Page 7 of Her Royal Rebellion

“Thank you.” My shoulders dropped. “I can’t think straight right now.”

She stood and placed her ever-present leather folder on her hip. “Of course. I’ll take care of everything. We do have some decisions that need to be made for the Independence Day celebration but we can work on that tomorrow.”

I couldn’t believe that had already slipped my mind. It was my biggest event of the year. Mum passed along the responsibility after I graduated, and I took it seriously. I preferred to be as involved as possible with the plans, but I wasn’t in the right head space at the moment.

“Would you have my meals sent here? I can’t stand the thought of seeing my parents right now.”

“Of course.” She dipped her head before leaving. The moment I was alone, I fell back against the window and stared out at the gray sky. How could this day turn so quickly? I could daydream all I wanted about running away, but I knew I never would. Carolyn was right, my king had made a decision. It was my duty to follow. I might not understand or agree, but that didn’t matter. With all the freedom and privilege I’d been blessed with, there was always that hanging over my head. I couldn’t change who I was, who my family was, or the responsibilities that came with it. The majority of the time, I was fine playing the role of agreeable, perfect princess. It was rare for me to want to rebel. I felt childish locking myself in my room, ignoring my role and meetings, but this was serious. It was life altering. I would allow myself one day to ignore the world, and tomorrow I’d put on a brave face and play the part of a dutiful princess.

I moved to my library off the sitting room and found my favorite, worn copy of Pride and Prejudice before curling up on the cream crushed velvet chaise in the center of the room.

Mr. Darcy just arrived at Netherfield Park when there was another knock at the door. I debated ignoring whoever it was. Mum and Dad likely noticed I was hiding by now, and I knew the person would continue knocking until I let them in.

“Come in.” I set the book down and watched the main door swing open. Aiden and Charlie walked in and crossed the room toward me.

“Where have you been?” Aiden asked while eyeing the area. He noticed my book and glared. “You’ve been reading? I wasn’t aware you were taking the day off.”

His condescending tone did little for my mood. “Carolyn is handling things today.”

Charlie urged Aiden to sit down next to her, and she studied me before speaking. “You weren’t at lunch or dinner. Are you feeling okay?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not.”

Aiden’s forehead wrinkled. “Has the physician been by to check on you?”

“No, Aiden. I’m not that kind of ill.”

His eyes widened, and he brushed his hands on his pants. “I can have the kitchen bring up some chocolate cake or that mint ice cream you like. I think they keep it on hand now with Charlie and Serena around.”

Charlie looked like she was fighting not to say something, but she just patted his arm. “Isla, why don’t you tell us what’s going on.”

I thought about teasing Aiden for a moment, but it wasn’t really the right time. “Did Dad tell you what he and Mum met with me about this morning?”

“No, neither of them mentioned anything.”

Of course not. They probably thought I was on board. “They’re bringing in suitors for me.”

His brows shot up. “What? Why?”

I shrugged a shoulder still feeling defeated. “Dad went on about duty, but it doesn’t make any sense. It’s like they want to marry me off for some sort of trade.”

Charlie gasped. “I thought you guys could marry anyone.”

“Me too,” I grumbled.

Aiden was rubbing his jaw with a far off look. Charlie turned to him. “Do you know anything about this? Why they would do this now?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m trying to think if there are any deals we’re stuck on or anything Dad has mentioned. Cian might know something, but nothing stands out to me.”

“We can’t let this happen.” She sounded as indignant as I felt. “You should have just as much freedom to choose who you marry as Aiden and Cian.”

At least one person was on my side. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Dad said he was making the announcement today, so men will start arriving soon. I have no interest in meeting any of them, but Father threatened that if I don’t marry one of them then he’ll cut the funding for the remodeling project.”

“I don’t... Isla…” Aiden seemed a bit shell shocked as he tried to speak. “This isn’t okay. The children’s hospitals aren’t up for negotiation. Plus, arranged marriages haven’t been done in at least a hundred years. I don’t understand why they’d do this to you.” He jumped to his feet. “I’ll speak to them immediately.” He marched to the door and slammed it behind him.

“I can’t believe this, Isla.” Charlie soothed. “I promise we’ll do everything we can to stop this.”

I appreciated her thought, but there wasn’t much we could do when the king gave an order.