(I pop in a lot for Authors notes so if you don't know me, here's your warning.)

Once upon a time.

Once Upon a Time, Ryuko was a child of five year old. She was five before her life went to shit. Everyone knows that damned tale about Cinderella becoming a princess. The step sisters would cut of their heels and toes, the animal friends would peck the eyes of the wicked step family.

Yeah. You get it, don't you?

Well, it wasn't the case for Ryuko. Or at least... it kind of was.

Ryuko's story started out as an innocent young girl. To be more specific, she was only five years old. The second she turned six, her life went to shit. A perfect girl who's life turned horrible. Never her, only her life.

When she was five, she spent her days playing piano, riding horses, taking ballet, and learning how to read and write. Yes, it seemed like a lot for a small child but it didn't matter. At such a high class, Ryuko was expected to be talented. Her own father showed her off to his friends every time they held a ball at their chateau.

Ryuko was just the perfect daughter.
The perfect child.

Perfect.

Ryuko absolutely loved being such a good girl. She didn't feel pressured or like someone was always breathing down her neck. She loved being the center of attention. Especially since she was her parents' only child. They had fertility problems, resulting in only her being born, no matter how much she begged for siblings. She was 'lucky'.

She loved her mother and father with all of her heart. Always going out on horse rides with her father, singing with her mother, and always helping her mother bathe the dog. It was a little something they did together instead of having a servant take care of it.

Then she turned six. Only that Autumn, her mother got sick. Tuberculosis. She was coughing up blood a lot. Ryuko's tiny mind didn't know how serious it was, realizing most people didn't survive during their times.

Her mother passed away before January. Ryuko was distraught for the longest, but her father seemed to get over his grief easily. By March he had been remarried. To replace the love of your life, the mother of your child, in only two months? It made Ryuko sick to her stomach.

Her new family was a group of oddballs. Chitose, Himiko, and Jin. Chitose wasn't the best choice for a mother. She was kinda selfish, treated people like the waste on the bottom of her shoe, was quite lazy, and extremely selfish. She'd have the servants stay overtime just to care for her needs, not acknowledging half of them had families that needed to eat. All she cared about was getting what she wanted and knowing everything about everyone.

Himiko... Himiko's entire life at the chateau was dedicated to making Ryuko's life a living nightmare. Tormenting her during ballet, fake crying every time she got in trouble, purposely making it an attempt to try and sound better so Ryuko was drowned out. Though, it was actually the opposite effect. She couldn't sing, but it did drown her out. And, She'd hurt herself, throwing herself down the stairs, yes the stairs, just to blame Ryuko and get her in trouble.

Jin... Jin was quite normal. He was mean, yes, but he didn't push it to the extremes like his dumb sister. He could be quite rude, but whatever. He didn't take it to the extremes. He was different from his family. He wanted to be a fashion designer when he grew older. Ryuko found it cute.

So, that was her new family. A nutcase, a psychopath, and a sweetheart. Ryuko was unhappy with this life, but with the way Chitose acted, her father was sure to come to her senses and divorce the brat. Then she'd feel like she had her old life back. It seemed selfish but the way Chitose treated her would make anyone pray for a divorce.

But...

Ryuko's father, Toshinori Tatsuma, passed away. The cause was most likely sickness, but he had died when Ryuko was still six years old. August to be specific. Only a month till her birthday and the man died.

So Ryuko was alone.

...

Sobbing at her father's side, her stepmother didn't say a word. He had left a will, leaving the house to Ryuko. Since Ryuko was only six years old, the house belonged to her mother. Nothing was hers until she turned twenty. Even then, she was too nice to put people on the streets. Well, too nice to put Jin on the streets. Himiko and Chitose could rot.

(Did you like this chapter? No? Yeah I know. Just trying to show the small story we have. Next chapter will be longer, dont worry.

For those of you who don't read the manga, Chitose is a manga character. I don't think her age is stated but I believe she is about thirty.)