Chapter 1

I wake up in the morning, everything looks normal. Knock, knock, I hear as someone knocks at the door and says, "Camille, are you decent?" My father is outside my dorm.

I put on my coat and say, "Come in."

Three maids come in with my father by their side. While he comes in, the maids start cleaning my dorm, "Hey darling," my father says, "I got a present for you."

"What's the occasion?" I ask my father, knowing something is going on.

"Can't a father give his daughter a present without an occasion?" he asks me, trying to hide something. I give him a concerned look. My father points to one of the maids to bring the present. They bring a square box, the maid opens it.

"Oh, dad! It's a beautiful dress!" I say as I turn to dress; the maids help me.

After a few minutes of putting on lots of petticoats, my father starts again, "I was hoping for you to wear it at the Duchess' tea party today."

"Knew it!" I say.

"It's a good opportunity for you to find a wealthy husband."

"Dad!"

"Camille, you're of age; you've rejected all your former suitors."

"But dad! I want to marry for love; I want to marry a man, not his bank account!"

"Anyway, today I'll introduce you to the Duchess' son," he says. I turn my eyes, "I hope you two get to know each other well."

I hold my breath as I continue putting on the dress. After that, I go towards my father with a pink salmon dress.

After having breakfast, I have a music class with my tutor, George Heartwell, who teaches music and literature. Now Mr. Hearwell is teaching me something by Mozart with a bizarre name.

Nonetheless, the class ends after 3 hours of learning very complicated parts of the music sheet. I start heading to the living room when Amanda, the housekeeper, calls me and says, "Miss Camille, your father is out in the carriage waiting for you."

"Thank you, Amanda, for letting me know," I say as I start walking to the front door. I see the carriage just down the stairs. I make a little wave towards my father as if to say, 'I'm coming.' He sees me. Some servant opens the carriage door, and I get in.

"To the Duchess' palace," Father says to the driver.

"Please!" I say, correcting my father because he isn't polite with people from lower classes.

As the carriage goes along, I take a look at London; every place I see seems beautiful and peaceful. When we arrive, I see a few more people getting off their carriages. I know some of the people that are getting off their transports. I also get out of the carriage with my father's help as my dress is long and really difficult to move with.

We continue walking with the rest of the guests. We arrive at the dining hall, and someone asks for our names, and then he opens the door and announces the two of us, "With your permission, Duchess. The marquess of Lansdowne and his daughter, Lady Camille Margaret Antonia Elizabeth Rene, have arrived."

We come in, and I see the Duchess standing up and, leaving aside formalities, gives my father a hug.

Everyone else in the place is staring. After a few seconds, the Duchess breaks the hug as she notices that everyone, even the maids and servants, is staring. "Well, my dear old friend. Please come here with your beautiful daughter and sit beside me," the Duchess says. I make a little bow with my head as a sign of respect. Everyone looks at us because we're never in court, and the Duchess is treating us like the queen. As required, my father and I go and sit on the couch beside the Duchess. She signals one of the maids who immediately gives my father and me a cup of tea.

"Well, my old friend. How many years since we last saw each other?"

"I don't know, my dear Eleanor," my father says.

"Anyway, marques, your daughter looks gorgeous," the Duchess says, and I smile and make a little bow with my head. "Don't you agree, my dear son?"

"Yes, mother," Prince Alexander, the Duchess' son, says. "She is indeed a beautiful woman."

My blood rises to my cheeks. I sip some tea and stay silent. While I was eating some cookies and drinking tea while my father and the Duchess were talking about politics and royal stuff that I don't need to know. "Lady Camille, would you like to take a walk in the garden? The gardener has fixed it with exotic flowers that come from the Americas?"

"Oh! That would be a wonderful idea," The Duchess says.

"I'm sure she would love to!" my father says. I blush as my father speaks for me. Why do I even tell my opinion? No one really cares about it. If my father thinks I should do it, then I'll do it, it's how it works.

"I would love to your majesty," I say, as I'm expected to. I stand up, and Alexander does too. We get out of the dining hall as one maid follows us to help with anything we may need. Alexander guides me to the garden. As I follow him, I notice someone observes me, but I shake it off.

After a few minutes of silently walking down the path, the prince says, "Well Lady Camille, what are your major interests now?"

"Oh... well, I have a fondness to opera. Especially I Puritani. I take piano lessons, and my interest in novels is extensive," I say.

"That's very interesting."

"What's interesting, your majesty?"

"Well, Lady Camille... it's fascinating how we have interests in common." The prince says as that was something to be proud of something.

"Why is that so interesting your highness since we both come from wealthy families that can afford luxuries that common people cannot?" I say. He was perplexed. Men usually are not used to women that tell their opinion out loud.

"Lady Camille, I just thought that your interests would be jewelry, dresses, and things that most girls have affection to."

"Oh, really? Well, I prefer to fill my brain with knowledge than my body with accessories."

"That's pretty admirable since you can have whatever you could ever want."

"That's true, your highness..."

"Lady Camille, stop calling me 'your highness' if you prefer, you can call me Alexander or even Alex if you feel comfortable." He says, interrupting me. I give him a confused look, but as he talks, it faints.

"As I was saying, Alexander." He looks down to the path, ashamed of interrupting me. "That's true until one point. Knowledge stays, but as we've seen lately, money and things usually don't stay too long." I say, referring to the latest revolutions in America and France.

"Lady Camille, you are right," Alexander says, and we continue the path talking about stuff. We continue walking while talking about his favorite books and other subjects. On one point, I get confident with him and tell him to stop calling me 'Lady Camille' and just call me Camille.

After about half an hour, we get to a maze.

"Hey, Alexander, why don't we go in? The worst thing that could happen is that we get lost."

"Mmh... I don't know Camille. It might be dangerous."

"What could happen?" I say in a sarcastic tone even though I'm not allowed to use it. "Come on. I know you were raised in a castle, but I think you could sometimes use a little fun before you turn into the king!" I say, but immediately I cover my mouth because I just disrespected the future king of Great Britain. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay Camille, we're not into the palace, and it rules." He says and smiles at me, which makes me feel confident again. "Back to the maze, I still think it is not the best idea."

"Well..." I start running into the maze, "You'll need to find out before I get lost!" I yell while running through different paths in the maze.

A while passed until I realized that I have no longer clue where I am now. I cannot hear Alexander's steps. Even though my dress is weighty, I climb a little of the maze's wall, and I see the way out. I run towards it and finally get out.

That prince left me here alone! What a gentleman! I think as I go straight to the palace entrance.