CHAPTER ONE

Somania, Year 1600

"SHE really is the most hard-headed child. Such a disgrace on their Noble House."

"She is."

"Last time, her Nanny was looking for her everywhere. Everyone, even the butlers, helped in finding her but to no avail."

"Yes, I also heard about that. The Nanny was so afraid, they say, that William would fire her when something bad happened to that stubborn child."

"So where's the child then?"

"Just ducking under a table in the library, reading an old book."

The murmurs subsided when Lady Ariela and her daughter, Arwina, passed along the gossipers. They came from the House of Trevoki, known as the wittiest and the most clever house along Somania.

"Mother, I think they are talking about our family," Arwina whispered to her mother.

"Let them be. They just don't have anything to do so they decided to talk about other people's lives," Ariela answered in a whisper. Wearing their usual garments, they walk their way towards the carriage and then head back home.

The Trevoki family is part of the Noble Houses. There are four Noble Houses inside the Kingdom of Somania. Let me present you the Houses of Vanader, Trevoki, Evergreen and Acresia.

The Noble House of Vanader, House of Bold and Fierce. They were known as the strongest house. They tend to have a fierce impression along the Kingdom as they have lots of their relatives serving as soldiers of the Palace. They are represented with their House sigil; a lion.

The Noble House of Trevoki, House of Wit and Wile. Known as the wisest house around Somania. They are the house closest to the Royal Family because they are scholars who advises the King. Their House sigil is a raven.

The Noble House of Evergreen, House of Purity and Peace. This house is the most conservative one. They are known to have high regards on their image. Their role is to maintain peace through the Kingdom. They're presented with a white dove.

And lastly, the Noble House of Acresia, House of Power and Wealth. The most known to people and the crowd's favorite. They are givers and good to others no matter what their class are. They are in-charge with the finance department of the Kingdom. Their signage is a grizz bear.

There are other elite Houses but did not make it to the nobility. They stayed as commoner Houses below the Houses of these four. The highest of the Houses is called the Royal House which the royalty belongs; the family of Fierro.

When they arrived at the mansion, Ariela and Arwina found William disciplining Abigail, the second on the three daughters of Trevoki. Abigail is already six years old. Arwina is nine and the youngest, Andrea, is two.

Abigail has been the most stubborn among the three. She's being branded as the family's black sheep. Her aunties doesn't like her for being hard-headed. They are keeping their children away from Abigail because they don't want them, their children, to adapt the bad behaviour of the child.

"William, what's happening here?" Worriedly, Ariela came closer to her husband. Abigail is crying loudly while kneeling on the ground with sharp salts in it. Arwina ran hurriedly to her sister and hugged her tightly.

"She is getting worse each day. Where did she got that kind of demeanor?" William answered in a heated tone.

"Please calm down. What really happened here?" Ariela asked while caressing the back of her enraged husband.

"She ran away, making her Nanny ran after her and chase her inside the whole mansion. Some expensive vases we bought abroad fell and now broken." Ariela tries to calm William down while Arwina is caressing her sister to make her stop wailing. Arwina took the latter to her room.

"Sshh...hush now, Abigail. Please don't do that again," said Arwina, trying to tell Abigail a lesson. But instead of stopping, Abigail's wail became louder.

"Are you mad at me too?" She asked her older sister while wiping her tears on her cheeks. Arwina leaned closer and hugged Abigail again.

"No, I'm not. But please, stop being stubborn, okay? Promise me you won't do that again." Abigail looked at her sister's eyes before giving her a dubious nod.

Later that evening, the elders in the House were discussing something in the dining hall while the children were on there slumber. The conversation was serious and seems like they are arguing with each other.

"We must act as early as now before we're late," Madelaine said. She's one of the younger sisters of William. She's a vicious woman with a very intimidating face. She's smaller than Ariela but emits a bigger façade. She have a round, pale face with thin lips and big eyes. Her hair is brunette and her cheeks and collar bones were imminent. And her eyes, although big, were sharp, cat-like and can pierce someone just by staring.

"She's still too young Madelaine," said Ariela with an agonizing tone while clinging on her husband's strong arms. They are talking about Abigail, the family's black sheep.

"She's giving shame on our house. We need to get rid of her now," Adeleida, another younger sister of William, agreed with her sister's suggestion. William keeps heeping a sigh while listening to her younger siblings' sentiments.

"Let's say I agreed, where would we send her then?" William asked. Ariela looked at her husband with eyes widened by shock. She can't digest what she just heard.

"William don't tell me you are agreeing with their ridiculous idea?" Ariela asked her husband, still surprised. William just held her hand and squeezed it. He looked at her right in the eyes and nodded. Ariela felt flabbergasted. She can do nothing but to wail. She know and she is well-aware that when it comes to the House, she can't hold a decision. Only the Head of the House have a say when it comes to the family's welfare.

"I will write to Prezy, my friend outside Somania. She's an owner of a huge library in Vithicus. She would live there with her and in exchange for her education. But she would need to help Prezy with all the works in the library. I hope she would learn a lesson or two after staying there," Adeleida answered the question of William.

"No! You can't keep my daughter away from me!" Ariela shouted hysterically. She even rose from her seat.

"Sshh. The children might get awaken by the noise," said William, trying to calm her down. He assisted Ariela to her seat who is still crying.

"Well, we can't do anything to discipline the child. Her attitude is inappropriate. We should take actions while she's still young. I know you don't want a monster to ruin you in the future, do you?" Madelaine argued. She didn't even flinched with Ariela's outburst.

"But I still have the rights to decline it, right? After all, I am still her mother!" Ariela countered while wiping her tears and suppressing her sobs.

"Listen honey, this is the best thing to do right now. It doesn't mean that when we send her away, she's not our daughter anymore. She must be away but she's still our child. We need to do this for her own sake. Can you understand me?" Ariela looked unto her husband's eyes. Slowly, she started to calm down.

"But Vithicus is a little too far from herep. Can we just send her near here? Even just inside Somania?" Ariela said in a low voice and a pleading eyes.

"Abigail is known as a willfull child and the whole Somania knows about that truth. No one would accept her inside the Kingdom," Adeleida said in a non-chalant manner. She's so sure about what she's saying.

"I don't think– I don't think I can send my daughter away." Ariela covered her face with hands and starts crying again. She can no longer hold her sobs that turns into a wail.

"What did you just said? You would send Abigail away?" Erevan, Williams youngest sibling and his only brother, just arrived and heard about the commotion. Erevan is the only one who has been friendly to Abigail. They would play and tease each other everytime they meet.

"Yes. That brat needs to be disciplined," Madelaine answered nonchalantly. A sad emotion was registered on Erevan's face before he left the dining hall. He went straight to his niece's room and found Abigail sleeping peacefully like a princess. He silently went closer and caressed the child's hair.

"Seems like I would not see you for a long time," he muttered. He smiled bitterly before pulling the blanket and made sure the child won't get cold.

"I hope you'll be better on that place you'll end up to," he whispered before walking back to the door. Abigail suddenly woke up from her slumber and saw his Uncle walking away from her.

"Uncle Van?" Erevan looked back on her niece and saw the childe being awaken. He just smiled at her.

"Goodnight little princess," he said before walking out of the child's room and closing the door behind him.

~~~~~

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form are considered plagiarism.

Oxford University

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