To make a B*tter life

“Next! Clean, Clean, Clean, Clean, Clean, Clean! Next! Next clean! Clean, clean! Next!" the head maid voice downstairs is so loud that I can't even fall back asleep. 

"What is she is doing?" I ask my personal maid, Riena, in a whisper. She smiles while massaging my head sitting beside my bed and responds, "She is checking the house. I heard that her Lady Aila will have her debutante ball in high society next week."

I can hear the excitement in Reina's voice,  my step sister Aila, the one and only daughter of the Duke and Duchess, my beautiful younger step-sister, the first person I was introduced to when I was adopted into this family. Unlike me, she is a noble in birth and has a bright future in high society.

7 years ago, the Duchess adopted me at the age of thirteen after they discovered me in the middle of the woods while I was fleeing from my uncle, who wanted me to wed Don Carlos, an elderly man with three wives. In thought that he can get money from the dowry.

The duke and duchess are on their way back to the North after they travel to the South when they find me dying in the woods, malnourished and body full of scars and bruises from my abusive uncle's beating. The scars are so deep that I still have them today.

As soon as they realized I was an orphan, they adopted me. I am forever grateful for their kindness, they gave me a new life here in the North and bought me clean clothes and clean food. But due to my background, even if they adopted me, I can't still escape the fact that I'm a low birth.

The maids will talk behind my back. Other nobles my age never invited me to a party no one will invite me to a tea party or formal dinner party, as if they're disgusted with my very presence. The maids won't listen to me, won't obey me, not even Reina's sister Elena, whom I saved from the slave market 7 years ago, only Reina, who feels indebted to me for saving her sister until today, serves me with respect. 

Lost in my thoughts I realized that the noise downstairs has stopped. I think the chaos with the head maid is over now. I take a deep breath and hug my pillow for comfort. I lived with the nobles for 7 years and I understood that they are bored people who have nothing else to do with their money. 

That is why they made this debutante ball in high society, a concept that is nothing better than being labeled and judged that a lady is now at age ready for marriage. Lady Aila is now 17 years old, her father the Duke of North, holds the absolute apex of the peerage system. No other bachelorette has the social, political, and financial advantages of a duke's daughter. Many of the nobles will attend her debutante ball, hoping to ask for her hand in marriage. 

"My lady I have heard that His Lordship Rowan will be home in 3 days. To attend the celebration of his sister coming of age ceremony." Reina speaks as she continue massaging my head. 

Golden boy Rowan Thynne Ravenscroft, sole heir to the dukedom. Who is now in place in the military. I have not had any notable contact with Rowan in the past 7 years. He left 6 years ago when I was 14 for military service, he never came back, not once after he left.

He survived his first war to protect the borders, and never came home. Rowan only wrote to the duke and duchess, to tell them he was still alive. Please don't worry. Just like the wars he fought in after that. To the best of my recollection, he is now on the far borders of the east a captain in the military, people here in the north call him rising sun.

"Is it going to be Friday?"  I ask Riena, I guess I'll have to lock myself in my room until the ball then. I have no intention of crossing any pathways in this castle, with Lord Rowan's presence still terrifies me.

Every time I look at him I feel the difference in our status. It is like i'm a beggar, head down, not even worthy or allowed to look up and meet the noble eye of the son of the duke.

"Yes Lady Zoria," the maid nodded after listening to her answer. I closed my eyes and fell asleep once more.

"Zoria," I can still hear my mother calling my name. I always fear the day that the sky will take my mother away from me. She is the only help I can get in this world, the reason why she's important. 

"Will have her buried at dawn." The man with the white hood told me he is the priest I pay for the funeral to perform a sacred spiritual rite.

My relationship with my biological mother is not great, but it's fine. I cannot ask her for more; I'll have whatever love I can take  from her. I want my mother's soul to rest in peace; at least she can rest now after a lifetime of suffering in this world.

I step forward my feet are stepping on the mud. It's still raining. I look at my mother's cheap coffin he wood is now wet because of the rain. I ask the priest, "Is there additional payment for the burial?"

The priest looks at the old man beside him. The old man looks at me from head to toe as if weighing my whole capabilities to see if I can pay or not. He answered, "No, we'll do the work; no additional payment needed."

Quickly he whistled, calling 3 more old men from the side. All three automatically help him carry the coffin. Following them as we all step into the mud, I speak, "I want my mother to be buried under the three at the back of our house." They quickly nod their heads, heading in the direction at the back.

Following my lead, we successfully place my mother in her final resting place. Under the rowan tree at the back of our house. Her favorite tree she stays in here during the day, feeling the daylight. I can still imagine her beautiful face shining more brightly than the day light until depression and suffering take it all away.

"Poor little girl, how would she live now? She's only thirteen; now she's an orphan her relatives will have her marry at no time." I hear the old man's voice as they walk away from me after bidding farewell. The funeral is now over, but the rain is still pouring heavily. I look up at the sky it's dark now, and I'm cold. 

"What do I do from here, Mother?" I whisper, knowing the fact that my uncle will have a useless girl like me marry in no time to sell me and get money from the dowry.

As expected early at 5am the next day, my uncle Ramon arrived at our house following him is my auntie Emela. Who's about to cry, stopping my drunk uncle from violently kicking our house door? I leave the door lock in place, but it's completely useless; our small door breaks so easily in just 3 violent kicks from my uncle. 

The wooden door opens, revealing a 6-inch-tall man with a face full of uncut beards. Uncle Ramon, the 46-year-old man, approached me faster than my small steps. I tried to run, but he caught and grabbed my hair.

"Little skinny rat trying to run away." He speaks, his breath smells like alcohol and spoiled food combined. It makes me want to vomit everything I ate since yesterday out of disgust. "You must prepare in 2 days you will marry Don Carlo." 

Don Carlos? The don has 3 wives! Does he want me to be the 4th? He's really disgusting. 

Don Carlo's a 50-year-old dwarf man with a fat belly old enough to be my grandfather.

I glared at him, ready to speak, disobeying him and rejecting the proposal of marriage. 

When my vision caught my auntie Emela at the back, her face was full of bruises, and her dress was like the dress of a beggar forgotten by her child and family. My whole body suddenly feels cold. Do I share the same future as hers or a depressed life like my mother? If I marry that old man, I will become both I'm sure I'll become both. 

I can no longer take it; I vomit in front of him.  He look at me disgustingly like i'm a low life beggar when he himself is no better. "You little rat clean up and be useful for once." uncle ramon said as he throw a nearby bucket full of dirty water at me.