Chapter 1
I was the daughter of the most beautiful woman in Stormville.
For reasons known only to her, my mother decided to repay her long-standing obsession with her unattainable love by offering me—without even asking my consent—to a man twenty years older than me: the Regent of the realm.
On my wedding day, Draven Decker looked at me like a man losing his mind. My face bore seven parts resemblance to my mother's.
"It's uncanny," he murmured. "You look exactly like her."
I stared at the face of a man pushing forty. Something in me snapped. I grabbed the vase from the table and brought it down on his head without hesitation.
There was still someone waiting for me—the young scholar I was meant to be with. I could not give that up.
If anyone wanted this marriage, they could have it. I wasn't doing it.
*****
"Audrianna, hurry up and greet Prince Draven Decker," my mother urged.
Staring at the guy in front of me—handsome and decked out in expensive clothes—I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Everyone said Draven was madly in love with my mother. He'd gone through hell and back for her, saving her life more times than anyone could count.
But my mom had already set her heart on my dad. Just before my grandfather could seal the deal with Draven, she eloped with my useless, spoiled father.
Grandpa was livid and sent people after her, but in the end, Draven decided to move on. My parents got married, and he even raised a glass at their wedding.
"Here's Audrianna, Draven. So, what do you think?" my mom said.
She wrapped her arm around me, clearly hinting at something more.
Draven stared for ages before finally saying, "She really does look just like you."
He took forever to get the words out, almost like he was struggling to speak.
But the way he looked at me was anything but ordinary. His gaze was intense, almost unsettling.
I instinctively tried to hide in my mother's arms, but she firmly turned my head to face Draven.
"Audrianna, mind your manners," my mother said.
Left with no other option, I bowed to him as respectfully as I could manage.
"I'm sorry, Sir," I muttered.
But my mother just laughed with delight, nearly bursting with joy.
"Oh, you silly thing! He's your future husband," she teased.
I froze. I was only eighteen, and Draven was in the same generation as my mom—well into his thirties. This was beyond absurd.
"Mom, are you joking?" I protested.
Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she drummed her fingers lightly on the table. "So, my little Audrianna, you don't like him?"
I shook my head, and her smile faded instantly.
"She's just a kid, Draven. Please don't take it personally," Mom said.
Draven shook his head, absentmindedly fiddling with the ring on his finger, his gaze lingering on me the whole time.
"She's still so young. No wonder she can't accept all this," he said. "And I'm twenty years older than her."
Draven looked down, just as my father walked in, humming some tune I couldn't place.
"Age is just a number, Duke of the Crownlands. No need to sell yourself short," my father said with a casual wave.
"Audrianna, head on back," he added.
As soon as he finished, I took off running, like putting some distance between us could somehow escape Draven's gaze burning into my back.
Seriously, how could they expect me to go along with something so insane?
Suddenly, a stone zipped right past me.
"Audrianna," Trevor called out.
I looked up and saw Trevor Dominguez from next door.
"Trevor, are you nuts?" I snapped.
He was sprawled out on the wall, and when he saw how pissed I was, he shimmied down the big locust tree by the corner.
"Whoa, what's got you all fired up? That's not your usual vibe," he teased.
"Oh really? So what do you think I'm usually like?" I shot back.
Trevor frowned, resting his chin on his hand like he was pretending to be deep in thought. "Obviously, you're just hogging the spot and doing nothing."
"What kind of nonsense is that? And you call yourself Mr. Perfect—if your mom caught you saying that, she'd totally smack you," I shot back.
But Trevor just kept wearing that cheeky grin, completely unfazed.
"They'll never find out, right?" Trevor said.
I shot him an exaggerated eye roll.
"Alright, seriously now—your birthday's just around the corner. Anything you want as a gift?" he asked.
"No thanks. My mom already gave me a huge 'surprise'," I said.
Trevor rushed over, and his cologne hit me so hard I almost spaced out.
"My mom wants me to marry Draven," I said.
"What? Has your mom gone crazy?" Trevor blurted out.
He started buzzing around me, totally losing it.
"What about your dad? Is he really okay with all this?" Trevor blurted out. "Oh my god, he's so much older. He could practically be your father."
I grabbed his sleeve, and he looked super anxious.
"You're not seriously thinking about going through with this, are you?" he asked.
I gave him a playful smack on the head. I was the one getting married, but he was acting like he was the crazy one.
"No way, that's not happening. Wait, I've got an idea. I'll ask the King for permission to propose to you. That'll totally block Draven," Trevor said.