Don't Want to be Queen | ONC 2023 (Complete)

Free-spirited homebody Erica doesn't want to be queen. Which is fine, because her single, independent older sister Gemma is more than ready for the job.

But their father doesn't care about any of that. He thinks a queen ought to be married and producing heirs (Yes, he really says producing heirs) if she is to take the throne.

No matter how hard the girls try to convince him, the king will not budge. Gemma needs to get married at her upcoming birthday ball or he passes her over in favour of her sister being the next queen.

Desperate to turn their circumstances back right-side-up, the two concoct a plan to find someone for Gemma to choose who will definitely not choose her back.

But in order to do that, Erica is going to have to work together with her longtime crush. Who doesn't know she exists. She'll have to keep her feelings in check if she's going to convince him to help, but she might want to offer him a little something in return.

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This is one of the five novellas I'll be writing for this year's ONC! You can find the rest of the stories (Hang it Up, Christmas at the Cabin, Love Lies & Red Eyes, and Runaway Fiances) on my profile!

This story is based on prompt #49: "Master the rules of the game until you can play it better than they can."