Who Will Win the Crown?

The kingdom of Chappell was draped in black as the royal family bid farewell to their beloved king. Princess Lily, the eldest at eighteen, stood tall beside her fifteen-year-old brother, Prince Leo, as nobles offered condolences. The servants whispered among themselves, watching the siblings with knowing eyes. 'The crown should pass to the firstborn,' murmured an elderly servant to Lily as she passed, planting a seed that would soon take root.

That evening, three servants tidied the castle while discussing the succession. 'The princess is wise beyond her years,' said one, knowing Lily could hear from behind the curtain. 'But tradition favors the prince, despite his youth,' added another with a sigh. Lily's fingers curled into fists as she listened, her resolve hardening with each word. She slipped away to her chambers, a plan already forming in her clever mind.

During the celebration of life ceremony, Lily deliberately left her heeled shoe on the grand staircase. Leo, hurrying to address the council afterward, tripped over the abandoned heel and tumbled down the stairs. His pained cry echoed through the castle as physicians rushed to tend his broken leg. 'The prince cannot rule from a sickbed,' whispered courtiers as Lily stepped forward to address the kingdom.

As Leo recovered, he discovered his sister's deception through a servant's confession. 'Was the crown worth our bond?' he asked when confronting Lily in the throne room. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized what her ambition had cost her. 'Perhaps neither of us alone is worthy,' Lily suggested, 'but together, we might rule as no monarch has before.'