An esteemed Barons daughter of High-society is forced to accept a marriage in order to save her unloving family from bankruptcy. It's her final show of love for her broken father. The Duke of the east, also known as the Imperial beast, is to be her...
Slender fingers rest within my small trembling hands, the thin blue veins throughout her body can be seen through the sickly pale skin, her skin is cold, and she's unnaturally still.
With blurry vision I look at two familiar eyes, they once shinned full of life, but now, those honey brown eyes are dull, almost lifeless. Her blonde hair has even lost its golden shine.
"Mama... Mama".. I whispered as tears streamed down my little cheeks.
She opened her mouth to speak but strange noises and a voice that didn't belong to her came out instead.
I opened my eyes startled for a moment, panting slightly, I could feel the subtle sweat along my body.
Brenda, one of our family servants and my childhood nanny, greeted me with a smile, but it soon faded as she took in my distraught appearance.
No words were needed, she understood I had once again had another bad dream. I gently wiped the tears that threatened to spill over. Brenda walked over to the large windows within my room and opened every curtain.
"Good Morning Brenda"... softly sniffling, I tried my best to smile.
"Oh my dear, you don't need to force yourself with me, how about a morning bath to start your day?"... Her eyes crinkle at the corners as she smiles warmly down at me.
"That would be lovely"...
***
I am grateful I still have Brenda after all these years. She's the only one who has shown me any kindness since my mother's unfortunate passing from lung disease, I was six when it happened.
My father, Baron Finn Holbrook, well, he did try to be the same loving, sweet father I knew him to be. But the truth is, after mother died, a part of him did too. And what was left was an empty shell of his former self. If you watched him long enough, you could see it, you could see how he just went with the motions of life but not actually living.
My father did remarry, but I believe high society pressured him into it. At least that's what I like to believe, because my step-mother, Baroness Theodora, is such a bitter and mean spirited woman.
She's nothing close to who my mother was and she certainly didn't care for me.
I do have a younger half sister, her name is Margaret Holbrook. When she was little I hoped for us to grow close to one another, since it seemed I no longer had a father who cared to be around me. But my step-mother always went out of her way to make sure that small hope never came to be.
These past 14 years I've been treated like an outsider, always forgotten or blamed for troubles I never cause. Servants who have been at the Holbrook estate since my mother was the baroness treat me well, but those who came after, loyal to my step-mother, are cruel.
I believe, no, I know.... Another reason my father must have silently discarded me from his heart is the fact my gift completely disappeared after mothers death. To be born with magical gifts, blessed from the goddess was a staple throughout the nobles. If you didn't possess any gifts, it was a common rule you were the lesser noble no matter your family's rank.
We have no clue what gift I did possess. According to my father, I was only three years old when my hands would randomly glow white. It's common that gifts don't fully manifest till you are in your teens to young adolescent age.
My father said he had done everything he could think of for me, taking me to doctors, scholars in magic and even the temple. An examination at the temple conducted by the high priest himself told my father he did not feel any strong mana within my small body. Officially declaring me powerless, without any magical gifts.
In high society that is what you call a disappointing child, a burden for any noble parents. Even more so if it's a daughter, since daughters are used like business pawns in marriage. The stronger your gift, the better marriage possibilities for families, meaning more money and better resources.
No magical gift to speak of and you've practically doomed your family.
My step-mother never allowed me to officially enter high society because of this simple fact. I've grown accustomed to being alone in our manor, with books to keep me company when I'm not strolling the outside gardens within our small estate.
However my younger sister Margaret just reached the coming of age, 14 years old and has already attended her first tea party. She was blessed with the gift of Ice, her powers are limited to turning the liquid inside a teacup into solid Ice. But even so, it's fascinating to witness.
But with her entrance into high society, came her scornful attitude and mean comments, just like her mother. Margaret even takes after step-mother in appearance with her copper hair and green eyes. She's just as unpleasant to be around and I avoid her when I can.
Father favors her, I witness it every time he openly asks Margaret at dinner to show him her gift. He never looks at me that way, never proudly or even remotely happy. It hurts me, but I've learned how to conceal my pain, never showing it. For if I did step-mother would shout at me about how noble ladies don't show such emotions, just as she did when I was a child.
***
Brenda is gently running a brush through my honey brown hair as I sit on a light green velvet stool in front of my small vanity. My hazel eyes stare back at my petite frame in the mirror, Brenda has always compared my flawless ivory skin to my mothers. I don't have even one freckle, unlike my younger sister Margaret who has many.
My lips are full but Margaret loves to compare them to that of a fish. Brenda has always told me she's just jealous, because my younger sister barely has any lips to speak of. My cheeks are rosey with life, I look healthy on the outside, maybe a tad thin but not sickly.
A sudden screaming can be heard coming from down the hall.
"Oh dear god, what is it now!?"... Brenda mumbles under her breath already knowing who that scream belongs to. Without placing the brush down, she went to my bedroom door peeking her head out into the hallway.
I don't bother moving, if I curiously went asking step-mother what on earth she was screaming for, she'd just scream more at me.
Little did I know, the reasons behind her screaming would set motion to my life being forced and shattered into the unknown.
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