Prologue

I had just finished packing my clothes and necessities in my tacky pink heart dotted suitcase. Boxes of furniture from my bedroom were on the floor. A tear spilled over down my cheek and onto the hardwood floor. My father had given me an ultimatum; marry a sixty five year old baron or be disowned by the family and be kicked out of the house?

I obviously chose the latter. Get away from my evil father and not marry the senior? Perfect. I just didn't realize it would be this hard to leave all my possessions and valuable items. I heard a taxi outside my window, coming for me, most likely. I slowly turned around and whispered, "Goodbye, room." Then I grabbed my boxes and bags and heaved them outside of my room.

My father sneered, but when my four brothers were looking, he morphed his face into a frown. "I'll miss you, Haeju," he said. I was the only one who knew he was insincere. Next, my brothers all took turns hugging me. Finally, my father hugged me. Out loud, he repeated, "I'll miss you, Hae." But in my ear, he whispered, "Don't ever come back." I shuddered and vowed to obey his words.

As I walked out of the house, I saw the taxi, a normal yellow one that was a bit old, but it worked. Hopefully. I got in awkwardly, as it was a bit small, even for my thin frame. I was tall for my young age of nineteen. My dark black hair, brown skin, and slanted gray eyes earned me many compliments. My bushy eyebrows, however, did not.

The taxi driver was about forty five years old. He had light skin, causing his brown stubble to show up clearly. He had deep brown eyes and straight brown-black hair. He turned to me. "Ah, a young lass!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. Nineteen was young, but I was a young adult now, not a rebellious teenager. He started the taxi motor and began to drive.

I sat in the back seat, staring out the window. I was perfectly content doing this, so I inwardly groaned when the man began to ask me questions. By the end of the "quiz," he knew my name (Haeju), my age (nineteen), and where I was going (I didn't know). At the last answer, he laughed. "I guess you're going to Ichor," he said. "It's only eight hours away from that house o' yours."

Only? I thought gleefully. My dad never drove anywhere farther than an hour away. The only loss for me was that in eight hours, it would be past lunch, around four pm. I sighed quietly and made myself comfortable on the leather taxi seat. Note to self, just because it's more expensive does not guarantee it will be softer, as this costly leather was very uncomfortable.

I guess I had drifted off, because the next thing I knew, the taxi had stopped and the driver was shaking me awake. I looked around wildly and gasped. We were outside of a City Hall with red brick. It was a nice town, with luxurious grass and many flowers. "Now just go inside the City Hall, young lass," the driver said with a rude wink, starting the taxi.

I was about to call out to him to wait so I could get my bags, but he drove away quickly, leaving me coughing in a dust storm, with occasional bouts of mud. I sat there for a moment, dumbfounded. He had taken my bags! All my valuables, gone. I trudged into the City Hall glumly to find an impeccably dressed lady glaring at me. "Please don't get your filthiness all over our freshly cleaned floor," she said sternly. It's not my fault! I protested silently.

"I'm, I mean, I need a house. My name is Haeju. Haeju Dutton," I stammered, while she narrowed her eyes at me. She grabbed some documents out of a file folder near her work space. As she scanned them, her face went blank. She stared at me. "I won't be listed in any of those," I told her. Her face reverted back to its smirk. She was obviously about to say that I had to go back to wherever I came from.

What could I do?