Page 3 of A Royal Arrangement
“Of course it does. I love you.” Her mother’s words carried so much emotion. It was nearly Rosalie’s undoing. “Welove you,” her mother corrected as she placed her hand atop her husband’s. The gesture was small, but it made her stance clear. She may not like what her husband had planned for Rosalie, but she wasn’t going to stand in his way either. “We wish there was another way. But Colin appears to be a good man.”
Rosalie thought the words she wouldn’t dare say out loud.He’s an old widowed king.
Colin was thirty. Technically, he was only eight years older than her. But she knew the sting of loss and how that made a person change and grow.
He had tragically lost his wife in a car accident several years ago—only a few months after she’d given birth to their first child—leaving Colin to care for their infant daughter by himself. Going through that had to have aged him immensely. She knew that more than anyone.
“The paperwork has already been signed. We’ll leave this week for Edgemont.” Her father rubbed his temples.
“Thisweek?” Rosalie sputtered.
“I know this is happening fast.” Her mother walked over and placed a hand gently on Rosalie’s arm. “But many people with arranged marriages grow to care for each other over time.”
But she wanted more than someone who cared for and respected her. She wantedlove. A deep, longing, heart-stopping, all-consuming kind of love. One that she wasn’t sure she would ever get from a man who had already lost his first wife.
Rosalie pushed down her sadness. The tears she felt stinging in the back of her eyes would have to wait until she was alone. She cleared her throat.
“When is the wedding?” Rosalie begged her voice not to break.
“This coming Friday,” her father mumbled. Just under a week. In six days, she would be married to a man who didn’t love her, a man who didn’t evenknowher.
Her father pushed up from his seat, a gesture of finality. “We should all get some sleep.”
She stood tall, attempting to look stronger than she felt. Rosalie bit her bottom lip, trying to bite back tears. “Goodnight.”
Before she could leave, her mother crossed the room and gently squeezed her hand as she kissed her forehead. When she pulled her head back, her mother gave her a small encouraging smile, imparting Rosalie with the strength she would need to make it back to her room before she broke down.
Once Rosalie was in the confines of her room, a sob erupted from her lips. The tears she had held back flowed like a giant dam had finally broken. She collapsed onto her bed and cried until her tears ran dry.
One conversation, one decision made by her father, had changed the course of her life forever. It shattered all the dreams of true love and happily ever after she’d been holding onto for her whole life.
And there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She had been given six days to process the information, and Rosalie still couldn’t believe she was being forced into an arranged marriage. Her father preferred to call it a marriageof convenience to make himself feel better, but there was nothing convenient about it.
Rosalie had dreamed about her husband for a long time. And absolutely zero dreams had featured an arranged marriage to someone who wasn’t in love with her. Someone who mightneverlove her.
She looked around her bedroom, taking in the light-blue walls that had surrounded her for her whole life. But it didn’t feel like home. Not anymore. The walls may still look the same as they always had, but everything else was different. Everything had changed.
The side tables, once covered with photos of her with her parents and friends, were now bare. Her fuzzy slippers were no longer beside her bed, already packed away with the rest of her belongings in one of countless suitcases. The room was no longer hers.
Rosalie fell back onto the bed, grabbing her phone from the side table. She clicked on the messaging app icon and hesitated as she stared at the notification for twelve unread messages in a text thread with the friends she had made while competing onRoyally Yours.
For the last three months, she and eleven other ladies of royal standing had competed on the hit reality dating television show,Royally Yours, for the heart—and hand—of Prince Liam of Wistonia. Early in the competition, Rosalie had known she and Liam weren’t a match, but she’d had the honor of having a front-row seat as she’d watched him fall for her new best friend, Charlotte.
She was incredibly happy for her friends, and witnessing their romantic journey had only affirmed Rosalie’s desire to find a true love of her very own. As a hopeless romantic, she’d been holding out for her very own fairy tale. She’dcome home with a renewed hope to find her own happily-ever-after, only for that dream to have been immediately crushed by her father’s news.
Rosalie looked back at the twelve unread messages in the group text thread. She had bonded with Charlotte, Sienna, and Bridgette over their desire to remain out of the drama typical of a dating show—and their wish to form a genuine friendship. Even though Liam had chosen Charlotte, they had all pledged to remain close friends.
She really did want to talk to them, but she had avoided responding since hearing her father’s plan for her future. Knowing she couldn’t avoid it any longer, Rosalie finally clicked on the “Royally Yours Gal Pals” group conversation.
Bridgette:Charlotte, I hope your honeymoon is going well *winking face emoji*
Bridgette:Your coronation ceremony was so beautiful.
Sienna:It really was magical! I’m so happy for both of you.
Sienna:Also, your wedding dress and tiara? Stunning! *crown emoji*
