It was rainy afternoon when a boy Mackis running for his life. It was one of terrible days he had after he decided to escape from Martyna. He is only thirteen year old and this life has been cruel for him to endure all sufferings since he was vanished from Burlington palace.
	Yes.
	He is a prince -a king supposed, after the death of his father king Nicolau of Burlington his mother queen Martyna reigned the kingdom disregarded that she is woman.
	Queen Martyna after the death of king Nicolau took the throne as a rightful to reign over Burlington but impossible to take over as long as eight-year-old prince Mackis is alive and healthy.
	It was a horrible action that almost put the prince to his death after he was pushed by queen Martyna to the castle's window three days after the death of the king. He must be dead or broken limb by limb if it is not in the net hanged covering the plants rescued him caused him not to land on a hard ground.
	It was almost midnight of his sleeping when his mother kissed his forehead to woke him up. It was a surprise! He never remember queen Martyna hugged nor kissed Mackis since he grew up. But this night is different. The woman hugged him so tight and kissed his cheek and forehead as if it was first and the last.
	"Young boy, it is your best luck if you never been born at all..." she whispered with a grin on her face.
	He never understood the word but never spoke a word to his mother.
	"Are you not to ask me why I never like you young prince?" She asked. "I never wished of becoming a mother -but a queen yes! 
She opened it and pulled him to reach the terrace. He felt the icy cold of the night but his mother never bothered to cover him. He watched the darkness surrounded them but his 
wickedest of a mother pushed him to fall there to his death.

	

THE SECRET PLAN

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. 


 "Elise, put some flour on your dough instead," his father instructed for her baking lesson. 


 Elise is a twelve-year-old girl. The youngest daughter of a baker selling biscuits, cakes, and pastries over the kingdom of Norton while his wife is a skillful seamstress. 


 Elise's five elder brothers were watchmen over goats, cattle, horses, and sheep on their thirty-hectare farm. Three of her eldest brothers Ares, Ragi, and Saurab have their own families, while Piyo and Hamran were single and her playmate in their free time. 


 "Pater, can I make my own cake with my design on it? She asked her father with a grin on her face. 


"You may, of course, princess!" Her father replied putting excitement in his voice. 


 She used of being pampered by her father and her brothers while their mother was a silent woman- quietly made Elise's beautiful gowns and their matched head-face coverings. 


Elise can freely show her smiles to the closest member of the family but neither of the servants nor her nurses could tell how her face even looked like. Her face possessed curses her parents and five brothers only can resist. Her mother's nurse and maidservants died that moment she was born. Since then, she was not allowed to display her face whenever somebody not from her family was around. 


 She mixed well her dough and cut it equally. She planned to make her own recipe of delicious cakes for the family and her brothers' wives and children. She put cow's milk in her dough, kneed for about half an hour flattened each portion, and put butter and eggs in every hole of each portion. She greased pans and put gracefully the oval-shaped dough after covering it for about an hour. 


 Elise was tasked to learn ten different languages since she was three years old. She spent her every two-hour lunch break for her pleasure of painting her favorite subjects. She also expected to learn musical instruments. Her two-hour lessons are every first to the fifth day of the week after each dinner, while her sixth day she spent learning skills of her choice. 


 She quite learned to sew her own gowns and some of her nieces' small dresses and her nephews' small clothes. 


 She even learned horseback riding with his brothers on the farm and swimming in the falls of Pagjaran at the boundary of Queen Atacia's Farmland her family-owned. 


 Elise enjoyed every skill she learned even though she sensed something is off about her life but never question anyone anyway.


CHAPTER 08- NORTON KINGDOM