"You what!?" the Marquess exclaimed after processing what his daughter had asked of him. "Were you not the one asking to come home to your 'babies'?"
Marquess Frederick rubbed his temples as he realized Elizabella was doing something crazy again.
"Hear me out. I want to join a troupe that will travel for a few months. They are looking for a talented individual who will be able to perform on stage with them. What better practical way for me to test my acting skills with people who do not know me?" reasoned Elizabella as she spoke to her father through her CD.
"Elizabella-" began her father before she interrupted him.
"What is more, the traveling they will do will be in our territory. If anything happens, there will be a rapid response. Besides, it is time you go and do your inspections. You will always be close by," said Elizabella while the Marquess looked at her with a wary gaze.
"I had wanted to take you with me this year to introduce you to the trade. As my eldest, you are getting older, and it is your duty to help look after what is ours. Sooner or later, that responsibility will fall on you.
"You already have a knack for business as you already started your own business since you were younger. It is only natural that you get to experience what our family does," said the Marquess as Elizabella thought over his words.
She still had not given up on her wish to do something that only the commoners could do. For some reason, she had a strong sense that this would be her only chance to do something crazy that was out of the norm for a noble Lady. She had to do this.
"What exactly would I be doing?" she asked as she tried to think of a way to satisfy her father but to help her desire for adventure.
"You would be touring the places. You would get to see how the workers go about their business and safety protocols in emergencies. It would not take but a couple of hours to do per location. It would be so that you know how everything runs for the future," said the Marquess as he tried to stress the importance of their family business.
"If it only takes a couple of hours, I could still participate in the competition. They mainly compete in the early to late evenings. I already checked that they would be doing the locations near or in the towns we deal in business.
"Although I had said that I would travel for a few months, that is with the exception that my group wins. The actual competition will last a few weeks. It will be grinding during that time, but I would have more time to go with you on the scheduled tours, winner or not.
"I am sure that if given the opportunity, I can do both no problem. Please say yes," said Elizabella as she tried to look the most pitiful she has ever been while begging her father.
Marquess Frederick thought about it for a moment in silence. He had read the reports on her acting classes and understood that she has gotten better over time. The Queen wanted her to learn to distinguish fake from facts but thought she had not been exposed enough to differentiate between the two.
However, he was most concerned about her safety. To travel with strangers, who could tell him that she would be in safe hands? How can he be sure that she will be unharmed?
The Marquess frowned as he thought what the best solution was. Finally, he believed that the person who had proposed her to go to this place and learn acting should be the one to solve this problem.
"Give me some time to think things through. I am not opposed to the idea, but I must talk things out on my end. Do not do anything before I get back to you," said the Marquess as he gave Elizabella a stern stare.
"I understand," nodded Elizabella obediently with a pleasant smile.
The Marquess kept looking at her for a moment longer, trying to see if she was up to something. In the end, he did not notice the sparkle in her eyes before he ended the call.
Elizabella smiled widely as she went about her business in a relaxed manner. Walliams wondered why she was behaving this way. He got his answer the next day when he followed her to sign up for an audition that a particular group was holding. Reading their name, he wondered why his Lady had decided on this specific group.
"My Lady, why did you choose this group?" asked Walliams as he read their name, "Jaded Luck."
"Their name is funny. I wonder why the group decided to name themselves this," said Elizabella as she headed to her class while Walliams looked at her in disbelief.
"If you were really curious, why not just ask them?" Walliams thought out loud, making Elizabella giggle.
"But I still need to join a group," said Elizabella as they went into her classroom.
**********
The Marquess had asked for an audience with the Queen of Edalelia and was quickly summoned to her study. He followed the familiar path behind the steward until he stood in front of the room. He heard his name being announced, and he waited to listen to a reply from the regal Queen.
Finally, he was granted permission to enter and made his way to her desk, where he bowed politely.
"I thank you for seeing me, Your Majesty," said the Marquess as the Queen looked up at him from her paperwork.
"Sit, Marquess Frederick," replied the Queen as she wondered why he would ask to see her.
"Thank you for your grace, My Queen," said the Marquess as he took his seat and straightened himself before the Queen offered him some tea.
"To what do We owe the pleasure of your visit?" asked the Queen as she took an elegant sip of her tea.
"My Queen, Elizabella has been doing well in her studies from what her teacher has said. She is confident in the skill growth that she wishes to join a troupe to further expand on her skills. She called me for permission to enter.
"I think it does not sound like a bad idea, but I still feel unsure about the people she is to join. Should I let her join and send her my guards or tell her to come back home? I fear that she will be most upset with me if I do not let her go. This is such a mess," complained the Marquess as he massaged his temples.
"We see," said the Queen after a few moments of silence.
She continued to drink her tea as she sat there pondering on the matter. Finally, she placed her teacup down on its saucer gently without sound.
"In all honesty, she is not the first noble to attend this particular school. Like her, their backgrounds have been hidden from the public eye. Unlike her, their status in life is not remarkably high, yet their families' bloodlines are strong.
"We happen to know that they have formed a group to join a talent competition. Could this be the same one that your daughter wishes to attend? If so, We can arrange for her to join their group.
"We also know that they will be holding the competition and winning prize in your territory. It would be easier for you to monitor her if you wish," the Queen was hesitant to continue, but the Marquess was glad that there was an alternative for his predicament.
"That is great; who are they, if I may ask?" the Marquess looked at the Queen eagerly while she looked at him with contemplation.
"They are noble children from foreign countries who have asked Us to take care of them. The school owner is a trusted acquaintance of Ours, hence why We chose this school for Elizabella. However, their identities are considered special," said the Queen as she tried to put it lightly, making the Marquess look at her confused.
"How do you mean special? Are they, perhaps, misfits?" the Marquess began to worry as he noticed that the Queen sighed.
"We should not call them 'misfits' per se, but rather 'the black sheep' in their families," said the Queen as the Marquess was even more nervous and confused.
"Is there a difference?" he secretly thought to himself, but the Queen could read him easily.
"They are not evil nor bad children, but they are not well-liked in their families. Their stations in life are negligible, hence why they are learning to be entertainers rather than proper noble children. However, they understand proper etiquette as they are still from noble lineages. We believe that they will be the best group for someone with Elizabella's status to join," said the Queen as the Marquess listened to her and thought that her words made sense.
"I understand, Your Majesty. Who will I need to contact to help me settle the matter?" asked the Marquess as he bowed his head.
"Leave the matter in Our hands. We will make sure that it is well taken care of," replied the Queen.
The Marquess sighed in relief as was confident that if the Queen were involved, he would not worry so much. His daughter would be in good hands.
"I give you my thanks," said the Marquess as he politely bowed his head.
"Wait for Our news, you may go," dismissed the Queen as the Marquess stood up from his seat and bowed again before straightening his back and headed out her study.
All he had to do was wait, and he would be able to get in touch with Elizabella. In all honesty, he would rather have her back at his side where he could watch over her. Unfortunately, it was hard to do so when she proved to be entirely independent with her own mindset. He sighed again as he made his way inside his waiting vehicle to head home.
He felt his CD vibrate, forcing him out of his stupor, and looked down. His stern gaze turns gentle as he saw who it was that was calling. If anyone who knew him saw him looking at his D with gentleness, they would understand that if it was not his kids calling him, then it had to be the Marchioness, his beloved wife, who was calling. The Marquess quickly answered his Marchioness with a pleasant smile.
"My dear, how are you?" asked the Marquess with a tender look in his eyes.
"My dear, when is Elizabella coming home? It has already been three months. I want to prepare a banquet for her. I fear she may not have eaten all this time properly and will be hungry. Her food intake has always been healthy," said the lovely Lady in the holograph while she smiled pleasantly.
"Forgive me, my dear. Bella will not be coming home soon. She wants to stay and make new friends. I have already thought about it and believe that it is not a bad idea. I will talk to her later to give her permission to play with them," said the Marquess as his wife looked at him through the holograph.
"Frederick, she is not just your daughter; she is mine as well. I understood when you said that she would study away from me for a few months as you promised me it would benefit her future. Now you are telling me that she will still not come home because she wants to make friends? How much longer until I can see my daughter?
"How can I rest assured that she is getting plenty of sleep and not out riding late into the night or if she has eaten enough? You know how fast she loses weight if she does not eat properly. The last time I spoke with her, it looked like she had lost some weight. Bring me my daughter back, Frederick."