Inicio / Rigged to Miss, Won by a Prince / Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 7

Todos los capítulos de Rigged to Miss, Won by a Prince: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 7

7 Capítulos

Chapter 1

The Crown Prince nocked an arrow and drew. Two breaths later, the wedding orb that had hung outside the family chapel with my name tied to it for five long years dropped cleanly into his arms."In that case, I'll return tomorrow with a royal marriage decree to ask for Lady Evelina's hand."It wasn't until Lord Aldous, the head of our family, placed the betrothal token in Crown Prince Lucien's hands that the tears finally came.So the orb I'd waited on year after year, only to be let down every time, could be brought down that easily by anyone who actually cared to try.It made those five years of waiting look like nothing but one long, pathetic joke.I walked back to the manor in a daze, and ran straight into my older brother, Edmund Ashbourne, carrying a bow and arrows."Get rid of these," he told a servant. "Make sure Evelina doesn't see them."When he turned and saw me, panic flickered across his face. He tried to hide the bow, but I stopped him.The string hung slack. The a

Chapter 2

With a helpless sigh, Cedric pulled a jade hairpin from his sleeve and pressed it into my hand as an apology."All right, stop crying. Next year I'll hit the orb and bring you home as my wife. Just wait one more year."The same old line.I used to believe it. But I'd waited from fifteen to twenty, and he hadn't kept that promise even once.I looked down at the hairpin, the one left over after Rosamund had picked through the rest. Then, while everyone stared in shock, I wiped away my tears and smashed it against the floor."Don't bother, Cedric. From now on, I'm not waiting for you anymore."And not just the hairpin. I untied the blessing charm from my waist, slid the jade bracelet off my wrist, and took the letter breaking off our engagement, which I'd written long ago, out of my sleeve.I threw all of it down in front of him.The next second, Cedric gripped my hand hard."Evelina, I walked barefoot up the mountain to the abbey to get that charm for you the year you came of ag

Chapter 3

By family rule, before any daughter of House Ashbourne could marry, the groom had to shoot down, with his own hand, the orb hung high above the family chapel.My parents' faces changed instantly. Edmund lunged forward and took the orb from me.After a long pause, he nodded and murmured, "It's real. It isn't fake."Cedric went pale. He was about to say something when Rosamund cut him off with a startled cry."Evelina, do you really have to go this far to force Cedric to marry you? Claiming someone else shot down the orb when you actually just took it down yourself?"She looked utterly exasperated and shook her head at me in disapproval."If you're going to lie to us, you could at least come up with a better excuse. Everyone in the capital knows you're Cedric's fiancee. Who would dare cross House Hawthorne and steal away its future daughter-in-law?"Cedric let out a breath of relief. When he looked at me again, there was nothing in his eyes but disappointment and disgust."Evelin

Chapter 4

A few words were all it took for me to understand exactly why they'd come to tell me off.I saw the fury in my parents' eyes, and the disgust and icy coldness on Cedric's and Edmund's faces. Clutching the bloody welts on my arm, I gave a bitter laugh."I never did any of the things you're talking about..."Before I could finish, the whip came down again, tearing open the skin on my back.Edmund kicked me to the ground, his eyes blazing with a rage he couldn't hold back anymore."Still making excuses? Cedric already said he'd marry you. Why let jealousy drive you to hurt Rosamund?"Get on your knees and beg Rosamund's forgiveness right now, or Father will give you the full family punishment today—all forty-nine lashes."Cedric, still shielding Rosamund, spoke in an unnaturally cold voice."Evelina, you make me sick!"In the end, the tears fell anyway. The calm I'd been forcing onto my face finally gave way."I told you I didn't do anything to hurt Rosamund. Why won't you belie

Chapter 5

Hollis, the steward, had hurried in after the procession and kept jerking his chin in my direction, trying to catch my parents' eye.But my parents were already beside themselves over Rosamund. Hearing the announcement, they turned with a frown, and the instant they saw the Crown Prince arriving with his full retinue, they dropped to their knees and bowed low."Your Highness."Edmund knelt as well, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "May I ask what brings Your Highness to our house?"None of them had believed a word I'd said about the Crown Prince coming to ask for my hand, so the thought never even crossed their minds.Rosamund, on the other hand, glanced at me lying half dead in a pool of blood, and a vicious smile tugged at her lips.The next second, she rushed in front of me, shaking her head through her tears as she timidly pleaded for me."I don't know if Your Highness heard Evelina's ravings just now. She was disrespectful enough to claim she'd be marrying you."But she di

Chapter 6

"Who told you that what Evelina said was nonsense?"My parents exchanged a look. All at once they remembered what the royal astrologers had declared the year I was born: that I was destined to be queen. Their hearts lurched, and they couldn't stop themselves from looking up in disbelief."Your Highness, what do you mean by that?"Cedric and Edmund stood frozen. Their eyes fell on the Crown Prince as he gently lifted me off the ground, and the color drained from their faces."You looked so pale yesterday that I brought the royal physician along when I came to propose today, so he could check on you and help you recover. I never expected he'd actually be needed."Lucien swept a cold, mocking glance over Cedric and the others, then frowned at the royal chamberlain, who was already drenched in a cold sweat."What are you standing there for? Have Master Laurent see to Evelina's injuries right now."Only after he'd laid me down on a cushioned couch, and the physician had promised that

Chapter 7

Afraid the Crown Prince wouldn't believe them, the two men quickly pulled five bank notes from inside their shirts."Look, Your Highness. These notes still carry the red stamp of the Ashbourne counting house, where they were drawn. If we've told even half a lie, may God strike us dead!"Whitlock also held out a packet of aphrodisiac to the Crown Prince."Your Highness, we found this in a hidden compartment in Lady Rosamund's room."Faced with the witnesses and the evidence, Rosamund, who'd still been hoping to talk her way out of it, couldn't say a word. My parents, Edmund, and Cedric all looked at her with cold disappointment.She sank helplessly to the ground, choking on sobs and shaking her head over and over."I can explain, Mother, Father. Edmund, please believe me, I didn't mean it. I just wanted Cedric to marry me, that's all."Evelina is your real daughter. No matter how badly she messes up, she'll always have all of you to cover for her and protect her. But I'm only an

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