Prologue ~ The Announcement (19/02/2023)
Queen Isadora and her daughter Princess Lysandra, stood at the back of the grand ballroom, watching as the prince made his announcement. They had known it was coming, but that didn't make it any easier to bear.
"Good people of Palantina," the prince said, his voice ringing out across the room. "It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that my engagement to Princess Lysandra is to be annulled."
There was a murmur of shock and surprise from the assembled guests, but the Queen and her daughter remained composed. They had known that the prince was weak-willed, easily swayed by the opinions of others. They had counted on it, in fact.
Despite being neighbouring kingdoms, the largest difference between the Kingdom of Palantina and the Queendom of Idoria was in their governance. Although the rulers of both kingdoms had the final say, Queen Isadora took this to mind much more than acting king, Prince Alexander.
"As you are all aware," the prince continued, "there have been certain... issues that have arisen in the course of our engagement. Issues that cannot be overcome."
Isadora felt her anger rising. "Issues," she muttered to Lysandra. "He means he's been persuaded by those meddling advisors of his to break our alliance."
Lysandra nodded, her eyes glittering with fury and her hands shaking in fists. "They will pay for this," she muttered. "They will pay dearly."
The prince went into detail as to the reasons for disbanding their engagement, but Isadora had stopped listening. All she could think about was the years of planning that had gone into this alliance, the sacrifices she had made to ensure that her daughter would be queen. Now, it was as if someone had pulled the rug straight under her. She knew that the prince was weak willed but never expected him to make this decision. She was well aware of what people thought of her, a cruel and heartless tyrant and villainess.
But she would not let the prince and his advisors have the last word. She swore she would find a way to regain her power, to make them all pay for what they had done. And she knew that Lysandra was thinking the same thing.
Lysandra scanned the ballroom. This was it, the official announcement that would sever any ties of intimacy between them. Although she was well aware this engagement came to fruition due to political reasons, she didn’t think it would also end due to political reasons. The corruption in Palantina’s court was high while Alexander was just too easily manipulated. Despite knowing this, Lysandra’s face struggled containing her fury as the crowd reacted with joyful looks and cheers.
How… dare they! Despite our long alliance and support, they still do not accept us.
As the prince finished his announcement, the Queen and her daughter turned on their heels and swept out of the ballroom, their heads held high, faces confident. They could not show weakness in the face of this setback.
