Page 2 of A Royal Arrangement
“You’re the strongest woman I know. You’re going to make it through this.” Niles pulled her in for one last hug before she left her favorite place to meet with her parents.
Something deep in her gut told her that whatever her parents wanted to discuss was far beyond financial worries. They were the king and queen of Findorra—they could deal with that on their own. But if they were involving Rosalie, that meant that whatever they were going to tell her would impact her life, not just her country.
Rosalie shook her head.I don’t even know what’s going on. Maybe the news was wrong. Maybe I’m overthinking why my parents want to talk to me. Surely there’s a simple explanation for all this.
When she reached her father’s office, Rosalie rubbed her damp palms on her dress before knocking.
“Enter,” her father’s voice boomed from within the room.
She slowly turned the handle. As soon as she stepped into the room and shut the door, her father started speaking.
“Rosalie, thank you for finally joining us.”
She nodded her head in deference and moved to sit in the chair across from her parents. Her mother stopped her with a light touch on the arm before pulling her into a tight hug.
“It’s so good to have you home, dear.”
A whisper of a smile pulled at her lips. “It’s good to see you too, Mom.”
Her father cleared his throat, removing all warmth from the moment and causing her mother to pull back with a sad smile before taking her seat. Rosalie steadied herself as she sat down across from them. He was making it perfectly clear that he was thekingright now, not her dad.
Her father looked like he had aged threeyearsin the three months it had been since she’d last seen him. The lines onhis forehead had deepened, as if etched by hours of deep concentration. His dark hair was also peppered with more grays.
She wanted to ask them about theRoyal Inquisitorarticle. She wanted to ask them what in the world was going on. But instead, she remained quiet, looking back and forth between them, waiting for someone to share what this meeting was about.
Her father finally broke the silence. “There’s no easy way to say this, but Findorra is in financial trouble. We have been for some time, but we’re in dire straits now. In order to secure the funds I need to avoid national devastation, I had to resort to extreme measures.”
Rosalie gulped. “What does that mean for our family?” Her eyes moved between her mother and father. Then she whispered the question she really wanted to ask. “What does it mean for me?” But then worries of herself fled as she thought of her older brother and the impact of the kingdom’s financial situation on him and his wife, Clara, and their darling son, Malcolm. “Is Leo aware of what’s going on?”
“We have already spoken with Leopold. This deficit won’t necessarily impact him once he’s king, because I’ve found a solution.” Her father cleared his throat and looked down at the oriental rug under his desk. “I have secured a marriage for you with King Colin of Edgemont.”
Rosalie’s mouth fell to the floor in shock. She had expected…anything but that.
I thought they might ask me to sell some of my belongings. A royal yard sale of sorts, where I would get rid of a collection of gowns. I’ve heard people are willing to pay a lot of moneyfor items that have been worn by public figures. But an arranged marriage?
Her father continued before she could react. “I know it’s not the love match you hoped for, but I believe he will take care of you. He—or rather, Edgemont’s Royal Board—has also decided to forgo requiring a dowry from us and, instead, has offered a large sum for your hand.”
She stuttered, trying to keep her mouth from falling open. Rosalie had always done exactly what they’d asked her to. The time she’d rappelled down a skyscraper for a charity event to raise funds for a children’s wing at a local hospital came to mind. Her parents had said it was “too dangerous” for either of them or her older brother, Leo, the heir to the throne, so she had stepped up and done what they’d asked of her. She was the perfect, cooperative daughter. Rosalie had never asked questions or been difficult. But this was crossing the line.
It was one thing to let the nation he ruled get into such an extreme amount of debt that he required outside assistance. It was another thing to sell off his daughter to dig himself out of it.
Her thoughts roamed to the man her father expected her to marry.What is Colin’s motivation for paying money to marry me? What kind of situation is he in that is so dire it requires him to buy a bride?
Her mother’s lips scrunched up as if she could read her thoughts. “Your father communicated solely with Edgemont’s Royal Board. From what they told him, Colin has been…absent since the passing of his wife, and they believe a new queen will help gain back the excitement and trust of his people.”
No matter how hard she tried to remain her positive, optimistic self, anxiety tugged at her stomach, and her heart raced. Rosalie felt betrayed, more than anything. What she really wanted was to ask her father how he’d let their country’s financial situation deteriorate to the point that he was willing to marry his daughter off to the highest bidder. But she never went against her father. She never went againstanyone, always preferring to please others, even at the expense of her own interests.
Instead, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “I’m an adult. Don’t I have a say in my future?”
Her mother dropped her head, and Rosalie watched as her father gave her a comforting pat on the hand.
A sliver of her heart cracked as she watched them comfort each other but not her.I’m the one being forced into an arranged marriage.
The king sighed before speaking. “If I had seen any other way out, I would’ve taken it. When you were invited to the Wistonian Palace, my hope was that you would fall in love with Prince Liam and marry him. He surely would’ve provided us with financial assistance, but when that didn’t work out, I had to do something—for Findorra.”
Her stomach dropped at his words. There had to be a way out of this—a way for her to help without sacrificing her ability to find love.
“But I’m your daughter.” Rosalie pinched her eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. When she was sure her eyes were devoid of emotion, she aimed a question at her mother. “Doesn’t that mean anything?”
