After three days of confining myself in my room, I decided to allow the mansion's servants to serve me. As expected, everyone's afraid of Henrietta. They would avoid eye contact, they wouldn't speak unless asked, they would tremble everytime I raised my voice. It amazes me how tyrannical the owner of this body can be despite looking like a damsel in distress.
There are four maids who serves Henrietta. Giselle, Emma, Mary and Anna. Giselle is the one who's always with Henrietta. She's like her 'personal assistant' whom she brings wherever she goes. She was also the one who came inside the room first and apparently the one who informed the others that I was awake. She's been serving Henrietta for a few months because the original changes her maids a lot. If she didn't like them, she'll discard them and orders the Lovell head butler to find her new ones.
"Giselle," I called. I was currently sitting on the sofa staring at the food on the table. It's a variety of leafy foods. Some looked like normal salads and others looked rather unsightly. "What are these?"
The maid standing beside me flinched. She tightened her grip on the the tray that she was holding. "T-they're foods that are a p-part of your diet, m-m-milady."
"Really?" I raised a brow. I picked up a fork and started to 'inspect' the 'food' in front of me. So, Henrietta is a vegan? But this vegan dishes, aside from the salad, does not look edible. There's a bowl filled with green soup that looked like they were algaes. "How long have I been eating these?"
"M-milady has been eating these e-even before I became milady's m-maid," Giselle answered in a low voice. "Milady has always been c-conciou— careful with what to eat. Milady s-said that e-eating plant based food would retain youth and b-beauty therefore you abstain from eating meat and other animal based food."
So, the original had been meticulous when it comes to health. No wonder her skin is this fair and smooth. I find it funny how she wanted to live long but proceeds on burying one of her leg on a grave she dug herself.
I dropped the fork and leaned my back on the sofa. This won't do. I would die eating these. I haven't even started my survival plan but I would already die if I continue eating these 'food'. In my past life I always made sure I had a balance diet. It's one of the reasons why I have a strong immunity and was able to carry out field missions. I need to have that body I had in my past life in this world. I need to be both physically and mentally strong to defend myself from future deviants of my plans.
"Is there something wrong, milady?"
"Starting today I won't be eating these" I declared with my arms crossed. I decided to maintain a little bit of Henrietta's tyranny if I wanted to control the people involved in my plans. But of course, gaining trust is a must. "Tell the kitchen I want to change my diet. Starting today, I want to have a balance of everything. Carbohydrates, Protein, Vitamin A B C D or whatever."
"B-but milady, suddenly returning to eating meat—"
I looked at her, my face brimming with confidence. "I am well aware of what I am doing. You do not have to worry too much about it."
She lowered her head, "U-understood."
I nodded. I was about to stand up when I suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, what happened... that day?" I asked while looking at her. "The day I fainted."
Five days ago, Henrietta fainted while she was out on a stroll bringing Giselle along with her. The day she fainted was the day I arrived into this world. That time I had a feeling like I was falling from the sky. I saw a girl— I saw Henrietta below, staring at me in fascination, like I was a meteor falling into her arms. After that, my vision went dark and I woke up two days later in Henrietta's body. I think the two days I was unconscious was my soul adjusting into it's new home.
I was cut off from my thoughts when Giselle suddenly kneeled.
"It was my fault, milady!"
"E-eh?" I was surprised and wasn't able to say anything.
"If I hadn't left your side that day, you wouldn't have fallen into a coma for two straight days! If only I wasn't clumsy, I would've caught up with you! It was my fault, milady! I am to be blamed for what happened to you! I deserver to be punished!"
"W-wait..."
She croaked as if preventing a sob from coming out of her chest. "I deserved punishment, milady! B-but..." She kowtowed, lowering herself even more, pressing her forehead ont he floor. I noticed how her shoulders and hands trembled. "I am the only one who can work in my family. I already received punishment from the head maid..."
That's when I noticed her hands that were poorly bandaged. Due to kowtowing to much, with her body force leaning into her hands, blood seeped through the thin bandages.
"Please, punish me however you like! Please milady, I beg of you. But just like before, please do not break my arms and legs! I need them to work for my family to have something to eat everyday. Milady, please have mercy!" A sob couldn't help but escape her mouth.
I blinked. Does Henrietta treat her maids with such cruelty? In the novel, it was never mentioned how Henrietta treats her maids, she just brings them wherever she goes. Most of her abuses were verbal. Nothing much was said about her because she only appears when she have to bully Adelia. And everytime she does, she just proceeds to being obnoxious and sickeningly annoying.
Henrietta is one of the many cannon fodders of the novel that doesn't have character development because they'll either magically disappear from the plot or die. Giselle said Henrietta punished her before. So this is a surprise. She's even more cruel which is great— not.
I sighed. It'll be hard to gain trust. Wherever the original goes she just makes everyone she meets hate her. Who knows how many people this insensitive brat has offended?
"Stand up. I don't plan on doing that," I said. Giselle flinched but still refused to stand up or lift her head. And obvious indication that she finds my sudden change in attitude unbelievable. "I probably fainted after eating grasses— plants for years. That's why I want to change my diet. It has nothing to do with you so stand up and do your task."
I feel guilty for using such tone. I never treated my subordinates like this in my past life. I only raised my voice when they need to be reprimanded.
Giselle must be shocked because she only stood up after a few second. With her head still low, she said, "T-Thank you for your kindness, milady."
I waved my hand at her, "You may go."
She bowed before rushing out of the room.
The moment she left came a knock from the door.
"Come in," I answered.
The door opened revealing the old head butler. He remained on the doorway, standing up with his back straight. He looked prim and proper with his black tuxedo, his gray hair where tied in a low ponytail. He raised his gloved hand to adjust his monocles.
"The Marquis has arrived from the imperial capital and inquired if you are feeling better," he announced. "The Marquis wishes to talk to the young mistress."
Hendrickson Lovell, the Marquis of Hutchrene. He is the 10th head of the Lovell Family. The original's father.
In order for me to plan out my survival plan, I have to learn more about this world. Solely relying on the novel's plot isn't a good idea. The novel only mentioned things that are perceived by Alaric and Adelia. It's one of the flaws of the novel. In short, it never ventured into other aspects of it's world setting that does not concern the main characters. This may be just a novel but who knows how vast the world is outside the premises of the novel.
In the novel, apart from it's role of being a traitor, the Marquis of Hutchrene held the strongest military power in the entire empire. They have been defending the borders ever since and never once failed at its task. But it was at the time of the 6th Marquis of Hutchrene where the Lovell family was stripped off of military power. The 6th marquis at that time was a famed knight conquering lands upon lands. He became the hero of the people and was admired even more than the Emperor. The Emperor that time felt threatened that the Lovell family would start up a rebellion so he planned to assassinate the 6th marquis by making it look like an accident in the battlefield. Fortunately for the 6th marquis, he survived. But he became a cripple for life, unable to enter the battlefield. The failed assassination of the marquis didn't infuriate the Emperor at all. During that time, the 6th marquis has yet to take a wife and being the only son, no one was qualified to inherit the title and lead thousands of soldiers to defend the border.
This became a crisis that needed to be addressed immediately. So the emperor and his lackeys decided to hand the military power of the Lovell family to the another noble family. After the transfer of power, the border was never at peace and the entire empire were restless. Even so, the military power never returned to the Lovell family.
It was only during the current Emperor's reign that the Marquis of Hutchrene started to rise up in power again. Henrietta's father the current Emperor where bossom buddies. The Marquis was the Emperor's friend and his closest guard so the amount of trust he has for the Marquis was immeasurable.
And Henrietta's brother just had to fuck that up.
"I would like to see /father/ right now," I said.
The old butler nodded and he stood to side. "I will take milady to the master's study. Please follow me."
I followed him and we both walked out of the room. Henrietta's room was huge and almost have everything. A huge bed, a living space where I can lounge around all day, a balcony where I could have a nice tea time while enjoying the view of the courtyard, a huge bathroom, and a humongous closet. The only lacking was a study space which speaks a lot about her personality. Because of this, I didn't feel like living the room. It was only today that I stepped out of it.
I was welcomed by a huge window. No, a series of huge windows that stretched as far as the hallway with a few gaps separating them. The thick burgundy curtains where tied to the sides of the window making the whole place bright and refreshing. One could see the whole frontyard and a massive expanse of greens and the blue from here.
"Milady, let us go," the old butler coughed.
I nodded and we started walking.
Unlike Henrietta's room, the interior of the entire house was more modest yet exudes restrained elegance. The ceiling's impressive height were punctuated by ivory-colored step cornice. The ceiling roses that were molded with intricate designs that represents the Lovell family held huge crystal chandeliers that provided light in the hallway at night time.The hallway was already wide and the ceiling's height made it look even more spacious.
The concrete walls were painted cream while the ivory-colored dado were wainscoted and a dado railing painted with the same color as the dado and the skirting separated the upper and the lower wall. We passed by many huge dark oak doors which are probably one of the many rooms in this mansion.
The white ceramic tiles have biege rose patterns and a burgundy carpet was stretched all throughout the hallway. I didn't see a lot of decocarations, just small and narrow polished tables with flower vases and other small ornaments placed on top. I even noticed a figurine of a dancing couple beside a flower vase.
We passed by many servants along the way that were busy cleaning the house. Everyone of them stops what they were doing whenever they saw me. They would lower their heads and wait for me to to be out of their sight befote continuing their tasks.
I sighed. Henrietta's tyranny will make it hard for me to gain people towards my side.
The mansion was so huge that it took us minutes just walking in the hallway towards Marquis Lovell's study that was situated on the end of the hallway. And this is just the second floor. I haven't step foot on the ground floor yet.
We stopped in front of a huge double door, almost as wide as the doorway. The old butler knocked and announced our arrival, only opening the after hearing a response from the person inside. Opening only one side of the door made a loud, heavy sound which reverbrated throughout the hallway.
Just like before, the old butler stepped aside and allowed me to step in first.
The very first thing I saw was a tall and wide glass window which was enough to illuminate the whole whole room. It stretched as high as the ceiling. A much exquisite burgundy curtain with golden roses embroidery was draped to the side tied by a golden tassle.
Situated paralled to the window was a huge dark wood antique desk. On top were a pile of documents, an unlit tifanny lamp, and an ink and quill. Sitting on an upholstered captain chair was a man in his forties but looked exceptionally young despite his age. He was busy writing something and only when I entered did he lift his head.
I was met with warm emerald eyes with the same shade as mine. The moment his gaze landed on me, a small smile appeared on his thin lips.
"Henrietta, be seated. I'll be with you in a minute," he said while gesturing towards the small receiving area a few steps in front of his desk. He then turned to the old butler and ordered, "Please prepare us some tea."
"Yes, my lord."
After the butler left, I sat down on the small couch in the receiving area. From my peripheral view, I could see the Marquis' brow furrow as he went through the remaining documents.
Since it was the time of the day where the sun is at its peak, sunlight was directly hitting the huge window. The golden rays made the Marquis' hair glow, highlighting every deviant strand of his long, slicked back hair that was the same shade as mine. Underneath his teracotta colored vest was a white, high collared shirt with it's sleeves rolled up to his elbows. In his right hand was a white quill and on his other hand was a bunch of paperworks.
I removed my gaze from the busy man and decided to look around. The study was spacious. Apart from the enormous window, there weren't any other windows to let natural light in. The nutmeg wallpapers featured dark brown saffron scale pattern. The dado were interlocking dark oak woods, with grains that made them look old yet well maintained. The ceiling was of a lighter shade of nutmeg and in the middle of the room was a single yet huge ceiling rose that has a more complicated design than the ones in the hallway. It was holding a huge and much wider chandelier made of white crystals and gold coated metal suspenders. The floors were made of rose patterned euclastic tiles. Underneath the receiving area and the Marquis' working desk were thick burgundy carpets.
On the right side of the room were a bunch of bookshelves filled differend kinds of books and scrolls varying in thickness and size. While on the left side, where I was facing, was an unlit fireplace with marble frames. Carved on the frames were statues of a woman holding a sword with both hands placed infront of her.
I remembered in the novel, this was the founder of the land of Hutchrene and has became the hero worshipped by its people. Too bad the last of her descendants were a bunch of selfish scums that brought the land of Hutchrene to ruins.
The Lovell family were the founder of the province of Hutchrene. It is a progressive province that was second only to the glorious imperial capital. Wise Lovell Marquises have ruled the land ever since and each contributed into making the land great. It was only when the Lovell family fell out of favor did Hutchrene experienced a slight decline. Even so, it didn't stop people from visiting its bustling towns therefore boosting its economy in the next years.
Of course, all of these weren't stated in the novel. I was able to find out this much after reading the only book in Henrietta's room. It seems that this girl is so proud of her own origin to be keeping a book that praises her land. Such a narcissist.
Placed on top of the fireplace's mantleshelf were three candelabras. From the ceiling hang a large banner holding the Lovell family crest. The one I saw in Henrietta's bedroom.
Overall, the room had an old and classic vibe. Even the scent of old books and furnitures mixed with the scent of roses was filling the air. It was nostalgic.
After a few minutes, the old butler entered the room with the door making that loud sound again. Behind him was a maid pushing a food trolley. They then proceeded on placing tea sets and snacks on the round table in front of me.
There were a variety of desserts ranging from macarons to cakes and pastries. All of them were aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and was surely delicious.
Only then did the Marquis stopped what he was doing. The old butler helped him fix his sleeves before sitting in front of me.
He waved his hands towards the butler and the maid gesturing them to wait outside. He then took the teapot and poured tea into my cup. The strong aroma of freshly made tea protuded the room.
"How are you feeling?" the Marquis asked, his voice gentle and deep and was embedded with worry and concern.
I cleared my throat, "I-I am feeling well... Fa... /Father."
"I am glad that you are feeling better. But do not overexert yourself with social activities. It'd be best if you stay in Hutchrene until you fully recovered."
I nooded in agreement. After hearing about what happened to Henrietta, the Marquis who was at the capital that time rushed back to Hutchrene which was a day away if one travels on a fast steed, two when using a carriage. When Henrietta woke up, he was summoned again to the imperial capital and only returned today. It was obvious that he still didn't rest but still proceeded with his paperworks.
Upon closer look, it wasn't that the Marquis was youthful. He was just exceptionally handsome that you would focus on his fine features rather than the wrinkles slowly appearing on his face. His eyes held a lighter shade of green and underneath those eyes were dark circles from fatigue.
"His majesty's 67th birth anniversary is in two weeks. The Lovell family's presence is required." He took a sip from his teacup in a refined manner before continuing. "It will be different from last year. There will be envoys coming from the desert country of Ishka. This is not just the annual royal ball for the emperor's birth date, it is also a ball to strengthen the two nation's diplomacy."
The 67th birthday of the Emperor? Alaric and Adelia met on the Emperor's 66th birth anniversary. So, it has been a year since they met and the upcoming royal ball is the second time they'll be meeting. It was a memorable arc, because here, they'll realize that they have a much deeper affection for each other. And followed are the consecutive rendezvous that was beautifully described in the novel. Even someone like me who never felt love felt buttlerflies in my stomach. But it's not something that would turn a person into a hopeless romantic.
I understand where the Marquis was going. Last year, at the Emperor's royal ball, both Henrietta and Adelia made their debut in high society. Young Sunnivan noble ladies at the age of 17 makes their debut at royal gathering. The most common royal event where debutantes gather are usually the emperor's birth anniversary, the founding anniversary, and the princes' birthdays.
Last year, Henrietta offended a lot of the nobles attending in the royal ball. Most epecially the other debutantes and that includes Adelia. I remember facepalming while reading her scenes in that chapter. It was her first appearance in the novel and she already wrecked havoc. Her debut in high society obviously made an uproar in the entire nobility and I think that's when she gained lifelong haters.
The Marquis sighed, "Last year... I understand some of the noble ladies also offended you but it would be much better if this time, you don't fight back."
/What are you saying, Marquis? Henrietta wasn't offended by any noble ladies on purpose. It was because the ladies were gawking at her beloved Alaric so she decided to threw a fit./
I sighed and gave the Marquis a smile of reassurance. "Please rest assured, /father. I also find my past actions unbecoming and I feel regretful. I promise I won't cause a disturbance this time."
He sighed again before putting his teacup on the saucer, his expression turning soft. "My daughter, I am not saying you are causing a disturbance. I understand why you did it..."
My face twitched. I get it. The Marquis is too soft-hearted when it comes to his children but a killing machine when standing in the battlefield. He's so scared that he might bring his militaristic way of discipling people in his household so he resort to pampering his kids and he failed miserably. He just created psychopaths. One, a spoiled, tyrannical, control-freak bitch and the other a selfish, power-hungry, scum.
I took the teacup and sipped the tea hoping ut'd soothe my throat. I somehow can't blame the Marquis though since he will die next year because of illness. And he really failed at his parenting 101 lessons.
"Father... I have been causing you too much trouble. While I was on the verge of death, you were all I could think of. I have realized all the wrong things I have done and each of them brought harm to our family's reputation. Therefore, I have decided to turn a new leaf."
I felt so frustrated for him that those words continuously from my mouth. The way I said it was monotoned, only rising and falling on certain words. I thought he would find it unbelievable but I was wrong. The Marquis' eyes gleamed and tears started forming on the sides of his eyes. But he quickly wiped before it could even fall.
My heart mentally ached for him. Such a caring father yet his children are blind to see his efforts— even though it wasn't really helping.
Poor man.
†††††