As his hazel eyes locked onto hers, her heart skipped a beat and she instantly felt butterflies in her stomach and her legs felt weak, like they could give out at any second. He was so handsome that she forgot that she needed to breathe for a second and a lump got caught in her throat, so she swallowed hard. She held her breath, as he approached and she studied his handsome face with her mouth still slightly open, feeling like she was in a trance.

He took a few steps and as he stopped in front of her she got a whiff of his masculine cologne and she finally took a breath to breathe it in deeply. He was taller than her by a few inches and his penetrating gaze made her feel intimidated so she finally broke eye contact, looking down at the ground.

She loved reading romance novels but she had never been boy crazy like Astrid or had this kind of instant attraction to a man before, so feeling this way was all new to her. He held his hand out and it took Eva's brain a second to process the fact that she was supposed to do something. She lifted her slightly trembling hand and slowly slipped it into his and the feeling of his skin on hers sent a tingle up her spine and made her face flushed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said in his smooth, deep voice, bending forward with his eyes locked onto hers as he softly kissed the top of her hand, making her feel like she could melt into a puddle on the floor.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," she said softly, looking down at the ground because he made her feel self conscious.

Her father King Hans spoke, breaking her from the trance Prince Paulo had her under and he said to the crowd, "It is with great pleasure that we formally announce our daughter Princess Eva's engagement to Prince Paulo Aragon of Spain. They will be married tomorrow in the Oslo cathedral at noon."

Prince Paulo, let go of her hand and stepped forward, turning to face the crowd and he stood next to Eva as they continued the formalities of the ceremony where people spoke and a choir sang. Her heart was beating with adrenaline and she didn't dare turn to look at him. Just standing next to him this close was making her anxious. She could still feel the tingle on her hand from where his hand had touched hers and thinking about it made her face flush. She couldn't believe this gorgeous man was seriously her fiance.

Eventually the ceremony was over and the trumpets blasted and the choir sang as the King and Queen stood from their thrones and left the stage, followed by Paulo's parents and sisters and her brother Kristoff. Eva followed behind Paulo and when they reached the hallway her father said, "Now that the official announcement has been made, it's tradition for the betrothed couple to go into the abbey room alone to get acquainted with each other," he said, motioning towards a large wooden door across the hall that was shaped like a tear drop, coming to a point at the top.

Prince Paulo looked down at Eva and put out his elbow and she slid her hand into the crease of his arm and then he led her across the hallway to the room in silence.

Once they were inside he closed the door behind them and let out an exhale saying, "I'm so fucking glad that's over."

She raised her eyebrows. She had never heard a royal cuss like that before so she wasn't expecting it. They had very strict rules they had to follow and cussing was definitely on the 'DON'T DO' list.

He walked over and plopped down on the sofa with an exhale, slouching down low with his long legs stretched out in front of him. He sat there silently with his arms spread across the back of the couch and Eva stood there awkwardly, looking around the small room that looked like a little living room with one small window and a fireplace in front of the sofas and chair. She wasn't really sure what to say or do.

"So I guess we're engaged," she said with an awkward laugh, trying to break the silent tension.

"Yeah," he said half-heartedly, sitting up and leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees and running both his hands through his hair with an exhale.

Eva hesitantly walked over and sat down on the sofa that was across from the one he was on, looking around and waiting for him to say something else but a couple minutes passed in awkward silence.

He had his head down with his square jaw locked, looking tormented as he raised a hand and ran it through his brown hair.

"So, ummmm. I get the feeling you're not happy about this engagement?" she asked quietly, looking down at her hand that was spinning the diamond bracelet on her wrist.

He raised his head and looked over at her, shaking his head. "No, I'm not happy about it. I'm fucking furious. I'm being forced into this arranged marriage by my parents and it's the last thing I want," he said, taking in a breath and letting it out, before turning his head and looking out the window. "But I have no choice," he said quietly.

"I know how you feel. I don't want this any more than you do," she sighed, looking down at her hands. "An arranged marriage is the last thing I want. I want to marry someone I love."

Paulo leaned back on the couch again, with his arms spread across the back of it and laid his head back and shut his eyes, giving off a clear signal that he was in no mood to talk right now. They were supposed to be in here getting to know each other better but it was pretty obvious that wasn't going to happen.

After a few minutes of painfully awkward silence there was a knock at the door and the royal page opened it and said, "Prince Paulo. Princess Eva. I'm sorry to disturb you your highnesses. His majesty King Hans has requested for you to join him and the rest of your family in the drawing room."

"Thank you. We'll be on our way," Eva said with a nod as the page stepped back and closed the door again.

Eva stood up and smoothed out her long silky blue dress and took a deep breath as she walked towards the door without a word to her new fiance. He got up and followed and she led the way down the hall towards the drawing room. They walked in silence since she wasn't sure what to say to him, especially now that he had said this marriage to her was the last thing he wanted. He also made her nervous and she didn't want to say or do the wrong thing and embarrass herself.

She glanced over at him and he was looking straight ahead with his jaw locked tight and a stern expression on his face. She wondered if he ever smiled or if he was always this unpleasant. She didn't say anything and looked straight ahead again. It was obvious he wasn't in the mood for chit chat.

She opened the door to the formal drawing room and her Mom and the Queen of Spain were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace sipping wine and discussing wedding plans, the two Kings were deep in conversation about trade and armies. Her brother Kristoff was talking to Paulo's two sisters and he had a big smile on his face and seemed to be enjoying the conversation. His face brightened when he saw them come in.

Kristoff came over and shook Paulo's hand and said "It's good to see you again. I was just telling one of my good friends the other day about the last time I went to Spain and what a good time I had playing polo. I'm up for a rematch whenever you are. Maybe you won't beat me this time."

"Not likely," Princess Isadora said, smiling at Kristoff. "No one ever beats my brother at polo."

Kristoff scoffed lightheartedly and said, "There's always a first time for everything."

Paulo smiled, "Well we can have a rematch anytime you're ready. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other now that you're going to be my brother-in-law."

It was weird to hear him call Kristoff his brother-in-law considering they couldn't even talk to each other. It made their marriage almost sound real instead of the forced nightmare it really was. Unfortunately there was no waking up from this nightmare. The reality was, she was getting married tomorrow to this stranger and she would be moving to Spain with him and leaving her entire life here behind.

She would be leaving everything and everyone she had ever known and moving to a country she had never been to before with this man that couldn't say more than a few words to her. That thought made her suddenly feel anxious and she looked over at Paulo and wondered what kind of man he was.

Sure he was handsome, but was he kind or cruel? Did he have a sense of humor and adventure or was he boring and dull? Would they have anything in common? Would he be easy to talk to? Or would he make her so miserable that she would consider running away and living on the streets rather than staying with him.

Kristoff looked at Eva and then asked Paulo, "So how are you getting along with my sister so far?"

Eva narrowed her eyes at her twin brother. Did he really have to ask that question? This was already awkward enough the way it was.

"Ummm. Honestly we haven't talked much. We're both pissed off about being forced into this marriage that neither of us wants."

Kristoff patted his shoulder and said, "Well the Kings were just saying all the paperwork has already been signed, so I guess you're both just going to have to make the best of it. What other choice do you really have?"

Paulo looked over at Eva, taking a breath in and letting it out. "Yeah," he said, hanging his head. "What other choice do we have?" he asked, tipping back his drink and downing the rest of it.

He was right. She didn't have a choice about this marriage anymore than he did, no matter how much neither of them wanted it. She felt tempted to run away to show her family that forcing their daughter to marry a stranger for power and financial gain was barbaric and outdated, but that wasn't an option though, because where would she go? She didn't know anyone that wasn't connected to the royal family. If she did run, it's not like she could hide. She was a famous princess. She would instantly be recognized by people on the street and it would only be a matter of time before she was brought back to the castle by security.

She had no choice but to marry Paulo, but what she really wanted was to marry someone she was madly in love with. Instead she was being forced to marry and spend the rest of her life with a complete stranger she knew nothing about. He could be a deranged psychopath for all she knew. Thinking about it made her sad and she couldn't bear to stand there and talk about it anymore. She walked across the room to the grand piano in the corner, sat down on the stool and started playing.

She had been taking piano lessons since she was five years old and she was really good. It was one of her many talents. Her family had been preparing her since she was born to be a perfect, beautiful, well-rounded, smart, articulate, talented woman, the perfect wife for any King. Sometimes it felt like she was more of a product than a person.

Playing the piano helped relieve some of the stress she was feeling and she raised her head and noticed Paulo walking off with her brother alone and she wondered what they were talking about now.