"Oh, it's the Merry!'
"Merry, how are you and the young master? Has he fallen for you yet?"
"Anything interesting going on in the manor?"
Merry answered their questions with only a tight smile. She stayed close to her mother, who was busy picking out groceries at a stall in the town market.
"I'll have one dozen of the eggs and three packs of Drewl meat," her mother said, and the seller immediately went to work. As he busied himself, she turned to her daughter, patting her on the shoulder firmly. "You did well. Don't answer them directly."
She nodded, and continued to stick by her mother like glue as the duo strolled down the bustling market. Vendors, dealers and traders were all shouting and waving, not at all being obtrusive, but Merry still felt unwelcomed as she knew every pair of eyes were fixated upon her.
They were eager, hungry, and desperate to know more about Careth Willdyer.
As she quickened her steps, making her mother flustered at the increased pace, a large man suddenly obstructed their path, looking at Merry with the same gleam in his eyes.
"Sorry to disturb you, Lady Gensweathe, but I'm curious on when the tea party's being held. Is it soon?"
Merry didn't have an answer to that, so she just stared blankly while her mother responded, "I believe it's on the heir's birthday, which is a fortnight away, or possibly lesser than that."
The man's face lit up. "Oh! I see. Looks like we'll know whether he's Blessed or not soon. Thank you, ladies. Have a pleasant day."
He trudged off, and Merry pulled on her mother's sleeve discreetly. "Mom, what is the tea party about?"
Mrs. Gensweathe said nothing, but latched onto her daughter's hands and hastened to a nearby cafe. They sat and ordered one coffee and one hot chocolate, and only when their drinks had arrived, Mrs. Gensweathe took a sip and spoke.
"The tea party is technically the heir's birthday party. Basically, it is the day where his or her powers will be revealed to the whole of Hiraeth."
Merry narrowed her brows. "So it's a public event?"
Her mother shook her head. "No. Only the Willdyers and the Merry's family are allowed to participate. The grand reveal will be announced after the party has ended."
The girl pondered as she swirled her hot chocolate. She was still confused on how the whole event was going to be conducted.
"So will there be some sort of indication or test that will reveal whether the heir is Blessed or not?"
Mrs. Gensweathe shrugged. "I think so. However, I'm not entirely sure on the process. Only Master Willdyer will know." She then inched forward, speaking softly but severely, "But you don't have to worry about it. Just continue to act like you always have, and remember to not get attached so you won't be too affected after his death."
If Mrs. Gensweathe uttered 'Don't get attached' one more time, Merry would rather have Rian make her deaf. She had always carried out her job well, and believe her, she did try to not get attached—but if one's goal is to butter up the heir and intentionally make them fall for her, how is she not to get attached?
This was Merry's job. Or more accurately, Marylith's job—to hold the title of a Merry and get close to the future Willdyer heir, in order to marry into their family when she comes of age.
And so what happens when the Willdyer heir turns out to be powerless, to be useless as the next descendant? Well, this would cause great losses to the current Merry's family, as they will be replaced by a new Merry years later when the new heir turns eight, and the cycle repeats indefinitely.
Marylith knew that her family would lose their social standing the day she realized Careth was not Blessed. She also knew that they would need to go back to living as commoners, back to transporting rice bags and selling old trinkets on the streets, eating what is seemed as not even a fraction of the Willdyer's supper. Their image as a noble household would be shattered, and be looked upon with pity by the townspeople, hearing them mutter, 'How pitiful, how woeful.'
She hated, despised, and loathed this reality. But no matter how much she tries to ignite the spark of anger in her heart, how deep she digs to find a reason, she simply could not blame Careth. Because it wasn't his fault. It isn't his fault at all.
So she made the decision to help him. She paid attention to his storytelling, even though she feigned being distracted. She gathered information on Witherblaire Forest, even though she could scarcely write. She took part in his escape plan, even though her family would be shamed and ridiculed when the public found out.
And she lied to him, even though she wanted to scream the truth.
"Mary?"
Merry snapped out of her daze. "Yes, mom?"
Mrs. Gensweathe looked at her with concern. "You've been awfully detached lately. Has something happened at the Willdyers? You don't seem that energetic anymore when playing with Jacy, and you're always in a hurry to go to your room after dinner." She moved forward to hold her hand. "Is there anything troubling you, dear?"
The girl stared at the hand, which was rough and wrinkled, an absolute opposite of what one would expect a noblewoman's hand to be. But she merely pressed her lips into a grin, saying, "Nothing's troubling me, mom. I'm probably just experiencing the monthly crimson."
—
Careth knocked twice before entering the dining hall. Today's etiquette lesson was on tea, which he assumed was a preparation for the tea party he had overheard about two days ago.
When he opened the door, Miss Circum was already seated on an armchair at the far right of the room, where a small, round glass table was located. Two cups perched above saucers on the table, along with two plates and a steaming teapot just beside them. There was also a tea stand that held, from top to bottom, sandwiches, scones and pastries. Miss Circum noticed his presence and set aside the book she was reading, gesturing for him to take a seat.
"I'm sure you're already familiar with the formalities, but let's just go over them once more," she said, and nodded towards Careth to start.
He first poured the tea for his mentor, then to himself, before putting aside the teapot with the spout facing him. Next, he pinched his index finger and thumb between the loop of the handle, supporting the bottom with his middle finger, and took a quiet sip. Miss Circum hummed in satisfaction.
Careth proceeded to stir his tea by placing the teaspoon at twelve o'clock, then drawing a line down to six o'clock, repeating for two times. He made effort to not touch the sides, as he didn't want his teacher to be slapping his wrist like old times.
Finally, he ate the sandwiches, scones, and pastries, in the exact order they were presented. Careth finished the practice by wiping his mouth with the napkin, folding it and placing it back on the left of the plate.
Miss Circum smiled, although it was an inconspicuous one. "Excellent. Looks like you remembered all the mistakes I pointed out previously."
Careth believed that if one was threatened by a woman holding scalding tea in a teapot with steam billowing from it, they would most likely remember. He then asked, "Is this to prepare me for the tea party I've heard about?"
The elderly paused momentarily, wondering how this child predicted what she was going to say. Nevertheless she replied, "Yes, you are right. This session was to polish up on your etiquette, as we will have important guests attending the party."
"What important guests?"
"Your relatives, the nobles, and also the grandmaster."
The last word made Careth shiver. "You mean Grandfather?"
Just as Miss Circum was going to reply, "Yes, of course it's your grandfather," the very person had knocked on the door and invited himself in, and Careth was cruelly reminded once again why he needed to leave the manor as quick as possible.