In my hometown, it isn't very odd to see a horse drawn carriage alongside a modern car. You can find an apothecary beside a pharmacy, a tailor beside a clothing shop, and a farmers' market beside the grocery store. My hometown is a blend of the new and the old, though somehow they coexist in perfect harmony. Even our traditions and beliefs are a mixture of the new and the old; arranged marriages aren't uncommon, but both parties have the opportunity to cancel the matrimony if either party is unhappy. My hometown is an odd place, yet I wouldn't have it any other way.
However, it is a very small place. The women outnumber the men, gossip spreads quickly, and you always know your neighbor. We're a very welcome and open place, and we receive many tourists every year. In fact, due to the shortage of men, some of the women in my town marry foreigners that have come for vacation. We don't mind as long as they're in love, but we're very good at sensing if something will work out or not.
As for myself, I am unmarried as of yet. I live with my older sister who is still searching for the 'right' one. Until then, my sister and I are living in a two-bedroom house that's been around almost as long as the town has. Our mother passed away a few years ago and our father died shortly before I was born, so it's just the two of us in this house given to us by our parents. It's a very nice house, too, with a combination of modern conveniences and traditional ones. We have electricity, water, plumbing, and things of the like, yet we still do laundry the old-fashioned way. We even cook with a wood burning stove, though our refrigerator is possibly one of the newest models around. Just like the town, our house is a mishmash of centuries past and current.
One of the best things in our town is that they still hold formal dances and things of the sort. Usually one of the aristocrats holds a large ball during the months of July and August to celebrate the summer months. Almost everyone attends and we generally have a good time, though sometimes women will dance with each other because of the lack of suitable dates. I usually go with my sister and stand against a wall to wait for someone to ask me to dance.
I know it seems like our town is a wonderful place, but we each have our share of misfortune; we just prefer to keep them to ourselves. If something happens, you never hear about it unless someone was killed. Most of the criminals in my town are petty ones; they shoplift or vandalize abandoned buildings. Everyone, including myself, has their share of secrets they'd rather keep hidden.
Opening the mailbox, I peek inside the metal square to see if we have anything. There are a few envelopes inside, so I pull them out and head back up the walkway so I can hand them to my sister. The majority of them look like bills, but some of them look like junk mail. Flipping through a few, my suspicions are confirmed; bills and trash. Then, as I sort through some more, I find a crisp white envelope with my name written on it. The address is handwritten in beautiful cursive and there is no mistaking the name on the return address; Roderich Edelstein.
"Was there any mail?" My sister asks as she stirs a pot of soup on the stove.
"Yeah." I tell her as I set the stack on the table, my excitement bubbling over. "Look! I have an invitation sent directly to me from Mr. Austria himself!" My sister's head snaps in my direction and she hurriedly crosses the kitchen, hands over mine so she can get a better look at the letter.
"No way…" She breathes. We always get invitations to these types of events, but they're never direct.
"Yes way!" I exclaim happily. "I think there is one for you, too." Tucking brown curls behind her ear, my sister picks up the stack of mail from the table. She flips through the white envelopes until she finds the one she is looking for, eagerly opening it to get to the inside invitation.
"Dear Ms. Amber Pasello, I would like to formally invite you to a ball I shall be holding later this month. The information you will need is attached below. Please R.S.V.P." She reads aloud, slightly breathless. Roderich Edelstein is like the crème de la crème of the aristocratic world. Everyone calls him Mr. Austria because he has so much influence, even if he is the one taking orders from someone higher up. To be invited personally by him was an honor and it would be bad manners to decline.
"So, when is it?" I ask, peering over her shoulder. Despite being in her twenties, my sister is much shorter than I am. Sometimes I wondered if it was just luck or misfortune that I happened to be much taller than many of the females.
"August 17th at six p.m." She reads. "That's three weeks from now." She quickly stuffs the letter back into the envelope, rushing to the phone to make a call. It's no doubt to the man she's been telling me about for the past few months. As for myself, I probably won't have a date. To be honest, I don't want one. At this ball, I would definitely be noticed by Roderich Edelstein. Going with someone would just give him the wrong idea.
Roderich Edelstein has been my employer since I was eighteen, which is about three years. With the money I make cleaning the dishes, dusting, and tuning his piano, I've been paying for my college tuition. He's a very kind man with gentle eyes and a cute mole on his face, located just below the corner of his mouth. Sometimes we'll cross paths, such as when he's playing the piano and I need to dust in the room, but he never really notices me. Still, I won't give up so easily!
What separates Mr. Edelstein from the rest of the aristocrats is his age. He's young, maybe twenty-five or twenty-six, and very attractive. All the women flock to him, but after his divorce with Elizabeta Héderváry he doesn't want to take another wife. That doesn't stop them from trying, though. Unlike them, I take a more subtle approach. Sometimes I'll catch him sleeping on the couch, so I'll cover him up. Other times he'll be so absorbed in his piano that he forgets to come down for lunch, so I'll bring it up for him and leave it sitting on the coffee table.
"Hello! Earth to Emma!" I blinked in surprise as Amber waves her hand in front of my face. "We should shop for new dresses. Our old ones are nice, but they're a bit out of style." I laughed softly at my sister, nodding in agreement.
A/N: I hope you liked it! Reviews are appreciated!
