Lady Mary: Royalty or Casualty?

Chapter One

Chapter One

                Sunlight passed through the translucent window of the limousine as it passed by the vineyards of Vineyard Valley, a place named after its major product. Grapevines covered the entire field which my dearest father owned. He once brought me into the fields and taught me how to make wine out of it. I wore workers’ uniform that was specially made to make things more comfortable. Once, I wore it to my bed and got a long rant from my mother afterward.

                Vineyard Valley is only a part of our country, Monsterre, a small country that grew from a volcano in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Our country was composed of seven regions: Paddy Fields, Woodcraft Mountains, Palm Island, Fisherman River, Waterworks Hills, Garden Plateaus, and our very own Vineyard Valley.

                Monsterre was discovered by the Latin tribes when the Black Death dominated over Europe. Monsterre never meant monster, it came from Mons and Terre which meant ‘mountain’ and ‘land’ in Latin, respectively. Monsterre was never noticed in the war—which was a really good relief since Monsterre can never fight at that period—and merely stared at the nations killing each other.

                However, hiding was until the war ceased. Monsterre was later owned by United Kingdom—but at least, they chose Australia to be their prison continent and left us with nothing gone and nothing gained—except using English as our official language. But, Latin is still widely used in Monsterre.

                “You’re not supposed to take all the time staring out in the window, are you, Your Highness?” asked Harrison, my butler, through the window.

                I shook my head and got off the car as he opened the door for me. I thanked him and grabbed my bag from his shoulder. “You shouldn’t have bothered getting my bag, Harry, I can do it myself,” I said.

                “No, Your Highness, you’re royalty…and you’re a lady!” he retorted and gave me a slight bow.

                I sighed and check my iPhone. It wasn’t time to get inside the rooms yet. “But, I still have hands. I’m still human…like you.”

                He was left dumbfounded and silenced. I gave him a smile and entered the gates of my school, Shakespeare Royal Academy. I found nobles lining up on the gate and bowed together as I entered. I paused, “Should I really use the back gate to avoid these?”

                One of them raised his head; it was the Crown Prince Hamish of Waterworks, who happened to be a close friend of mine. He ran toward my way and held out an offering hand. Hamish was a tall handsome guy with blond hair, green eyes, and slightly sinewy arms.

                “Allow me to escort you for this day, Lady Mary,” spoke Hamish. His younger sister, the Princess of Waterworks, Stylle, threw rose petals on our way. She always does that in every time I enter the school. Stylle had blonde curls that reached half of her back with a big bow on her hair and green eyes, like her brother’s.

                I merely nodded and was pleasured to have Hamish escort me on that day. Normally, boys push each other to escort me—which was not really necessary, but they call it a ‘chance to hold Lady Mary’. I totally have no idea why I was given this luxury everyday. My face isn’t that beautifully blest—I only have two eyes, one nose, a mouth, and a couple of ears—nothing special actually. The girls usually glare at me for no apparent reason. I’m not even smart. My grades usually range from a B to an A—no A+ like Stylle does.