The Not-So-Perfect Princess

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

“Three arranged marriages and not one has made it to the altar. That is unacceptable!” King Alaric of Aliestle’s voice thundered through the throne room like a lion’s roar. Even the castle’s tapestry-covered stone walls appeared to tremble. “If men think something is wrong with you, no amount of dowry will convince one to marry you.”

Princess Julianna Louise Marie Von Schneckel didn’t allow her father’s harsh tone to affect her posture. She stood erect with her chin up, maximizing her five-foot-eight-inch stature. The way a bevy of governesses and nannies had taught her to do. Her stepmother didn’t take a personal interest in her, but the woman had been diligent in ensuring Julianna received the training to be a perfect princess and future queen should she marry a crown prince or king.

“Father,” Jules said evenly, not about to display an ounce of emotion. Tears and histrionics would only play into her country’s outdated gender stereotype. They also wouldn’t sway her father. That was a lesson she’d learned when she was seven. “I was ready to marry Prince Niko, but he discovered Princess Isabel was alive and legally his wife. He had no choice but to end our arrangement. Don’t forget, we were never officially engaged.”

Her father’s nostrils flared. “The reason your match ended doesn’t matter.”

Jules understood his anger. He wanted to marry her off to a crown prince in order to put a future grandchild on a throne outside of Aliestle. He would happily pay a king’s ransom to make that happen. She’d become the wealthiest royal broodmare in Europe.

Unfortunately.

He glared down his patrician nose at her. “The result is the same. Three times now—”

“If I may, Father.” Indignation made Jules speak up. She rarely interrupted him. Okay, never. She was a dutiful daughter, but she would not take the blame for this. “You may have forgotten with the other important matters on your mind, but you canceled my first match with Prince Christian. The second with Prince Richard never happened because he was in love with an American when I arrived on San Montico.”

“I don’t care. These failed arrangements are an embarrassment.” Her father’s frown deepened the lines on his face. The wrinkles reminded Jules of the valley crags in the Alps surrounding their small country. “A stain on our family name and Aliestle.”

A lump of guilt lodged in her throat. Jules had been relieved when she learned Niko couldn’t annul his first marriage and marry her. From the start, she’d hoped he would fall in love with Izzy, his long-lost wife who was the definition of sweet, so Jules wouldn’t have to marry him.

Oh, she’d enjoyed visiting Vernonia with its loyal people and lovely lakes for sailing. The handsome crown prince wanted to modernize his country. She would have had more freedom there than she’d ever imagined, but she didn’t love Niko.

Silly, given her country’s tradition of arranged marriages. The realist in her recognized the odds of marrying for love were slim to none, but the dream wouldn’t die and grew stronger with the end of each match.

Too bad dreams didn’t matter in Aliestle.

Only duty.

Which was why she inhaled deeply before she apologized even though she’d done nothing wrong. “I am sorry for disappointing you and Aliestle.”

Alaric shook his head. “If your mother were alive…”

Mother. Not stepmother.

A pang hit her heart. “If my mother were alive, I hope she would understand I tried my best.”

She didn’t remember her mother, Queen Brigitta, who had brought progressive, almost shocking, ideas to Aliestle when she married King Alaric. Though the match was arranged, he fell so deeply in love with his young wife he’d listened to her differing views on gender equality and proposed new laws at her urging, including higher education opportunities for women. He took trips with her so she could indulge her passion for sailing despite vocal disapproval from the Council of Elders.

But after the queen died competing in a sailing race in the South Pacific when Jules was two, a heartbroken Alaric vowed never to go against convention. He didn’t rescind the legislation regarding education opportunities for women, but he placed limitations on the jobs females could hold and did nothing to improve their career prospects. He also remarried, taking a proper Aliestlian noblewoman as his wife and queen, one who knew her role and place in society.

“I’d hope my mother would see I’ve spent my life doing what is expected of me out of respect and love for you, my family, and our country,” Jules added.

But a lifetime of pleasing others and doing what was expected didn’t matter. Not in this patriarchal society where daughters, whether royal or commoner, were bartered like chattel. If Jules didn’t marry and put at least one of her children on a throne somewhere, she would be considered a total failure. The obligation and pressure dragged her down like a steel anchor.

Her father exhaled loudly. “I concede you’re not to blame for the three matches ending. You’ve always been a good girl and obeyed my orders.”

Jules didn’t let emotion show on her face even though she cringed inside. He made her sound like a favored pet, not the beloved daughter he and her mother had spent ten years trying to conceive. Not surprising since women were treated no differently than lapdogs in Aliestle.

She’d done nothing to dispel the image. She was as guilty as her father and the Council of Elders for allowing the stereotyping and treatment of women to continue. As a child, she’d learned Aliestle didn’t want her to be as independent and outspoken as her mother had been. They wanted Jules to be exactly what she was—a dutiful, perfect princess who didn’t rock the boat. That was why she joked to her brothers that she was sleepwalking through life. What she didn’t admit to them was how she hated being unable to express her true feelings or be herself. Not that Jules knew whom she was beyond the expectations placed on her.

But she hoped to change that once she married and lived outside of Aliestle. She would then be free to help her brother Brandt, the crown prince, modernize their country and improve women’s rights when he became king.

Her father eyed her speculatively. “I suppose marrying you off to the heir of an elder would be premature.”

A protest formed, but Jules pressed her lips together to keep from speaking out. She’d said more than she intended. She had to maintain a cool and calm image even though her insides trembled.

If she married a royal from Aliestle, she would be stuck in this repressive country forever. Her children, most especially daughters, would face the same obstacles she faced.

Talk about a living nightmare.

Jules fought a rising panic. “Please, Father, give me another chance. I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure the next match’s success.”

He raised a brow. “Such enthusiasm.”

More like desperation.

She forced the corners of her mouth into a practiced smile. “I’m twenty-eight, Father. My biological clock is ticking.”

“Ah, grandchildren.” He beamed as if another rare and valuable natural resource had been discovered in the mountains of Aliestle. “They are the only thing missing in my life. I shall secure you a fourth match right away. Given your track record, I had a backup candidate in mind when you left for Vernonia.”

His lack of confidence stabbed at her heart.

“All I need to do is negotiate the marriage contract,” he continued.

That would take less than five minutes, given her dowry.

“Who am I to marry, Father?” Jules asked, as if she wanted to know the person joining them for dinner, not the man she would spend the rest of her life with in a loveless marriage negotiated for the benefit of two countries. But anyone would be better than marrying an Aliestlian, who would treat her no differently than her father.

“Crown Prince Enrique of La Isla de la Aurora.”

"The Island of the Dawn,” she translated.

“It’s a small island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain ruled by King Dario.”

Memories of San Montico, another Mediterranean island ruled by Crown Prince Richard de Thierry, surfaced. All citizens had equal rights there. Though the country had a few old-fashioned customs, arranged marriages were rare. She hadn’t been allowed to sail while visiting, but the water and wind had been perfect.

A longing stirred deep inside Jules.

Sailing was her inheritance from her mother and the one activity where Jules could connect to the woman she didn’t remember. It was the only thing she did for herself. No matter what life handed out, no matter what tradition she was forced to abide by, she could escape her fate for a few hours when she was on the water.

But only on lakes and rivers.

After Jules learned to sail on the Black Sea while visiting her maternal grandparents, her father had forbidden her to sail on the ocean out of fear she would suffer the same fate as her mother. Two decades later, he still limited her sailing, treating her more like a little girl than the woman she’d become. Perhaps he would finally see her as an adult and change his mind about the sailing restrictions. Might as well find out.

“Am I allowed to sail when I’m on the island?” she asked.

“I forbid you to sail on the sea during your engagement.”

Hope blossomed. He’d never left her an opening before. “After I’m married…?”

“Your husband can decide the fate of your…hobby.”

Not a hobby.

Her passion.

When she was on a boat, only the moment mattered. The wind against her face. The salt in the air. The tiller or a sheet in her hand. She could forget she was Her Royal Highness Princess Julianna and be Jules. Nothing but sailing had ever made her feel so…free.

If La Isla de la Aurora were more modern than Aliestle, she would have freedom, choice, and be allowed to sail on the ocean. Her heart swelled with anticipation. That would be enough to make up for not marrying for love.

“Understand, Julianna, this is your final match outside of Aliestle,” her father said firmly. “If Prince Enrique decides he does not want to marry you, you’ll wed an heir of the Council of Elders upon your return.”

A shiver shot down her spine. She forced herself not to shudder. “I understand, Father.”

“You may want to push for a short engagement,” he added.

A very short one.

Jules couldn’t afford to have Prince Enrique change his mind about marrying her. She had to convince him she was the only woman for him. The perfect princess for his country. And maybe she would find the love she dreamed about on the island. Her parents had fallen in love through an arranged marriage. It could happen to her, too.

For so long, she’d avoided thinking about tomorrow. Now she had no choice. “When do I leave, sir?”

“If I complete negotiations with King Dario and Prince Enrique tonight, you may leave tomorrow,” Alaric said. “Your brother Brandt, a maid, and a bodyguard will accompany you.”

This was Jules’s last chance for freedom. Not only for herself, but her children. The women of Aliestle were counting on her, too. She couldn’t make any mistakes. “I’ll be ready to leave in the morning, Father.”