Two

December, 2022.

A fair lady exited the huge building in a hurry, just like every other day she is late again. All the practical of how to be a lady of honor that her grandmother makes her go through every day is tiring and she dares not to complain.

She is next to inherit the title of a duchess and with the way she acts, there is a possibility that it will be passed to her cousin. Despites that, her grandmother had agreed to marry her off to one of the princes, that way they would be able to soar higher in the royal society.

Alice entered the car without properly wearing her sandals; it is something the guards and the maids are used to seeing. They would chuckle whenever she is in a situation like that before one of them will assist her into the car. The driver zoomed off to Oxford University where she was enrolled as a private student. You could say the world runs differently when it involves the rich and the poor.

If there is something Alice would love to change about the system then it will be this. She doesn’t understand why the members of the royal society will be offered a private tuition for their children. As she would read through a book written by an American hidden author who said ‘We are in the twenty first century, hence every child deserves to be treated equally.’

That is what keeps her moving in the campus and she made to mingle with all the other kids in the campus. “Miss Alice Martins” The lecturer called her out with her first surname. He had noticed that her attention was not on him and he couldn’t go on without making sure all of them have understood what he was explaining. “Yes?” She questioned as she lifted her head, the eyes of the rest of the royal children who had been threatened to attend the classes now turned to face her.

“Nothing, could you please concentrate more on the class? Thank you.” He uttered as he continued to deliver his lectures. Alice used a hand to rummage through her hair, if it was up to her then she would never be there because she is on a search for her father, without the knowledge of her grandmother of course. She was not to ever speak of her father again even though she receives a letter and a gift from him on every of her birthday secretly. Which means he had never forgotten about her and he stills loves her.

Uncle Benjamin who is an old friend to her father delivers the letters on every year of her birthday. He is also the one who showed her a picture of her father when she was a child and had cried because other of the kids always have both their parents at their birthday parties, unlike her.

Soon the day ended and zoomed out of the class, she headed straight to the star bucks coffee shops around the school that she always buy her cold iced tea. She always makes sure to go there undercover; she couldn’t risk anyone recognizing her as their future princess.

Throughout her life, she had met neither of the princes even though she heard one of them stays in the castle with the queen. Social Medias or watching the news were never her things which made it hard for her to know them and yet, they believed one of them will marry her.

After purchasing her favorite iced tea, she returned to the secret garden which she had begged her escorts to wait for there. She passed each one of them a cup of strawberry smoothie, just like how she never failed to drink her iced tea after her classes goes to how she never forgets to get them some smoothies to keep them going for the day.

“What do we have here?” Chloe, who Alice had labeled as the spoilt brat approached them. Just like every day, Chloe was wearing a much revealing clothes which is bad as she also she has the intention of marrying the first prince.

Alice rolled her eyes as she waited for her to say whatever brought her to them. “Did you hear the news?” Chloe muttered as she displayed a weary smile on her face. “Hear what?”Alice asked a little confused.

She is yet to have an update from her grandmother or anyone. “The prince abroad is coming back home soon and he will choose me as his wife.”

Alice watched her in awe; she has nothing to be disturbed about that because it doesn’t concern her about who the princes choose to be their life partner. “Then what does that have to do with me?” She questioned, showing Chloe that she is clearly not affected by her words.

“I am telling you because I don’t want to fight with a lowlife creature who doesn’t know who her father is like you.” Chloe huffed as she said those words. Alice couldn’t deny the fact she was indeed hurts by her words, it is not like she has a choice and besides, as long as she could remember, Chloe’s father who is a brother to the queen was derived of his title recently as he got involved in some illegal stuffs which caused damages to the queen.

Without waiting more, Alice entered the car. She was already tired for the day and would love to have a hot bath while she sips her mock tail, with her personal maid reading the dailyhandwritten letters she always received from someone within the castle. The seal that comes with the letter was what told her that indeed the person sending the letters is among the royal family and she knows she couldn’t wait for the day she will meet him.

He is like her first love and also a love she had never had. He knows whenever she is going through a bad mood or when she feels like having nothing done that day. Her letters will then lighten up her mood telling her what to do. If she is given the choice to choose who she would want to spend the rest of her life with then she would definitely choose the man that sends her letters all the time.

“Your majesty, we are here.” The chauffer announced making her realized they were back home already. She exited the car feeling sluggish, now she has to face her grandmother and face series of lectures explaining to her why she has to be a woman of steel, just like the queen.

She entered the castle, clearly reminiscing what Chloe had told her. If her father was here, then none of this would have happened. But here she is, with a grandmother who a little less about her and the society who is expecting her to be the perfect golden duchess.

If it was up to her, then she would take none of the titles, she would love to go abroad and stay with her father, experience what is called a father’s love. When she was eighteen, she had written a plan about how she would escape from the royal families and heads for her father in the abroad but that won’t be possible as she would be dragging their names into the mud.

“Welcome back your majesty” Her personal maids greeted as soon as she stepped a foot inside the house. Alice nodded her head in acknowledgement. “Would see her highness first or would have a bath while reading the letter your crush sent?” The maid asked, whispering the last part.

That lit up her mood; one of the unknown people who have now turned to her favorite has sent in a letter for her and couldn’t be more than happy to read it. Passing the maid the art bag she is holding, she headed straight to her room without checking on her grandmother, she would do that later but for reading the letter is more important.

The maid set up everything for her in the bathtub and helped her into it. She then passed Alice a cup of her favorite mock tail and the letter which was sealed by the royal stamp. Alice squealed inwardly as she tears off the royal seal. Now this what she is talking about when she said her happiness lie with the man behinds those letters.