An Indecent Proposal

Chapter 1

Crown Princess Sophia knew she would have to eventually marry one day.

Of course, she hadn't expected that day to come so soon.

As the eldest child of the King of Eastumbria's, she had always know that was one day she was bound to become Queen of Eastumbria. From her earliest memories, she remembered being told by her tutors that it was she who would bare the weight of the Eastumbrian crown, not her twin brother, Prince Carl.

Whilst Eastumbria seemed at times like a backwards kingdom, it offered something that very few kingdoms ever did; it afforded members of the royal family, regardless of gender, to ascend the throne, so long as they were the first-born. This was how Sophia found herself surrounded by courtiers at various points of her life.

Did she want to be Queen? Goodness, of course not.

Her becoming Queen meant that her father would have to be dead; she did not have the best of relationships with her father, but even she knew that it was a terrible price to pay to become the sovereign. Nevertheless, she would fulfill her duty as crown princess and stand by her father's side.

There was only one issue; she had to marry.

The issue itself was not that she was opposed to marriage, but rather had never contemplated who to marry. There were various foreign princes who she knew would be vying for her hand, as well as, sons of nobles families who would proceed to do the same. She did not even know how she could possibly ever come to a decision regarding a matter as important as this.

Her 21st birthday should have been a joyous occasion, but now she was tasked with finding a suitable husband that would be at her side, supporting and advising her as befit the role of a Prince Consort.

Plenty of men wanted power and would be sure to attempt their best to woo her in order to secure a crown, but few truly would be able to court the real Sophia. It would be up to her to be able to see past the façades of these men and discern who was best suited to rule alongside her.

She knew that a love match was highly unlikely. Despite her own parents having been lucky enough to marry for love, she doubted that she would be that blessed. How she wished she could turn to her mother for advice, but if only one could speak to the dead.

Queen Eloise had met the King roughly 23 years ago and at the time, she was being courted by Crown Prince Nicholas of Eastumbria, the current king's older brother. However, Crown Prince Nicholas had fallen in love with Princess Elizabeth, who was a married woman.

Princess Elizabeth was married to a tyrant of a husband and once he discovered that she had fallen just as much in love with the Crown Prince, her husband had ordered to have them killed. After learning the news, Prince Ferdinand inherited the title of Crown Prince and knew that Lady Eloise had been courted by his brother.

At the time, he thought that the proper thing to do was to continue courting the lady. Never did he take into account that he would actually fall in love with her and she with him. Eventually, the two married and then Sophia and Carl were born shortly after.

Queen Eloise was pregnant when illness struck her. No one knew what affliction she suffered from, not even the most renowned physicians from around the continent could help her. One night, she passed and from then, the entire kingdom went into mourning.

King Ferdinand had been immensely saddened by the loss of his wife and mother to his children. The twins were only seven at the time and had to settle for being raised with the governess that he had hired.

This surprisingly worked quite well and resulted in decently-mannered royals in the years to come. Eventually, Carl was sent off to pursue his studies and Sophia stayed at her father's right hand to learn how to rule.

Now, Sophia had learnt everything her father could teach her and she had been told that finding a husband would help solidify her rule. Her father thought quite capable of being the Queen that Eastumbria needed and deserved, but the nobles would not be so quickly swayed.

In their eyes, a King or Prince Consort would allow for the Queen's hand to be steadied and ensure a smooth reign.

So here she was, just having put on her ballgown and  preparing herself for battle. Alas, it was only a ball, but to her, it was the beginning of a long war.