Duchess in Distress

Chapter 3

NATHALIE

I stretched my back once I arrived at the gate of our small house in the far northeast of North Valley. Our gate was made of old stainless steel and painted brown years ago. There were bricks in front of our house as a fence blocking the view inside the compound.

My father inherited this from my grandparents. It was small for others, but it was big enough to give us shade for all seasons. Our living room, dining area, and kitchen had no division. It was the first thing someone would see if he entered our house. There were two doors on the other side: one door for my parents' room and another door for the restroom. There was another two bedrooms upstairs, one for me and one for my two younger sisters.

There was no carpet, our floor was made of wood, but our wall was made of bricks, even the second floor. Even though not a dreamed house, our house was clean because my mother always inspected and did the quality control around the area. And, the happiness and comfort we always felt was what others were living in the big house looking for: a real home.

My most favorite part of our house was the rooftop. There was another set of stairs behind our house, going to the third floor, where our rooftop was located. My father made this for me because I wished that I had a place where I could rest and cry without someone seeing and hearing me when I started the puberty stage. To my surprise, daddy gave this place to me on my 12th birthday.

I sat on the wood chair my father made for this place. It was good for three persons to sit here and admire the view of the east part of North Valley. The buildings far away were structures in the main city of the province. Even though North Valley was the farthest province of Luvia, there were still many people residing in the place. That was evident by the roofs I always saw at the rooftop.

The west part of the province was the opposite of the east, where all the ordinary citizens resided. On the west, the land area was greener. Houses were big as though these were castles, but only few structures were built there. These big houses are owned by nobles and even the current Duke of North Valley.

I slumped on the chair, relaxing my back on the backrest. I looked up at the sky and saw the sun striking down its light to the earth. I put my hand to my eyes so I could view the beautiful blue sky without getting blind.

It was only lunchtime, but for me, it was already midnight. I didn't get enough sleep when I got home last night. I could not believe that I was still alive until now. What if that prince raids our house with his military and kills me. It was okay if he would kill me, but I hope he would never touch my family.

I sighed heavily and wishing the sky would get me now.

"Nathalie," I heard mom called me, and before I knew it, she had already sat beside me. She had a tray of bread, ham, and lettuce. "I know you're not eating yet."

Glancing at mommy, I wonder why I didn't get any of her features: her brown eyes, dark blonde hair, and even her pretty nose. Except for her vulgar personality, which was proof that I was her daughter, I didn't get anything. I didn't get any from dad either.

What my mommy always said, it seemed like her mom lived again when she gave birth to me. I looked like her, from my red curly hair to my face and also my pale skin. However, she didn't like the idea of naming me as Dorothy, and to get out of the option, she randomly picked and named me Nathalie instead.

I saw my grandmother's pictures when she was a Duchess, and I did resemble her. But, she was classier and more elegant. She wore beautiful dresses that I didn't have a chance to wear. She was more than a girl, she was a lady, and many people admired her.

But things happened. She gave up all these things just for love. I want to know why and restore her name and our family rights and title, even if it would take me a lifetime.