I watched astonished as a bunch of new faces collected in front of me in the entrance hall. There were a couple of new people wearing cook uniforms and a whole string of new maids and butlers. Having all these new people staring at me inside my home was a tad overwhelming after the long day I had.
"Lady Riley, you've finally returned." Agnes stepped forward looking more relaxed than usual, which was odd considering all the new workers she had to supervise. I thought she would be more stressed out.
"Welcome home, Lady Riley." Bard said with a cute old man smile that reached from ear to ear.
"Thank you." I said, realising that they were all waiting for some kind of greeting from their new employer. "And I welcome all you newcomers to my home. I know you'll all fit right in with Bard and Agnes looking after you."
I chuckled nervously, I was never really one for speeches, but I was the lady of this great house so I needed to at least welcome them properly.
"Please don't be intimidated by my title or status, I'm just like anyone of you." Did I sound like one of those rich you tubers who are so out of touch with reality and try to sound relatable by throwing around phrases like, 'I'm just like you.'
"I will probably be very busy these next few weeks, so I won't have that much time to get to know you. Nevertheless, I hope we can get well acquainted soon, and I hope you all settle in well. If you have any questions please don't be afraid to ask."
That was good enough. Or at least, I was no longer motivated to try and say anything deep or wholesome. I was too tired.
This day had been so busy, from the return of the heroes at the massive festival, to my meeting with the reincarnated Prince, and then to finish off all the designs for the sacred weapons. Not to mention that I now had a little boy to look after...
As if sensing my fatigue, Agnes stepped forward, gently reaching for my arm.
"Perhaps it would be better to take dinner in your ladyship's room tonight and then settle down for the evening..?"
I smiled, relieved that she understood me so well. "That would great."
"You may all disperse. Your dinner will be taken in the servants quarters." She chirped to the assembly behind her.
Agnes slowly walked me up the stairs. Edna, Mellie and two other girls followed behind us.
When I got to my room, I was greeted by the lovely sight of a warm bath filled with rose petals and scented oils. I felt myself destress at the sight of the holy thing. A long soak in that porcelain tub would cure my everything.
The stars twinkled like jewels in the sky the way they always did in Gismead. My sore muscles and stress-induced knots came undone in my luxurious bath.
For the first time that day I was still and calm. But my mind soon drifted to darker things, ruining the effects of the bath.
The image of the cloaked man who knew my name, grinning at me in the forest was still so clear in my mind. His image haunted me because it somehow felt so familiar.
In this world where I practically have the powers of a god and stand above everyone else, the existence of a person who I could not locate was terrifying.
In my spare time during carriage rides, I closed my eyes and practiced my mapping skill, increasing the range my mind could scan over the landscape, on top of increasing the detail with which I saw things on my map. My vision now reached over the entire kingdom. To my relief and dismay I found that the clocked man was not in Girannon.
But where is he? What is he planning?
The unanswered questions gnawed away at me, draining whatever energy I had gained from the hot water and bath salts.
The prophet's words echoed in my ears.
"He was a man shrouded in darkness and despair. A wicked and fragile creature who was once betrayed by the great nations. Beware kin of Ambrose because he comes for revenge..."
I could feel it. A strong pit was filling up deep in my gut but all I could do was wait for it to overflow.
"You must prepare because he brings the pillars of evil to destroy this civilization."
Girannon, the four great kingdoms, the lesser kingdoms, this entire beautiful world filled with magic was a place I had come to love. I would not see it destroyed. I would save it, even if that meant going to war.
The prophet's last words were the key to discovering the enemy's identity.
"No. Not a new enemy, but a very old enemy. He was once, a very long time ago, betrayed by the great kingdoms and now he seeks vengeance."
There was one person whom I immediately suspected. The chosen child who came before me, the noble who created the magnificent library with his own magic. His name was Lord Tearlach Doersa Velaris and from what I knew about him so far he was quite misunderstood and possibly badly treated by the people of Gismead. Perhaps his experiences during his lifetime as a chosen child turned him dark and made him want to seek revenge against the kingdoms. I handed the task of getting information on him to Alphonse while I focused on other stuff. Since he was part of the royal family he had access to information I was not privy to. I would eagerly wait to hear about what he discovered.
The kingdoms summit would soon take place and I would finally be introduced to the other Royal families. All the other kingdoms were now experiencing hordes of demonised human attacks and were coming to Girannon to learn about the full scope of the problem. My goal would be to learn about the other kingdoms as much as possible and enlist their help in the upcoming struggle.
With a sigh I emerged from my bathtub and wrapped myself in a large towel gown. I walked back into my room to see two young girls standing before Agnes.
The two new maids bowed their heads and gave a respectful curtsey.
Agnes stepped forward with a proud smile. I could tell that she liked the way they greeted me. "On my left is Miss Beya." She gestured to the tall slim girl. "She is hardworking and dedicated, not to mention she has a talent for the needle and thread. She has already managed to make some temporary clothes for the young master to wear while he settles in."
The young master. Agnes was talking about the little boy I adopted from the festival. He must have been so overwhelmed by suddenly being brought to this huge mansion with so many other people. I was truly grateful that Beya had already seen him sim clothes and gotten him settled in.
I looked her in her eyes and thanked her sincerely. I would make sure to treat her well.
"And to my right is Miss Cora." Agnes continued. "Her ancestry dates back to nobility. She is well educated and can help your Ladyship in academics as well as housework."
I had the sudden urge to pounce on her and make her my assistant. With all the work I was doing I desperately needed someone who could help me answer letters and just organise files and hep me with my businesses. I would approach her tomorrow when I wasn't so dog tired.
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that..."
I settled into a quiet evening, and got to know Beya and Cora a little better as they helped me settle in for the night.
The back of my head finally made contact with my soft white pillow, and the silk duvet was finally resting over my body. Beya was putting out the scented candles in the bathroom one by one and I found myself slowly drifting away, but an awkward mumble alerted me to the fact someone was still in the room with me.
I opened my eyes to see Cora standing a little ways from my bedside. She avoided my gaze and she clutched her hands together nervously at her waist.
"Cora, are you okay...?" I asked concerned. The troubled frown on her face was making me worried.
"I'm very well, your Ladyship. It's just that Madam Mellie was..." Her voice trialed off as she lost confidence in what she was about to say.
I frowned. "What about Mellie?"
"Well, Your Ladyship..." She scratched at her wrist anxiously. "Madam Mellie was rather... She seemed a bit..."
"Please say what you want to. I won't get angry. I promise." I said wanting to reassure her.
Cora curtseyed to me again. She let out the breath she had been holding and finally said what she had been too nervous to report to me.
"Madam Mellie asked me to prepare a picnic basket for tonight." She said with a slight frown as she recalled the serial. "It was a basket meant for two, filled with luxuries from your ladyship's pantry. Fancy enough that I assumed the basket was for your Ladyship. However, now I see that you have not received it..."
No. I definitely did not receive a picnic basket from Mellie.
"Maybe she was planning to give it to me tomorrow. She might have thought that surprising me with a picnic tomorrow would be a good idea." I suggested hopefully.
Cora shook her blond head vehemently. "She told me to pack in your ladyship's famous iced cream. Although I am not an expert on the dessert, I know that it will melt if it is not kept chilled. She wouldn't have put the iced cream in the picnic basket already if she was truly planning a picnic for your Ladyship tomorrow, because it would have melted by then."
Her words were completely logical. Whatever kind of picnic she was planning it wasn't happening tomorrow because she had already taken out the ice cream. And it wasn't for me because it was long past dinner time.
I turned to Cora. "Thank you, Cora. I'll handle things from here."
"I'm sorry to trouble you, your Ladyship." She said and curtseyed before leaving the room.
If that had been a few weeks ago ai would have just gone to sleep and trusted Mellie with whatever she was planning, but after my dealing with the Von Esterheim's I knew better than to trust people.
I pulled over the drawer of my bedside table and pulled out my phone to check the time. It was 23:47. Almost midnight.
I rose from my bed and pulled back the covers. I stepped into my slippers and used my new fire magic to light a candle. While I was at the worship I finally activated my fire powers while I was working on the sacred cores. At long last.
I didn't know what I was looking for. I wasn't really expecting to find anything besides Mellie hiding in some corner munching on the midnight picnic she made Cora pure together for her. If it was just that, I would definitely forgive her. I hoped it was just that...
************************
Once Mellie was satisfied that everyone was asleep, she got out of her bed and carefully pulled out the secret trunk she hid under her bed.
It was filled with dresses that Lady Riley didn't wear anymore, dresses that Riley wanted to donate to charity. Mellie was supposed to take them down to the lower districts and distribute them there. Mellie theorised that in comparison to lady Riley she technically could also be considered charity, so she had kept the best ones for herself instead of taking them to Azmeth.
Mellie ran her hand over the red velvet dress for Lady Riley that Agnes told her to donate because it came in the wrong size.
She excitedly put on the fine dress and twirled around loving the way the skirt flower around her ankles. She would feel guilty about what she was doing another day, but tonight was her night. She only wanted to think about Claud and their get together.
Mellie picked up the picnic basket and cautiously made her war out of the servants quarters. She could not afford to be caught.
She slowly climbed up the stairs and made her way to the back of the East wing where she was going to open the window for Claud to get through. She had no idea that two pairs of eyes were watching her curiously as she tiptoed to the least inhabited part of the mansion.
Mellie gently placed the basket down on the floor. Mellie flipped the latch and opened the window allowing the night air to flow in. She looked down to the see her gentleman leaning against the wall patiently, standing in a bed of newly planted flowers.
"Claud," she whispered to the handsome man leaning agains the wall. "Everyone's gone to sleep. Come in."
His bright green eyes glowed with mischief in the dark. He took hold of the window ledge and easily hoisted himself into the quiet drawing room.
"Claud!" Mellie gushed. She ran to him and threw herself into his arms. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you."
He smirked. "I can see."
She giggled and pointed to the basket. "I've prepared everything wonderful." She gushed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Iced cream and cakes. Chocolates and biscuits. Ginger beer and wine. Chicken. Snacks-"
He cupped her face, smushing her cheeks together so she couldn't blurt out anymore more words.
"Enough." He chuckled and flashed her a dashing smile. "Just being here with you is enough."
Mellie's cheeks flooded with heat. "Thank you, Claud."
Her heart felt full and heavy for the first time in her life. Her head filled with thoughts of love and a long happy life with the man she loved.
He swooped his head down and whispered in her ear. "You look beautiful tonight."
Mellie's eyes sparkled. "Thank you—"
He snickered. "Not that it matters."
Mellie frowned slightly at his standoffish remark. She was about to ask him what he meant but the room swayed around her. Her eyes felt like lead. Her legs crumpled underneath her and she fell to the floor with a thud.
The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the cold blooded glare of the man who had been holding her so sweetly just a moment ago. The bitter taste of regret filled her mouth as she realised she had just let a monster into lady Riley's house.