I stayed in my room for the rest of the day, I didn't want to see my parents or Clarkson, I just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. My maids Stephanie and Hetty had come and gone, knocking on my door before being sent away. "Caitlyn, it's Iris. I have dinner."

"Come in!" I yell as I bit my fingernails, my blue eyes glued on the whiteboard I had created for myself.

Iris places my food on my bedside table before sitting on my bed, her hands awkwardly placed in her lap. I'm not the closest with Iris, she's Hyacinth's friend but I prefer her to my other maids, she's the only one that doesn't judge me.

"So how are you holding up?" She asks as she glances at my face, no doubt checking to see if I had been crying. "Don't worry I'll help you to get out of this, Caitlyn, you won't leave with that douche."

"I'm fine! Better than fine, I'm on a mission!" I grin at my whiteboard. "What hair color do you think I would look the worst in?"

"You should do pink! You always look your very best in that color. Are you running away? That's even better than staying here! I'll totally help you!"

I laugh, "I'm not running away, at least not yet. I'm going to make Emperor Mikhail completely unattracted to me, which would be difficult because I am gorgeous."

"Let's make this emperor's life a living nightmare!" Iris pumps out her chest to enthuse her point.

I nod, "Tomorrow we will start my plan. I'm sure that father is going to make Clarkson escort me ensuring I haven't run away during the night."

Iris giggles and I smile, I know my plan is unconvental, I could run away but I wouldn't know where to go. I always loved Swendway but I could never be so far away from my sisters, I know what I would do without Cora and Hyacinth. "Iris, could you please get Cordelia? I want to show her my plan."

"Cait?" I heard my sister's soft tap on the door. I rush to my door, opening it and dragging her in my room. I show her my whiteboard.

"What do you think?"

"What is it?"

"It's my plan, everything. We're not going to marry them, I promise."

Cora stared at the whiteboard, she merely shrugged her shoulders and pushed her light brunette hair back. Her hair is also in a mess and her face is still red. She is a mess.

"How though?" Cora frowns. "Father is still going to make us marry them?"

"Cora, we are going to make ourselves hideous, I'll dye my hair, paint my face, I'll do whatever I need to do and if that doesn't want..." I trail off, reaching for an envelope on the back of my whiteboard, "Inside this envelope is enough money for us to get out of here."

Cora shook her head in disbelief, she opened her mouth but slammed it shut. "But what about Cindy and all of our friends? Are we just going to leave them here." I know what she was about to say. My sister doesn't want no one else to suffer from the consequences.

"Do you seriously think that we'll stay in Illèa? After we're married, we are going to be sent off to our husband's countries, I'm going to be forced to have his children, you will never be with another girl again. Our lives will be over! If we're lucky our husbands will let us come home on the holidays. Hyacinth, your friends, it won't matter."

She stares at the envelope and me for a matter of seconds, before sighing. "I can't marry him," she whispers. "I'll think about it. Just give me time, Cait?"

"Time is running out and I won't be a bride," I say determinedly. I sigh, putting the envelope back, "One week, if you haven't decided by then I'll take it as a no."

Cora stiffly turned to the door, "Okay," was all she managed to say in a calmer voice.

"Please," I beg, "Come with me, I don't want you to be like mum."

Cora's palm touched the door before turning to face me with those sad eyes of hers. "I don't know about that yet, Cait, you can be open with your relationship but I can't. And now look at the mess that we both are in." She refused to meet my eyes. "All because I like your lady-in-waiting."

Cora opened the door and left.

— • —

"Caitlyn!" Iris's voice woke me from my sleep. I roll in my bed, groaning as I force myself to get up and unlock my door. I opened the door to see Iris and a new guard that replaced Miller. The new guard was shorter than Miller, his hair was a firey orange that was forced back by an attack off hairgel. I wink at the guard, smirking as his cheek flush a colour that matches his hair. Iris ignored me flirting with my new guard which is something my other maids would of snickers and laughed at.

Iris rushed over to my closet and pull out a dress as I run a brush softly through my hair. My hair is naturally wavey, so my bedhair is usually a three person job but due to my lack of sleep the night before I was easy enough for me to do by myself. "Mikhail and Cora's suiter arrives tomorrow, so today is just going to be boring preparation. No doubt Clarkson is going to be babysitting me all day, making sure I don't flee the country."

She scoffs, "Why is Clarkson escorting you? You'll be fine on your own."

I shrug, "Who knows, maybe I'll make a run for it or poison my parents," I gasp, "I might even sleep with the boyish guard outside my room!" I say just loud enough so the guard can hear from the otherside of my door. I hear a dry, awkward cough from the hallway, I smirk, knowing he heard me.

Iris rolls her eyes, "Ha, ha, very funny." She lays my dress out on my bed.

"Make it more showy, I want to make my dad extra pissed."

"Cait!" Iris exclaims with frustration. She put back the dress and began to look for the one I wanted. "It's a bad idea to anger the king, especially on a day like this! Wait until that emperor shows up before doing anything stupid."

I roll my eyes, "My father wants to make me and Cora child-brides, he can deal with watching people stare at me all day. Hopefully when he sees my dress, he has a stroke and I can get out of this dumb wedding."

"Perfect!" Iris gasps as she grabs out a sparklingly hot pink dress with a v-shaped neckline and two slits.

I grin, "Add some black heels and then we've got myself an outfit!"

Iris glares at me as she starts to hunt for black heels in my messy closet. "I'm cleaning up your closet when I'm free. It's a mess in here!" She found the shoes I was looking for and threw them outside of the closet. "Put that on! That would look so good with the dress that the king would be lecturing the both of us for this."

— • —

At the breakfast table were all of my parents and siblings. I took my seat next to father and Clarkson, my eyes latching with Cora, she shook her head.

I've always felt protective of Cora, despite being only two minutes older than her, she had always been my baby sister, someone I needed to protect. The decisions have put me in my situation, I chose to sleep with a taken man, I chose to do a million other dumb things. Cora never does anything wrong and yet she's still in trouble, because of something she has no control over, because of who she loves. It makes my blood boil.

My father takes a bite of scrambled eggs, he stares at me, I wait for him to say something, "Proving the reporters right, aren't you?"

I smile innocently, "If they already think I'm a slut, I might as well look my best."

He shakes his head but leaves it at that. Usually Cora uses this opportunity to say something to lighten the mood but today she was in no mood to do so.

Clarkson puts down his knife and fork and wipes his face with a napkin, "Father, are there any jobs you wish for me to have completed today?"

My father nods, "Your mother and Hyacinth are doing the party planning, the Palace needs to be looking perfect for when Emperor Mikhail and Prince Fredrik arrive. Clarkson, I need you to fire some staff, Lady Xiomara Valentine and Sir Miller John, you are also responsible for finding their replacements."

"You're firing Xoie?" Cora asks.

"She is lucky I don't have her stripped of her title and caste." Cora ducks her head. I bit my tongue, it takes all of my strength just for me not to yell at my father. "And you Caitlyn, you're spending the day with me. Emperor Mikhail had asked me to take some extra precautions..."

"Precaution?" I question, "Like what?"

My mother chuckles darkly, "He wants to know if you're pregnant. No man wants to be stuck raising another man's child," she spits her last sentence, her eyes flicking from my father and Hyacinth.

My cheeks turn red, "I'm not pregnant!" I squeal.

"It's just a precaution—"

"I'm on my period, dad! I'm not pregnant!" Clarkson coughed as I said the word period, I doubt he even knew what it meant.

"Still—"

I roll my eyes, "You probably don't even know what periods are."

My father sighs, "Caitlyn, I have a sister."

I thought about my Aunt Aelena, I hadn't seen her or my cousins in years, she was married to a Duke in England, a nice enough man, I had only met him once or twice. "How old was Aelena when she was married off?" I snap.

"That is none of your concern!" My father scolds.

I grit my teeth. There was no way I'm going to listen to this man all day. I stuffed my face with bacon and toast, too afraid to say anything else.

— • —

I felt sick. All day I've been poked and prod at, my body examined and manicured, my father wanted to make sure that I was looking my best for when Emperor Mikhail arrives. I felt like a prize, something shiny and pretty but with no brain or heart. I need a distraction, something to take my mind away from everything.

I walk through the palace halls, my mind wondering. I ran my hands through my hair, unplaiting the plait but father had forced Hetty and Stephanie to do. I let my curls loose, they bounce on my shoulders as my heels clap the floor. I'm still wearing my low v dress and black heels.

At my door, the ginger guard was still working, I caught him gawking at me as I walked up to him. I know it sounds stuck up to say but men always look at me that way. I'm an attractive girl, I have long honey blonde hair and bright blue eyes, I'm a bit curvy and always stand out. My status as princess makes me the biggest prize, the biggest pie on the market, everyone wants to be able to say that they've taken a taste and I let them.

I bite my lip as he stares at me, he coughs, turning around, realising his unprofessionalism. I roll my eyes and walk up to him, "You— What's your name?"

"Me?" He questions, surprised that I'm even talking to him. Despite the guards working in my home, my family doesn't talk to them, usually my favourite talks to their general and he deals with them. "Sir Malakai Iosefa-Murray, Milady," he bows.

I roll my eyes but he is cute. Kai has ginger hair and hazel eyes, he has a handful of tattoos that I can see poking out from the end of his sleeves, I wonder what they look like uncovered. "Kai, do you think I'm hot?" I ask.

He stares at me blankly, he looks surprised but I'm sure he's heard of my reputation.

"It's just, you've been staring at me, is it because you think I'm hot?"

"Your highness, my apologies, I didn't mean to—"

"Don't— I'm not upset, in fact," I take a step closer to him, "I think you're quite cute."

Kai's breath hitches. His cheeks flush, "T-thank you. Truthfully, I do think you're quite attractive."

I place my hand on my door handle, my messy hair swaying as I tilt my head, "Would you like to come in? You must be tired from standing all day, could I help you relax?"

If humans were machines, I would have seen a switch flip, without even a moment's thought, he nodded enthusiastically. I grin as I turn the handle, welcoming him to my room.

Closing the door behind me, he breathes deeply as I kiss him, creating a big enough distraction to keep me entertained for the rest of the night.