the arrangement | ethma

1

Emma

There is one basic rule in the royal mafia of The Islands, and it's the basic guide to life. Keep the girls safe, and turn the boys into men.

I am the eldest child in my family, my sister Lia being two years younger than me, my brother Thomas being three years younger than her, and my sister Raven being two years younger than Thomas.

Us girls were always taught how to be proper ladies, and how to keep quiet around our elders, and our superiors. Unless we were at home, we were only supposed to speak if we were spoken to.

I'm not saying the boys weren't supposed to be gentlemen, but they had their own tendencies.

For one thing, they were always taught to be tough, and to never show feelings. It was socially acceptable for them to be sexually promiscuous at a young age, and even encouraged by some of the islanders. Well, most.

Girls on the other hand, were expected to stay virgins until marriage. It was such a double standard, and I didn't like that the boys were basically forced into a sex-based life when they were barely teenagers.

Somehow that's what they considered a part of "becoming a man". They couldn't survive the mafia if they were too scared to stick their dick into someone.

While us twelve year old girls were learning how to cook, the boys were off losing their innocence.

They'd watch men die with no mercy, and then they'd either have to kill an enemy, or take the bullet themselves. It was considered treason to the mafia if they couldn't kill an enemy.

To put it lightly, the girls were sheltered, and the boys were learning how to chop someone's finger off while looking them in the eye.

The mafia was a dark place. No wonder they tried to protect us from it.

My father was King of California, which made me and my sisters princesses, and my little brother the prince.

Even though I was a member of the royal family, I'd like to say I led a pretty normal life. I went to school at The Academy, where a lot of rich kids went. Even though there was high security at The Academy, my security guards Marshall and Lorence were always with me.

They never intruded too much, but they always made sure I stayed safe.

I had a group of friends at school, and I even had a couple of boys that were more than friends at times, but I never managed to get any alone time.

I never had my first kiss.

I hated that I didn't get to choose who I would marry. I would be picked by a King somewhere, to marry his son, and I wouldn't have a choice.

I still remember the day my father got the phone call. They talked for merely two hours, discussing the situation like they were old friends.

California and New York weren't rivals, but it was close enough to say that this marriage was needed in terms of staying on New York's good side.

Lia and I cried for two hours. I had read about Prince Ethan of New York, and he wasn't the friendliest of the Island Princes.

I remember seeing countless news articles of how many women he was with, or how he held eye contact with a man he was murdering. Mafia life was second nature to him, and love definitely wasn't.

There's no way he could ever fall in love with someone like me.

I'm not even sure if he's capable of something like that.

I don't know why King Sean chose me out of all the Princesses, but I was the one who would marry his eldest son.

I was lucky that I still had time before I would be forced to leave my family and my home, and go live the life of a New York Duchess. It was a law in The Islands that you can't marry until you're 18. That saved me about two years.

Still, I find myself in a position where I have to meet my fiancé tomorrow night, and I'm nervous as hell.

Is he gonna give me that cold glare that he gives everybody else? Or is he gonna treat me like one of his mistresses? Am I gonna be important to him, or just an object at his disposal?

I am going to be his, but is he really going to let himself be mine?

The dress that the seamstresses made for me to meet him in is the only dress I've ever hated. It showed off my legs, and more of my chest than I've ever been allowed to show. The dress was made to impress a man.

Double standards. Ick.

That evening as I looked in the mirror, I studied myself. My honey-brown hair slicked back into a high ponytail, a piece of hair wrapped around the hair-tie to hide it.

My California-tanned skin glowing golden, and my nails a matte black. They matched my dress.

My makeup was light, but made me look older, and I didn't recognize myself. I'd this who I have to be from now on? Wearing skin-tight dresses that have more skin showing than not?

Am I ready to meet him? To live this life? The moment I walk out of this bedroom, I will be led to my father's office, and I will be left alone for the first time with the Prince of New York.

Well, Marshall and Lorence will be there, but you get the point.

My life changes as soon as I walk out of this room. My mother and Lia walk in, my mother gently wiping an eyelash off of my cheek, and my sister holding my hand.

Maybe they knew I didn't feel ready for this. Maybe they knew I hated not having a choice in this.

As I looked in the mirror one last time, I decided if I don't have a choice, I might as well do the best I can to make sure I'm not gonna be miserable.