Chapter 1

I awoke to the sound of my ladies maids as they began their day's work. Quiet giggling came through to my room, quickly followed by my housekeeper's angry shushing.

"Hush! You'll wake her!" I smiled. My housekeeper, Lady Vasilisa, or Lissa to my brother and I, knew me well, and had been my best friend for years. I closed my eyes again, hoping for a few minutes more sleep. I wasn't in luck. A loud booming voice spoke from just outside my room.

"His Royal Highness King Edward V and his wife Queen Tatiana demand the presence of her Royal Highness Princess Rosemarie!" I groaned. There was no one I hated more than my father's messenger, Lord Stanley Alto. The man was a pompous fool and hated my guts as much as I hated his. Unfortunately, my father was very fond of him, and I had to at least pretend to like him.

I groaned again as a few of my ladies maids came in to help me get dressed.

"Sorry Rose," whispered my friend and lady in waiting Lady Amelia Rinaldi apologetically. I sighed.

"Not your fault Mia." I sighed, calling her by her nickname to show I wasn't mad at her. "My father always wants something from me." I winced at the thought. Currently, he was trying to get me married off to some rich prince or King and form a peace treaty to keep England safe. He insisted it was my duty. I knew that, but I didn't like it.

I got out of my bed and two of my ladies, Lady Viktoria and Lady Sydney, sprinkled rose petals into some water they had fetched me.

"Thank you" I smiled at them, and they both smiled and dropped me a curtsey each before moving back to give me some privacy. I smiled and leant back in the sweetly scented water, thinking about my life.

I am a Princess, and I am considered a beauty. Yet still my father won't just point out a rich, young, good looking prince or king and marry me off, oh no, I have to marry someone who is an enemy of my father so that the enemy will not attack England. I say it makes no difference. There will always be war. When I said this to my mother she said to me, "yes, but if war and loss of life can be prevented, is that not a good thing?" I had to admit that it was indeed.

I sank back into my bath and sighed, a small smile came to my lips and I allowed it to remain. My baths were one of things I enjoyed the most about my life. They gave me some chance to think for myself, which was an incredible luxury. Under my father's reign, women must not be heard. They are for giving birth to healthy sons and just pawns for our father's so they may live more luxurious lives. Maybe things will change in the future...

"Rose!" Viktoria softly called my name, leaning back so I could see her, I noticed Sydney had gone to fetch my towel and the room was empty apart from the two of us. I spun around.

"Viktoria! How's your brother!" I excitedly whispered. No one could find out about me and Vicktoria's brother Dimitri as he was just an advisor to some duke in Russia. But when I had met him once, I had fallen for his kindness, extraordinary good looks, and his sense of humour. Unfortunately for me, my father would never let me marry an advisor. So all we did was flirt. In a royal court, no one takes the flirting seriously and no one noticed my obvious infatuation with him.

Viktoria beamed excitedly, "He's coming to England with his master! Apparently the king had decided to give him a lordship over here!" I was excited for a moment, before confusion settled in.

"My father, the King, is giving your brother, a humble advisor of a Russian duke, a lordship?" I tried to raise an eyebrow. I've never been able to do that though and this time was no exception. I must have looked constipated. Remind me never to do that in front of him.

"No madam!" laughed Viktoria, "The duke is getting a lordship." Mia returned to hear Viktoria's words.

"What duke is getting a lordship?" she asked in confusion, looking between the two of us. When she looked at me again she realised what she'd done.

"Oh! Sorry madam, it's not any of my business!" and she turned to leave. I rolled my eyes at Mia's humble approach, and decided to make her sweat a bit.

"Lady Amelia!" I called in my most princess-y tone. Mia froze and slowly turned around. Her cheeks were blazing red and her eyes were lowered to the ground. I studied my friend. Her dress was sensational. Made of blue satin, the colour was similar to the shade her eyes were. Her blonde hair carefully curled into ringlets and held in place by blue satin ribbons. The hat was the stylish French hood and her jewels around her neck were large, beautiful, elegant sapphires. I recognised them; they had been her mother's. Pity swam through me as I remembered hearing about Mia's mother dying from the sweats. She looked beautiful. No wonder my brother never took his eyes off her when he saw her at a masque or a dance. I pitied him, he was besotted with her, and father would never permit his first born to marry my lady in waiting.

I couldn't help the small smile as I looked at her. "The Russian duke, Adrian Ivashkov. My father is making him a duke over here." I revealed to her. She raised her head and stared at me with wide eyes.

"The duke that was completely besotted with you! He would not stop flirting!" She started giggling and Viktoria joined in. I rolled my eyes at the pair of them and stepped out of my bath. A servant held up a towel and I stepped towards her.

"When's he coming Vika?" I rarely ever used Viktoria's nickname. My parents hated it as they felt it was showing disrespect to the church. But I was in a reckless kind of mood. I expect the priest will be rather harsh on me when I go to confession shortly.

"This week" she continued to giggle as she remembered the duke's flirting. I rolled my eyes again. He was a very persistent man; I'd give him that at least.

Lissa walked in, taking one look at me face she smiled.

"You heard about the duke then?" when I only scowled she grinned then looked down at the floor.

"Well... he's just arrived and he's with your father now..." she paused blushing slightly. I'm not sure I want to hear what she's about to say.

"And the rumour is... he is here so that he may court you... and marry you." She looked up at me again to see how I was taking this news.

My face settled into my stormy expression and inside I was enraged. I tried to calm myself. I am a princess and I cannot afford to lose my temper and be seen as an evil scheming harlot. (I seriously cannot believe someone called me that once!) I tried to think of a princess-y response. I struggled and I let the first thing I thought of that was polite out of my mouth.

"I beg, your pardon?"

Hi!

Ok, this is my first fanfic I've ever written in the past and I'm not sure it works... Please review and tell me what you think!

DarkRomanceAddict