chapter one

Light streamed through my bedroom window, cascading across the wooden floors. I tried to shield my eyes from the intruding sun, but there was no point. I was already awake. Reluctantly, I wiggled out from under my fluffy duvet and stretched my fingers up toward the ceiling. This wasn’t a day I had been looking forward to, but I may as well get it over with.

Today was my sixteenth birthday, and I had been dreading it all year.

Within the kingdom of Isalla, a young woman typically made her debut into society when she turned sixteen. There was usually a party where the lady would be dressed up like a porcelain doll and pranced around to all the guests. It was definitely not my version of fun, especially when you considered that I preferred to avoid proper society altogether. Along with the general flaunting, I would also be expected to meet multiple young suitors. Since I was no princess, or even a high-ranking noble, I was only anticipating men who chose me solely for my appearance or family business—not exactly true love material.

While tousling my blonde curls, I picked up a small brass hand mirror from my bedside table. If I was honest, there wasn’t much to look at. My hair was probably my only selling point as a pure golden blonde, but the rest of my physique was rather average. My eyes were a pale, uninteresting blue, and freckles dotted across my nose and cheeks on my otherwise plain face. As I crossed the room to pull on a lavender day dress, I was forced to cinch in the corset as tight as it would go. My waist was a desirable width, but unfortunately, the rest of my body matched it in size. I had always been petite, but today it was going to be blatantly obvious when I was compared to the other ladies in town. I sighed at the thought, already dreading the oncoming gossip.

High-ranking society was nothing more than bored, spoiled brats. There were plenty of other ways I would have liked to spend my birthday. Unfortunately, my preferences didn’t matter when my parents’ reputation was involved. I turned back to my closet and continued dressing as comfortably as a lady could without being side-eyed by her family.

After tugging a few garments out of the carved cedar wardrobe, I let my fingers linger on the wood for a moment. I had always adored this piece of furniture. Typically, I wasn’t interested in keeping up with the trends on material possessions, but I was an occasional snob when it came to furniture pieces.

I blamed that part on my family. The Lockly family had been designing and crafting furniture for generations. It wasn’t until my father’s generation that he expanded upon the business, turning his wealth into the formal title of lord. Our estate was rather small compared to the other nobles, but my parents made up for it in finesse. Every inch of the house was covered in the finest art, tapestries, rugs, and even custom sculptures. With everything always looking so new, I found myself growing attached to the parts that were still old. I shut the creaky wardrobe carefully, then headed down for breakfast.

As I stepped through the ornate halls, I took my time making my way to the dining room. My footsteps echoed off the wooden floors. The house was far too large for a family of three, in my opinion. Even with a healthy-sized staff, the halls resonated with a cold silence from the lack of life in the walls. Soon after I left my bedroom, I found myself facing the entrance to the dining room. I passed through the mahogany doors and was instantly greeted by the dull expressions of my parents.

Mother passed me a quick look before returning to her tea, not acknowledging me in any other way. Her blonde curls were tucked into a perfect braided bun, which rested just behind her ears. Father never bothered to look up as he cycled between bites of breakfast and the stack of papers he was scribbling on. His blue eyes were completely out of sight with his head lowered, so I could only see the top of his graying light hair. I huffed to myself discreetly, feeling rather annoyed that they picked today of all days to ignore me.

“Good morning, Mother. Morning, Father,” I addressed them flatly as I made my way to my seat. Birthday or not, breakfast time with my family was always dreadfully boring.

Usually, my mother would spend the morning nodding blankly while Father complained about politics and business. I was often forced to endure their conversations in silence, since, according to my mother, a lady shouldn’t have so many opinions on such business. However, this morning, they were both unusually quiet. My eyes darted suspiciously between the two of them as I unfolded my napkin into my lap.

“Good morning, Aurelia.” Mother acknowledged me with a side glance as she mostly glared at Father. “Happy birthday, dear,” she muttered the words plainly with a half-hearted smile before turning her head back toward Father. Clearly, whatever she wanted her husband’s attention for was far more important than her only child’s birthday.

“Thank you, Mother,” I mumbled, matching her feigned enthusiasm. She could at least pretend to care.

Ignoring my mother’s dismissive attitude, I turned my attention to my meal and felt my mood instantly brighten. The kitchen staff certainly cared about my birthday because they had prepared my favorite breakfast. A steaming bowl of honeyed porridge topped with fresh berries sat tantalizingly in front of me. The rest of my family hated porridge, but I loved how versatile the dish could be. I let a slight smug grin cross my face when I finally caught notice of my mother’s distasteful expression directed at her bowl. It was a good feeling to know that the staff cared more about my birthday than my parents’ displeasure. I shot a gleeful grin in the kitchen’s direction and received a few friendly smiles in return. They were all peeking through the door, attempting to get a glimpse of my reaction—and seemed rather pleased with my response.

Scooping up an oversized bite, I relished in the sweet and tart flavors with an audible exhale. Mother shot me a stern look and waited for me to correct my posture before turning back to Father. Ladies weren’t supposed to visibly enjoy their food or take exceedingly large bites. Once her attention was redirected away from me, I snuck another massive spoonful without regret. As I continued to inhale my delicious meal, Mother suddenly cleared her throat.

Expecting another scolding, I looked up from my meal, but the gesture was directed at Father, instead. He turned his attention to his wife, who gave him a barely visible nudge from under the table. I couldn’t quite tell what she was trying to communicate to him until Father put his quill down to finally look at me.

Oh no. What have I done this time?

“Aurelia,” Father rested his hands atop the table, then shifted his body so he was fully facing me. “as you are aware, today is your birthday and your official debut celebration.” I squirmed in my seat as I wondered where this was going, while Father shot a quick glance at Mother, who nodded for him to continue. “Amongst the festivities tonight, you will be greeted by a few young lords and other prospective gentlemen.”

I swallowed hard. Was my dad about to give me courting advice? I continued fidgeting awkwardly, unexcited about this topic. Father never seemed to care about my social interests before, unless they could potentially diminish his reputation. Mother was noticing my unladylike behavior, and thankfully, she didn’t interrupt Father to say anything.

“I am well aware, Father,” I cut him off quickly, hoping to stop him before he started. “I believe I can handle determining which gentlemen would be proper to dance with. There is no need for you to worry about me getting swept up in a vulgar man’s affections.” I sipped my tea nervously as he shot me a disapproving look at my unrefined behavior.

“Please listen when your father is speaking,” Mother scolded with a firm look. She clearly wasn’t in the mood for my typical behavior today. I gave her a remorseful smile, but internally remained frustrated from the constant restrictions of speech. Ladies aren’t allowed to interrupt anyone, either.

“As I was saying,” Father continued in his clear rigid voice, then tugged at his collar, looking slightly reddened at my mention of the young men, “amongst the men you will be introduced to Lord Dugal’s son, Theodore.” He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making me feel uneasy. He always tapped his fingers when he was anxious to say something. “I wanted to suggest that you spend the majority of your evening entertaining the young Lord Theodore. You may dance with a few other gentlemen to maintain appearances, but do not waste your time with them on conversation.” He reached for his tea cup and took a long sip while I stared at him agape.What on earth was he talking about?

“I beg your pardon, Father,” I began while placing my spoon on the table. Something wasn’t quite right here. “I thought this was my debut? Is not the intent for me to establish my presence with all the young lords? If I direct my attention to only Lord Theodore, then how am I meant to receive a variety of interest on my future hand in marriage?” I looked toward both my parents in confusion.

Honestly, I didn’t care to receive any marriage proposals. I was barely sixteen, and though that made me legal to wed with my parents’ permission, I wasn’t ready for that stage of life. I was more interested in why I had to subject myself to only one pompous lord tonight. At least allow me to entertain myself with a variety of stupidity throughout the evening. What made Theodore so special anyway?

“Aurelia, dear,” Mother said with a little less patience in her tone. Despite my questions being directed toward him, Father had already withdrawn from the conversation and returned to his papers. “What your father means to say is that acquainting yourself with Lord Theodore may be in your best interest.” She gave me a plastered smile and I could feel myself growing annoyed as they continued to dodge my questions.

“To what interests are you referring to?” I smiled back with gritted teeth. My family was far too proper for their own good. They had mastered the art of speaking endlessly while simultaneously saying nothing at all. Mother looked up from her breakfast once again to address me with even more irritation behind her blue eyes.

“The interests of the Lockly family, of course,” Her voice was shrill and sweet, but she still wasn’t telling me something.

“What do you mea—”

“It’s only business, dear,” Father didm’t even bother to look up. Of course, he could cut me off without issue, but when I did the same, it was improper. I scowled but he just continued. “The Dugal family has been working alongside ours for decades now. They run the finest lumber mill in all the kingdom and have always provided quality materials for our crafters.” He flipped to a new page and scratched a new line of words across the document.



Tags: Abigail Manning The Emerald Realm Fantasy