Chapter One: To New Beginnings

'I hate this place.'

Poppy sipped her orange soda in the corner of the ballroom as she pondered what fun thing to do. " I could slap some noble and start some drama? No. I don't want to be involved in a scandal." She tapped her chin as she scanned the floor. Her eyes settled on a group of snickering elderly nobles. "Maybe I can talk with the old ladies and hear some juicy tea?"

This idea seemed like the least troublesome of the two so Poppy decided that gossiping was her best option for entertainment. She hoped her small figure would make it easy for her to slither through the crowd.

As the 12th and youngest Princess of the Lullaby kingdom, no one even blinked an eye at her. They saw no need to talk to her since she was too far down the line of succession. She wasn't beautiful or exceptional in anything noteworthy so her marriage proposals were non-existent. She was a shadow. So her life was always boring.

No drama. No friends. No haters either. No source of entertainment.

She stood up to journey towards her entertainment but gasped at the towering nobles surrounding her. She huffed in frustration. The longer she took the more tea she was missing! "All the dirty secrets!"

The fastest way to get to the other end was through the dance floor. She watched as the tall women in puffy ballroom dresses and men in fancy suits swayed to the orchestra. It was all so intimidating.

Poppy turned in defeat as the challenge seemed impossible. She hung her head low as she tried to squirm back to her favored corner but couldn't budge through. Something or someone was blocking her. She looked up and up and up till she managed to see the face of the wall in her way.

"Well if it isn't Princess Poppy. Quit rude of you to be touching me in such a manner." 'what is this man talking about...' Poppy looked down at her hands and shrieked in fright. In her depressed state, she had somehow wiggled her hands up the shirt of... 'Who is this guy?' 'And how does he know who I am?'

"I'm so sorry!" She retreated her hands. He didn't reply and simply turned back around. 'Rude much!'

The King watched this interaction from his high throne. His wife, the queen, had pointed out that Poppy had disappeared from her normal corner and when they finally found her they were astonished to see that she was hugging someone. "Did you see that honey? She talked to a man!" the Queen praised her daughter. The king wiped away a single tear. "Our baby is growing up so fast! Who is this lad who has garnered her attention?"

A knight came and knelt before the rulers of the kingdom. "To answer your question your majesties. The man who the twelfth Princess, her highness Poppy was talking to was the Northern Duke, Sir Loki Frost." The king thanked the knight and began to rack his brain of his knowledge about the young Duke.

"If I remember correctly he is not married. He has been the head of the Frost Dukedom since his father died when he was sixteen. So around six years?" The Queen perked up. "Poppy will be turning eighteen in a month, correct?" The couple stared at each other with glimmers in their eyes. They were thinking the same thing.

"I'm sure she will be thrilled," the King nodded to himself.

P.S. She was not.