1910, Dawson City, Canada
Usually if you ask a person what they wish to be in life the most prominent answer you will receive is that they want to be rich. They want to be famous and to be an important person in the world. Make history and leave a mark into their lives.
Trust me, it is not all butterflies and rainbows. Take it from a rich person herself.
My name is Clara Revington. I came from a family of elites. My life has been built from money bills, shining jewelries and numerous responsibilities.
If you think about it, you might think I live a perfect life because of the immense riches my family provides me. But, no.
Rich people have their flaws too. They might not be comparable to the problems of the poor but they are still existent.
Marriage, corruption, fraud, betrayal and, the one I hate the most, solidarity.
Who cares if you have a whole lot of this money if you will just be alone all your life? It means nothing.
A lot might think that socialites and aristocrats have a theater full of friends but no, all they have are business partners who are traitors and jealous monsters behind their faux smiles.
Growing up in this environment, I have memorized every move and expression these dogs show each other. Whose lying, who is genuine and who is planning on betraying the latter.
“Clara!” A voice called out from upstairs.
I quickly let go of my pug, Charlotte, before ascending the staircase. I quickly went to the place where the voice echoed only to be face-to-face with my mother who was fixing her hair.
“Me and your father are going on a trip. We have business in town. Now you best keep your cool and behave. Mr. and Mrs.Vaughn will take you in their estate while we are away,” she bluntly told me before she walked off.
I took a big sigh before plopping myself into my mother’s bed. She and my father have seperate rooms. Before, I always knew that a husband and wife should be in one bedroom together, but my mother and father were never the kind to show intimacy.
My parents got married at the ripe age of nineteen because they were betrothed to each other since infancy. Both of them were stripped of their freedom to choose whom they want to marry. Aside from being married, they both must produce an heir that would inherit the Revington riches.
Being with my parents was tough. If they do not love each other, how can they give love to their child? To them, I was a chore. An obligation they must complete to please the public and their family. I grew up in the care of my maids and butlers but even they were forbidden to show such emotions towards me.
Because one drop of emotion is a secret waiting to spill. A secret my family has hidden throughout the years.
I heard the front door open indicating my parents are off to the dock. I went and gave them a quick farewell. I sat on the couches waiting for the Vaughns to pick me up. Our maid put my small bag on the marble table telling me it contains all my clothes.
A knock on the door made me bolt up from my seat. The butler quickly grabbed my bags and offered it to the butler of the woman who is standing on the door. She had auburn hair and a pretty smile plastered on her face. I tried to analyze what sort of emotion was circulating on her face but all I saw was genuine kindness.
“Well, is this not the little girl of the Revington family?” She spoke with a peculiar accent. I gave her a dignified nod in response.
She looked at me with confusion in her smile but she caught herself and twatted the emotion away. Her butler took my bags away as we both rode her automobile.
While on the ride to the Vaughn estate, she kept asking me questions about my life.
“So, when did you turn fifteen years old, Miss Clara? I am sure you had a splendid party!” She spoke.
I internally rolled my eyes before looking back at her and shaking my head in a form of saying no.
“Oh, so you just spent it with your mum and dad? What about your friends?” She eagerly asks, making me annoyed because I didn’t want to talk.
“I do not have friends,” I said to shut her mouth up. At that moment, she stopped talking and thank god, our trip to the Vaughn estate was peaceful.
We arrived in a white marble manor in the countryside of eastern Canada. It was huge and a sight-to-see on the outside. The Vaughn family has always been rich, especially because they had their fair share of British royal blood.
I hopped out of the automobile and took my steps towards the big marble door and proceeded to knock.
“Oh, you should knock three times. It means a family member is with you so they would know I am with you,” Mrs. Vaughn informed me.
After three knocks, the door was opened by one of their maids. She curtsies to me before leading me inside the manor.
The manor had a rococo interior design and had a lot of marble statues that were very pleasing to a person’s sight. I wanted to explore the whole manor and to feast my eyes over the beautiful structures of it but I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I can’t bear to feel anything. Not now and definitely not here.
“I will tell my husband you are here. For the meantime, you can play with some dolls over there. We bought them for you,” she said with a sweet voice before leaving me in the room.
I looked at the corner of the room where there sat newly bought porcelain dolls. I grimaced at the image of them creepily standing on the corner. I never really was the kind who loved dolls. I only had my dog, Charlotte, and that was enough.
I stood up from the couch and started roaming around the manor. Looking for a thing that I could use to pass by. While looking, I stumbled upon a maid who was carrying biscuits.
“Miss Revington, do you need anything?” she asked politely.
“Do children have anything to do in this house? Rather than playing with toys?” I asked in boredom but with respect.
Even though their class is far lower than ours, I want to treat them with the same respect I treat the high nobility. They are humans after all.
She smiled at me before leading me into a narrow way. She pointed at the door after letting go of my hand.
“I believe this is the place you are looking for. When I was child, I never really liked dolls as well. Instead, I buried myself under this very place. I hope you will love it as well as I did.”
When she walked away from me, I quickly opened the big door and was eager to look for whatever was inside the room.
I was greeted with piles of books and chandeliers that looked far more majestic than any place I’ve ever been in.
It was a big and old library.
I hastily rushed to one of the humongous shelves and ran my fingers across the thick paper that was embedded on each cover of a book. The aroma of sweet and musky old books were lingering inside my nose, building a rush of adrenaline in me. Before I could go out of control, I calmed down and started rummaging each book.
Back in our house, there were also tons of books that were placed on a small shelf near my bed. But father and mother made sure to throw away all my fiction books such as fairy tales and poems, varying from William Shakespeare and the brothers Grimm.
The books they left were all non-fiction books that cover most of history, philosophy and language. I never went to any school so the only person who taught me was myself. Sometimes I would pay the butlers to buy me academic books because women are not ble to purchase any learning books.
I slowly eyed each title of each book until I stopped when one of the book titles caught my eye. The name “Peter Pan” was written on the side of the book. I brushed my hands on the green leather cover and pulled it out of the shelf as I sat down on the marble floor to read the storybook I have just discovered.
Hesitant as I may be, I started reading the first lines of the story book when I heard a soft rustle behind me. I was confused with what that sound was but I decided to ignore it and went back to reading.
“Peter is a little boy who decided never to grow up. He lives in a far away Never Land, full of adventures and fun. The children loved to hear stories about him and Peter himself would come flying down and sit on the nursery window sill to hear the stories,” I read carefully.
“Peter Pan? It is not that great honestly. If I were to give it a rating, it would be a six out of ten. If you do really want a great story you should try Hansel and Gretel or Rumpelstiltskin.”
I quickly jumped because of a voice I heard behind me. I immediately threw the hard book on the person’s face without thinking and backed away from him as fast as I could. My heart was pounding really loud and I was trying to calm myself when he spoke another word.
“Ouch! Hey, I was just voicing my opinion.” The boy rubbed the red spot on his head.
“W-what are you doing here?” I asked, trying to hide the hint of nervousness in my voice as I continued to rub my chest to calm myself down.
“Well, this is my family’s estate. I have every right to be here.” He slowly took my hand and dropped himself into a low but elegant curtsy.
“Gavin,” he spoke. “It is nice to finally meet the future heir of the Revington family.”
“Is that what you take me for? Just an heiress to some fortune?” I tried to keep my cool to prevent further outbursts but it made me angry to know that people only see me as something low as that.
“Well, quite frankly, I barely know anything about you. Honestly, everyone does not.”
My heart plunked when I heard those words from him. Like I said, the thing I hated the most was solitude. I had no friends nor acquaintances. My birthday parties were dull and only my maids and butlers were there to accompany me every year. During social gatherings, my parents do not invite me either. Because they are frightened. They are scared of me and the emotions I have. Emotions that would ruin our family’s name.
“Come to think of it, if you want me to know you. Then, we should hang out.” He gave me a grin.
“What do you mean?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Well, you know. Play in the garden, read thousands of story books and eat the biscuits in the dining room. Although, do not tell mother about the last one.” He chuckled.
“So what do you say?” He gave me an encouraging look.
For my whole life, I lived under my family’s shadow and history. Hidden from this world and trained to ignore any hint of emotion coming from my heart. I learned to be an emotionless monster, slowly turning into my parents. I want to play and have fun, to bury my head in books and to… feel love.
Leaving all of the worries and hesitation behind, I grabbed his hand as we both explored the beautiful wonders of the Vaughn Manor. I felt the sweat trickle down my forehead as we both played to death on their playground. From the swings, seesaws and mazes. I felt the bliss of joy in every laughter that escaped from our mouths. We lost ourselves in the big library reading books from history and to story tales.
“So what is your favourite?” He asked with a smile.
“I am still loyal to Peter Pan,” I remarked.
“Well, then I must defeat this Peter Pan so I will be your new favourite, huh?” He gave me a cheeky grin making my heart skip a beat. I quickly ignored the reaction and went on with the rest of the day.
The sky starts to grow darker as the sun begins to set. Both of us were sitting in the garden, eating biscuits that Benedict stole from their kitchen.
“Do they taste good?” he asked. I nodded in response.
He looked at me hesitantly before opening his mouth again. “My family will be leaving for Wales tomorrow.”
I looked down on my feet and felt my shoulders lump. Gavin was the only true person that I have been with where I enjoyed every moment of our time together. To see him go was indeed a disappointment.
He noticed my reaction and without me knowing he plucked a little dandelion from the garden.
“Here is a little promise. When I reach the right age, I will come find you. Let this dandelion be the symbol of my promise.”
He then blew the dandelion making it’s white petals flow in the air as they became one with the sky. As he was focused on the dandelions flying in the sky, I looked at him and started to admire his image. His tousled brown hair, his strikingly green eyes and the smile that never fades. Without noticing words started to slip from my very mouth.
“I could watch you everyday.” A voice said. It took me seconds to realize that the voice belonged to me. Gavin turned his head to face me, his face full of surprise and confusion.
Then, I became anxious. I started to breathe faster. My chest was starting to tighten and my lungs could not hold it anymore. Before I knew it, I was gasping for air. Gavin quickly held both my shoulders and asked me what was happening but I could not reply. I held my mouth and ran away from him as far as I could because I did not want him to know. I did not want him to be afraid of me.
I locked myself inside the gardener’s house and started coughing uncontrollably. Loud coughs were escaping my mouth as I tried to choke for air.
I looked down on my palms to see dozens of purple lilac flowers were escaping my mouth as I coughed.
“Purple lilacs… means first love.” I whispered to myself and gasped.
That was the day I met Gavin Vaughn. That was the day where I first felt the word “love”.
1913, England, Great Britain Years passed ever since that incident occurred and until to this day, I regret everything my 15-year-old self did. I pushed myself way too hard causing a big disaster for my family. A night after it happened, my parents went home quickly and rushed to the Vaughn estate when they heard that I was sick. They did not need to guess what kind of sickness I had. They quickly fetched me from the Vaughn family and broke ties with them as well to ensure my safety. That was the last time I ever saw Gavin. When we got home to our house, nobody spoke a word to each other. The day went on like any other days that happened in our lives and I can not help but to get angry. I expected them to tell me off or scold me but they did nothing. It just shows how much they do not care about me. &
1913, Revington Manor, London, England The image of that certain dandelion still haunts me to this very day. It has been four days ever since that night happened. My mind has been occupied by Gavin for the rest of week and every time his face appears on my mind, my heart can not control itself. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself as I returned to the pile of contracts and papers I had to sign. I have far more important tasks to finish today and I can not be bothered by a person whom I no longer have any contact with. I shook these thoughts away as I started signing away the pile of papers on my desk when I heard a distant knock from the door. A young maid curtsies to me and approaches my desk. “Miss Clara, you have a guest waiting for you downstairs.”
1913, Revington Estate, London, England I was still wrapped around in Gavin’s arms when I realized the danger and risk I am facing when I am close to him. I quickly pushed him away from me and scotched myself to the back, away from him and the child. Gavin looked surprised with my actions but ignored it and turned it to the child who still looked at me with fears in his eyes. “It is alright, Bingley. It is a friend of mine,” Gavin reassures the child. “A-aren’t you sure she is not a witch?!” “No, why would you say that?” he chuckles. “Pink flowers were coming out of her mouth. Lots and
1913, Buckingham Palace,England I woke up in a blurry state as my mind tried to absorb where I was. I felt a soft cushion on my back as I tried to move my body and adjust my eyes to the light but the more I tried to move, the more my body hurted. “No. You shall not move yet.” A voice spoke from somewhere. “W-who is that?” I asked, confused and scared. “It is me. Princess Scarlette. You are in Buckingham palace, Miss Clara.” I tried to open my eyes again when I heard the title “princess”. I could not stay in bed while the Princess. She is part of the royal family and that is something I must acknowledge.
1913, Buckingham Palace, England I was still very much inside the dark room with Princess Scarlette as I tried to wriggle myself out of her grasp. She quickly let go of me as the sound of my breath echoes the closed space of the room. “Princess Scarlette! What were you doing?” I was enraged. To me, somehow, it did not matter that she was a royal princess. What she did was irresponsible and an act of haste. “What was I doing? Ha!” The princess scoffs. “If it was not for me, the servants, the royals and the whole country would know about your little secret. And you have the energy to be mad at me? The one who is helping you?!”
1913, Buckingham Palace, EnglandI took another glance at Gavin who was also staring at me right now. I was happy and very giddy at this moment. Although, the feeling did not last any longer when Gavin had to turn me to another man since the dance was still going on.The dance ended with me and Prince Benedict both still in arms. We took a bow as an appreciation to each other as he led me back to Princess Scarlette‘s table.As quickly as I took my seat, my eyes roamed aroundthe ballroom to catch a glimpse of Gavin but just like the wind he quickly disappeared from my sight.In a snap of a finger, I could not see him and I felt lonely again. It may sound ridiculous
1913, London, England“Well, it was surely a great pleasure to have you around, Miss Revington. It is a shame your stay has come to an end,” The Queen says.It was already my last stay in Buckingham Palace in the royal family so I had to bid them goodbye now.“I am sorry my husband is not able to see you off. Important delegates from Germany will be arriving today in England and he had to attend it. Although, he sends his best wishes and hopes for a great life to you,” The Queen explains in full detail.“Oh, your majesty, please tell the King that I was honoured to stay within the palace and with the royal family. I had a splendid experience and I look forward to meeting and spending ti
1913, Nottingham, EnglandI was incredibly shocked to hear what Lady Monika said. My mind tried to process the words that came out of her mouth but my heart kept telling me not to listen to them. Before I could even react further, Lady Monika brushed past me and quickly rushed toward Gavin without a warning.Gavin was shocked to see Lady Monika rushing towards him but he welcomed her nonetheless.“Good day, lady...?” Gavin tried to ask for her name.“Monika Dietrich! Iche bein, I am the daughter of the Duke of Brunswick. It is a pleasure to meet you kind sir,” Lady Monika proclaimed as she batted her eyelashes at Gavin.“It is
1913, Cambridge, United Kingdom“I am sorry, who are you again?” I was confused as I looked closely at the man standing next to Prince Capsian.What he said sounded incredibly preposterous that I could not even comprehend clearly what is currently happening right now.“Is it just or did I misheard you say “Revington”?” I asked as the man chuckled and shaked his head.“No, madam Clara. You got it right. I am Richard Revington,” The man said as he removes his leather brown gloves and looked at me steadilyin the eyes.“Then why are you here? What is happe
1913, Cambridge, United KingdomI was stumped and very lazy at the same time. I cannot believe that I had to spend most of my time inside this very stuffy freaking college. I mean, at least I have Prince Benedict, Franklin and Finn here but these other people are just the worst.I always seem to have eyes that look at me differently because I am a woman. Well, I can not blame them that much because the only classmates or boardmates they have met are always men and this is probably the first time that they saw a woman. But at least they could have given me some respect and some dignity. I am still one of the biggest business women in the world and specifically in europe. They should probably have thought twice before showing me the disrespect. I tried telling this to Franklin, Finn and Prince Benedict a long time ago but they said even though they try to talk sense to them using their mouths or their fists it wil
1910, Revington Estate, London, England,I was watering my plants on the porch when I went to sit down and contemplate a bit about what has happened these past few weeks. It has already been days, not maybe a month or so since I went to New York in the United States of America and visited Campbell's New York Zoo. It has also been long ago since I went to that date with Franklin and until to this day I still do not know what the date was for and I do not also know what his feelings were towards me. I kept thinking and sulking about it yet none of what he said had given me a clue what he said.I sighed as I put down my water can and walked inside the manor. I had numerous things to do but I do not have the energy to do this. These past few days I have cramped myself up inside the office room of mine and busied myself with numerous works from business. According to Fiona, the business was doing well when I was gone and all I had to do was review reports and sign papers but fo
1913, New York, United States of AmericaI was worried, ecstatic, anxious and nervous all at the same time. I do not know what to do. I was pacing back and forth around the hallways with my hands on my head and sweat trickling down my face."If I see you walk more than once god help me or I will throw you outside of this room," Princess Scarlette hollered."Yeah, you should relax for a minute you know? It is not like it is the end of the world already, Clara. He just invited you to a date. It is not so much of a big deal," Blair chimes in as she sips her glass of milk.“I know but is it not too... you know? Too much? I mean, what could a date mean? Do you think he likes me?” I asked worriedly.“Woah, calm your horse girl. It does not mean that he likes or it probably does but it is safe to assume that he does not. Dates could mean something like a friendly one or maybe he wants to talk business of course. If you want to know the answer to this question you should try
1913, New York, United States of AmericaIt was already morning and it was time for me to attend the zoo trip that Blair promised me. Since I do not have any maid with me, I just had to do with whatever I have and just do things myself. I honestly felt this was easier rather than having different people handling me.I went inside the bathroom and took a quick bath to freshen myself up. It was already eight in the morning and the zoo opens up later on. I wore a green long sleeved dress as I fixed my hat before stepping outside my room only to be surprised by a sudden familiar face. A face that I have already seen the night yesterday but I can still distinguish it from the other. I smiled when I received a slight hug and pat from him as the both of us broke apart.“Oh, F
1913, Nottingham, EnglandI was incredibly shocked to hear what Lady Monika said. My mind tried to process the words that came out of her mouth but my heart kept telling me not to listen to them. Before I could even react further, Lady Monika brushed past me and quickly rushed toward Gavin without a warning.Gavin was shocked to see Lady Monika rushing towards him but he welcomed her nonetheless.“Good day, lady...?” Gavin tried to ask for her name.“Monika Dietrich! Iche bein, I am the daughter of the Duke of Brunswick. It is a pleasure to meet you kind sir,” Lady Monika proclaimed as she batted her eyelashes at Gavin.“It is
1913, London, England“Well, it was surely a great pleasure to have you around, Miss Revington. It is a shame your stay has come to an end,” The Queen says.It was already my last stay in Buckingham Palace in the royal family so I had to bid them goodbye now.“I am sorry my husband is not able to see you off. Important delegates from Germany will be arriving today in England and he had to attend it. Although, he sends his best wishes and hopes for a great life to you,” The Queen explains in full detail.“Oh, your majesty, please tell the King that I was honoured to stay within the palace and with the royal family. I had a splendid experience and I look forward to meeting and spending ti
1913, Buckingham Palace, EnglandI took another glance at Gavin who was also staring at me right now. I was happy and very giddy at this moment. Although, the feeling did not last any longer when Gavin had to turn me to another man since the dance was still going on.The dance ended with me and Prince Benedict both still in arms. We took a bow as an appreciation to each other as he led me back to Princess Scarlette‘s table.As quickly as I took my seat, my eyes roamed aroundthe ballroom to catch a glimpse of Gavin but just like the wind he quickly disappeared from my sight.In a snap of a finger, I could not see him and I felt lonely again. It may sound ridiculous
1913, Buckingham Palace, England I was still very much inside the dark room with Princess Scarlette as I tried to wriggle myself out of her grasp. She quickly let go of me as the sound of my breath echoes the closed space of the room. “Princess Scarlette! What were you doing?” I was enraged. To me, somehow, it did not matter that she was a royal princess. What she did was irresponsible and an act of haste. “What was I doing? Ha!” The princess scoffs. “If it was not for me, the servants, the royals and the whole country would know about your little secret. And you have the energy to be mad at me? The one who is helping you?!”