Title: Places in Life

Genre: Romance, Drama

Pairings: Ivan/Ludwig... RUSGER!

Summary: AU. Ludwig finally goes to meet the wealthy family who sponsored him and his education when he was a child, but while walking around the building, he stumbles across a young Russian man who works for his sponsor as a part of the cleaning crew.

A/N : Yes, this IS a new story... I'm such a loser xD Anyways, please read and tell me whatcha think about this little prologue!

Prologue: Sponsors

There is difference between adoptive parents and sponsors.

An adoptive parent was expected to care for her adopted child without help from the government or sponsors. An adoptive family was usually middleclass. Adoptive parents were like birth parents. They would often allow the child to see or talk with their birth parents after the adoption or they would be allowed to make some sort of contact. One of the best things about adoptive parents was that they commonly allowed their child to be whoever they wanted.

They gave their children freedom.

The sponsors, who were much more controlling, were still considered good and generous people. Even though some are known to only choose their sponsor children based on their physical appearances and intelligence to simply marry one of their birth children.

From birth, the sponsor would look into a local newborn, ranging from four to five newborns at a time. The sponsor would then judge the children until they all turned seven. At the age of seven, the sponsor would decide which of the five was worthy of sponsoring. If chosen, the child's last name would be changed to that of the sponsor's last name. The child would spend, from the age of seven to ten, as his final years with his birth parents. Everything that the child needs or wants in those three years will be paid for by his sponsor. At the age of the ten, he would be sent to a boarding school.

He would then spend six years in that school learning whatever subject his sponsor had decided to place him in. There are many types of schools, ranging from Law schools to Sports schools all the way down the list to Fine Arts school and Business schools. After his six years were up, at the age of sixteen, the child would be sent to spend one year at his sponsor family's house.

He would spend a year with his new sponsor family to grow some family ties and to actually meet them. He would continue to study but by himself. He would meet with his new brothers and sisters, if the sponsor had any children, and would be cared for by his new family.

At the age of seventeen, he would be sent back for the remainder of his schooling, which would last until he was twenty-one years old. At that age, he would spend another year with his sponsor family. In this year his sponsor parents would decide who he would marry. In many cases, the parents found someone of equal status and their sponsor child would eventually fall in love.

Or, in other cases, the two would die hating each other.

After the marriage at age twenty-two, the two would be given a house and job. They were expected to act as a normal family and to pay occasional visits to their sponsor families. All sponsor children were expected to have at least one child so their family's name could continue.

Of course, any rules broken during or after the schooling would result in warnings; however, in some rare cases, the child could be cut out of the inheritance and thrown out of the sponsor relationship. All education received in their schooling paid for by the sponsor would then be terminated. The child would be sent back to their birth family and branded as a failure.

Most children were successful in this life plan...

And this was Ludwig's life plan on a piece of paper.

A/N : It gets more exciting than that... Sorry 'bout throwing another story at you~

Anyways, bitte, drop me a review?