I expected that much from them, but since I was used to people giving me ill-mannered glances and behaving like they are holding a badger against me, and always trying to find a moment that would benefit them to humiliate me. So I was surprised to see that they came to me on their own.
Somehow in their voice, I didn't notice any malice, so I left them to talk without having to be aggressive. After all, I was angry with their action, not with them.
"Young lady, we are sorry for the rudeness we showed before. We know our words were rude and inappropriate. "
"We just wanted Lady Mireya to feel better and take her mind off the pain. We're sorry our purpose came out the wrong way!"
'They sure are genuinely sorry huh ?! But why are they apologizing, it would make more sense if they would apologize to Mireya. Do they want to make sure that they wouldn't get fired? For me, it makes no difference hearing their apology because that matter is long forgotten, for me the most important part is to remove their scared faces out of my head. But I think it would be good that the person hearing these should be Mireya and not me. Still this feels kind of good, to get apologies from someone sure makes you feel lighter! '
"You don't have to apologize to me, I was not the one who was influenced by your words, so you should better apologize to the right person."
"O-of course, we will do that young lady thank you, now if you excuse us!"
Hmm, I wanted to say that they were forgiven, but it seems like they are busy enough so I don't have to be in their way, since I found what I was searching for I don't have a reason to stay here anymore.
"Put the flowers in every corner, push the vases against the wall, I do not want an inch to ruin the space of the room. This is a big event with a lot of people, do not make any mistakes! "
Spencer seems to have taken his job as an assistant butler very seriously. It has not been long, but it seems that everyone respects him and listen to his every word, or maybe they know how to play their role well.
'Sigh, I don't want to interrupt him and make him angrier than he is with me, but I'm not seeing the actual butler anywhere so I have no choice.'
"Spencer are you busy right now, can I talk to you for a second?"
It will not take long, and he couldn't resist and behave like his normal self in front of everyone. He formally addressed me at first when he was a little further away, but changed immediately when he came closer.
"How can I help you, my lady? Ahem, you know this is not the right time to talk while I'm working, do you?"
'Tsk! Seriously, I really started on the wrong foot with him. As always, even when I just want to have a simple and civilized conversation with him, I can not keep calm and he can't either.'
"I'm not a Spencer child, I had a reason to ask if you were free or not. If you were so busy, then why did you answer me? But since you are here, I can take as much time as I want and you can say nothing. But I think this should be left for another time, for now I just need you to tell me if you have seen where his grace is, or lead me to the butler and he will tell me without making a fuss over nothing."
He didn't look pleased, but not so upset. Since he went to Raeliana on his own accord, he had no reason to object. Wanting to be angry or dissatisfied wouldn't be a solution and also not a smart option. He always thought about the possibility that he could talk openly with her after that day, but every time he looked at her, he could see that she was not reacting to anything. His emotions and thoughts would not cause anything to her, who wanted to find different ways to approach Spencer but couldn't. Leaving her to think only that he didn't like her and maybe that was for the best.
"The butler is busy right now, he had to step out for a moment to go to the library for some documents, but according to the schedule, his grace must be drinking tea in the greenhouse."
'Is he enjoying himself now that everyone is at work peak? I have to admit, this aristocratic life, or maybe the aristocracy itself, is disgusting. I can not imagine how the first Rapha could cope with such a life with this kind of people. '
"Thank you Spencer, I'll not waste your time, you may go now!"
As I was leaving, I saw Spencer trying to do something with his hand, giving me the idea that he wanted to stop me. It was strange that he didn't leave immediately after I told him to, so I asked him.
"Spencer, do you need to tell me something?"
Many eyes were fixed on us and they looked curious about the talk me and Spencer had. I was also very sure that he would not respond to my question with the character he has, so I didn't want to draw more attention to us and continued to walk out.
[Are you sure you want to do this?]
'Are you worried about me now? I know what I'm doing and I'm considering the consequences. I don't intend to hold into this power for too long, to use it will lead me to disadvantage and danger. To enter among the people with cunning and with a title, that will make everyone gather around me, it will be easier to destroy one after another those who live the same as those people once did, when Rapha lived. And creating "that kingdom" again, by making the balance possible with me, the rapha and the light, that I don't even know where it is.'
Raeliana could have left and the maids started working again after Spencer returned to work, but two people were not happy with what they saw. Someone in particular, was the one who couldn't stand her behavior the most, even calling her arrogant and without any kind of manners.
"Tsk! Did you see her right now, thinking that she is a lady and she has everyone under control? His grace is even making a party for their birthday. I don't understand, what does she have more than us, and why she should receive special treatment? "
"Piera, keep quiet, do not forget that we are not alone here, move your hands, and don't look suspicious in front of others."
[It's ironic that you addressed that girl with the name 'the light'. Weren't you who told me that I shouldn't do that?]
'Don't misunderstand what I said! Remember that she is a human being. You can call her that if you want to, but that doesn't make her something she is not. She can't be, because the light was a rapha to begin with. '
When she arrived at the greenhouse, his grace greeted Raelian warmly and let her sit next to him. That kind of place gave her bitter memories, but the awkwardness between them made her forget what had happened and watch in silence how the cup of tea clicked every time he made a move.
"So Raelian, what brings you here today? I heard from the doctor that Mireya was not feeling well and I thought you would be with her."
'Hah, if I only knew it would be this kind of awkward to talk to him, I would have sent a later and ended this. Bur since he mentioned Mireya, and I know that he doesn't have any concert for her, I'm just going to pretend like he's worried. '
"Yes, it was something unpredictable your grace, but thankfully it was not serious and she feels better now, so my presence is no longer unnecessary. Still, I wanted to talk to you about something really important and it would be better not to push it for too long, since we have a party to wary about."
"Hmm, I'm listening."
'Great, having him listen to me is another thing, but making him accept my conditions has a lot of work. Since he has decided in advance, what he should do and has acted on his own till now, this led us to no choice but to accept. But this is not a written contract, so we can do whatever we want, but he on the other hand can also do whatever he wants with us. The best way is to find a common solution that both parties benefit from, but not as much for the other person. '
"Your grace, do you remember what I said to you at the beginning when you brought me to this house?"
"Huh ?! Yes I remember, but it is not yet a fact, as long as we have not discovered whether it is true or not. But why are you bringing this up? "
"It is simple, you will see with your own eyes that the war will start and you will be there. You as a duke, you should know that the first prince must have received a marriage proposal already."
'That's it, the one thing that will benefit us both, but will be more pleasant for me to enjoy. He must have taken a liking to me when he saw what I did in the countryside, but the unknown made him make these decisions so far. '
"How do you…"
"How do I know? Haha, first let me tell you that we accept your pathetic offer and you can freely now make us your daughters. Once we are legally your heirs, I will tell you more, what will be the reason for starting the war and even the strategy of the enemy if you want!"
'I'm sorry Mireya, but Spencer was right. I lied to you, but I couldn't take the risk to lose you two in that war. He indeed took me here on his own accord, but he would only take me to use me as a war machine, after what he saw. So for me to protect myself and not suffer the same treatment as in that dark room, I used a little trick. People in power will want more, and knowledge is what they need most, so I made a deal. I would share a small part of what I know from history, and his grace would have to meet my requirements, one is that he should announce not only me but also Mireyan as his daughters, and the second is that I will not deal with his vain battles. It's too bad that I couldn't gather more information to incriminate him though, but it doesn't matter since he can't possibly do something to me now. '
"So, what are you going to do?"