The clouds in the sky were dark as they cried out rain. It was a bit chilly due to the rain which meant no outings for the day. So she wore a simple pastel blue gown with no accessories on and had her hair braided to the side which was preferable according to her tastes.
In her hands were information gathered with Sophella's and Irliona's intellect on the happenings among the aristocracy as maids were usually the ones to hear about the recent gossip.
For the time being she had to blend into society as there would be trials which she would eventually be the target of the enemy's claws and it would be dangerous to extemporize.
If she made a little mistake and seemed to be behind times even the vassals of the Duke could act against her on their independent will, with thoughts like 'she's not good enough to be the duchess', 'if she's the duchess she'll fall the Garcia territory' and other things along that line. It was not as if she was actually going to get married to Crinoel but preparation was necessary for the days ahead. Very soon it would be the first princesses birthday.
Also, she had to understand this world better in order for cooperation with the army she would probably fight alongside.
Her fingertips were a bit numb after her hands had been worked nonstop, by flipping the pages of the document.
At that moment a gentle knock on her door made her lift her head from the documents. A graceful gesture as her movements seemed to become nobler by the rise of a new sun.
"Come in" With her permission the door opened gently revealing a maid with brown hair and blue eyes pushing a cart which held trays of letters.
"Oh Sophella! Have you and Irliona already finished sorting out the letters?"
"Yes, my lady"
She had been in the novel for exactly two months and she had come to like the two maids Irliona and Sophella specifically, though she stood on guard against them.
The reason was because all the other maids she had seen she could sense their greed to want to be noticed. To be elevated to a higher status.
None of them seemed to be people who she could make to loyally stand by her side. She had had tested all of them the first time she came here, but the test is a story for another day. The only two who passed the test were Irliona who seemed to be emotionless and indifferent to everything, and Sophella who thought quickly on her feet and was passionate about her job.
Sophella and Irliona were two opposite characters. Irliona a block of ice, no, a rock as ice had hope of melting.
Sophella a happy bird chirping in the bright blue sky.
"But my lady, there were three letters Irliona thinks you should see immediately" Three envelopes were dropped by Sophella on her desk.
The first letter possessing the seal of the Herlento family. The second a plain red seal which didn't belong to any family. The third possessing the seal of…
She retraced her memory to the day of the Crown Prince's birthday ball where she met Crinoel. The flag which stood gloriously on top of the imperial palace bearing the symbol of two swords crossing each other below a lion. It was the same symbol on the seal of the third envelope.
She first of all opened the letter sealed with the symbol of the imperial palace.
Her Majesty the Moon of the Florentia Empire, invites you to her tea party which is hosted on the 9th of October. She looks forward to your attendance.
--Lady of Internal Palace Affairs
It was a short and simple invitation which stated her invite to the Empress' tea party. Who was the Empress of the great Florentia Empire? As stated by the novel, she was a woman who cared dearly for her younger sister that had a mental problem after giving birth to a daughter out of wedlock. The child was for Crinoel's grandfather on his mother's side, who was the 'reputable' Lord Perluntan.
Her sister's daughter, therefore her niece, was the woman who currently dominated high society in the empire. One of the people on her list. Lady Sonia Perluntan. The beloved niece of the Empress and Crioneol's aunt who he was older than with seven years due to his grandfathers out-and-about-every-female-generation tendency. The old man who was among the 'top 3 scumbags of the story' (mentioned in chapter 3, third paragraph) as rated by the fans, and possibly, number one.
She opened the envelope which bared the seal of the Herlento family.
Dear Lady Erionella,
Since our first encounter we have not convened. Though I sent you a letter and received a reply, writing can only do so much for communication. I now understand your plans and have revised the maps you sent me, but I need to see and articulate with you in person.
Are you attending any venue of recent? I am held back for some issues and cannot personally see you at the Renowarin or Garcia mansion. There are too many eyes and you previously stated things need to be kept discreet. I may be invited to the Empress' tea party which will be held on the 9th of October, though she has not sent out invitations yet.
I am positive that you will be invited as you have not shown yourself to the society as the fiancée of Duke Garcia. I will warn you in advance, the high society is a battlefield especially among women. Your words are your weapons and actions your fighting tactic. I have seen for myself what goes on during tea parties. I will testify that it is more than talking over tea. Thread carefully.
Yours sincerely
Beneditel Herlento
She felt the need to burn the letter so she lit a candle with a match then placed the paper over the little flame and watched the fire consume the paper that disappeared by each second, leaving only ash on the table.
She had already spoken with Veloryn, but she hadn't spoken to Beneditel yet.
The last letter which had a plain red seal was opened and she read the contents which seemed a bit surprising.
Dear Lady Erionella,
You may not know me, but I know you. The fiancée of Duke Crinoel Garcia as everyone calls you. But I know you more than that. You are actually 'the temporary fiancée' of the Duke. You must be surprised. How I know? It's my little secret. Just as I know about your deal I also know that you have an enemy that is very great. Even greater than the Duke. The lord of nightmares? No. This person operates for more personal reasons.
As strange as it is, I am not sure about the identity of the person or their location. But I warn you this person is very dangerous. This person likes taking advantages of situations by manipulating people. But the thing about the person is that they don't wait around for a situation they can take advantage of, they make the situation they want.
Don't be alarmed, I am on your side. Currently I am just someone who will tell you of your current situation, so you have to know this: You have many many enemies who are very powerful. However, all these powerful people are manipulated by the person I told you about. That person is your true enemy. The person is like a shadow. I prefer to title the person as 'the shadow'.
Oh and, I think during the last day of the founding day celebration at the palace you should wear that designer dress the Duke bought for you the time you clashed with Lady Elisa Julian. And also, there is a traitor in your mist, though I am not sure who it is. Do not think my information is a conjecture, it's just that I know things and don't know others.
Looking forward to our cooperation. And once again be warned. Before invading Ulenov there will be many dangerous threats.
Yours faithfully,
Harbinger
She went over the contents of the letter and felt a bit alarmed. The foretelling of some great enemy, a traitor and dangerous events felt ridiculous yet very true.
She couldn't take this matter lightly. The traitor part put her on edge. Did that mean among Irliona and Sophella who she was slowly starting to trust was actually a spy? Or were both of them spies? Was it one of the other maids? Was it a family member?
"Um, my lady" Sophella's call made her snap out of her thoughts. "Erm, well, my mother has been ill for quite some time and recently her health has deteriorated and my father is stuck in the mines working so there is no one to take care of my younger siblings. The oldest is ten and he can't help my mother in getting around. So I need to be with them for at least three days"
Erionella listened and her heart warmed, but suspicion seeped into her.
'What if it's all a ruse? What if she isn't actually going to meet her family? Sigh. I'm being too paranoid'
"How many siblings do you have?"
"Three
She turned the key on her drawer and brought out a pouch then handed it to Sophella.
Sophella took a peak into the bag and gasped in surprise before kneeling on the floor with her head bowed. "My lady! Thirteen big gold coins! What a commoner family like mine could use to survive for a year! How can I accept such!"
Erionella stood to help Sophella off the ground before looking into her eye and smiling "There's no need to be like that. You should try learning from Irliona."
"But I would be worst than her!"
"Sophella, I'm giving you because you have an ailing mother along with siblings to feed. Irliona charges me for a one lined sentence. Take more than 3 days with your family"
"How dare I stay away after receiving such an amount of money"
"This is an order from your employer to stay with your family for at least a month."
"A whole month! A lady needs two maids for any event she's going to and very soon it will be the founding day ceremony. And officially naming Prince Eliot the Crown Prince. You will be attending lots of social gatherings, so you need Irliona and I to tend to you"
"I trust you. And I trust you will recommend someone suitable to take your place while you're gone" She deliberately emphasized on the trust.
With much reluctance did Sophella finally accept her one month of leaving Erionella with the mysterious letter and her thoughts.