Handmaiden Duchess

ONE It was a bright, beautiful day in Iremía, the capital city of the Caelum continent. Although the citizens of the Caelum continent were usually smiling and happy people, residents of Qwhan mansion were more cheerful than usual today! And they had every reason to be elated, after all the eldest daughter of the family was going to marry the Duke of Xinei this morning. Thus, the family members and servants both were bouncing on their feet with excitement since the first rays of the sun broke in the sky. Qwhan mansion belonged to one of the aristocratic families of Iremía city. The head of the family –Acton Qwhan– was a city law officer, and his wife –Ena Qwhan– was an efficient physician. Although they had inherited family wealth and were counted among the wealthy people of the capital city, the couple were somewhat modest and kind people, shying away from public gathering and attention. The couple had four children— two daughters and two sons. The eldest daughter of the family, Dareia, had just graduated from the law school. Dareia had a younger sister who was studying in the continent's famous medical school, while her younger twin brothers were still studying in the school. Shortly after Dareia's graduation, the Royal family of the Caelum continent had sent a marriage proposal for their younger son, Duke of Xinei. The Qwhan family was surprised upon receiving the marriage proposal from the Royal family. They were aristocrats but didn't socialise much, thus their daughter being chosen as the bride to one of the most famous men in the continent was totally unexpected and came as an absolute shock to the Qwhans. After some initial hesitation, the Qwhan family accepted the proposal (because who could refuse the Royals without any valid reason) but little did they know about the storm their decision was about to bring upon them and the lives of all the people involved in this decision. But for now, everyone was happily preparing for the Royal wedding taking place the following morning. The servants at the Qwhan mansion were running from one corner of the mansion to the other, carrying out the instructions, as the wedding was going to take place in the backyard of the Qwhan mansion upon the request of the Duke of Xinei himself, who wanted a simple wedding without any extravaganza or grandeur. Although they had accepted the Duke's request, the Qwhans weren't going to leave any stone unturned to put their best feet forward. After all, you don't get to host the Royal family of the continent at your residence everyday! And more importantly, you don't marry your eldest daughter, that too in the Royal family, everyday! Unaware of all the hustle and bustle happening everywhere in the mansion, a girl in her early twenties was half-lying on her wooden rocking chair near the huge window in her room. The window was open and curtains were raised, making the sun rays fall into the room. The light was illuminating her delicately soft, pearly skin. Her face was covered with some green herbal face mask, and her eyes were closed as she basked in the sunlight. Her hands were placed one over another as her fingers drummed against her palms, signalling she was playing some tunes in her head as she enjoyed the warm winter sun. The room was spacious and the sleeping area was separated from the rest of the room with translucent curtains. The sleeping area had a moderate sized four-poster bed in one corner while the other corner had a sizable vanity table laden with herbal creams and beauty products of the time and an oval mirror was placed in the center of the table. In the middle of the bed and the vanity table was the rocking chair on which the girl was seated. Her fingers suddenly stopped strumming as the door of the room opened with a loud noise. She jumped to her feet with a start and looked in the direction of the door, where a woman entered the room giving instructions to the servants. The woman was dressed in a billowing, ornate plum colored silk gown. She walked gracefully with her back straight and head held high, her face radiating from her inner happiness. It was none other than the lady of the house, madam Qwhan. As the girl saw madam Qwhan walk in her direction, she stood with her head hung slightly low and hands folded together over her stomach. "Here, put the wedding clothes on the bed," madam Qwhan ordered the maid before walking towards the sleeping area. She walked up to the young girl and held her hands in hers tenderly. "Dareia dear,here are your clothes for the ceremony," madam Qwhan told her warmly, pointing towards the couch in the living area. "The Royal family is going to arrive soon. I'm sending Liu mama to help you in getting ready for your special day. Don't take too long, it won't look good to make the Royals wait, alright," she patted her shoulder affectionately. The girl nodded her head meekly, and madam Qwhan smiled at her lovingly. Then madam Qwhan turned on her heels and walked out of the room as gracefully as she had walked in, holding her silken robe and instructing the maids on her way. The girl sighed in relief once the servants walked out of the room shutting the door behind them, leaving her all alone again. She sat back on the rocking chair again and singing a lullaby to herself, fell into deep slumber! ***** Heya lovelies!! I'm back after a long time with a brand new story. This is going to be a transmigration story, a genre that I've never tried before, thus need all your support and love. I promise y'all that it's going to be a wonderfully adventurous ride for you as well, just hop on and walk with me and Alessa as we conquer one enemy at a time! Also, as this is going to be a lengthy story, I've decided to dedicate chapters to my lovely readers. It's my idea of thanking you all and appreciating your constant support and love. Will be sharing more details about the sams in the upcoming chapters. Do let me know how you liked the first chapter in the comments.