The accidental princess

First Public Appearances

All through that night Cassandra couldn't sleep, not even a little bit.

How could she?

When every single time she closed her eyes, Saviour’s voice kept echoing in her head

“Under no circumstances will you fall in love with me.”

It wasn’t as if she planned to but it hurt her pride. The man was infuriating, cold, and impossibly arrogant. But the way he had said it, like a command, like her heart could be shackled just as easily as her body, had angered her.

So when the sun finally rose over Cordelia’s royal palace, Cassandra was still awake, sitting on the balcony in her nightgown, hugging her knees. The city stretched out before her, golden rooftops glinting in the morning light. Somewhere out there, people were waking up, going to school, making breakfast, living normal lives.

And here she was, locked in a palace, about to be announced as the fiancée of a man who despised her and she too.

At this time a knock sounded at the door. Before she could answer, it opened, and three women swept in, she had concluded that they are stylists, judging by the brushes, makeup kits, and racks of gowns they carried along with her. .

“Good morning, Lady Cassandra!”. one of them chirped with forced cheer.

“Today is your grand introduction to the world. We must make you radiant.”

“Do I get at least make a choice on what to wear?”. Cassandra groaned.

“No,” the woman replied sweetly, already pulling her to the vanity.

_________

After two hours of hard work, Cassandra could barely recognized herself.

Her curls had been twisted into an elegant slick bark ponytail, strands framing her face delicately. Her makeup was flawless, emphasizing the hazel in her eyes.

And the gown, oh, the gown was a dark wine satin that hugged her waist and flowed gracefully to the floor.

She definitely looked like a princess.

But she didn’t feel like one.

She felt like an actress in a play she had never auditioned for.

When the stylists were finally done, a maid escorted her to the palace’s East Hall, where the press conference was to be held.

The hallway buzzed with activity. guards, advisors, and staff moving like clockwork. Cameras and microphones were being tested, the scent of fresh flowers wafted through the air, and an invisible tension hung over everything.

Saviour was already there, of course, immaculately dressed in a tailored Wine suit. He glanced at her once, his expression unreadable, before turning back to the advisors briefing him.

This stone cold of a man couldn't even appreciate beauty when he sees one Cassandra snorted with irrigation.

The King and Queen entered shortly after Cassandra. The King wore his usual air of stern authority, while the Queen offered Cassandra a reassuring smile.

“You’ll be fine, dear,” she whispered as she passed by.

Cassandra tried to believe in her, to believe in her words.

The hall was massive, lined with red velvet drapes, the royal crest gleaming above the podium. Rows of journalists filled the space, cameras flashing nonstop. The moment Cassandra stepped onto the platform beside Saviour, the room erupted.

Shouts filled the air:

“Who is she?”

“Is it true the Crown Prince is marrying a commoner?”

“Lady Chase, how do you feel about becoming Cordelia’s future Queen?”.

No matter how prepared Cassandra thought she was she still didn't expect this to be the first question that would be asked. As she looked at the reporter the cleared her attempting to answer when Saviour suddenly stopped up

“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the press. Today, I stand before you to introduce my fiancee, Lady Cassandra Chase.” his calm but commanding voice sounded as he address the crowd

Flash.

Flash.

Flash.

Cassandra wore a slight smile on her face and as Saviour continued.

“This union, though unexpected, honors a longstanding bond between our families and represents the strength of Cordelia’s traditions. Lady Cassandra here will stand beside me as Crown Princess, and in time, as your Queen".

The crowd exploded again. Questions hurled through the air.

...“Your Highness, what qualities in Lady Chase made you choose her as your bride?”. A bold reporter shouted

This question turned to room into a hushed moment for a while as all eyes were on Saviour waiting for his response.

Cassandra’s heart skipped. This was his chance—maybe he would say something kind, something that would make this nightmare a little more bearable.

Saviour’s lips curved faintly, but his eyes remained cold.

“She was chosen by fate,” he said smoothly.

“And sometimes fate does not give us what we want, but what we need.”.

" So should we take it that you do not want miss chase but she was only given to you because you need her for some". Another report bravely asked

" No comment ". Saviour replied giving the report a death stare.

Cassandra was pissed, this mam was always looking for ways to just piss her off . What he needs as though she was some object he needs to have

Another reporter raised her voice.

“Lady Cassandra, how do you feel about marrying the Ice Prince?”. Another report suddenly asked from the crowd

The question hit Cassandra like a slap. She froze, she could almost feel Saviour's gaze like a Lazer on her head.

She could almost hear Saviour’s warning from the night before, No scandals.But the words slipped out anyway.

“Well,” Cassandra said with a silly smile on her face.

“I suppose ice melts eventually. Doesn’t it?”.

The crowd erupted—gasps, laughter, frantic scribbling of notes. Saviour’s head snapped toward her, blue eyes blazing with shock.

Hahaha, she laughed inside her head. She loved the look of anger on his face right this moment, she could pay anything to see it for a second time.

_______

The conference ended in chaos. Advisors rushed the reporters out, staff scrambled to manage the fallout, and Cassandra was practically dragged back to the palace corridors.

“Are you insane?”. Saviour hissed once they were alone, his composure cracking for the first time.

“Do you realize what you just did?”.

"Did I do?, I see absolutely not wrong with my answer". Cassandra answered

“You embarrassed the Crown. Does this whole thing sound like a joke to you or do you joke about everything from where you came from”. His jaw clenched so tightly she thought it might crack.

“The press will feast on that sound bite for weeks if not months.”

“Good,” Cassandra shot back.

“ I would just seat back and enjoy the show anyways, just take as payback for your answer to the press early about needing me. Maybe next time you want me to play your perfect princess you would know how to treat me ".

Saviour stared at her, fury and something else flickering in his eyes. Then, without a word, he turned sharply and strode away, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

Cassandra leaned against the wall smiling as she watched him walk away.

She might have signed a death sentence in the palace but she also wouldn't make it easy for him too.

She wasn't going to let herself be powerless against him.

________

That night, Cassandra’s face was on every television screen in Cordelia with topic such as.

"The Accidental Princess,”

“From commoner to Crown Princess".

"who is Cassandra Chase”.

“Did she just melt the Ice Prince?”

Clips of her response replayed endlessly, fueling debates and gossip. Some called her refreshing, others called her reckless.

And in the palace, Saviour sat alone in his study, staring at the television as her words from yesterday continued to replay in his head.

"Ice melts eventually".

No one had ever dared challenge him like that, No one had ever stood toe-to-toe with the Ice Prince and refused to bow.

Her strong headedness was definitely stiring something inside of him and he hated the feeling.

He needed to hate it.

But he couldn’t shake the image of Cassandra’s fiery eyes, each time she challenged him, her firm voice unwilling to bow to his laws.

She wasn’t what he wanted, But maybe, just maybe… she was exactly what he needed.