-Leila
Beauty is a weapon, my mother always used to say. It's the only one I own.
If my elder sister Irie could always count on being the smartest in the room, the most eloquent and knowledgable, I -on the other hand- was sure to be the one that mesmerised others with my dark curls or my piercieng green eyes. Pretty is all I ever was allowed to be, as to not overshadow my sister. I couldn't seem too fit for the throne, could I?
I played my role well, always occupying myself with frivolous matters. While Irie was famous for her strength in combat or for her skill in using her powers, I was known only for the majestic gowns I wore to the various balls my mother threw. I was always ahead of the fashion trends, because I set them. If I decided something was worth wearing, then every single woman in our faction wanted it as well.
That's how it always was and how it was always going to be.
That is, until the day of my twentieth birthday.
"I have finally found you a husband", my mother said, sitting on her throne made of gold.
Just beacuse I wasn't the next heir to the throne, that didn't mean that my mother couldn't use me as a ploy in the politics I never even bothered to truly understand.
I just nodded, my lips pursed together.
Her lips turned up into a wicked smile, while she looked me over from head to toe, her hair almost as black as the volcanic rocks that can be found all over the island.
"Who is it?", I pressed.
"Someone fit for a princess, of course".
That diabolical smile was still plastered on her face, the same smile she always had before punishing me or my sister. It always chilled me to the bone. Nothing good ever came after that smile.
I tried to ignore the way my heart was beating rapidly in my chest or the ringing in my ears.
Growing up, I fantasized about getting married just so I could finally get away from my family. No more comparing myself with my sister, no more doing everything and anything to please my mother. I would be free.
"It's the Angels' Prince".
My heart sank in my stomach, as my whole world fell apart before my eyes. I don't know much about angels, but I know that I most certainly would not be free if I married one of them. It'd be like escaping a prison just to end up in a different one.
"You're leaving... well, now".
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