Cordelia K. Castel > Quotes

“The beginnings of tears sting my eyes.”
― Cordelia K Castel, The Princess Games

“A laugh forces its way out of my chest. Why am I being such a hypocrite? I came here to destroy the monarchy, not to marry it. By the time I’m through with these people, romance will be the least of their problems.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Trials

“I gulp. If he doesn't kiss me right now, I think my heart will explode.”
― Cordelia K. Castel

“He probably looks debonair and dashing when all I see is a smiling turd.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Strike

“He plucks the ring from my fingers and places it on the table. “This ring no longer symbolizes my love.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“He meets my gaze with an expectant smile.
“Kevon,” I murmur.
“Yes?” He leans forward in his seat.
“I love you.” His face breaks out into a dazzling grin of sparkling eyes and white teeth. I think he’s happy . . .”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry. Not from the man who treats me like I’ve stabbed him through the heart. I don’t know what Queen Damascena did to you in the hospital. I don’t know what she showed you, but after everything I’ve endured, everything I’ve done to be with the man I love, you could have at least asked me why.”

A weight lifts off my chest, and all the tension leaves my shoulders.

He slumps back into his seat and stares into the side of my face. I clench my teeth at the scrutiny and wait for him to speak.

“This is the first time you’ve said those words,” he says.

“What are you talking about?” Something shifts in my stomach, and I take a bite of chicken.

“That you love me.”

“Can’t you see it from my actions?” I snap.

“Does everything need to be spelled out to you?”

“Apparently, it does,” he replies.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“I followed your advice and found a girl I love and who cares more for our people than she does for herself. Her name is Zea-Mays Calico, from Rugosa.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Trials

“Most of the girls I met saw me as a means to gain power. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with a woman who wanted me, not my throne.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“This is the first time you’ve said those words,” he says.

“What are you talking about?” Something shifts in my stomach, and I take a bite of chicken.

“That you love me.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“Without Zea, this revolution would never have been possible,” Ryce says, as though he believes every word. “The Nobles treated her like vermin and now you’re all doing the same.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“Dr. Palatine runs a scanner down my body and diagnoses fractured ribs, abrasions, lacerations, and a mild concussion. After giving me a painkiller, he injects my ribs with nanobots and runs a device over my torso that will cause the bones to set. The process is uncomfortable and made worse under Ryce’s lingering gaze. I clench my teeth, reminding myself that this is a price I must pay for Prince Kevon’s freedom.

-Zea-Mays Calico”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“is”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Trials

“I slip my hand in the pocket of my skirt and close my fingers around the dagger.

“What is this about?”

“We made a promise to be together after the revolution, didn’t we?”

Bile rises to the back of my throat as I recall the girl I used to be. The girl who simpered as Ryce murmured sweet promises about a shared future.

“You were serious?”

His face drops. “You weren’t?”

My mind flips through scenarios. Lying about my former feelings won’t work. I spent years trying to catch his attention, and he used my crush on him to convince me to join the Princess Trials. Telling him the truth—that I suspected his promises for a future was a ploy to get me to join the mission—might also fail. Ryce could take that as an opportunity to declare his love, and I don’t want a repeat of what he tried to do in the farmers’ market.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“Alright then.” I wipe my hands on my skirt. “I love you, Prince Kevon. You and nobody else. It’s not a crush or admiration from afar. I’ve seen the man you are, your stubbornness, your generosity, and your compassion, and I love you.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“Not everyone in Phangloria grew up with hardship,” says the ambassador from the foot of the interrogation tables. “Some would prefer death to a lifetime of slavery.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“Alright then.” I wipe my hands on my skirt.
“I love you, Prince Kevon. You and nobody else. It’s not a crush or admiration from afar. I’ve seen the man you are, your stubbornness, your generosity, and your compassion, and I love you.”

“Kevon,” he says.

“What?” He turns his gaze to the side, his olive skin darkening with the beginnings of a blush.

“I don’t like it when you call me by my title.” My shoulders slump.

“Do you want me to say it again?

He nods. I put the plate on the trolley and swing my legs to the side, so we’re facing each other.

“Alright, then.” He meets my gaze with an expectant smile.

“Kevon,” I murmur.

“Yes?” He leans forward in his seat.

“I love you.” His face breaks out into a dazzling grin of sparkling eyes and white teeth. I think he’s happy. . .

I’m about to ask if he’s alright, when he reaches into his jacket pocket.

“Thank you.” He pulls out the diamond ring.

“Zea, it’s not going to be easy for us. People will always—”

I slide off the bed and silence him with a kiss on the lips. Prince Kevon pulls me onto his lap and returns the kiss with another. This one is softer than corn silk and sweeter than the first rain after a drought. It’s both an expression of love and a promise. He breaks away and meets my eyes with an intensity that melts my heart.

“I love you too.”

“I know.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“Phangloria keeps the Amstraad Republic dependent and enslaved.

-Princess Briar”
― Cordelia K. Castel

“What should I say? That I joined the Princess Trials to find a way to let the rebels into the palace but changed my mind when I fell in love? It wasn’t love for Prince Kevon that changed my mind but a deep admiration for his heart, his sense of justice, his potential to change Phangloria. If I voice these thoughts, I’d sound insincere. In all the time we’ve spent together, I haven’t expressed my love, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve rejected his advances.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“Scorpio is Dad.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Games

“Who saved you from execution when they injected you with truth serum?” she snaps. “Who kept you alive in the stadium?"

-Princess Briar”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“I massage strawberry-scented shampoo through my hair”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“I love you, Prince Kevon. You and nobody else. It’s not a crush or admiration from afar. I’ve seen the man you are, your stubbornness, your generosity, and your compassion, and I love you.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“deformed Foundling”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Games

“I don’t like it when you call me by my title.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“Do you know what I liked best about you?”
I shake my head.
“Your honesty,” he replies.

“Most of the girls I met saw me as a means to gain power. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with a woman who wanted me, not my throne.”

“But I don’t care about becoming the queen. I don’t care about your throne, either.”

“I know.” The corner of his lip rises in a bitter smile.

“You wanted to destroy it.”

“That’s before I got to know you.” My words sound pathetic, even to my own ears. “Now, I think—”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“We made a promise to be together after the revolution, didn’t we?”

Bile rises to the back of my throat as I recall the girl I used to be. The girl who simpered as Ryce murmured sweet promises about a shared future.

“You were serious?”

His face drops. “You weren’t?”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“This is the first time you’ve said those words,” he says. “
What are you talking about?” Something shifts in my stomach, and I take a bite of chicken.

“That you love me.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown

“This ring no longer symbolizes my love.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Games

“There are only so many rejections a man can take before they stick.”
― Cordelia K. Castel, The Princess Crown