Meet Adanna Eleanor van Nassau-Badila

My name is Adanna Eleanor van Nassau-Badila. I was born from the union of the Dutch Royal House of Oranje-Nassau and the aristocratic African House of Badila.

My mother, Esmee, is a Dutch princess and the younger sister of Queen Elara, while my father, Luzadi, is a prince from the Badilite family and the younger brother of Patriarch Kanda.

This union marked the dawn of a new era—one that would forge a powerful new royal family with significant influence in both Europe and Africa.

The marriage between my parents was met with great excitement. Because Queen Elara was unable to have children, it was widely expected that I would ascend to the throne as her successor.

As a result, many of the leading Badilite families relocated to the Netherlands in anticipation of my birth. Even the Namidai Family, a branch of the Badilites who descended from the exiled Badilitess Matriarch Akela, intermarried with the Imperial House of Japan. They too settled here to rekindle ties with their distant Badilite cousins.

I once thought that I was something special—a kind of Messianic figure for the Badilites, a symbol of unity before I was even born. My existence brought together so many branches of my family, all of whom settled in the small country of the Netherlands.

The Badilites are a vast people, with four ruling branches in Africa, five if you include North Africa, and four sub-branches in Asia, the Nami Families. Despite their size, the African Badilites have always competed with one another, and they refuse to recognize the Badilite status of the Nami Families because they are descended from exiled Badilitesses who intermarried with Asians, not with Badilite men.

But with my birth, it seemed like we could overcome this divide, bringing all the branches together, even the Nami Families. I believed that everything was falling into place for a bright future. But everything unraveled with the birth of Maeve.

The Badilites have endured three major disappointments in history. The first was the fall of their kingdom due to European colonization. The second was the "Bakaji Era," which translates to "women" in Badilaean. During this time, the Badilite ruling families primarily had daughters, which led to the exile of three Badilite nieces who disagreed with the rule that only sons could inherit. These nieces became the founders of the Nami Families in Asia.

And the third disappointment was me. I was born a girl, and according to Badilite tradition, only sons are considered heirs. While my gender was not a complete setback in Dutch culture, where daughters can inherit the throne, my chance to ascend to the Dutch throne was destroyed by Maeve's birth.

Maeve was born, and I was no longer eligible to inherit the Dutch throne. In the eyes of both the Badilites and the Dutch, I was a failure. A female heir, unable to claim leadership of either family. Maeve's birth tore apart my family. My parents were devastated by the loss of their dreams for me, and my father received immense criticism from his family.

Their marriage, already strained, eventually fell apart. My father, unable to bear the shame of having a daughter who could not inherit, disowned both me and my younger brother. The Badilites, my people, refused to acknowledge us. We were cast aside.

And I blame Maeve. I hate her with all my heart. She doesn't even realize the devastation she caused. She has no clue that her mere existence tore my family apart, that her birth destroyed everything I was meant to inherit, everything I was supposed to be. She lives a life full of privilege, free from the consequences of her very existence. While I suffer, trapped by the fallout from her birth.

It's so unfair. It's incredibly unfair.

The last time I visited Patriarch Kanda's family, I had a conversation with Sansula. He and I had once been close.

"My parents argue a lot," I confessed. "I'm afraid they might separate. You might not see me again, Sansula."

"Why not?" he asked, concerned.

"My father... he doesn't seem to care for me."

"But I do," he blushed, shyly.

"What?"

"I like you, Adanna. I have a crush on you. And when we're older, I promise I'll marry you. I'll make sure you're accepted into the Badila Family."

I hadn't realized Sansula had feelings for me, but in hindsight, I should've known. I was the only girl he was close to.

I extended my pinky and said, "Promise?"

Sansula crossed his pinky with mine, answering, "Promise!"

I remember the day my father packed his bags and prepared to leave us for good.

"Papa..." I whispered, my voice breaking as my little brother sobbed beside me.

"Don't ever call me your father!" he lashed out. "I'm not your father, do you hear me?!"

"You're the worst, Luzadi," my mother spat. "You can hate me all you want, but you can't hate your own children."

"The fact that I can hate them means they're not my children," he sneered.

"Papa... why?"

"Because you disappointed me," he said coldly, his eyes reflecting pain and bitterness.

"Luzadi!" my mother shouted.

"What? She wants to know why I'm leaving. She deserves to know."

"She's only eight years old!" my mother cried.

"I'm leaving because you're not going to inherit the Dutch throne anymore," my father said, the hurt clear in his voice.

"I'll try to become Queen of the Netherlands!" I sobbed. "If that will make you come back!"

"Ha, impossible," my father scoffed, slamming the door behind him as he walked out of our lives.