Madella woke up slowly. She felt incredibly cozy under her covers and felt around for Maro, but he wasn't there. Annoyed that she had to lift the covers, she looked for him in her room and found him. He was going through her diary on her desk. In a panic, she jumped out of bed and tried to take it from him. Masterfully, he dodged her, but she fell onto him and bought them both to the ground as well as the chair which smacked the ground loudly.
"My dreamy prince, eh?" He teased, looking deep into her eyes.
She took the diary and pushed herself off of him. "Shut up, stupid." She said, embarrassed, before putting her home gown on.
"Madella?" A muffled voice called out, coming upstairs.
"Crap! You should go now-" She turned to where Maro was, but he had already climbed out the window. She walked to it and saw him outside, blowing kisses at her and tripping on his own feet as he left; it made her giggle.
Her door handle began to rattle as her mother tried to come in. "Madella?" She called, "Why did you lock the door?"
"No reason," Madella's mood seemed to shift slightly cold as she let her mother in.
"What were you doing?" Her mother asked sternly. She was a tall woman, slender, and her cheekbones were pronounced by the copious amount of makeup she put on.
"I was masturbating. Happy?" Madella said boldly and walked past her mother and down the stairs.
She made her way through her wealthy corridors to the stairs that led to a large living room with an open kitchen on the side where three chefs were cooking.
"Good morning, Madella," One of the servants, Daisy, greeted Madella.
"Good morning," Madella replied with contrasting warmth which always received an angry sneer from her mother.
She joined the rest of her family at the quiet table. Croissants, black dates, and pudding were for breakfast. For drinks, there was strong alcohol for her father, coffee and weaker spirits for her older brothers and sister, and orange juice for her.
"Why so late, Madella?" Her father asked. His name was James Crotioule and he was a regular-looking man whose blond hair Madella didn't receive. He wore a shirt tucked into a pair of grey velvet pants. All he'd need was his expensive jacket and he'd be ready for his meeting with five traders.
"And why's your hair in such a mess? A woman must be well-kept at all times." Her older sister, Bik – short for Bikria - said. She had long blonde hair that had so many beautifying runestones used on it that it became its own organism. She sat beside her husband, a goofy-looking man who was playing with his cutlery.
"Mhm," Madella replied.
Her two older brothers, Androo Crotioule, the eldest, and Dre – short for Drevven – sat opposite her. They both looked similar; they had Lady Crotioule's black hair and were skinny. Except Androo had a slight goatee and was nearly a High Mage after graduating from the Great Omodiglia Academy.
Dre had been kicked out in his second year for sexual misconduct with one of his male teachers which caused a huge rumble in the family. Not because of his being kicked out, but because he was homosexual. They took him up North to be cleansed of his 'impurities' that corrupted him in the country's largest Moon's church.
Despite being 29 years old, Androo wasn't married yet.
There was another man at the table: Madella's uncle-in-law, a quiet and reserved man who seemed to love wine with all his heart.
Madella's favorite of her family came down the stairs at that moment, her blonde hair was in an even worse state than Madella's. She had baggy, droopy blue eyes. She was Madella's aunt on her father's side, and clearly, her mother held great disgust at the way she behaved while pregnant.
She plopped down next to Madella and began eating after a brief good morning.
"Good morning, Cherie," Crotioule said, showing affection for his little sister.
"Good morning, brother." Cherie replied; there was no evidence of her being a noble in her voice, "What happened to you, Madella?" She wasn't talking about Madella's yawning and messy state, "You haven't eaten anything."
"I don't like fruit jam croissants," Madella said.
"Me either," Dre backed.
"Come on, it's healthy, besides, if you don't have it, The Devil will eat ya!" She pinched Madella's cheeks as if she was still a toddler and afraid of fairy tales.
"Ahahaha, very funny, aunt Cherie. The Devil isn't real."
"But he is!"
"How do you know it's a he?"
"Because I saw him."
"In your dreams?"
"No, it was real!" Cherie suddenly became animated.
"Here we go again…" Androo slumped his head onto his hand.
"I got lost from your parents and was walking through a street in the middle of winter with you in my arms. A drunk attacked us, but The Devil appeared and saved us! He was pure darkness. Hatred incarnate. He was even kind of handsome," She laughed and they thought she was half-joking.
"And he didn't kill you too?"
"No. Instead, he looked at you Madella then at me. Ahh, his dreamy gaze. It was as if he was telling me to take care of you with all I have."
"You're insane, Aunt Cherie." Madella giggled and ate her breakfast.
"Anyways, Madella." Lady Crotioule began, "Jalies' son has proposed again, and we can't postpone our response this time, so you will-"
"I will not," Madella interrupted angrily.
"At least meet with the boy. You never know, you might like him." Her father insisted.
"I know for a fact I will not."
"Madella… I am losing my patience with you. Why can't you just listen to us for once? Why won't you meet with him?" Lady Crotioule asked sternly.
"Because I…" Madella contemplated whether, to tell the truth about Maro.
"Madella." Cherie placed her hands on Madella's shoulders, consolatory, "Just one time, at least see the boy. You can refuse if you want to... but after you see him. Or he won't stop sending the proposals." She explained.
Sighing from frustration, Madella nodded and left the table. She prepared her school uniform and made her way out with Androo to the private school she attended in the center of the city. He dropped her off every day to protect her on her way to school. He worried over the high number of rape cases in this country – about 1 240 last year.
He wouldn't be able to accompany her on the way back however as he went to work with his father. Dre would've been sent, but she showed that she came home with her five female friends once to gain the trust of her parents.
However, after spending her day in the prestigious Meradun All-Girls Private School, she and her friends would be joined by Maro, Ralph, and Gab.
"Hi, beautiful," Maro said, taking her hand as she stepped down the gate stairs.
"Hi, handsome." She smiled. He expectantly put his cheek forward and cleared his throat; laughing, she swiftly kissed him before dragging him along as he feigned passing out.
As they separated from their friends and made their way toward her house, she told him of the noble boy who had been proposing to her for the past few years and how he was waiting to meet her that day. Maro simply laughed.
"Why are you laughing?" She asked, slightly annoyed that he was carefree when she was stressing greatly.
"Why not?"
"Well, my parents might make me say yes. Are you not worried about that?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Why should I be worried? Everything works out when it comes to love."
"What if I fall for him?" She teased.
"Hahaha, I know you won't,"
"What makes you so sure?"
He stared into her eyes for a few seconds before replying with a warm smile, "Because I love ya."
To that, she blushed intensely, punching him, "You're stupid," She laughed.
As her big manor appeared in the distance, Maro took her hand to stop her.
"Don't you think this is a good time to tell your parents?" He asked.
"Tell them what?" She played dumb.
"About me. Us?"
"I don't know…" Her mood suddenly shifted to tension.
"I know they're a bit… Extreme. But I'm sure they'll come around."
"I know them, Maro. They'd never change." She replied, looking down at the ground.
"Have some faith in your family," He lifted her chin to make eye contact with her, "For me?"
"Fine," She nodded skeptically as he let go of her hands.
"Madella!" He called to her after she began walking and blew a kiss. She caught it, but did not return it teasingly. Instead, she just put it to her heart. Cutely, he frowned, making her giggle and blow a kiss back, which shot straight through his chest as he theatrically fell back, holding his heart.
She waved him goodbye and continued walking toward her mansion. She smiled at her gate guards, two lesser knights - young boys about 18 years old - and taking deep breaths, made her way in.
The living room was full of the boy's family, uncles, aunts, and a lot of cousins. A lot of them were teasing him for finally getting to meet Madella. It was noisy. But when she entered, they all quietened down, some of the boys were jealous of their lucky cousin, and most of the girls were envious as they could tell that Madella didn't wear make-up – Mare liked her better that way.
"Madella. Take a seat," Crotioule scooted to the right, making space for Madella between him and his wife opposite the boy and his parents. All his family had crowded around. Dre and Androo were tall, so they stood at the back of the group.
"Hello," The boy greeted, putting his hand out for Madella to shake it.
"Hello," She tried to smile at him, but it was awkward and uncomfortable. The room fell silent; the boy had no idea what to do and she didn't want to do anything. For a moment, Madella wished Maro was with her with such intensity that he appeared for a few seconds behind the boy's family, grinning his usual goofy yet dreamy grin.
"What do you like to do in your free time, Madella?" The boy's father, a large but short man wearing all black, asked.
"I read books. I like stargazing. I play that piano." She pointed to the 560 gold coins piano against a wall that separated it from the stairs.
"Amazing. Dick is also learning piano-"
Madella tried to hold back a laugh. "What's his name?" She asked in disbelief.
"D-Dick… Is there a problem?" The boy's mother asked, worried rather than offended. Beside her, her son had shifted red from embarrassment.
"Call me Richard." He cut in, trying not to look at the laughing Madella and Cherie.
"Sorry, Richard, but I have to refuse your proposal." Madella's words received a gasp of shock from her parents.
"That's alright-" Richard began but he was cut off by his father.
"You won't even consider it?" He asked.
"No, I-" The crowd broke out into a mess. All the boys were now positing forward their proposals to Madella.
Androo and Dre had to step in to threaten the crowd with their magic – Androo formed two flames on his hands and Dre coated his fists in hard rock. "Our sister refused," They said commandingly.
"I have five estates under my name! I am better than all of them for you!" One of the cousins, a 25-year-old man shouted. Richard dropped his face into his palms, feeling incredibly shamed.
"You're a nice guy, Richard." Madella smiled at him, making him blush, "I thought you'd be a noble creep." She stepped back as if she was preparing for a speech. "I'm sorry boys, but I'm taken. I won't say who. But there's a man I love. There's a man I will marry soon. I only need your permission, father." She turned to her father, hoping he'd look at her as his daughter for once. "Please? Think about me for once..." She clasped her hands together.
"What is this stupidity, Madella!?" Her mother stood up, enraged.
"Who is this boy?" Crotioule asked, his tone now dry from the social humiliation that Madella had put him under.
"A great man. I won't tell you his name, because I don't trust you. Especially you, mother." She said that last word with disdain.
The crowd broke out into multiple noisy discussions of disbelief and confusion.
"Guys!" Richard stood and presented himself forward for the first time, "She's taken. It's that simple. Let's go home now, please?" He looked at Madella kindly. He truly was nothing like the pompous noble she'd expected him to be.