The Ghost Heiress (On Hold)

Chapter 1: Introduction

I had hope for those people, however.

A few days ago the news had spread like wild fire throughout our clan that Marie Sorenson would be marrying another clan's son.

But this wasn't just another clan. No. She'd be marrying into the Academy clan which was known for having a fair Lord who kept his people well fed and cared for.

Now, the Academy and the Sorenson's had always been enemies. Rumor had it that the founders of both clans had been twin brothers who fought against each other after their father's, the Emperor, death.

The separation of the brothers caused that their clan, the Uta Clan, divided itself in two.

The Sorensons, however, sought to unite with the Academy once more, with a marriage between their heirs. Today was the day that we would be traveling into the Academy's territory to stay at their Clan house in hopes of convincing the Academy to go ahead with the marriage.

"Sang!" Marie's screech pulled my thoughts away from the possibilities of the future straight back to my wretched present. "Hurry up!"

I sighed quietly, knowing she wouldn't hear it above all of her screeching. "Yes, Marie-sama."

......

Once I was finished dressing Marie-sama I went to prepare myself, donning one of the kimonos used by all servants of the Sorenson household as a symbol of their low status.

The kimono was made of a scratchy cloth in a blue-gray color that made me think of cloudy skies.

We would all be traveling into the Academy's territory soon, me and the other servants by foot and our Lord's family in their palanquins, which were pushed by horses, thankfully.

Once everyone was settled and the procession began its long march toward the neighbor clan I walked over to the front and sneakily sat down besides the driver of the palanquin.

Wil-kun smirked at me, but didn't tell me to get off.

He, Karen-chan and I were all childhood friends, forced to work for the Sorenson at their household since we were ten years of age. Karen-chan was a kitchen maid, Wil-kun their driver and I the personal servant to Marie-sama and, sometimes, her mother.

The three of us had always been close, like family and I really loved them. They were my best friends, the only ones I had.

I also knew that their feelings for each other weren't of the friendly kind. They were in love with each other, but as far as I could tell, trying to deny it.
We talked quietly during our journey, catching up with everything that had happened while we were separated by our respective jobs.
When we arrived at the Academy clan's main house I gaped in wonder at the beauty and artwork of the place.
The Sorenson's household was so plain and bare, with the exception of Marie's rooms since she always got whatever she wanted.

The Academy's clan household looked like a fortress, with its enormous front gate open for our entrance.

The buildings inside were composed by the main house which was three stories tall, a carriage house and a servant's hall.

The buildings were all connected among themselves and looked beautiful, with wood decorations and carvings everywhere. The gardens were colorful, with cherry blossoms and other plants as well as a fountain and a little lake which had a small bridge crossing it.

I knew I would love to have the opportunity of walking through those gardens, but as a servant it was better that I avoid them.

I left Wil then to return to my post in our procession before my Lord's family saw me. The mistress would be furious and the following punishment would leave me hurting for days.