The General's Daughter & His Majesty Book #1

Prologue

The Chrystal Isles
Nesrin's POV
"Well well well. What do we have here?"

He froze in his steps and turned with a sheepish smile on his handsome face. Odell rarely comes around. If he does he has impeccable timing. It's either when our dear mother is not home or when she's asleep. I shouldn't say she shad nothing personal with our mother. That would be a lie. We all have something against our mother. She's offended each one if us in one way or another.

"Nesrin." He whispered. "How about we whisper?"

He's carrying a bag. I grabbed it and unzipped it to see food. "Are you serious? You visit us to steal food."

"It's not stealing if I'm a member of this family!"

"Only you would think that." I pushed the bag back into his hands. "This is the part you ask what I want for my silence. Make it good because I'm in a screaming mood this chilly morning."

"I'll do you a solid in exchange you never ever tell mother I visited. The last thing I need is to be asked-"

"When are you getting married?"

My dear brother offended my father when he chose medicine over the army. He offends my mother just by breathing without a wife at his side.

"Why is she so obsessed? Some of us have other ambitions that don't include marriage!" He whisper yelled his complaint. I love Odell. He's easygoing like my father.

"I know, right? I am dodging potential husbands like bullets."

I also have other ambitions. I want a military career. I don't want a wedding ring. I don't want children. It's not for me. I enjoy my freedom and I'm not willing to sell it for a chauvinistic make who will bring me to ruin.

Odell draped his arm over my shoulder leading me to the front door that is slightly open, letting in the freezing winds of the Chrystal Isles. "Don't go to Ebrium this coming weekend."

"Why not?"

"Okay... Maybe you may want this but I'm doing you a solid by informing you. Our dear father will introduce you to the king."

"The king!" I exclaimed. "Me in the presence of the king?"

He rolled his eyes. "He's just a man."

"Tame your tongue! You shouldn't speak of the king that way! Why would he introduce me to the king?"

"So that you two can pick roses and have tea and be best friends forever!"

Odell gives sarcasm a whole new meaning. His comes with a smile. I swatted the back of his head. "Why?"

"Rumour has it the king wants the prince to marry. Noble families are introducing their daughters."

I frowned at him. Noble families... We are not a noble family. We are a military family and we don't hold the kind of status nobility has. We reign over other military families but that's about it. "We are not nobility."

"The king favors father. He will obviously consider it. Besides, there are three beautiful unwed girls in this family. The sharks are circling. If you must marry, why not marry the highest authority?"

He kissed my forehead and snuck away.

Ebrium
Nesrin's POV
Shamim made a sound like a cat getting strangled. For me it's just motivation to pull harder so I did making sure she's tapping out. Tapping out is our family's way of saying the corset may be a possible cause of death.

"Is your intention to crash my ribs? Is that it Nessie?"

"Don't call me that."

"The dress is small!" Shamim complained. "My breasts look like they will burst their way out if this dress!"

My sister's are well endowed. I have little tennis balls for breasts. My corset comes padded. Mother vets mine custom made!

"Are you regretting the cakes and sweets?" Shamim is a sweet tooth.

"I'm regretting being related to you." She breathed hard. Her face is turning purple. I eased the corset and she laughed with ease.

I laced you the back as quickly as I can. It's dark and we are standing behind some tall trees a short distance from the palace.

Odell was right. My father asked me to accompany him to Ebrium. I insisted Shamim should come too. My father wants me to get married first. Birth order dictates it except Odell who is a man and can do whatever he needs wants. We don't have the luxury to do what we want. We fight for what we want.

"What you should be regretting is being caught with your tongue down Cree's mouth."

She rolled her eyes at me. "It's been one month! Give it up already!"

"He's my boyfriend!"

"He's loose. I did you a favor."

I should have suffocated her with the corset. There will be next time.

"This is how you make it up to me. You go in there and you play my part."

"I can't be you. Father is not blind."

"He won't embarrass himself in front of the king. Trust me. Just keep your head down until that moment when he seeks you out to introduce you." I smacked her bottom through the puffy dress. "Go!"

She mattered to herself.

Shamim is the most beautiful daughter. Leila feigns innocence well. I'm the miscreant who gives my mother sleepless nights. She couldn't make it to Ebrium. Dad didn't tell her about this. She wants Shamim or Leila to marry first. She believes when they do,the good graces may shower down on me.

I turned away to disappear into the night when I heard familiar sounds. Sounds of pleasure... a man granting in extreme passion. I peeked towards the direction it's coming from and I saw him leaning against a wall, his expression tormented. There's a woman on her knees. I'm sure her mouth is too full for her to express any pleasure.

I shouldn't be watching but I'm often curious about what happens in an intimate moment between a man and a woman. Mother says not knowing increases our innocence on the wedding night but who wants to go into anything blind? Not me!

"Your highness." A guard stumbled into the heat of things and he turned away quickly. "The king is asking for your presence."

The prince is scandalous. How can he be doing this in tbe open? He came to a powerful climax and sounded like a man in pain before he looked at the guard. "Pay the girl and kindly tell my father you haven't seen me."

He came my way and I buried myself into the plants and stayed quiet. He stopped close by and scoffed before he kept walking. I came out of the bushes after feeling flashed. I would hate for that man to be my husband.