I am not going to allow anyone to marry me off to King Dominick. No matter how beneficial it would be to both sides of the agreement, I cannot let it happen.

That's because I have a secret.

I can only love women.

Spending the rest of my life with a man would be the equivalent to being sentenced to eternal damnation. Like most reasonable people, I have no wishes to be damned forever. So, I have some up with a plan.

To save our country from ruin, someone of royal blood is required to marry the rich upstart King Dominick. They never specified they needed a princess.

If all they need is someone of royal blood, A duke's daughter should do just fine, isn't that right?

Unfortunately, I am already being considered for the position of prime marriage cantidate.

I have a rather circumstantial, but at least attemptable plot to overcome this obstacle, too. I plan to have King Dominick fall in love with the girl. Ah, love. What a fleeting and sickly thing.

Love. My love.

Margaret was my lady's maid. At least, that's what she was to everyone else.

To me, she was something more.

She had entered the palace as early as last summer. She was assigned first as a common maid but she slowly but surely grew in rank.

And then I met her.

In the orchard behind the palace, book in hand, I was looking for somewhere to read.

It was a fascinating book on the history of storybooks and nursery rhymes, but nothing in that moment was nearly as fascinating as Margaret's eyes. Her beautiful eyes were an entrancing mix of browns and soft sage greens. They shone almost like the brilliant wings of beetles in the darkening light of the setting sun.

From when I first met her, I was unable to even speak to her properly.

She bowed and greeted me in the proper fashion and asked what I was doing out so late.

That's how our storybook romance began.

And like a fool, I was also expecting it to end like a storybook.

But reality often doesn't end in a simple happily ever after. For some reason or another, tragedy always strikes.

The tragedy this time being Margaret herself.

Nothing had happened the day prior. In fact, we had barely even seen each other.

Margaret fled in the night, taking many of my pieces of jewelry and particularly expensive objects along with her. Mother was very angry, of course, but she didn't know the entire story.

She didn't know why this event made me so particularly sad.

Alas. The Queen would not understand such a thing as genuine love. And, I suppose neither did Margaret.

It's been two months since then. It's been about time I move on for some while.

It's the present now, and I have got more on my mind than Margaret.

I intend to marry King Dominick off to someone other than I, and I intend to inherit the country by myself and rule as I see fit.

My love for women is not the only reason I oppose this marriage, you see.

As any royal would, I have an inherited desire to seize control of the throne by myself. Even if it means I need to sacrifice the marriage of my relative.

It's only expected of me, as a princess, to be a little bit heartless, right?

woohoo! first chapter done! really excited for this story, everyone!