Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter One
The soft glow of dawn crept into the room, casting a warm, gentle light across the familiar surroundings. Outside, the world lay in tranquil silence, almost as if it were holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come.
Lazily, Pandora began to stir, her consciousness returning like a distant melody, faint at first and growing clearer with each passing moment. Slowly, the haze of sleep began to fade, and her senses sharpened, reminding her that she was no longer lost in dreams.
Her muscles, still heavy with the weight of slumber, stretched in slow awareness, probing the edges of consciousness as though cautiously testing the shift from sleep to waking.
When her eyes fluttered open, the room's details came into focus vivid and sharp, offering a sense of reassurance. Pandora smiled faintly as she gazed around, comforted by the sights of her room. Soft pink walls surrounded her, the very color she had fought so hard to convince her father to allow. It was a memory that always made her smile, for he had initially insisted on a more modest, simple shade like white. Yet, through her persistence, pink had become hers.
The bookcase stood nearby, filled with her favorite novels and atlases books her father had never quite approved of. He preferred she spend her time learning skills that would help her as a future wife, like cooking and cleaning, instead of indulging in subjects like astronomy and travel. Nearby, the gentle tick of a clock filled the silence, a rhythmic companion in the stillness of the morning.
A soft yawn escaped Pandora's lips, her body still wrapped in the comfort of the blankets. The cool morning breeze slipped through the open window, brushing against her skin with a soft reminder of the world beyond.
With a deep breath, she threw off the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet making contact with the plush carpet. The sensation grounded her, reminding her that the day had already begun, waiting to unfold.
She was honestly thankful to have woken up early that morning, as her elderly maid Agnes usually took care of it. Agnes had been in Pandora's life since she was a baby, serving as both her mother's maid and hers. Pandora adored Agnes, but she disliked the way she would abruptly wake her up in the mornings by bursting into Pandora's room with an song, one of her childhood favorites, and announce the start of the day in the loudest of ways.
Pandora had also woken up at Agnes's least favorite spot the edge of the bed. She really didn't want to get in trouble again for that. Agnes says all the time she could injure herself if she falls off the bed in her sleep
Time passed, and Pandora finally decided it was time to face the new day, a quiet sense of calm settling over her as the world outside stirred in its own rhythm.
