El Surtido (The Assortment)

I

Wooo wooo woo! Every morning, I wake up to the familiar screeching of the siren. It is a signal for us in the escalva class (or the servant class) to wake up and be ready to work in the pabrica, the factories built by the government after the Great Purge. That event happened almost four years ago. That was the time my father, a duke, has disappeared without a trace. On that day, I lost not only my loving father, but also my title as a condesa (countess), my residence, everything. I lost everything. According to the Birthright Act, a person without a royal or noble title will be classified as a commoner. However, since my father was branded as a criminal by the court, I lost my titles to the government and became part of the escalva class. My name lost its importance and became just any other escalva. 

My name is Amadea Rivera, the Condesa de Realencia, daughter of His Grace, the Duke of Realencia in the Kingdom of Catalunan. My friends and my tios and tias still call me "Condesa" or "'Desa" but I ask them not to do so, I don't want them to be punished because of me. Tia Letizia once served me in my residence, and she still could not believe that we are of the same rank today. I felt bad for her and all the other members of our staff as they all had to lose their ranks, and were demoted as escalvas de pabricas. As you can see, servants serving the royalty and the nobility will have a higher status and importance, compared to servants working in factories. Tia Letizia and the other staff members took me in, even though they can hardly spare anything for themselves. I always remind myself that when I get my title and power back, I will give something back to the people who I consider now my fathers, mothers, and siblings.