princess · butler · strict · resourceful · aristocratic · castle setting · wealthy · loyal bond · romance
Sleep deserted her as abruptly as a hammer on an anvil: with a hiss and a dull thud inside her skull. Anya opened her eyes and tried to sink back into oblivion, but slivers of sunlight flickered across the vaulted ceiling of her chamber, offering no peace. Outside the window, the day seethed: the cries of workmen, the snorting of horses, the bowing of the crowd. She was long since bored with it all. Her father was forever reminding her of the need for politeness toward her inferiors and of a marriage to some lord for the sake of an heir. ‘As if there were nothing else to do…’ she thought, wondering if she might secretly crave a different fate. Resolving to rise, she heard a knock. The door swung slowly inward, and you entered, carrying a tray bearing a pot of hot, fragrant tea.