Princess Isabella de Novia is the third child and the youngest daughter of King George, the current king of Wales. King George has two older daughters and a son, Crown Prince Williams, the sole heir to the throne of Wales.
Isabella's mom served as a maid in the palace. She was the most beautiful woman the king had ever laid his eyes on. He instantly fell in love with her. She had platinum blonde hair and silver eyes; the king fondly called her Snow White. All her beautiful features Isabella inherited at birth.When the queen realized that the maid was having an affair with her husband, the king, she immediately arranged for her to be kicked out of the palace. She knew her position as queen was threatened because she was in no way close to her in beauty. Filled with jealousy and hatred, she banished the maid from the palace. She was never going to share her husband with a common maid. Unknown to everyone, the maid was a few weeks pregnant with the King of Wales.Having been thrown out of the palace, the maid nurtured her pregnancy, gave birth, and brought Isabella up all by herself. Life outside the palace was simple and basic, but they were happy and contented. They found joy in each other's company until one day, everything changed, her mother got very sick.Isabella was twelve years old then, still a growing child but wise and industrious. She took care of her sick mother to the best of her ability. However, the sickness got worse, her mother was bedridden, and her life was slowly draining away. That was when he arrived, the King of Wales.Isabella never knew she was of royal blood, especially since her mother never discussed the circumstances surrounding her birth, and she refrained from asking as she didn't want to hurt her mother. Her mother begged her father to take her in and assume responsibility for her, as she knew she was going to die of this illness. Her words still lingered in Isabella's heart:"Your Majesty, Isabella is also your daughter. I don't have much time left in this world. Please take care of her, I beg you."Her mother said with tears in her eyes. She was breathing heavily as if oxygen was barely going through her lungs. This broke Isabella so much. Her little perfect life was about to come to an end."Mother no...Please don't leave me," Isabella cried so much at her bedside.Her mother said to her; "My daughter, my world. A lot will happen from now on, but I want you to be strong. I have prepared you well for this future. When the time comes, you will remember and understand. I love you dearly."Because this was her mother's last wish, my father obliged. She saw my mother draw her last breath, and her life shattered into pieces. That day the king took her into the palace as his 'adoptive' daughter.Arriving in the palace, Isabella learned that she had two older sisters. Helena, who is two years older, and Camilla, who is a year older than Isabella. She also came to know her younger brother Williams, the Crown Prince of Wales, who was two years younger than her.Life in the palace was very difficult. Her two elder sisters looked for every opportunity to bully Isabella. Her stepmother, the queen, did everything to make her life miserable. Unfortunately, the king was indifferent towards her.The only ones good to her were her younger brother Williams and General Marcus, the father of her stepmother the queen. He was more like his father Isabella never had. He always stood up for her.Six years had passed by, and living in the palace as a third princess was not easy. The people of the kingdom barely knew her because she was not allowed to attend balls and parties like a real princess. Unlike her step-siblings who were always in the limelight, she was the illegitimate princess.However, that changed when she turned eighteen. It was custom that a daughter from the royal family needs to be unveiled to the public, hence a grand ball is held in the palace. Invitations were sent to faraway kingdoms, and all the high-class families of Wales were invited for a reason, to search for suitable suitors for the royal daughter. This was an occasion every young lady of royal blood looked forward to.General Marcus fought with the king and his wife to give Isabella the royal privileges she was entitled to, as it was her birthright. Even though Isabella wasn't his flesh and blood, he loved her as his granddaughter. He tried his best, to the frustration of his daughter, the queen, to ensure that Isabella was allowed to enjoy the customs given to the daughters of the royal family.After so much argument, the king and his wife agreed reluctantly. And the day of the grand ball arrived. Isabella was dressed in a beautiful royal blue gown that matched her platinum blonde hair and silver eyes. This was the first time she had worn such a beautiful dress.Looking at the mirror, she was so amazed and excited. She couldn't believe she was this classy, especially as her major source of clothing came from hand-me-downs from her stepsisters. They gave her dresses that were out of fashion. She wasn't allowed to wear makeup or style her hair. Her hair was always tied in a bun or a ponytail. These were just pathetic attempts to douse her beauty. The stepmother ensured that she never outshined her daughters and always looked like a slave compared to them.But today was her day, and she looked ravishingly beautiful. Her hair was styled with beautiful pieces of jewelry. She was wearing lovely makeup; it was as if she was a stranger to herself. The royal make-up artist had done her best as she had a special love for Isabella."Knock knock." There was a quiet knock on her door.The door opened, and the maid entered and bowed in front of her."Your Highness, all the guests have arrived, and your father the king has called for you," the maid said."I understand. I will be there shortly," Isabella replied.She looked at herself one more time in the mirror and took a deep breath and promised herself that she was going to be happy tonight for her mother's sake.She lifted her skirt and exited the door.Isabelle walked with confidence. She had spent the past weeks practicing how to walk in heels and a ball gown. She walked majestically with her head held high, like a princess would. At the end of the hallway were the stairs leading down to the ballroom of the palace. There, her father, the king, stood waiting for her. His back was facing her, and when she arrived, she stood beside him."Your Majesty, my father and king," she greeted him as a princess would. Holding her skirts with her hands, she did a courtesy."Rise, my daughter," her father ordered.She slowly stood up and looked up at him. Her father was looking at her with surprise and awe. This was the first time he looked at her with so much emotion. In the past, he barely spared her a glance, for fear his wife, the queen, would criticize him and remind him of his infidelity.The servants also looked at her with surprise and amazement. They all stopped what they were doing briefly to shower praises on her.The king cleared his
Phillips and Isabella chatted on the terrace outside. There were only a few people there, as the guests had started taking their leave, so they had ample time to chat privately.Phillips was excited. He talked about his studies and his big plans to work for the kingdom as a court official. He had many plans that would benefit the people of Wales.Isabella enjoyed every bit of the conversation. Her days in the palace were always with Williams, her younger brother. He was heir to the throne, and tutors were always there to teach him many things.The queen, her stepmother, was against Isabella getting the needed education of a princess, saying that she was of low birth and a simple peasant's education would suffice.What she never knew was that Isabella would always sneak into her brother's courtyard to spend time with him. When the personal tutors taught Williams, she learned a lot from them as well. Hence, she was very intelligent.Her knowledge of history, politics, and running the c
A tall young man wearing a black suit with gold trimming emerged from the shadows. He was wearing a golden mask with a dragon mark covering half of his face. His hair was as black as the night, and his eyes were as dark blue as the ocean deep."Who might the gentleman be?" Isabella asked courteously."I am Ragnar of Avalon," he greeted. "I give my greetings to the third princess of Wales." He bowed down, and she replied with a courtesy."Thank you, Sir Ragnar," she said.He looked at her for a while, and she felt a little awkward. His dark blue eyes were fixed on her, and she started to drown in their depth.Ragnar walked toward her and came closer. She was so surprised at the proximity that she involuntarily stepped back and tripped, but he caught her by the hand and pulled her into his embrace."S-sir..." she said awkwardly."I'm sorry to startle you," Ragnar said. "I just wanted to give you this.""A Purple Passion?" she asked in surprise. Purple passions are the rarest kind. They
"Crown Prince?" I asked. That's why his name sounded so familiar; he was one of the princes of Avalon. I knew that the royal family of Avalon had seven princes fighting for the position of crown prince, but I didn't know that they had chosen their crown prince already. And to think the youngest son was chosen to be the crown prince. As far as I knew, he was twenty years old."It's my pleasure to be here, Your Majesty, King George De Novia of Wales," Ragnar replied."You are very bold, as the rumors had said, stealing the first dance of the third princess tonight from her father." Isa's stepmother, the queen, just arrived at the scene. She was staring daggers at Isabella and Ragnar."I am sorry. I didn't know that there was a custom here in Wales that the first dance of the princess should be with her father," Ragnar said with pride, as if he wasn't sorry at all. "I just thought that I would like to dance with the third princess, so I asked her. I hope this didn't offend you, King Geor
It has been a few days since the grand ball. Isabella's normal life went back to how it was: a life of solitude, except for Phillips.In the last few days, Phillips has been visiting Isabella in her courtyard. They enjoyed one conversation after another. They talked about politics, history, and other stuff that interested them.It was morning, and Isabella had just finished her morning exercise. General Marcus trained her and the crown prince to strengthen their bodies."Sister Isabella," she could hear the voice of Williams, her brother. When she looked behind, she saw him running towards her heartily."Sister!" Williams launched himself at her.He was much heavier than he used to be now, and Isabella nearly lost her balance trying to catch him."Sister, you haven't been visiting me in my courtyard," Williams said, crying. "I have missed you so much.""Hush now, a crown prince must not show his tears to others," Isabella scolded him softly while wiping his tears away."But you are no
"I am well aware, Grandpa. My sisters have their personal guards that follow them wherever they go.Helena has Carlos as her guard, and Camila has Uthred as hers," Isabella said dreamily."I have selected a personal guard just for you," Grandpa said."For me?" she asked with disbelief. "But I thought I wasn't entitled to a personal guard of my own? I remember the queen was against the idea when Father brought it up.""Don't worry about Charlotte. I am the one to select your guard for you. She can't do anything about it," Grandpa reassured her."Thank you, Grandpa." She felt loved by what General Marcus had done. He had always been good to her. Also the crown prince, they were the only ones who treated her with love in the palace. She hoped to pay them back someday."Erik, come here," General Marcus ordered, snapping her out of her thoughts.From the shadows emerged a young man. He had dark brown wavy hair and brown eyes. He was wearing the black knight's uniform.When he came closer,
The sky was starting to get dark, and the sun was setting. Erik accompanied Isabella back to her courtyard."I hope you don't mind, Sir Erik. My courtyard is a little below standard," she said, a little embarrassed.This was the second time she had felt embarrassed about what her courtyard looked like. The other time was when Phil visited her for the first time. It was a good thing that Phil didn't mind either; rather, he visited her every day in her shabby-looking courtyard."It's okay, Princess, I don't mind it," Erik smiled."I don't know if you have heard the stories about me," Isabella asked him.They were now standing at the entrance of her courtyard."I only know that you are the third princess of His Majesty King George II of Wales," Erik said. "Is there more I should know?" he asked."Not much, it's just that I would like to tell you my story rather than you hearing it from others," she said and turned to face him."I am an illegitimate child of the king. My mother was a maid
Maggie was leading Erik along the hallway of the third princess's courtyard."I am happy that General Marcus found a personal guard to serve my princess," Maggie said while walking."I am happy to serve Princess Isabella as well," Erik replied."I hope that the rumors won't get to you. Princess Isabella is a good-hearted young girl. Even though the queen and her daughter are not good to her, she doesn't retaliate or show any ill intentions towards them. She just takes everything they throw at her silently. Her kind is rare," Maggie lamented."Do they always bully Princess Isabella?" Erik asked."When they feel like it, they will just search for her and bully her. I feel sorry for her, but I can't do anything about it. I am only forced to watch as I am just a maid," Maggie sighed."Why can't I see other maids around?" Erik asked."We are just a handful of maids here in the third princess's courtyard. The queen doesn't give our princess as many maids as the other princesses," Maggie sai