Chapter 1: The Duke’s Daughter
1554 Words
Night had fallen. In a lavish bedroom, a young girl in a white silk nightgown sat at her desk, writing.
She looked about twelve or thirteen, with long golden hair that shimmered like sunlight, framing a delicate oval face that was soft yet not chubby. The strange mix gave her an air of elegance and cuteness all at once.
Her eyes were lowered, and she held a quill pen in her hand, absorbed in her writing.
“Miss, your milk.”
A cool voice spoke beside her, and a steaming cup of milk was gently placed on the desk.
The girl looked up and saw her personal maid.
“Thank you, Bella.”
Bella met her lady’s gaze. Though they had grown up together, every time she saw those violet eyes, she couldn’t help but think they were the most beautiful sight in the world.
“Miss, you seem very focused. I knocked, but you didn’t hear. Still, it’s time for you to rest,” Bella said, her voice as steady and expressionless as ever.
“Oh, dear Bella, just a little longer~ I’ll go to bed soon~” The girl batted her long, thick lashes playfully.
“Ten minutes. I’ll come back in ten minutes to make sure you sleep.”
“Fifteen? Please?”
“Nine.”
“Fine, fine, ten minutes! What kind of maid doesn’t listen to her master, anyway?” she pouted.
Bella stood silently, face unreadable.
“All right.” The girl reached out a hand toward Bella’s face, but before she could touch her, Bella smoothly stepped back, avoiding the gesture.
“Uh…” The girl froze, then sighed. “You can go.”
Bella left the room.
The girl pushed aside a sketch on her desk—a still-life drawing—and pulled out a thick notebook from the drawer. From the worn leather cover, it was clear this book was old. It was her diary.
She opened it, staring blankly at the candle flame on her desk. The flickering light was dim yet sharp to the eyes. After a moment of daze, she muttered with a self-deprecating smile, “Bella said this candle is made of honey, so it won’t smoke or smell bad when it burns. How extravagant…”
Shaking her head, she lifted her pen and began to summarize her day. Anyone who glanced at her writing would have been shocked—she wasn’t writing in the common tongue of the Norman Empire at all.
“Another idle day. It’s been twelve years since I came to this world. Somehow I’ve grown used to being the Duke’s daughter—living in luxury, enjoying a life both lavish and dull. It feels like I’ve abandoned my past self, that man I once was. No, not abandoned. I still try to surround myself with reminders of my former life. A little like him… only a little.” She paused, smiled wryly, and continued.
“Bella still hasn’t forgiven me. She’s still upset about that kiss yesterday. Honestly, I don’t even know why I kissed her. Maybe it’s because in my past life I was a man. Even though I’m a girl now, my soul is still a man’s. And Bella… she’s so cute. How could I not be drawn to her? Even if she’s expressionless all the time… Ah… I wonder if this world allows same-s*x love. But no, I’m still a man inside, so liking girls isn’t really the same as that, right? Ugh, this is such a mess…”
Her pretty brows furrowed as she was about to write more, when a knock came at the door.
Quickly, she scribbled: Bella’s here to make me sleep. That’s all for today. Then she called, “Come in.”
“Miss, your ten minutes are up. Time for bed.” Bella opened the door, her face as calm as ever.
“All right.” The girl shrugged, tucked the notebook away, and climbed into bed.
Bella tidied the desk with her usual quiet efficiency and blew out the candle.
“Bella…” the girl’s voice came in the darkness.
“What is it, Miss?” Bella’s tone didn’t change.
“I just wanted to say… good night. And thank you for the milk. It was delicious.” She pulled the blanket over herself, curled up on the soft bed, and turned away.
“…Good night.”
Bella left the room. The girl didn’t sleep right away. She lay in the dark, eyes wide open, as if she believed she could pierce the darkness if she just tried hard enough.
Morning. The Duke’s family gathered for breakfast.
“Alice, Bella said you went to bed very late last night?” Duke Alberon teased with a smile.
“Father, it wasn’t that late!” Alice puffed her cheeks, glaring at him.
She was grateful to be born into a noble family this time around. Though her parents valued etiquette, when they were together without outsiders, the Duke never forced his family into endless formalities. Sometimes, they felt more like an ordinary family than the most powerful nobles of the realm.
“Sweetheart, you’ve got crumbs at the corner of your mouth,” said her mother, Donna.
Alice quickly grabbed her napkin and wiped her lips.
Alberon and Donna laughed at the clumsy sight of their daughter.
Alice was their only child. Unlike most nobles who raised daughters like decorative flowers to be married off for political gain, Alberon and Donna adored their girl. They hired the best tutors in the Noah Plains to teach her, and Alice, dutiful as ever, studied hard and completed every task.
Outside of lessons, they gave her freedom—even allowing her to wander beyond the castle into the towns, as long as guards accompanied her. No other noble family would dream of such freedom, but Alberon, the only Duke in the Norman Empire, raised his daughter differently.
“Alice, you’d better hurry. Morning lessons start soon.” Alberon checked his pocket watch.
Alice quickly finished her milk and stood.
“Be ladylike, dear,” Donna reminded with a faint smile.
Alice rolled her eyes and made a quick curtsey. “Father, Mother, I’ve finished my breakfast. Please enjoy yours.”
Her parents burst out laughing at her half-hearted performance.
After Alice left, Donna said quietly, “Don’t you think she’s too mature? She’s only twelve.”
“My love, that’s not maturity—it’s intelligence. Alice has always been clever. She almost never gives us reason to worry.” Alberon smiled at his wife.
“…Perhaps.”
Alice adored her parents. Maybe it was because in her past life, she had none. Though she sometimes questioned why she’d ended up in this world, their love made her cling to it more and more. Sometimes she even wondered if her former life was nothing but a dream.
“Maybe I should forget my past completely and just be Alice, the dutiful daughter,” she whispered, before shaking her head and hurrying along.
Her lessons changed daily: literature, math, history, etiquette, art—even swordsmanship and riding. Mornings were always filled with study, but afternoons were more relaxed, usually free or with a bit of sword or horse practice.
Today’s class was history. At first, arriving in this world had left her lost and afraid. But as she grew, curiosity took root. Once she learned to read, she devoured books, especially history.
She knew history was written by the victors, but still, their “journals” painted a picture of the world. From her studies, Alice realized she had landed in a society resembling medieval Europe—yet not the same. A parallel world, perhaps. She lived in the Norman Empire, a mighty nation that had nearly united the entire continent. Three centuries ago, during the Wars of Chaos, Norman had been just another small state. Through countless struggles, victories, and “salvations,” it rose to dominance. Her own family, the House of Lancaster, had been among its founding heroes.
“One last question, Lady Alice: aside from our holy Norman Empire, what other nations exist on Tianyun Continent?” her elderly history tutor asked.
“Only the island kingdom of Valan to the south and the kingdom of Gomeya to the west. Both are small, resource-poor, and pay annual tribute, so our emperors have never bothered conquering them.” Alice answered smoothly, showing her diligence.
“Excellent. That will do for today. Lady Alice, review the relations among these three nations. Next time, I’ll ask you questions. If you can’t answer, I’ll have to report to the Duke.” He chuckled as he packed his books.
“Oh, Mr. Jeff, that would break my heart!” Alice clutched her chest dramatically.
“Ha! My clever and beautiful Lady Alice, are you worried you’ll fail my test?”
“If I can’t answer, you’ll promise not to tell my father?” she asked, batting her eyes.
“That would be impossible, haha!” Jeff laughed, fond of his young pupil who, though noble, was never arrogant.
“Fine then, I’ll make sure I answer perfectly.”
“I look forward to it.”
When Jeff left, Alice sat quietly for a while.
“…Maybe I’ll go play with Doris this afternoon.”
- Writer
