1 Humdrum

On normal days, the Ribeiro household was quiet, save for the shuffling feet of servants or the clattering of dishes in the kitchen from the in-house chef when mealtimes came around. The residency never dealt with much disturbance amongst its occupants.

But today was an exception for the calm atmosphere the house usually withheld.

"I refuse to have a daughter who will not follow the rules I have laid upon under my roof." Jacob Ribeiro, the house's proud owner and aristocrat by wealth, claims with a reddened face and beady eyes angrily set upon the defiant figure that is his daughter.

"And I refuse to betroth a man whom I have never spoken to," she argues in return, "or met, for that matter. I'm not some toy you can present to a boy who has grown tired of his playground."

"Cardia!" Tatiana Ribeiro's eyes widened at the words, clearly taken aback by how out of order her daughter was acting. The woman's hand was delicately placed over her stomach, a nervous habit she had picked up on not long ago.

"Then leave." The words hit Cardia like a train, her own expression defying her by revealing just how shocked she was by her father's words.

The sudden change from aggression to collectivism in his tone and the way he leaned back into his leather chair showed how smug he was with the statement.

"Darling, that's out of proportion." His wife softly says, hand reaching out to land on his thin shoulder.

"If she so badly wants to defy me, then I may as well be childless." He explains, his eyes unwavering as he meets the girl's uncertain gaze. The fierceness found in them was enough to let her know how serious the situation had now become. "But if Cardia comes back to her senses and agrees to quietly go about this arrangement, we can go back to how things were before this silly scene arose."

"What I feel, and think, for that matter, are not silly nor things to take light of." She irritably spat out, hands clutching her dress' skirt, ultimately wrinkling the once-ironed fabric. "I should have the free will of decision when it comes to picking a spouse."

"Stop spouting such nonsense. While you are tied to my household, there is no such thing as having your own 'free will'." He sneers. Seemingly done with confronting her childish behavior, he motions for his head butler to come forth. "Accompany Lady Cardia to her bedroom. When she is feeling right in the head, only then may she come out to apologize for her outburst"

Baffled by his order, the girl fights against the hold his employee has taken on her but ends up getting dragged to her bedroom instead. Unfazed by her feeble attempts of twisting out of his grasp, he hauls her up the stairs and towards the direction of her room.

"Let go of me!" She demands, tearing her arm free from his unrelenting grip. "Is that how you handle a lady? Have you no manners?"

He only stands still; stoic expression with a sealed mouth. He positions himself outside of her door, silently informing her he will be standing guard outside. Cardia mutters some unladylike words to herself as she opens her door only to slam it shut. Her hand lingers against the wooden surface as she thought of what the future would now hold for her.

She had done many things to uphold the pride and happiness her father had for her; many things that included being uncharacteristically feminine, rigid, and as submissive as possible.

Despite not wanting to do many of these things, she did them for the pure sake of being able to do personal hobbies like sewing and reading. Two things women of her status were not allowed to do openly.

It was taboo for a woman to have a hobby that didn't profit the household but even then, only women of the lower-class were expected to work due to the recent economic drop in the Capital.

But this, this had been the last straw that pushed the girl over the edge to finally say 'no'. It wasn't fair, to her or whomever her father wanted to hand her off to, that she was to be forced to spend the rest of her life with a stranger.

Cardia had dreamt of meeting someone who would understand and care for the girl who was hidden from the public eye. But in this arranged case, she would have to keep her perfect image on full display for the remainder of her life.

It wasn't something Cardia looked forward to. So, with this in mind and the newfound courage from adrenaline, she decided to run.

With a small luggage filled with a day's worth of clothing and other small necessities, including a good sum of money, Cardia planned her escape.