Lucina had always been smart. She had always kept a level head, despite everything the world had so graciously given her. She had been taught everything a misogynistic man believed a woman should. She was taught by her mother. She was entirely capable of being the perfect trophy wife because that's what she was groomed to be.
Lucina was only fifteen when she met her first suitor. Jacob Lainey. He was a vile man who cared more for his vanity than other breathing creatures. But he was rich, and her parents needed the dowry. They were old. And unless they found a wealthy man for Lucina, they couldn't keep their lavish lifestyle. They were all ravenous wolves with wool coats who saw her as nothing but a young, naive lamb.
Lucina was not a lamb.
It was far to easy to turn him away. It only took two weeks before he left in a furious storm. Lucina was far too 'bullheaded' and 'whorish'. His words, not hers.
Her parents were confused. She had always been the perfect daughter. Kind and gentle. Elegant. Merciful. They believed her entirely incapable of foul manners.
The truth was that Lucina had in fact been rather rude to Jacob. She was sure to bat her eyes and speak sweetly in front of her parents.
The first time they had a moment alone was the third day of their courtship. They had been in the hall when Lucina yanked back on to the carpet with her heel. She smiled as he crashed face-first in the floor, but immediately knelt down and cradled his face to see if he was alright.
He was not. She had broken his nose.
A week into their courtship they attended a ball. Jacob Lainey was quite proud of his new coat made of exotic and expensive silk. Halfway through the ball, Lucina ran straight into him with a glass of the darkest wine she could find. She ruined his coat, though at the expense of her own gown. A necessary sacrifice. She could just wear old ones.
And in the remainder of their time together, Lucina acted as outrageous as she could when her parents backs were turned. She spat on the ground(and occasionally a pair of shoes, if Jacob Lainey seemed fond of them). When they took a stroll in the courtyard, Lucina slipped on ahead and jumped into every puddle she could find. She took great care to splash filthy water onto Jacob Lainey whenever she could. It was actually rather fun, once Lucina started.
But the final straw on the camel's back was Lucina's behavior around the manservants. Only when Jacob Lainey was around did Lucina throw herself at the manservants. She tried to ignore the fact that most of them enjoyed the attention. And she never flirted with the same one twice.
After two weeks, Jacob Lainey blew up at a dinner party when Lucina's hand rested on the arm of the servant pouring her glass for a moment too long. He stormed off after declaring to the entire party that he 'would never marry a witch with the manners of a farm animal'.
Lucina was relieved when he finally left. If she could have, she would have celebrated. She would have popped champagne and danced until her feet fell off. Alas, she could not. All she could do was weep into her mother's shoulder when she came in to comfort her the night he left.
After all, they all believe she was a lamb. A sweet, naive lamb. It was best to keep it that way.
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