Prologue

It is the start of a long journey. A journey that will be filled with despair.

"It's a silver hair."

"She has a silver hair."

"Is that good news, then?"

"Nevertheless, the duke finally has a daughter."

"Good fortune is now promised in our family."

The mother held her child tight and smiled as she cries.

"I'll cherish you. I won't let anybody hurt you, my little one." The mother said.

"What are you saying? We should confine her."

"I'll keep her in my library."

"No, she'll be in my house!"

Chaos was bestowed on the family as they quarrel who will be the one to take the child.

"Silence!" then, again, the family head wouldn't allow something like to happen.

"Do you only think about the luck you're getting?" he asked the people present at the birth of the child.

"Michael…" the mother pleaded.

"What? Do you wish to own the benefits just for yourselves?" one of the women said.

"Leave! I forbid any of you to come to my manor unless you're called!" one command and the room were suddenly empty. With only the family head, the mother and the child left in the room.

"Michael… our child…" Michael hugged them both.

"I won't let them take her. I'll protect both of you."

"Silver hair." The father thought as he held her daughter's head.

Now, the curse is in effect.

---

"Young Lady!" someone called when a little girl ran towards the garden.

"Oh, young lady! Please be careful and watch your steps." The maid slightly pats her lady's skirt.

"Garden." The child spoke in a soft voice.

"Pardon?"

"I want to go to the garden." The child, again, said, in a firm manner.

"But… the lord has forbidden you to go to the garden," the child pouts when she hears that.

Truly enough, she is forbidden to even set her foot in the garden. Her mother also told her not to go there.

"I wa-"

"Chiyo…" a soft voice called the child from behind the maid.

"Mommy!"

The woman now is frail, no matter how you look at it. She was thin, but still, she has the elegance of a noble. The little girl excitedly ran to her mother and hugged her skirt.

"Chiyo, you didn't forget what I have told you before, right?" the mother asks her daughter as she pouted. She held her cheeks and smiled.

"The roses will bloom today, mother. Can i? Just a little bit. Pretty please?" her mother sighs. She knows well that she cannot let her daughter set foot in the garden but, who can say no to the young lady, in front of her?

"Alright, just a little bit is fine." Without further a do, the little girl leaps as she makes her way to the entrance of the garden. The maid and the guard follow her, ensuring the young lady's safety even though they are inside the manor.

"Wow!" with eyes sparkling, she explored the scenery before her sight. It was the first time she saw the inside of this area of the manor. She only learned of the flowers blooming from one of her mother's maid.

"White rose… white rose… where is it?" she muttered. Her eyes scanned the field. And on the other side, she saw what appears to be her favourite flower—white rose.

The maids and the guard stand in the corner as they watch the young lady's movement, fearing that she would be harmed by missing a step or having a cut on her finger because of the thorns of a flower.

"Look at this, Anne. It's a white rose." She shows her maid the place where she found the bud.

"Really, beautiful creation. But be wary, my lady, it has thorns that might do you harm." The girl frowns. She cannot touch it directly, but she wanted to see it in her room everyday. It pleases her to think that she can see these as she wakes up and as she goes to sleep.

Her little daydreaming stopped when someone entered the garden. The maids and the guard bowed to him. It was a man, the brother of her father.

"Uncle." She called him. She bowed a little to show him respect but his uncle uttered words she would never forget.

"I don't have a niece who looks like a monster." He passed through the young lady and walked towards a plant. When she looked back, she saw how her uncle plucked a white rose. She wanted to protest, she wanted to talk back, but it is a sign of disrespect to your elder.

And until her uncle left the garden, she can still hear his words.

Monster. The maids and the guard cannot do anything but to invite the young lady to go back.

---

"Say, Anne, was it because of my hair?" the young lady asked her maid while she is in front of her mirror, staring at the hair which most people hate. The maid gently stroked her hair and closed her eyes.

"My lady often told us that your hair was one of the most beautiful parts of you. Some people might not accept it but they cannot do anything about it. You are the daughter of a duke."

"But uncle said I look like a monster."

"You are beautiful, my young lady. Only the people who know you really have that knowledge."

Yes, it really is a journey filled with despair.