Aria POV:

"Good evening family".

I greeted while heading to the small dinning room we had opposite the living room. The only thing that separated our living room from the dinning room was a fancy silk curtain.

"Good evening love, how are you doing?" Mother asked sitting on the dinning room chair close to father with a blank expression.

"I'm cool. Where's Michael?" I asked.

"He isn't back from work yet". Father answered.

"Oh".

To clear your confusion friends. My name is Aria Daniel and I'm from a family of 4. We aren't that rich neither are we poor. In our today's world we use donkeys for transportation only the royal families and nobles uses carriages and horses. We peasants wear silk, sack and other old fashioned wears while the royalties and nobles wears chiffon, cotton and other expensive wears.

The peasants doesn't mingle with the royalties neither do we have any thing to do with the nobles. Peasants marries peasants, nobles marries nobles and finally royalties marries royalties very simple and precised.

Coming down to my simple family I am the second child and also the only daughter of my parents. I've got an elder brother called Michael Daniel and he works as a Carpenter as his profession, he is quite popular in the village for his creativity. My father is a wine producer and the village loves the taste of his wine. My mother is a baker and she sells her bakeries to different restaurants and homes. And I Aria Daniel is a school nurse, yeah I'm the only person who studied science than go for art. I work in a close by school clinic and take good care of the students and teachers, every one knows me for the kind treatment I render to them.

That's all you can know about me and my family and we are always happy.

"Aria where is your mind?" Father asked with an annoyed expression.

"I apologise for such behaviour". I replied.

"There's something we want to discuss as a family but we'll have to wait for your elder brother ". Father said calmly.

"Why do we have to wait for him". I asked simply.

Is not like my big bro isn't part of the family or maybe you're thinking I dislike my bro but no, I just had to ask, it was unusual for him to say so.

"Because this might be the last time we'll discuss as a family". Mother replied care freely.

"Why?" I asked just immediately as curiosity took over my mind.

Why are the both of them talking in simple riddles I don't still understand.

"Let your brother return first". Father answered.

"Okay". My mind answered while I stared at them with little annoyance.

Speaking of the devil he arrived and went straight into the kitchen washed his hands and sat down on his normal spot and started eating his meal. I never took time to study the food in front of me. It was spaghetti and stuck fish my brother's favorite.

"So who is telling Her?" My brother asked nonchalantly.

"Son be careful the way you throw out messages". Father spoke as coldness laced out from his voice.

"I'm not telling her anything either". Mother spoke openly.

What the hell are this people trying to tell me. Their attitude this evening is so off.

"What is that you all want to tell me?" I asked sounding calm.

My father gets annoyed by everything, which is unusual, mother is being too calm and nonchalant, my brother is also acting strange and lastly I'm just a confused person all at once.

"Dear, we received an invitation from the palace and you're been called to participate in the ceremony tomorrow". Father replied trying so hard to speak gently.

The words made me snort and eventually chuckle. I participate in such ceremony. What a joke.

All mother did was stare at me.

My face fell. My eyes widen in fear as my lips quiver in the process.

"W... What?" I stuttered as she blurred from the tears falling from my eyes.

"He isn't joking Aria, It's all true". Mother answered calmly.

Why is she so calm about this. I'm not happy about this. I'm going to lose everything because of this stupid tradition.

"No, return the invitation back to them and tell them you don't have a daughter ". I said feeling desperate to get out of this shit.

"Dear we all know It's impossible, we can't do anything, we begged but they still insisted". Father tried to explain.

"These are all rubbish. Brother what's father saying? Tell me you disagree with all he's saying". I asked but he was silent.

"Mother".

She too was also silent.

"Just go ahead with it Aria, It's crystal clear, we can't do any thing about it". Mother answered in a supportive tone.

Is she crazy. Why is she supporting this? Why will a mother let her daughter pass through such pain? Something is really off here.

"Why are agreeing to this mother? Do you hate me all of the sudden? Are you happy to see your only daughter pass through torture in that palace? Every young woman who goes into that palace as a royal maid looses their Virginity, they can never return after they are 40 years old, they won't experience love but only hatred, they can't marry at a convenient age, have kids and make a family. So tell me why you're in support of this?"

I yelled out loud as tears filled my eyes. I was disappointed at my parents sudden decision.

Instead, I completely lost it.

"Tell her father". Michael finally spoke up as anger was evident on his face.

Father released a sigh and spoke.

"Aria. We owe a lot of people in this village, we went borrowing so that we could train you in school of nursing. Our profession didn't fetch us enough money to train you into school that's why we went borrowing. The problem at hand is, the people we owe are after you. If we don't raise their money on time they have threatened to kill you... "

"That's why I'm in a full support of this invitation. If you eventually get to be a royal maid you'll be safe in the palace". Mother interjected as tears filled her eyes.

"Who the hell are they? Stupid morons. You know, I'll work my ass off and pay them all their money ".

I suggested but my father shook his head in disagreement I looked at my brother but he sat down silently and stared at his food and mum looked at me with fear and worries in her eyes.

" No, I disagree with all this. Why will you all make sudden decisions for me. You discussed this without my presence, my opinion. I hate all of this, all of it. My life is ruined, everything I ever dreamed of is been tarnished because of this land custom and tradition. I'll loose everything, my plans for this family, my happiness, my hope and faith, I won't find love and have kids or even make a family. I'll waste all my years in that prison called a palace. I'll loose everything, every single thing will be gone and taken away from me".

I said as tears fell down from my eyes uncontrollably. Mother stood up from her chair, walk towards me and hugged me trying to comfort me.

"Don't worry much love, you aren't the only one attending the ceremony, other maidens of this kingdom are also invited, there might be a possibility you might not be chosen but just know your family isn't in support of their sudden decisions".

I nodded my head and waited for what's going to hit me the next morning.

My father kept on staring at me with agitation including my brother. Mother held me close as I could feel her tensed muscles.
Non of them were happy about it but what can they do, nothing. It was the king's other.

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Thanks for reading 💙💙💙💙
So guys how was the first chapter 😁
Seriously I'm nervous
If there's any Mistake pls point it out nicely, 😅😅

This is not my first book but It's sure the first one published and completed. This book isn't edited pls try to understand.

Second chapter is updated already