Chapter 2: She is useless

"She is useless and can't understand a single thing she is taught."

The words rang in Azea's ears. She was surprised the woman thought that of her. It was what she wanted to achieve since the very day that her mother suggested she attends the Academy.

No one was going to make a lady out of her if she had anything to say about it.

"Please don't say that Madame, you are my last hope with her," Azea's mother pleaded.

"I wish I could help but I fear that if Azea keeps attending the academy, she might influence the other girls in the wrong direction," the governess stated with worry.

"I understand," Mrs. Zal Dameo admitted with her head bowed helplessly. "Where is she, I shall return with her," she inquired.

"At the dining room. Having her meal I'm sure," the governess let out regretfully.

Azea smiled proudly. Her efforts bore efforts. Azea waited until the coast was clear. She grabbed the hems of her dress and dashed towards the dining hall, to meet her mother and leave the wretched place.

She passed by some girls from her class. "If it isn't the useless daughter of the Zal Dameo house," they mocked.

"Why do you even dream of receiving a proposal when you can't learn a single thing?" they asked her.

One of the girls who was the leader of the gang stepped forward from the group. She stood before Azea. She twirled around in front of Azea, with her perfect blue gown following the rhythm of her movements.

Flowers in her hair, pearls on her neck, and nice blue gloves on her hands. She dressed like the perfect picture of what society expected a lady to be.

"Take a good look, this is what a lady looks like. Not this," the girl said pointing at Azea's clothes that were dirty from her crawling to eavesdrop on her mother's conversation. "You should find a hole to crawl in. You are embarrassing to the rest of us girls who stand a chance of gaining decent proposals," she went on to say.

Azea pinched herself hard to manage the tears in her eyes. To pretend as though the girl's words affected her. "T..that is not a n..nice thing to say, Daphne," she cried out.

"But I only speak the truth Azea. You are useless even at being the one thing you were born to be," she uttered coldly.

Azea let her tears fall before them. She ran passed them in tears, she could hear their laughter in the background.

She met with her mother and the governess on the way out of the garden. She glanced back at the girls that were still taking a laugh from humiliating her. Azea stared at her mother in tears. "Are you satisfied now?" she raised the question.

She dashed passed her guilt and pressed mother to their carriage. Her mother followed behind her to console her, yet Azea gave her no opportunity to do that.

It was harsh to act as such before her mother however Azea needed to destroy her mother's thoughts of sending her to any other stupid school for nurturing proper ladies.

"I did not wish any harm by sending you to that academy. I only want the best for you," Her mother uttered. Azea wished that her mother would see that being a wife wants what's best for her.

Simply because it was all women were told they could be didn't mean that she couldn't be more. She was more however she just didn't like attention. Hence she kept such part of her life a secret.

"My friend suggested it will help you. You aren't getting any younger and I simply don't want to see you end up alone," she confessed.

Her words fell on deaf ears. There was more to the world than marriage, Azea wanted to believe that. Yet everyone was hellbent on getting her married and if they couldn't then they called her useless.

"I'm never returning there again," she lashed out angrily. Azea turned her back to her mother, happy that it was the last day that she would ever see that academy again.

"A new dress and some jewelry should cheer you up right up," her mother suggested.

They made a stop by the market. Azea alighted from the carriage feeling stuffed, shopping wasn't one of her favorite things to do. Her mother encouraged it as it gave the woman opportunity to doll her up as a bridal material.

Helplessly, Azea ambled into the shop with her mother. All the shop owners frowned upon sighting her. No one wasn't aware of how useless she was in the department of being a woman.

And they despised the fact that their dresses were being wasted on her. Since no matter how lavish she dressed, she could never hold the eyes of a young man for long.

However, their family was rich so as much as they hated attending to her. They had no choice but to do so for the money.

"I want a dress of your finest silk," her mother said. "With puffed sleeves, they are in season," she added.

Puffed sleeves weren't news to Azea. Her sisters sang it as though it was an anthem. They wanted it in every dress they owned. While she could care less what her dress looked like.

Azea much-preferred pants like the men, they looked easy to run in and comfortable to walk around with. But she lived in a society that frowned upon such desires. Hence she was stuck with dresses.

"Of course Mrs. Zal Dameo," the shop owner said.

Azea was pulled up to the small stage in the shop where her measurements were taken for the dress. 'Once I am free, I will burn all my dresses,' she swore staring at the shop owner provocatively.

"A way to a man's heart is through his stomach. As long as you learn to cook properly, you might do well as a wife," she advised.

"Whatever will I do, I can barely tell my way around the kitchen," Azea cried out. "Will I never find a husband?" she started crying again.