The Extraordinary Lady Giselle
Seyrside, 1426 (Before Lady Giselle was imprisoned)
According to so many standards, Lady Giselle Kirstein failed in many aspects as a woman. She was twenty two years old and was still unmarried. The normal age to marry at that time was seventeen. She was five years late.
She was far too smart for her own good as well. Lord Kirstein, her father, was a wealthy merchant that sold silk, paper and wheat. Having only two children, he gave Giselle the same tutors as her brother.
As a result, she could read and count very well. Master Nathan Kirstein, her brother, often declared that his sister was much smarter than him, and his parents agreed.
When little girls her age read fairy tales and romance, Lady Giselle read famous books from philosophers and war lords.
She would only read romance when the book was in a foreign language.
Her favorite heroine was not fictional characters from the fairy tales the storytellers told.
At that time, rich families often called storytellers to read them stories using various intonations.
Lady Giselle admired Melanie Hawthorn, a real woman in history, because she went to war to replace her father. She also admired the stories of men who support justice.
Romance stories bored her, because it was always the same, a girl fell head over heels for a man, and they had their happy endings. The stories from other countries were obviously a lot more interesting.
At the age of twelve, she could speak and write not only in her own language, but also in the language of two other countries.
At the age of fourteen, Lady Giselle had the biggest heartbreak in her entire life. She found out that Sullivan University, the only university in the kingdom at that era, only accepted boys, and never girls.
"I BET I COULD REACH THE FIRST RANK IN THE ENROLLMENT EXAM!!! NATHAN, YOU KNOW I CAN!!! THIS IS CRUELTY!!! I WANT TO GO AS WELL!!!"
She was so heartbroken that she became very ill, refusing to eat and catching a fever so severe that her parents thought she would die.
She recovered only because she was allowed to answer the questions her brother brought home from the enrollment exam.
Nathan was accepted, of course. Then he brought Giselle's answers of the exam, and begged one of his lecturers to review it.
The Lecturer was amazed, concluding that "this young man" answered the exam better than the first rank student (Nathan was the third). Not only that, the Lecturer even thought that "this young man" even answered with more extensive details, giving better arguments, and used a lot more references.
"It's as if he has read all the books ever written!"
Nathan thought that his sister probably did, but didn't say it out loud.
"Why hasn't he applied? He must be a brilliant boy! It must be a pleasure to teach him! And he would be able to pass The Royal Civil Employee Exam easily!"
Nathan managed not to answer that without being rude, then came home and recounted it to his ill sister.
Giselle was willing to eat again after hearing that.
Her parents went to the temple the next day to thank the Gods for not taking away their daughter early.
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When she was fifteen, proposals for her began coming in. She was horrified at first, entirely forgetting that she had to marry and give somebody sons.
After a huge fight with her mother, she finally decided she would attend one meal with the suitors.
Each time she did, she would always feel so bored. No one read the books she read. No one cared about the reason why the emperor made a certain decision. No one cared why the price of wheat went up or down that year.
She didn't know how to praise a man when he showed off. She knew exactly how much her father was worth. She checked the monthly reports to make sure her father's accountant didn't make mistakes. And her father was always richer than her suitors. So she could not, no matter how she tried, be impressed.
When the man tried to tell a joke, she couldn't laugh. She could only force herself to smile. This was because her family hired their own jesters to entertain them once a week. She could laugh out loud when she heard them, but her suitors were entirely not funny.
This happened with each suitor. She'd write a letter of refusal the next day. Rumors that she was cold, cruel and rude spread. Instead of weeping about it, she rejoiced, thinking she wouldn't get any more suitors.
However, due to the lure of her father's wealth, they kept trying.
And the same thing would always happen.
Between dodging her suitors and reading her brother's books from Sullivan University, Lady Giselle discovered she really wanted to be a female doctor.
She found out she could be one if she worked at a clinic and learned from senior doctors.
However, at that era, nurses and female doctors were considered as low as courtesans or prostitutes.
When her father heard this wish, he threatened he'd kill himself if Lady Giselle insisted.
So she had no choice but to stop wishing about it. The only consolation she got was reading medical books. It was just fun to read them, although she couldn't really use the knowledge.
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One day, when she was 20, she ran out of books to read. She wasn't interested in writing to her sister in-law either.
Her dearest and closest maid, Alice, was tidying her books, and said, "I wish I knew how to read, and could know why My Lady loves it so much."
Lady Giselle jumped at the idea and started to teach her how to read. Alice was smart. In a week, she could read children's books. And in a month, she could read the famous romance already.
For the first time in her life, Lady Giselle had a friend to talk about her favorite books.
She enjoyed the process and taught her other maids. When her friends heard that, those who couldn't read asked her to teach them as well.
Illiteracy was common between women at that era. Women should know how to please men, raise children and arrange family events. Sew, cook, dance or paint. But reading was never a necessity.
So Lady Giselle taught her friends how to read. And since they were all mothers, she taught them how to count as well.
She asked for no payment, but her friends sent her silk, jewels and money.
Words spread. Friends' cousins and nieces arrived and asked to be taught how to read and count.
Soon, she set up a classroom in one of her many sitting rooms. She also added History to her lessons and after some time, began teaching Literature as well.
In her class, a servant's daughter might sit beside a rich man's daughter. If the rich one opposed this, Lady Giselle would unceremoniously kick her out.
Her maids turned to be teachers too.
In this way of living, two years passed. At the age of twenty two, Lady Giselle had her own Academy for Ladies. Five hundred students studied at all times. The massive house complex owned by Isaac Kirstein had so many pavilions. She set her academy in one pavilion. Five other pavilions housed her students who came to Seyrside from other cities, and one was for her own use.
The rich paid her handsomely. The poor paid her by cleaning the pavilions and helping with her father's shops.
Her academy taught reading, counting, History, Literature, Philosophy and vocational skills like sewing, handcraft, making paper, painting and cooking.
The poor girls left her school after a year and set up shops to sell their own cooked meals, handcraft and dresses. The rich stayed until they absolutely had to marry.
But they entered their marriages as smart women who knew their rights and had pride over their own capabilities.
A single woman enlightened her generation. Those who learnt to read and count taught their friends and children, reducing illiteracy significantly.
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Of course, there were people who hated her. A group of wealthy men loathed how she made women harder to handle at their homes. A group of women hated how she became a legendary female character that their husbands gossiped about while drinking.
Hatred could do a lot. Like creating a nasty rumor. They spread gossip that she was preparing a revolution against the emperor at her academy. They said that she was spreading secrets at her classes, secrets that could jeopardize the Emperor, and daughters would carry it to their fathers, who would then concoct a real plan to destroy the emperor.
Lady Giselle only laughed when she heard it, then ignored it.
However, she didn't know that the gossip became more exaggerated and horrible as the days went by.
When the Captain of The Royal Guards heard it, he decided to arrest and imprison her.
One afternoon, when her father was busy at his shop, and her brother was working at The Ministry of Justice, The Captain of The Royal Guards brought his soldiers, forcefully entered Lord Kirstein's house, then dragged Lady Giselle.
Her students and maids screamed and cried for her, but the Captain wouldn't listen.
Her hands were tied, and she was shoved into a wooden carriage to carry prisoners.
"Tell Father and Mother. I'll hold on as long as I can no matter what."
"TAKE ME WITH MY LADY!!! LET ME FOLLOW HER!!!" Alice screamed as they put Lady Giselle into the prisoner's carriage.
"I'LL DO ANYTHING!!! ANYTHING!!! LET ME GO WITH HER, PLEASE! PLEASE!!!"
"No, Alice. You stay here and take care of the students."
"NO!!! I GO WHERE MY LADY GOES!!! EVEN TO THE DEATH!!! PLEASE! TAKE ME WITH HER!"
The Captain nodded, and they put Alice in the prisoner's carriage too.
As she was taken away, Lady Giselle tried her best not to cry, holding hands with Alice. People on the market were looking and pointing at her along the way.
The daughter of Lord Kirstein was caught by The Royal Guards. Lady Giselle was ashamed for her father. She wanted to die. She could stand anything, except bringing this shame to her father.
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Lady Giselle and Alice were imprisoned at the Imperial Palace complex.
Hearing only one side of the story, and from Ministers that had always hated Lord Kirstein, the Emperor was enraged.
The rumor was that Lady Giselle was teaching ladies who would apply as Royal Court Ladies how to kill the entire royal family.
The ministers created fake textbooks, telling the emperor it was taught at Lady Kirstein's Academy.
The content was about hating men and using sex for power, and about hating the emperor.
These ministers had hated Lord Kirstein for a long time because he refused to sell opium and paid his taxes by directly giving money and goods to the poor, before reporting it to the Ministry of Welfare, making them unable to corrupt anything.
They wanted to wipe his entire family. And Lady Giselle would be a good start.
The Emperor thought very badly of Lady Giselle due to these ministers, so he decided to interrogate her himself.
(This chapter is the prelude of chapter 1)
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