For centuries, the royal family of Aridia has hosted The Choice, the competition where the eligible daughters of the Nobles of Aridia, come together to vie for the hand of the heir to the throne. This year, Prince Carlos is the heir to the throne a...
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Dear Lord Prowess,
The King and Queen of Aridia solicit the presence of your daughter, Lady Madeline Prowess, to attend The Choice as a possible suitor for Prince Carlos, along with the daughters of 11 other nobles of the land. Lady Madeline is requested at the palace in 7 days' time where she will compete against other eligible Ladies for the hand of Prince Carlos to stand the chance to become the future queen of Aridia.
Lady Madeline is expected to display immaculate manners, dancing, talent and overall demeanor in order to last The Cut and possibly be Prince Carlos' Choice.
(This is a direct message from The King and Queen of Aridia)
I read the letter countless times, desperately trying to find some sort of loophole that excluded me from The Choice.
"So...? What does it say?" My elder sister, Caroline, snapped. She didn't hesitate before she snatched the letter from my hands, her eyes scanning the paper hungrily.
"I'm not going," I decided. There was no way, I, Madeline Prowess was going to attend The Choice- I was hardly a proper lady on a normal day, talk less of at a competition where the royal family, nobles and citizens alike would be watching my every move.
"There's no way Maddie's going," Caroline scoffed, rolling her eyes. "She's hopeless." I sensed that her annoyance had nothing to do with my hopelessness but more to do with the fact that she'd doted on Prince Carlos for years and wished it was her being summoned to the palace.
"There's nothing we can do, Madeline. These are direct orders from the royal family," My father said, helplessly.
"But father," I moaned, in a most unladylike manner which gained me a warning look from my mother. "You've seen me dance- I have 2 left feet!"
"Have you seen her eat? She eats like a dog!" Caroline protested, folding her arms across her full bosom. I disliked the fact that my perfect sister was chastising me, but I bit my tongue in hopes that it would help convince my parents that sending me to the palace in hopes of winning the Prince's hand, was a huge mistake.
"I understand that Madeline needs...work, but these are direct orders from the royal family. You remember what happened to Lord Easton," My father shook his head. Lord Easton was one of the nobles who dared to defy the order of the king regarding some sort of shipment. In return, Lord Easton was stripped of his titles, something that scared my father more than he'd ever admit.
"You wouldn't be completely defying the king if you sent Caroline instead," I suggested. Normally, I would love to have something that Caroline wanted, after being the underdog for practically my whole life. But, I wasn't about to waste my happiness on a prince I strongly disliked and had no care for.
Caroline's eyes widened, glee sparking behind her pupils. "Yes! You could send me instead of Madeline, at least I have a chance to last The Cut." I rolled my eyes.
