenly the tightly pulled corset felt suffocating.

Could he just come already? Maybe just a glimpse of him will soothe her nerves.

But no. They had a whole three and a half hours until Zadkiel, and his guard arrived.

The arrangement of it all puzzled Aria. Why would a prince--someone of such high status--travel only with one guard? Wasn’t he supposed to have the whole kingdom of guards accompanying him to a strange island? It got her mind turning with more questions. Was Zadkiel so masculine and strong that he didn’t need protection? Or was there another reason for his minimal company?