The Whispers of Freedom

The Beginning

In the Royal Ball,

A woman was shot in the head. The people's shouting and running caused chaos. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" a man suddenly got close to the woman's body. "Ellies, wake up," he snuggled to her and cried. "How long do you want to cuddle up with her? Are you dumb? Even if you cry out loud here, she won't come back to life," a woman cleaning the gun said, sitting in a Victorian chair. "YOU KILLED HER, YOU ARE A MURDERER!" he shouted furiously. Sighing "I've had enough of your play, Damian, and I am tired of cleaning up your mess. The second time you cheat on this marriage again, I will shoot your cock, so it cannot enter another hole in this world!! Do you understand that?"

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Birds chirping and the bright sun rises

In the town of Eden, where the family of Edenbourgh lived. In the room of the youngest daughter of the duke. "Rise and shine, my lady. You will be late for the tea party with Lady Catherine!" the maid anxiously woke her up. Yawning and stretching her arms, "Lily, do I have to go? Tea parties are boring; they only talk about nonsense rumors. I prefer going into town, conversing with people there, and eating cakes in Mrs. Hailey's bake shop," she said while getting dressed by her maid and having her hairstyle done. "My lady, you have to meet people your age, in the place of aristocrats. They will be your friends if you have a problem in the future. It is time to make connections so you can grow your wealth and have people who will support you. Got it, my lady?" Lily said, finishing the hairstyle. "Yeah, got it. I understand, Lily," (she was not listening the whole time). "Okay, my lady. The duke and duchess are waiting in the garden of Eden to bid their goodbye before you go to the tea party. After you, my lady," Lily said, giving direction to the door.

In the Garden of Eden,

"Are you excited to meet your new friends, my dear Elea?" Mother asked, caressing my face. "Yes, Mother, I am. I can't wait to discuss plants and magic with them," I replied with a bright smile. "Good girl. I know you're nervous since it's your first time attending a tea party, but you've got this, our Elea," Father said with encouraging words, assuring me that I can handle this one-day event. "Thank you, Mother and Father," I said, hugging them both before getting into the carriage to attend the tea party.

On the way to the tea party, in the middle of the forest, there was a young boy with a servant waving to stop the carriage.

"Good day, sir and young miss, may I ask if the young master can join your journey? We encountered a bandit in the west part of this mountain, so we are delayed in our journey. We have enough gold to pay you; we kept it from the bandit," the servant pleaded. "Sure, hop in. We are going to the town of Riegos to attend a tea party. I hope we can give you a short travel to your destination," Eleanor smiled at the young boy and the servant. "Thank you, my lady. Please hop in, young master, and I'll be in front of the carriage," the servant said, assisting the young boy into the carriage. "How old are you, young boy?" Eleanor asked while handing him a candy. "13," he replied. "Wow, you're so young, and I feel old, HAHAHA (Victorian laugh)." "Hmmm, how old are you? I think we're the same age because of your height," he said in disbelief while eating the candy Eleanor gave him. "Hmph, I am 1 year older than you, and my height is normal for girls my age! So why don't we become friends? I think you don't have a friend, and you should be friends with me since you're eating my snacks, okay?" Eleanor said brightly, convincing the kid to be friends with her. "I cannot be friends with anyone; I am not allowed to," he replied, looking at the scenery outside the carriage. "Hey, everyone is allowed to have a friend. If you're not allowed to, we can keep it a secret!" she said happily, winking at the boy. "Why are you eager to be friends with me? You can have friends with any kid in the town," he replied. "Why not? It's good to have a friend; you can talk to them anytime, and they can help you with your problems," Eleanor replied. "I cannot. If you want to be friends with my family, you have to marry me," the boy replied coldly. "Kyaaaah! Is this a proposal? Uhm, you know I am not of age to marry, but I'll keep that in mind," Eleanor was flabbergasted by the proposal (it's not really a proposal, she's just delusional). They continued their journey, talking about many things and getting closer. Eleanor was still blushing about the marriage topic, but the young handsome porcelain boy did not care about it. He enjoyed talking to Eleanor and may consider her his friend. The carriage stopped. "I guess we have arrived," Eleanor said. The guard opened the door of the carriage. "We're here, my lady." "Thank you for the ride, sir and my lady," the servant said, bowing to them. "Young boy, what is your name?" Eleanor asked. "Damian," he replied. "Damian? No family name? Oh fine, since I am running late to the tea party, I'll remember you, Damian! Let's talk again. Bye, safe travels!" Eleanor waved to Damian while entering the residence of Reigrouh. "I'll remember her too, Rei," Damian said, smiling while leaving with his servant. "She's a good person, my lord," Rei said to Damian.

In the tea party, in the Residence of Reigrouh. Reigrouh is a noble family like the Edenbourgh. Both are loyal to the Royal palace, and both have strong connections since they are the wealthiest families from the west—the Edenbourgh—and from the east—the Reigrouh.

"Good day, my ladies, welcome to my tea party. I am Catherine Reigrouh, the only daughter of the duke and duchess of the town Verzani. I host tea parties monthly to socialize and interact with different noble ladies in our country. Please feel at home and let's start forming bonds in our ladyhood," Catherine greeted the visitors.

"Wow, just like the rumor, Lady Eleanor is quite the beauty," Lady #1 murmured. "She is the youngest daughter of Edenbourgh, right?" Lady #2 murmured. "She really inherits the beauty of her mother, the golden blonde hair with those rosy lips," Lady #3 murmured.

"I really want to go home now; the ladies are just talking behind my back," Eleanor thought. "Hi, Lady Eleanor, fancy meeting you here. I thought you would decline my invitation since you are so busy studying and strolling in your town, hahaha," Lady Catherine said to Eleanor. "Like I want to be here, talking to your face," Eleanor thought. "Thank you, Lady Catherine, for inviting me to your tea party today. I really appreciate it," Eleanor said, giving a fake smile to Lady Catherine.

"Please join us at our table, we are about to start our main objective of the day," Lady Catherine said. Eleanor and Lady Catherine sat in chairs with many ladies from different aristocratic families.

"Did you know the prince is coming of age in 5 years, and after that, he will choose one of us to marry him? I want to become a Queen someday, and I think I will have a chance with the prince," Lady Rose squeaked. "Is it too early to think about it?" Eleanor said. "But we all know that the prince will be handsome in the future, and when it comes, I'll dance with him," Lady Catherine giggled. "Right?" Lady #1, #2, and #3 agreed.

The prince had not yet been revealed to the outside of the royal palace to protect him from any assassination attempts. "I know you don't have a type in men, Lady Eleanor, right? Since all you do is study and focus on your town, hahaha. I know you won't understand becoming ladylike," Lady Catherine insulted Eleanor. "This bit—" Eleanor thought. "I am still too young to think about these things, hahaha," Eleanor said, smiling and sipping tea. "Oh no, in the future, you will be married to a nobleman, Lady Eleanor. At least you can suggest the man you want to marry, so you will not regret it later," Lady Felice said. "Yeah, right? We ladies are destined to be married to other noble families to strengthen the connection of our family, and we do not have the right to disagree with it. Picking your taste in men is the only thing we can do," Lady Arietha added.

"Hush, my ladies, the important thing is to marry a fine young man," Lady Catherine said. "Kyaah, yes," Lady #2 and #3 squeaked. "My father told me that I will marry Sir Evan, the emperor's knight," Lady Eriana giggled. "Wow, how did your family do that? Sir Evan is a fine young knight who went to many battles, and together with Sir Liam, they conquer it," Lady Catherine added.

The tea party continued with conversations about many noble men that Eleanor didn't know about. "I want to go home now; maybe social parties are not for me," Eleanor thought.

"Goodbye, ladies. Let's talk again next time! I had a great day, and thank you for coming to my tea party," Lady Catherine bid her farewell to the young ladies who attended her tea party.

"The carriage is prepared, my lady," Sir Leon said. "What do you think, Sir Leon? Has Damian arrived safely at his destination?" Eleanor asked. "Of course, my lady. The young master has his own guard to keep him safe, so I believe he arrived safe and sound," Leon assured Lady Eleanor. "I hope we'll meet again," Eleanor said, looking up at the moon.

This story is open for criticism, it will help me improve better in the future chapters. Thank you and have a blessed day, everyone.