The Crowns Choice

❦ Chapter One: Charlotte ❦

This dress is suffocating. Heavy, itchy, like it's designed to remind me of who I'm supposed to be today. It's not just the fabric-thick, ornate, and over-embellished-but what it represents: the weight of an entire kingdom's expectations. I'm standing in front of a mirror, trying to adjust the collar so I can at least breathe, but it's no use. This isn't something I can wriggle out of.

I'm Princess Charlotte Starling, firstborn of King Rhys and Queen Zoe Starling, and heir to the throne of Elaria. But everyone who really knows me calls me Lottie. It's easier, less formal, and a lot less like a title. But today, it doesn't matter what anyone calls me because today, I'm not just Lottie. I'm the future queen, and that's all anyone will see.

Our kingdom is divided into seven strata. Stratum One is where I belong, with the royals and the nobility who spend their days basking in luxury and excess. Stratum Seven is where the slaves are-though we don't call them that, of course. They're "servants," but everyone knows what that really means. It's a system that's been in place for centuries, long before I was born, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. At least, not if my parents have anything to say about it.

Elaria is a kingdom steeped in tradition, where the old ways are clung to like lifeboats in a storm. My parents are the embodiment of that tradition-strong, steadfast, and completely committed to preserving the status quo. They rule with a firm hand, but they're not unkind. They genuinely believe that the way things are is the best way for everyone. I've always struggled with that, though. I can't help but see the cracks in the perfect façade they've built.

I glance out the window, at the sprawling city below. From here, the palace towers over everything like a sentinel, keeping watch over a restless population. The streets have been growing more tense by the day, with whispers of rebellion circulating like a poison in the air. The people are unhappy, tired of the rigid hierarchy that dictates their every move. My parents are worried, and their concern has trickled down to me, pressing in on me like the walls of this room.

There's a knock at the door. "Lottie?" Kaius, my twin brother, calls softly. He's the only one who would dare interrupt me right now. He steps into the room, already dressed in his ceremonial uniform, looking like he's just walked off a portrait. He's always been the easier-going one, the one who can smile and charm his way through anything. I envy that sometimes.

"You look like you're about to bolt," Kaius says, reading me like a book. He walks over and starts fixing the collar of my dress, the same one I've been struggling with.

"Because I am," I mutter, but I know it's a lie. There's no running from this. "I just-I hate this, Kai."

"I know." He sighs, stepping back to look at me. "But we'll get through it, okay? Together."

Kaius and I have always been close. We're twins, after all, born just minutes apart. But it's more than that. We share a bond that goes beyond the superficial. He's my rock, the one who's always there to catch me when I'm about to fall. And I'm the same for him.

But today, not even Kaius can change the fact that we're both trapped in roles we didn't choose. My parents have decided that the best way to deal with the growing unrest in the kingdom is to distract everyone with a spectacle-a Crowns Choice. It's an ancient tradition where the heir to the throne chooses a partner from a group of handpicked suitors. It's supposed to be romantic, a fairy tale come to life. But to me, it's a nightmare.

"Do they really think this will work?" I ask, not really expecting an answer.

Kaius shrugs. "They're desperate. The people need something to believe in, something to take their minds off their problems. And a royal romance? That's as good a distraction as any."