~Introduction~
Hello! Nice to know someone is reading this♡ Also, sorry for the bad artwork, it was so you could get a rough idea of the character's appearances and what was going on!
This is a story set in a very large school for royalty and those of extreme wealth, talent and intelligence. The age range of the students is from ages eleven to eighteen. Every year, there is an election for the most "perfect" student, and then the Queen makes the final decision of who gets to become a "card". Our story starts with a very brainy fourteen year old named Harper, who is chosen to be in the House Of Royal Cards. But once she arrives and meets the other cards, she realises their lives aren't as perfect as they seem, and the scandal, drama and secrets, and the truth behind the House Of Royal Cards might be too much to take.
"And the new Club Chair is..."
The deafening drumroll resounded in the dark hall, and the students waited impatiently to know which of the ten selected students on stage was elected to move to the special school specifically for the nine most gifted students. Suddenly, a spotlight flashed and as the students blinked rapidly to see who had taken the place of Club Chair, a shower of white rose petals fluttered down from the ceiling.
"Harper Darlington!!"
The students clapped as Harper stood in a daze. Although she acted calm and elegantly while receiving her cape of white roses and golden club badge, she was giddy with joy on the inside.
Harper was a very intelligent and hardworking student, always behaving with grace and maturity.
She took all her classes very seriously, but her favourite class was poetry. Since joining the academy, she'd worked extremely hard to become the Club Chair, and now, at the age of fourteen, her goal was achieved.
Two Chairs entered with warm smiles. First entered the King Chair, the handsome and adored Harry Evans.
He entered and kindly bowed to Harper. Next came the beloved and beautiful Queen Chair, Anastasiya Honour, who stopped and stared at Harper for a short while, before she beamed and gently hugged her.
Harper was surprised at this, before she smiled in return even so.
"Greetings, Miss Darlington. Anastasiya and I will take you to your new residence and answer all your questions about your new lifestyle. Your belongings have been packed and taken to your new room. Please, follow us." Harry said, and he rested his hand on her lower back and escorted her off the stage. Anastasiya turned to the other selected students and smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry for the disappointment, but the votes were very close and you all should be proud. And you all will soon receive a badge of honour." She said, before following Harper and Harry.
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Harper, Harry and Anastasiya walked through the school grounds before finally approaching two large iron gates, which were in front of a beautiful rose garden and had the words 'House Of Royal Cards' in gold on the top. Anastasiya pushed a gold key into Harper's hands.
"There you are, Club Chair. Since it's your first time here, you may open the gate." She said.
"Thank you so much!" Harper smiled, and she went to open the gate, but hesitated. Is this really happening right now? She thought to herself. Harry touched her arm gently, concerned. Harper shook her head and then pushed the key in and twisted it. There was a satisfying click and the gates opened wide. She stepped into the garden and some butterflies danced past. She gazed about in wonder and began walking towards the beautiful building that sat in the near distance...
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Once inside after some exploring of the gardens, Harper and Harry were chatting together happily, already great friends. Anastasiya watched them thoughtfully. Finally, she broke into the conversation and reminded Harper that she still needed to go to her room, unpack, meet her maid, and get ready for dinner. Harry coughed apologetically and laughed.
"Allow me to escort you to your room, Miss Club." Said a tall man in black clothing. It was obvious that he was a butler, but he looked very young in comparison to the butlers in the main academy. Harper guessed he was only about seventeen.
"Thank you, sir." Harper said, and the butler nodded.
"With pleasure, Miss Club."
They walked through the building and up a staircase.
"The House Of Royal Cards is a lot smaller than I imagined..." Harper said to herself, and the butler nodded.
"Well, there is only nine students living here, and the staff, maids and butlers like myself live in a small building in the garden."
Harper followed the butler and he unlocked her bedroom door for her, which had a gold club badge on it. The room was very spacious. The walls, carpet and ceiling were white and the room and contained a very large bed, a balcony hidden by gold curtains, a gold bookshelf, an ensuite bathroom covered with dark red and white tiles, a white dressing table, a dark red desk and a white walk-in wardrobe. There was a very large mirror on the wall and a large vase of fresh red and white flowers on a small gold table by the enormous bed, which was covered with a dark red duvet and gold pillows.
"Most of the bedrooms are like this, but you may decorate it as you like. Your luggage is in the corner, and I've put your room key on your desk for you." The butler said, and he opened the curtains to reveal the sun low in the sky and casting a pink glow on the beautiful garden view. "I'm going to leave you now. Your maid will be here shortly to help you unpack and get ready for dinner here. Enjoy your evening, Miss Club."
The butler left and Harper couldn't contain her excitement anymore. She ran and jumped onto the bed, giggling, enjoying how soft and large it was.
"I can't believe I'm really here. After so long." She sighed, and she started to waltz around the room, laughing. Her maid entered silently and watched in mild amusement and admiration. When Harper noticed her, she stopped abruptly and blushed.
"You dance beautifully." The maid said, and she curtseyed.
"Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you." Harper returned, and she curtseyed back. The maid is also very young. She looks younger than me... Harper thought. The maid had a bright smile and was quite petite, with waist-length blonde curls and large child-like ocean-blue eyes. She was wearing a frilly maid-cap and a long brown dress with a white apron and black flat shoes.
"Pray tell, how old are you and what is your name?" Harper asked. The maid smiled wider.
"My name is Ida Hope, Miss. My age is thirteen, Miss."
Harper nodded. "I see. I hope we can become great friends!"
Ida nodded. "I would like that too, very much, Miss." Then she headed into the corner of the room and started unpacking the luggage, while Harper put everything where she wanted it kept. They finished unpacking after a couple of hours, and the room felt more homely and comfortable than before.
"Now, we must get you ready for dinner! You are still in your pretty gold dress from the ceremony!" Ida chuckled, and she seated Harper at her dressing table. "Your hair is wonderful, Miss. It's such an interesting colour."
Harper closed her eyes. "Thank you, Ida."
Ida removed Harper's tiara and undid her high ponytail, then brushed her hair carefully. Just then, a knock on the door interrupted them. Ida put down the brush and opened it. Harper recognised the face at once.
"Hello. You're the new Spade Chair, aren't you?" Harper said, and she stood up to greet the visitor.
"Yes, I am. I just wanted to introduce myself, since I'm new here too. My name is Celia Evangeline."
Harper and Celia both curtseyed to each other.
"I'm excited to meet the rest of the Chairs at dinner, aren't you?" Harper asked with a smile. Celia blushed a bit.
"Indeed! I have already met the King Chair, Queen Chair and the Heart Chair. Everyone else is a mystery!" Celia responded, and her bright green eyes sparkled. They looked strange against her very pale, porcelain skin, with their black lashes contrasting with her pale, blonde hair. As Harper looked at her in interest, Celia grabbed her hand.
"Let's go out into the gardens and explore, shall we?"
Harper shook her head. "I'm sorry. I need to get ready for dinner."
Celia drooped. "That's no fun. See you at dinner!"
After she left, Harper turned back to Ida with a raised eyebrow. "She was... interesting?"
Ida chuckled and continued to brush Harper's light brown hair.
"Well, wait until you see how interesting everybody else is at dinner!"
To be continued... ♔