The Princess of Dusk

Prologue

The last time Princess Clotilde had seen her sister was but a year ago when she had stepped onto the deck of a ship, waving and smiling as she left to meet her new fiance. Now she lay in a wooden box, red marks scarring her cheeks and arms, her lifeless eyes forced closed by the mortician. Clotilde could not bear to see her once beautiful and lively older sister dead.

"Its all his fault."

She muttered through clenched teeth.

"Oh Tilly."

The youngest and most sensible sister placed a comforting hand on Clotilde's back.

"I hardly think the Crown Prince of Novaria killed our sister. Smallpox is extremely common."

Clotilde ignored her and continued to rant.

"I shall hate him for destroying precious Marie's life."

The door to the small room of mourners gathered around Marie's coffin swung open dramatically.

"Well it is a shame that the Kingdom of Navaria will never have heirs due to the fact that you so despise your husband."

The dowager Queen floated in flanked by her son and puppet, King Henri. Clotilde turned ferociously causing her skirts and headdress to go swinging violently.

"My husband?"

Her brows were furrowed, her fists clenched.

"I can assure you that I do not despise the duke."

Her mother chuckled, almost in a villain like fashion.

"You cannot be a s half witted as you present yourself now. You heard me plain and clear, your husband."

She annunciated the last two words with a smirk on her face.

"But I am engaged to the duke!"

She was almost yelling now, tears welling in her eyes.

"Well we have a treaty with Navalia to uphold and your sister could not fulfill that so now you shall."

Clotilde breathed in sharply and held onto her younger sister. She felt as if she would faint. She was angry and turned to her mother with furious rage.

"You talk about her as if she was just a cow being sold at the market!"

The dowager Queen laughed is a bone chilling way once again before looking down at her daughter with pity in her striking eyes and she took her in her embrace which Clotilde reluctantly received.

"Oh my dear darling daughter."

She removed her arms from around Clotildes shoulders after a short while and placed a hand on her daughters cheek.

"She was and so are you."

And with that she left, not even bothering to look at her own daughters still body.