The round table is covered in silence, the two women across were smiling at each other. Both of them conceal their inner thoughts by smiling at each other.
The Marchioness puts down her tea cup and says, "I heard that you came with your eldest daughter." her eyes speak of curiosity.
The other ladies who heard these suddenly perked.
with Wren and the other kids who haven't shown their faces outside for 3 years has been the hot topic of each event. It is no wonder why the others are also curious.
The duchess, however, smiled behind the cup as she inhaled the aroma of the tea on it, "I see..."
Finally realizing why the Marchioness created a Tea party for their daughters, despite she has no love for children.
"She attends the young girls tea party that you also hosted," Marchioness became silent, astonished even.
"She... really attend??"
Even the other women at the table were surprised. This was the first Tea party that Wren attends, "We did not see her?"
everyone gazes at the table far across theirs and they were utterly surprised at the atmosphere.
"..."
"what happened over there?"
"they are so gloomy at the same time they looked like they are having fun..."
Marchioness Farlon called for a maid. An old maid leaned forward, "Did something happen over there?" she asked, the maid calmly answered her as she recalled the scene earlier.
"The kids have met Young Lady Wren and some of them are rude, my lady." The duchess sighs. She hoped her daughter would create friends after the tea party.
The duchess already knew what Wren did, she chuckled with her eyes dead as the calm sea. Probably her hope for her child has vanished.
"She scared the children and left. She really did take after her father."
The maid confirmed this by nodding her head. The Duchess has nothing to say as she drinks her tea in silence.
"..." the noblewomen were terrified with what she said. It intensified upon seeing the Duchess' expression. Obviously, they all thought she was angry because of what their daughters did. They were entirely wrong. It is not about that.
She was simply tired of thinking of a way for Wren to have friends. Perhaps, because she has his blood running to her veins that she is like this. It feels like she has seen this somewhere though.
"D-Duchess..." a woman stuttered just calling the duchess, the marchioness suddenly smirks. Another taunts in her mind especially with the situation now.
"Oh my, this is just a child's affair, is it not?" the marchioness is smiling as she puts down her tea. The Duchess did not reply and listened to her blabber things.
She gritted her teeth upon realizing that the Duchess has no interest in it.
'This woman doesn't know when to stop...'
The duchess is almost at her limit with the Marchioness nonsense.
"You are a saintess. For sure you will forgive..."
suddenly, a tea fell down on the ground, shattered as its content flowed and slowly seeped on the soil. Everyone gasps, eyes wide in surprise. The Duchess directly stared at the Marchioness in the eyes while she crossed her legs and leaned on the table with her eyes focused on the Marchioness.
"Marchioness, I did not think you were this presumptuous," her voice is so sharp that they hold their breaths, her gaze holds no emotion and they have forgotten that she is still an Aurea before she became Vacarella.
"I don't like people who overstepped their boundaries. I tend to cut their horns."
who knows that the duchess only has small patience left with her. The Marchioness suddenly trembled under the table and she is questioning it. After all, she never felt scared because of this woman.
she then forced a smile to hide her embarrassment and fear, "I apologize for my impoliteness, your grace."
The Duchess wore a thin smile, but it is evident that she's still angry. The maids then cleaned the table and replaced her drink.
ever since she became a saintess, the duchess has met different kinds of people and one of them is like the Marchioness. The type of people who thought she was easy, naive and weak since she was a saintess that they want to take advantage of her and taunt her.
They always forgotten the fact that she's still an Aurea.
'This... she looks exactly like the Young Miss...'
the old maid thought in her mind as she remembered the same gaze Wren gave to the kids earlier as she watched the scene earlier.
Yet she hears that Wren is the other copy of the Duke. She might say that she was a mix of the two. Foot steps clacking on the stone pavement lightly, Wren tugged on her mother's sleeves and whispered.
"mom, I saw Lane"
The duchess recalled something. It was the name of the Marchioness' kid and he lives in the other building alone which also is far away from here. She intends to see him before they left, but her daughter is the one who meet him.
Wren glanced over the Marchioness with her brows raised. Obviously, she learned etiquette, she should greet them, but she is a daughter of a duke. She tilted her head when one woman stood up and bowed, "Eli Beneverde of House Beneverde greets the Young Lady."
Wren suddenly remembered the girl beside her since she looked exactly like this woman except the glasses. Shame, she can't recall her name. She smiled faintly and did a curtsy, "Wren Vacarella. Your daughter is pretty like you, Madam"
The Duchess looks surprised with her daughter's words. The other woman is also taken aback by her compliment.
"You met... Angel?"
she smiled once more upon learning her name, "Yep, she is shy, but she tried to talk and help me," yep, Wren heard her since she was bored; she just listened to them. Just don't have energy to greet her back since she thought there was going to be no problem.
"Wren, are you sick?"
Wren looked at her mother questioningly. "Why does my mother look at me like that Adara?"
"Maybe because you are adorable~," Wren showed her disgusted look and replied, "I shouldn't ask you"
"Amanda Farlon, Young Miss" Wren slowly turned to the Marchioness, she flinched because of the cold shoulder she gave to the marchioness.
Even the other woman is looking at them in awe instead of fear upon seeing the mother-daughter, side by side as both of them have the same look.
"They look exactly..."
"... alike" the two of them nod in agreement, the marchioness gritted her teeth, clenching her fists in annoyance
"she looks exactly like that woman...!!" her mind is full of rage after seeing her white hair and has the same eyes of the man he loved. She trembled in annoyance.
"Marchioness you should hide your expressions well," it is because Wren can tell what she is thinking, after all, in her past life she observed the people around her and they are no different from the people she met.
"pardon?" she was stunned, even the way she smiles is like the duchess.
"Young Miss do you need anything?" the old maid asked. To alleviate the tea party's mood she decided to separate the two from the marchioness,
Wren pointed to the food then said, "Prepare it on a basket and bring some clothes for a boy, age 5...probably"
"for whom is this for?" she thought quietly but a passing thought came to her. It is possible that the Young Miss has met the Young Master and plans to feed him.
It is a good thing since she was planning to sneak out to give Lane food today. Since the Marchioness punishes the people who help Lane, it is the only thing she could do.
She did not expect that the young lady will meet yhe young master.
She closed her eyes and remembered everything she did to Lane. It is much better for the child to be with the duchess rather than staying here. Determination rose in her eyes while preparing the things Lane needs.
"I will do anything to protect it..." she whispered as she slipped a small letter inside the basket.
"Maid." she jolts upon a voice behind her ear. The duchess was behind her and a smirk was plastered on her lips.
"My intel was right..." she looked at the basket on the maid's hand.
"... you taking care of that boy in secret." the case she is investigating is about smuggling weapons between the current Marquis Farlon and someone from the other kingdom.
The current Marquis is not Lane's biological father. He is the 2nd husband she picked up after the marquis died 4 years ago. Unfortunately, she remarried giving the status to a stranger. The relatives of the deceased marquis are still trying to get back the title since the current head is not a Farlon bloodline and he only ruins the surname
the duchess has also investigated about Lane. After all, she was acquinted to the deceased Marquis.
"If others also became Lane's guardian..." it will be a mess since it will reach the imperial court and the poor boy who has no legal guardian will be a puppet for those relatives of him.
just thinking about the boy going through is such a headache. The maid looked wary at the duchess.
"Do not worry, Lia. I can help you to get Lane out of here."
she pulled out the slipped paper and burned it while whispering the plan, "This will be better than you being punished after, right?"
---------------------------------------------------
this is going to make me crazy. How long are the maids going to prepare for the things I asked for?
Tsk, those people let some kid look like that and lived in some unhygienic place.
"Wren the maid is here." Adara whispered on my ears and true enough. The old maid appeared with two baskets on her hands.
I tried getting one basket, but every time I do, she raises it for me not to reach it.
"I will accompany you, Young Miss."
"You can't." it will be bad if she joins me and I won't be too comfortable chatting with Lane.
Well, he also has good looks especially with how vibrant his hair is. I refuse to be killed by him already. Anyway, I just noticed that most of my time whether it is in the past, present or in the future, my life seems to be always about life and death.
I wonder if the author has some sort of grudge over my character.
"Young Miss, have you met the Young Master?"
They let a child go live separate from them and he wears something like that... though I do not blame them since the Marchioness is ruthless. I remembered a part wherein she whipped a maid till her bones broke just because she gave Lane an apple by accident.
"yes."
she shifted her gaze on me then turned away. The maid is silent as we came inside the ruined building. There were some cobwebs and dust as soon as we stepped in. Cracks on the walls are evident and some furniture is missing.
"..." it is dreary. I wonder how a mother can ignore her child like this. There's no way a child would live and be healthy here.
"Lia you are here!!... and..." upon the stairs, Lane is holding on to the banister as he tilts his head. Looking at me. I point at the basket on the Maid's hands. Come to think of he called her Lia and he seems to be close to her.
Seeing the excitement fade in an instant as soon as he saw me. This is the first time I envy someone. He looks disappointed at me somehow.
"Young Master, this young lady has brought you food and some clothes to change."
"Why though?"
"because I thought you were hungry? And that clothes are no good for you."
"I'm not..." his stomach growled, pausing him as his face slowly became red as he gaped and looked away.
"Right. Young Miss, Her grace instructed me to escort you to the carriage after 30 minutes."
I spin around to see that she had her head low, "Am I going home alone?"
she suddenly raised her head as Adara glowed brighter and went into her original form, moving to my back. Lane then get the basket while I stare at the maid.
"There is something with that lady"
Wren nodded at Adara's comment, "You... will leave with the Young Master." the basket fell on the floor, spilling the food on the floor.
Lia glanced over it and sighed, "You shouldn't waste..."
"Lia! what do you mean?! I thought you would leave with me!" My ears rang from the shout of Lane, he sprinted past me, hugging Lia by the hem of her dress as he tugged it.
"I won't go if you are not coming with me!" he shouted more and cried, Lia softly says, "This isn't how an heir of Farlon should act." she says that, but she is gentle towards Lane.
somehow, Lane sees the maid as his mother seeing how he clings to Lia. Hmm... then...
"Mom plans to leave me early with Lane, huh..."
Lia nods, I glanced back at Adara and she nodded, "I will help you whatever you need to do."
"First, pack your luggage and we will leave in 20 minutes. You will eat at the carriage."
"No! Lia is staying, I am staying!!"
This... how could my future murderer be like this? No, wait, Calm down Wren. Apparently this is how kids act first right?
But, Astreia and the others are not like this.
"Master, your family is a special case," said Adara with a smile and added, "that is what makes you adorable my master˜"
No wonder Cervi is terrified just seeing her. But... what should I do with Lane with all his wailing and clinging to Lia, I wonder if we will leave without a fuss.