P.s I call her Celestina from now on to avoid confusion.
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"Celestina? Are you awake?" A child whispers to my ear.
"She's awake!" Another one shouts in a whispered voice.
"Shhhh." Another one.
"What's this?" Celestina wakes up and looks at the 3 children in front of her.
"You wake up!" A 6 years old girl hugs her.
"Yes I did." While she was fainting, she dreamed of Celestina's memories, it's as if watching a movie in front of her.
Celestina is an orphan, she didn't know anything about her parents except the fact that they named her Celestina. She grew up in "Hope Orphanage" which was sponsored by a rich Count but after Celestina turns 5 years old, the sponsors stopped and the financial grew worse with corruption of Ms. Vivi. Celestina being 5 years old at that time taught the 3 years old Ambrose, Helia, George, Felisha, Emily and Josh how to read. They were all in one room afterall. In the morning, they'll have their breakfast which was too little to be counted as a meal and then they'll clean the orphanage, wash all the clothes and do other chores and at night after Ms. Vivi done her daily checkups, Celestina would quietly light up a candle and thought the children to read and that's how it is until now she's 9 years old.
Her body is too skinny, too short and too childish to be counted as 9 years old but her mind bright and her eyes shines brightly.
'She's too strong for a kid.'
She also found out that there are only 18 children in this orphanage and all of them are of similar ages.
"What about Ambrose?" Celestina asks.
"He's hot!"
"He's having a fever?"
Celestina quickly gets up and touches Ambrose's forehead.
'So hot...'
"Did Ms. Vivi give any medicine?" The children shakes their head. Then George points to a bowl of cold water next to Ambrose's bed.
"We squished the fabric and put it on top of his head! Just like Celestina used to do." He says happily. Celestina's heart feels pain for these children.
"Good job. George" She looks at the frail Ambrose sleeping and makes up her mind. She's going to speed up the meeting with the duke.
"I'm going to go bring a medicine. Stay here alright?" She ruffles the childrens' head and quietly goes out. The hallway is quiet and Ms. Vivi is still sleeping.
"It's still 4 in the morning, I have 3 hours!" She goes in to Ms. Vivi's office and grabs the money that's hidden in the drawer. She remember this from the novel when Celestina talks about her past.
"Sire do you have medicine for fever?"
"You little girl, what are you doing so early in the morning? Go back! Our shop isn't open yet!" He shoos her away.
"But sir! My brother is having a very high fever! Please help me!" Celestina brings out the money she took from Ms Vivi's drawer.
"Is this enough?"
The man sighs and opens his door a little bit.
"Come in. He's having a fever?" He asks when he sees Celestina entering.
"Yes and he seems to have a slight cold." She answers honestly.
"How old is he?" He starts to scrambles to his drawers and asking her questions at the same time.
"He's 7."
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Celestina walks out of the door happy and contented. But the sun is almost up high in the sky.
"I need to hurry back." Or else Ambrose won't get the medicine.
"MOVE AWAY!" A rough voice shouts. She quickly run away but her little body is way to slow to get away from the carriage and as a result, she falls and scraped her knees.
The person inside the carriage come down at the commotion. Black hair, midnight blue eyes, pale lips and... crest of duke Ashdown. That's clearly The one and only Duke of Ashdown, Francisco Rafael Ashdown!
Celestina's mouth opens wide. "I never expected to meet him so quickly!"
"What happen?" The man says.
"The little girl was in our way duke." The impolite man says.
I was in your way? I was walking my way alright?
"Lies! I was walking on the side. You bumped into me!"
The duke raises his eyebrow at this.
Gosh he looks too handsome
"Oh? Tell me more."
"I was walking and then he suddenly bumps to me. I didn't do anything wrong." I need to defend myself.
"Is that true?" He asks the man. His eyes pierces the man as if daring him to speak lies.
"I... I think so..." The man trembles under the duke's gaze. He never expected a peasant to defend herself.
"Cail." Cail? His most trusted guard? The guard who died protecting Celestina when assassins attacked the mansion?
"Yes my lord." Cail knee is on the ground and bows his head.
"Bring him away. Get another man." The man panics and quickly begs to the duke but the duke never cares about a little liar.
"You. What's your name?" His attention shifts to me.
"Celestina."
"Celestina, what're you doing here so early in the morning?"
"I was buying medicine" Ambrose! How can I forget, I need to go now.
"I need to go now. Bye mister." I quickly run to the orphanage and sneaks inside through a secret passage.
The duke is important but Ambrose is sick. I can meet the duke any other days, after all Celestina is fated to meet the duke and become his adopted child.