R is for Rebel - ✔️

Chin up. Spine straight. Smile pretty.

That's the life of the Heiress to the second wealthiest empire this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Mother says that "unpresentable is unacceptable" so I'm forced to endure, day in, day out, the primping and preening, and stuffy dresses. The forced smiles, stiff propriety, and strict rules.

It's suffocating.

A puff of air escapes my lungs in a noisy huff. "Can I go now?"

My mother places her fork on the table with a delicate clink and tilts her head toward me, narrowing her sapphire eyes on me. "Aurora. Manners."

"It's just a stupid rehearsal dinner. Do I really need to be here, anyway?"

"Aurora, darling." My father's voice is gentle, but there's no mistaking the iron undercurrent that leaves no room for negotiation. "You know why you must attend."

The sharp screeching of my chair's legs dragging against the marble floor echoes through the room as I push away from the table. "Yes. Because Governor Hubert will be there with his son Phillip. But they're not here now, so neither am I."

"Aurora! Sit down! You are acting like a child."

I ignore her as I stalk away from the table across the massive dining room.

"Let her go, my love. Give her time to cool off and come to terms with this."

"You coddle her far too much, Stefan. It's time for her to grow up and be responsible."

The booming of the gilded door slamming shut behind me keeps me from hearing my father's response.

"Grow up," I mock, sulking to my room. As my parents' only child, I'd been spoon fed responsibility from the crib. I'd never gotten a chance to be a kid.

I'd looked forward to adulthood. Being naive enough to believe I'd be free to make my own choices, I'd never realized that growing up wasn't freedom. That it was nothing more than constricting bonds to hold you down and hold you back.

Flinging my bedroom door shut, I flop onto my ginormous queen-sized bed and chuck my heels across the room. They hit the wall with a resounding thud and clatter to the wooden floor. I glower at the shoes, resenting that they hadn't even scratched the paint.

Huffing, I roll over and snatch up the postcard I keep on my nightstand. Toying with the tattered edges of the paper, I stare at the photo of the happy young couple on the beach, waving at the camera. I sigh and flip it over to read the scribbled words I had memorized a thousand times over.

Rory,

We're having a blast. The Summer Isles are so perfect this time of year. We should all make a trip of it next year. I know you would love the vacation.Xoxo Rapunzel and Flynn

I set down the postcard, trying to stamp out the wave of jealousy that ripped through me. As much as I love them and don't begrudge them their happiness, I can't help but be envious of what they have.

A princess in her own right, nobody dictates Rapunzel's life. Her parents never tell her what to do, where to go, or who to marry. She's free to live her life however she sees fit. They didn't even complain when she married Flynn - notorious outlaw and thief.I only wish I have half the freedom she did.

Hopping off my bed, I untangle my golden hair from the intricate braids and twist it into a messy bun piled on top of my head. I head into my private bathroom to wash the layers of makeup from my face.

Patting my skin dry with a fluffy white towel, I examine my tired features in the mirror. My lips draw into a small frown at the sight of the dark circles drooping beneath my violet eyes and pallid cast to my complexion.