“princess lifen, it seems our paths have crossed once more.” franco mused, turning to his intended as he waved the king’s letter in his hand. “this time for good, i suppose.” he muttered, stuffing the damned letter into his pocket. he knew lifen wasn’t all too thrilled to be in this arrangement. hell, neither was he.
sensing the obvious tension in the air, he shifted his attention to her dress. “i’m surprised the new queen didn’t banish you for outshining her on her own coronation day.” he said awkwardly. funnily enough, it was the first time he had said something honest to any woman in a while.
lucy found herself at the palace library, her nose buried in a leather bound book. she turned to her royal guard who had now been forced into marrying the infamous princess lucifer of virginia, she offered him a small smile as she clutched onto her novel. “candide was meant as a criticism towards the rich, and here i am enjoying it anyway.” she said ruefully, her eyes scanning each page.
lucy never fancied herself a bride, much less at twenty-two. she had always thought she would be like her crazy aunt helen who never married, nor bore children. she spent the days sitting in her garden and talking to herself, having the occasional romp with the gardener when things got too mundane.
despite his kind eyes and dimpled smile, samuel clarke always made lucy nervous. he was attractive and clever and kind. she found herself blushing behind her book as he sat across from her. she knew he had only accompanied her as she was under his protection but it still made her uncharacteristically bashful nonetheless. “sir clarke, please don’t feel the need to stay. i think i’m safe within these walls.” she murmured, eyes meeting his.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* manny jacinto || cis male || he/him || heterosexual || welcome to versailles, franco aguinaldo. the queen has been expecting you. i heard that you were announced as the 32 y/o king of the philippines. i hope your journey was well and that your living arrangements are to your liking. rumor has it that you are courageous but can be rather callous. i heard from a passerby that you are terrified of ruling; don’t worry- i won’t tell a soul. the sealed letter given to you has provided the name ( s) of lifen aisin gioro that looks like ni ni. i heard that they are in the royal class! please enjoy your stay in versailles, you are gonna be here for awhile.*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
franco was unceremoniously thrust into power after the sudden death of his father
he assumed his father would live another twenty years, giving him ample time to party and chase women
despite his reputation as a fearless warrior and ladies’ man, franco was absolutely terrified to ascend to the throne and still has nightmares about jeopardizing the nation he was entrusted to protect
his family, though not close with the rulers of france, felt obligated to attend the king’s funeral as a sign of respect
betrothed against his will and stuck in a foreign land, he is shitting himself behind his stoic and arrogant facade
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* dove cameron || cis female || she/her || heterosexual || welcome to versailles, lucy washington. the queen has been expecting you. i heard that you were announced as the 22 y/o princess of the united states. i hope your journey was well and that your living arrangements are to your liking. rumor has it that you are intelligent but can be rather abrasive. i heard from a passerby that you are infatuated with a peasant ; don’t worry- i won’t tell a soul. the sealed letter given to you has provided the name ( s) of samuel clarke that looks like jordan fisher. i heard that they are in the peasant class! please enjoy your stay in versailles, you are gonna be here for awhile.*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
second-born child of the king & queen of the united states, second in line should her sister abdicate the throne
a rambunctious and mischievous child, she would often get into trouble for pulling pranks and getting into fights with the other girls in her circle (hence, the nickname lucifer)
her being the country’s “spare princess” made her frustrated and angry, she still had to undergo “queen” lessons (just in case) she knew she would never ascend to the throne anyway and she wanted to pursue things she actually enjoyed
lucy loves reading, research and travel, she wanted to be an explorer, discovering new things and going on daring adventures
this, however, will never come to be as she is expected to be holed up in the palace, waving at citizens and attending mundane dinner parties until she dies
she was extremely excited to visit france with the rest of her family, even if it was for a funeral -- she just really needed to get away from it all
she had been pining after a certain guard who had been making the rounds by her room and if she’s being honest, she isn’t totally opposed to being engaged to him “against her will”
