PEACE

CHAPTER 1

Mary Anne Luna, had a rough childhood. She was the only daughter of duke Luna, however even though she was a girl the treatment she got was similar to that of her older brother, young master Luke Luna. She was three years younger than Luke, however and started training a tiny bit later than he did. The dukes training consisted of harsh physical exercises and strict academic activity at the very young age of six, for both of his children. Luke and Mary Anne were both raised to take over the duchy should anything happen to the duke. Even though it was looked down upon for a woman to be that well educated in the empire of Solis. The duke's wife, who showered both her children in endless affection had passed away when Mary Anne was ten years of age. In that year, her new nanny began to take care of her. While she still needed to train with the duke of many hours during the day, her nanny too gave her tedious tasks to make her a proper lady for her future spouse who would be picked by her father. The nanny made Mary Anne abstain from foods other than "anything green", even though Mary Anne was in no way overweight. 

The nanny taught Marry Anne that men do not like girls who are smart n the Solis empire, and as the duke's daughter it was her responsibility to marry someone from the Solis empire, someone with a high rank and enough money to support her. Marry Anne hated the nanny's training more than her fathers. Marry Anne's mother always told Marry Anne that a woman should marry, not for power but for righteousness, see, Marry Anne's mother was a Muslim, and she was proud to teach her children all the things that Islam had taught, including a woman's right to choose her spouse, and to reject anyone that was not up to her standards, no matter what her father had to say. But Marry Anne feared her nanny, she did not fear the nanny's harsh physical punishments, rather she feared that one day her nanny would truly leave her, to stay alone with her father who only treated her with indifference, even during their training sessions. Her nanny had often told Marry Anne that her mother's sickness was caused by her, and that she killed her mother. She had also told Marry Anne on many occasions that, if Marry Anne did not listen, she would leave Marry Anne forever. 

After Marry Anne had turned thirteen, she was eligible for marriage, the duke, who was second in nobility only to the emperor himself had arranged a meeting for the sixteen-year-old crowned prince of the empire Arham Solis, naturally with both parties' parents involved. The duke called Marry Anne aside before she had met Arham in order to tell her something he felt was very important "Marry Anne, I have raised you and will keep raising you to be a competent and strong woman, if you feel that the crowned prince, is unworthy in any way, you do not need to choose him. You can choose anyone else, even if it is not him. Do you understand? The choice is yours, and only yours to make." Marry Anne was stunned by her father's words, so with his words heavy on her mind, she went in to meet the crowned prince. 

He looked handsome to her, he had a greenish hair, the complete opposite of her fiery red hair, and his eyes were gold. 'He must have gotten his hair from his mother' she thought as she stared at the emperor and empress. The prince looked uninterested in the conversation taking place, but Marry Anne was absorbing the information around her, she gathered that the prince was the biological son of the emperor, but not the empress. And that he had a younger sister, who would only be three years old that year. She learned that the prince was a quiet person, and hat despite that he was strong willed and confident. When the meeting ended, Marry Anne confidently told her father that she wanted to marry Arham. She could not understand the face he made, but he approved and told her that he would begin with the arrangements, that year the engagement of the future emperor and his future empress was established.