For centuries, the royal family of Aridia has hosted The Choice, the competition where the eligible daughters of the Nobles of Aridia, come together to vie for the hand of the heir to the throne. This year, Prince Carlos is the heir to the throne a...
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The days flew by quickly and the competition dragged on. Unfortunately, I didn't feel any better. There were still whispers of more attacks and even some rumours of nobles killed. I still didn't understand why King Albert and Queen Amelia hadn't addressed the recent happenings. They, along with the other nobles and courtiers at the palace, went on with the competition like nothing was wrong.
I had mixed feelings about the next event, which was The Royal Camping Trip. I loved nature and the outdoors and I was overjoyed at the thought that I could spend a whole night sleeping under the moon, with the soft sound of crickets and rustle in the bushes to help me fall asleep.
Despite my excitement, I also dreaded the camping trip because of the other Ladies. They were definitely going to be very over-dramatic and cause a scene as they were rarely exposed to nature- which wasn't the worst part. I was almost definite we weren't going to be getting our own tents which meant I would have to share a tent with one of the Ladies. Unfortunately for me, all the Ladies hated my guts and I would probably be gutted in my sleep.
"What's the problem Lady Madeline? You've barely touched your lunch," Lucy noted as I pushed my lunch around my plate.
"I would've thought that you'd be ecstatic about the camping trip as "nature is your natural habitat"," Imogen shook her head.
I let out a breath, "Tell me why I feel like this trip is going to go horribly wrong."
"Those are just your nerves talking, Madeline," Lucy shook her head. "The camping trip will be amazing."
"Don't lie to her, Lucy," Imogen shook her head.
"See?" I threw my hands up in despair.
"Always the pessimist, Imogen. What could go wrong?" Lucy rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.
"For starters, these Ladies have probably never been camping before so their screams and complains will echo in the forest. Secondly, it's not even a proper camping trip. The King and Queen don't actually sleep outside and it's over by the crack of dawn," Imogen stated.
"Ugh," I groaned.
"But there'll be a campfire and s'mores," Lucy offered, giving me a bright smile.
I shook my head, "Why do I feel like something is going to go horribly wrong? As always."
"You've been a bundle of nerves this whole week, Lady Madeline. Maybe it's just the competition getting to you," Lucy shrugged.
Or it could be the fact that there's a rebel group trying to take over the kingdom and the royal family is trying to sweep it under the rug.
"To think there's just a few weeks until the competition is over," Imogen sighed wistfully.
It hadn't even clicked in me that the competition was coming to an end. I didn't know how I felt about it, honestly. I was happy that I could return to my old life but there was a nagging feeling in my chest that reminded me that things weren't just going to go back to normal. The rebels still wreaked havoc and until the King and Queen actually did something about it, I doubted they would stop.
