"Young miss." A maid bowed her head and addressed Tanya.
In a carriage on its way to a tea party, Tanya drifted her eyes along the beautiful landscapes of the Vermillion territory. The sun was still bright and the sky shone with not a sight of a cloud, making for a perfect day for tea. The only annoying thing would be the constant bumps they hit along the road, mainly being caused by frequent use and negligence of care.
Tanya had just turned 16 a week before, celebrating her birthday with her family in a simple but meaningful dinner. Due to her age meeting the standards of adulthood, Tanya was pushed by her parents to attend some tea parties to better familiarise herself with young nobles her age.
"Yes, Penelope?" Tanya turned her eyes and looked at the maid.
"You are being invited to a tea party hosted by Duke Jeanne's daughter. Many other noble children will attend, this would also include young men and women from differing family backgrounds. I trust that you have done research on some of these children before today?"
"Of course. Every single one of them has a neutral or slightly hostile disposition towards me because of that brat of a prince." Tanya gave a face of disgust as she recalled Evan's behaviour.
"Good, you know their behaviours towards you will reflect that sort of disposition. The main goal that you might have must be the smoothening of that, am I correct?" The maid known as Penelope could be considered to have an extremely sharp mind. Taking an interest in Tanya from young, Penelope frequently discussed ideas with Tanya relating to politics of the smaller and larger scales.
As such, Tanya knew the political landscape like the back of her hand. While all of this was sincere on Penelope's part, Tanya knew that Penelope was cold and would not hesitate to call Tanya out for making small mistakes. Such small mistakes could worsen the public's opinion of Tanya.
"Fufu… Penelope, you do not look a day older than 18." Tanya scootched over to Penelope, leaning her head closer to the cold maid.
"Won't you pamper me?" Tanya cutely asked as she leaned her head on Penelope's shoulder.
"Stop being so childish, you know that my high achievement in my [War Mage] job gives me a prolonged lifespan. Tanya, you need to stop acting like a kid and grow up before other noble children overtake you." Penelope stayed stern and moved away from Tanya.
'Overtake? Can a rotting corpse run faster than a peak pedigree stallion? I know my strengths.' Tanya smiled and continued to face Penelope in an inviting manner.
"You are 16 now, your fiancé may be a fool and desires to annul the engagement; however, you must not meet any other boys for now." Penelope attempted to shift the topic as the scene had become somewhat uncomfortable.
"Penelope, aren't I cute?" Tanya leaned even closer and looked up into Penelope's golden eyes.
"Young miss, you mustn't do that. It is essential to maintain room between others as a form of etiquette."
"What must I not do?" Tanya slowly crawled on top of Penelope and gently ran her hands across Penelope's flushed face.
"Your Snow White hair is so beautiful, more beautiful than actual snow. You only said that I mustn't get too friendly with boys, did you not? I don't see anything wrong with this…" Tanya licked her lips as she stared down at Penelope's blushing face, noticing the embarrassing yet cute expression the maid held.
"Young miss~!"
"Yes~?" Tanya moved her face closer until she could feel Penelope's breath hitting her face. It was warm and hurried.
Penelope did not expect that this would happen. She had raised Tanya to be a model noblewoman, cultivating her in politics and etiquette. Now, she was underneath her charge, feeling vulnerable and strange.
'Penelope, you are just too cute when you let out your embarrassed face. It baffles me that you are already in your 20s. Such a talented and beautiful maid, I will definitely not be letting you go.'
"Well that's it for now. There's a bumpy road ahead if I'm not wrong." Tanya got off of Penelope and sat back in a straight position, leaving the maid confused… and maybe disappointed.
'What is with this girl…? I should not be feeling this way for my Young miss.. but she is just so… Stop it! I will not entertain such thoughts.' Penelope straightened up her clothes and sat down straight again.
"Make sure to make many friends among the noble girls. Look out for people like Duke Jeanne's daughter, it is good to forge ties with other ducal houses. She also happens to have a handsome older brother that is quite suitable for marriage. I would hurry before he becomes smitten with another noble girl. Good men are hard to find these days."