"I still can't remember what I'm supposed to say."
frustration is building up inside her as she clicked her tongue in annoyance. It's been minutes since the word was stuck in her throat. It was important— maybe. She keeps racking her brains out, muttering every word she always said.
For example: Zairon, Wren, Palace, Dresses, Tea
But nothing of the sort comes to her mind, "Maybe it will come in my mind when I don't pay attention to it."
"hey, we are going to be late if you keep spacing out." Wren called her out after minutes of watching Yessenia looked like an idiot beside her.
She finally stop doing that when they have arrived at the salon. Voices not from afar can be heard, they were already gossiping.
"Are they coming?"
"Do you suppose the rumors about Lady Wren are true?"
"She is the daughter of the Duke. It must be, we should mind our manners in front of them."
What kind of rumors are they spreading now? But it is good that they were aware of Wren and the others now. She doesn't want another memory of someone being rude to her or wanting to hire her as a maid.
"You. What family are you from?" for a moment, everyone on the table froze on the spot.
the rumors were mainly about Wren coming to the Tea Party hosted by Marchioness Farlon. It was a hot topic, after all, this is her first appearance after her 4th birthday.
"I'm Ariana of House Clement, my lady. Pleased to make your Acquintance."
"..."
"I'm Yessenia Vacarella."
For a moment the awkward moment pass as the two ladies share a common story. While Wren is being quiet, bored even.
"My lady, please have a seat." A servant said to them. On the closer look he seems like a servant of Bates.
"this mont blanc is exquisite. Please try it, Lady Wren." Ariana offered them each plate of it with a huge smile plastered on her face. It was obvious she's trying to gain the favor of the two, Yessenia didn't think much and Wren let her do what she wants.
"..."
Wren did not touch the food she offered and just listened to the nonsense she was spouting. The tea party is lively and there's plenty of desserts on the table, however, for Wren she would rather play with everyone at the Duchy.
Even the other children are glancing over their lashes at her, observing her. A small grin appeared on her face. Honestly, if there is something they want to know, they should have asked.
tap. tap. tap
the sound of her fingertips tapping the table is being noticed by one girl.
"Lady Wren have you heard the recent trends?"
Lady Johana of Safin spoke. Truthfully, she's one of Ariana's lackeys and Wren has noticed it based on the people gathered here today, most of them are under Ariana.
She then glanced over Yessenia. It is suspicious that the host of this tea party wasn't here when everyone is gathered already.
"I haven't." she answered with a grin while looking at Johanna.
Johana did not falter. She plans to befriend the young lady since she might have no friends based on the rumors surrounding her. She snickered and Wren obviously knows what she thinks.
another stupid thing is attempting to earn my favor and she couldn't be more obvious.
"Then my lady, have you heard about ..."
The sound of the table being pounded, a fist is trembling in anger while her gaze is scornful towards Johana's place.
Johana flips her hair and walks towards her while maintaining a cool yet discontent voice, "How rude of you. Weren't you taught of etiquette?"
The young lady did not back out and somehow, Yessenia and her is looking at her.
"Apologize, Lady Cindy."
"No. Why would I apologize when you're not going to do it?"
"Why am I supposed to apologize?"
me? a prideful daughter of Viscount, apologizing to a mere baron's daughter? she must be laughing.
"Because you are ruining my mood for this day. Besides that I have heard that you liked the third prince that's why you're being like that to Lady Wren." she replied nonchalantly, Johana is fuming in anger and embarrassment as she turned to glance at Wren.
"..." Yessenia ate another apple pie while Wren smiled wickedly.
The other glance at them back and forth with a look of curious and excitement. Everyone thought that Wren still has feelings for the young prince and there is someone who might steal him. The one who was enjoying this the most was Boaife. She keeps laughing like she has been watching a good show.
"Lady Johana I am sure that Prince Zairon wasn't interested in any ladies."
I am only doing you a favor since you might have use in the future—says Wren and for the record it sounded like a threat to her.
"M-my lady, it isn't like that!!"
"Seriously, you don't think that you have a chance on Prince Zairon? Wren and his highness are already in talks of engagement." Lady Ariana commented while her eyes are closed, tasting the tea in front of her.
"Other than that, do not talk about such sensitive topics." she glanced over Lady Cindy.
Somehow she sighed, remembering that something like this happened also at the marchioness' tea party.
"I can't believe I am experiencing what I have read long ago..." Lady Johana clenched on her dress while her head droops, "I apologize, Lady Wren. I simply want to tell you..."
"If it is something sensitive you can keep it. I am not interested in it especially if someone is uncomfortable with it."
Lady Johana stiffened with how Wren replied as she drank the tea, "another tea party is useless," she mumbled and added, "Where is Lady Celestine?"
this made Lady Johana hissed under her breath, Nonetheless she smiled, saying, "Lady Celestine has something to attend to for a moment." she tilted her head and looked at Yessenia.
Of course, Yessenia as she is has no clue why Wren glanced over her. She simply shrugs and looks away. Wren stood up and walked away from the table, "Where are you going, Lady Wren?"
"A stroll. I don't like the tea here."
In translation, I don't like everyone here.
"I-I will accom..."
"No. I have my maid here," she was rejected before she could continue.
Instead of being sad, she suddenly started to squeal, "The rumors are true!! She is cold!"
Yessenia listened to this while some other girls talked to her. Not feeling Lady Johanna and threw other girls staring at her. Thus inside the salon they were split into three groups.
Lady Ariana, Lady Johanna and Lady Yessenia. The last one wasn't aware that there are groups and Johanna decided to act on her own and against Ariana, it was an unpleasant afternoon for the two of them.
***
"Your mother said to make friends," Boaife said while they were walking outside the mansion, "I cannot be friends with them." the wind blows harder as they turn around.
She wants to be alone for a moment, or by luck she may find Lady Celestine. "We should ask the maids or servants where the whereabouts of their young miss..."
apparently, she wants to ask Lady Celestine about the people inside the salon. Eerily, it became quiet and somehow she felt a sense of disappointment.
"..."
"A spirit who's lost..."
another reason added to dispose of her own spirit. How could a spirit be lost all of the sudden?
suddenly she heard the plants rustle followed by someone sniffling around, "hrrkk... I really shouldn't accept this idea..."
Wren steps back after hearing the shush voice behind the bushes. Another sniff and whispered voice says, "Those Young Ladies... they are getting ahead of themselves!"
a flowing, long, maroon strands of hair stuck at the small branches of the bushes. She tilted her head while walking on that bush when she saw a young child, presumably at her age, hunching back while wiping her tears.
Given that her guesses of age are inaccurate she developed trust issues on herself and everyone. Just think of Cervi and Lane.
But, the child in front of her must be the one she's looking for.
"Lady Celestine." Wren popped up that it made Celestine fall down the ground. Her hair covering half of her face as she untangle the strands off the branches. Her grayish eyes were startled as she stared at Wren's face under the sun. Wren's body is covering her from the sunrays and somehow, she thought she seen an... Angel?
"I'm sorry. Im..."
suddenly, Celestine stood up, bowed and said, "Im Celestine Bates, daughter of Count Bates. I am pleased to meet the Young Lady of Vacarella."
Wren smiled at her, obviously, she found another good-looking person. She suddenly remembered Aria, since Aria is a readhead, though hers is darker hue. Besides, she could feel that Celestine is different from the ladies inside which made her wonder why she had a tea party with them.
"Just call me Wren, Celestine. From today onwards you and I are friends."
Of course, Boaife saw this as soon as she found her and the first thing she could think of the reason for befriending Celestine is that, "She only thinks of pretty faces..." she said disappointed at the same time.
"U....hm..."
"Well, we are friends already," even Celestine looked at her with such distrust in her eyes, "that... fast?"
She even nodded and said, "Why? Do we need to talk first for many hours before we become friends?" her question seems to strike Celestine.
"No?"
Wren suddenly patted her back and said, "That's why we are friends already." followed by a merry laugh.
On contrary, this is her first time having someone called a friend this fast. The Young Ladies in her tea party is not her friend yet they consider themselves friends while bossing her around.
"Anyway, do those kids bother you?" suddenly, Celestine's eyes turned into anger as she said, "I hate them."
Wren did not question her since it looks like she was ready to strangle everyone with that fierce look she is giving off.
"Why did you invite them to your tea party if you hate them?"
"Because mom says so." her answer is the most possible thing to happen.
"Other than that, there is this Young Lady named Johana--"
"That girl is getting on my nerves you know? She even came to crash my tea party."
"..." Boaife stepped out of her hiding place, "then, why don't you kick her out?"
Celestine is in awe as she stares at her clothes, it is her first time seeing this kind of clothing, more than that, "I can't do tha--,"
"You can," Boaife and Wren said synchronously as they stared at startled Celestine.
"..." after all this is her first time hearing this from a noble kid, a duke's daughter to add it up.
"Are they bothering you?" Wren taking up her silence asked her a question, she once thought of Angelique who was ignored at the previous tea party.
To be honest, Celestine's demeanor is someone who hesitates a lot and she came to the conclusion that Celestine might be ... she shrugged and laid out her hand, "I do not wish to come back there. So ... show me around."
Boaife grumbled, she thought that she would have fun kicking some spoiled kids outside.
Celestine's eyes lit up momentarily then she suddenly shut her lips closed as she said, "I have to attend the tea party."
"Wren is a daughter of a Duke. Surely no one will question you if you attend to her."
what she said was right though, however, she found it weird that this maid (Boaife) calls her by name.
"Then, show me around," of course there is another reason why she wants to look around. "You should learn to hide your thoughts, Wren."
The two kids walked around and met some servants who were fond of Celestine. "Your servants must really like you."
"..." suddenly, she turned around Wren and said, "Actually..."
A scream followed by crashing and breaking echoes right down the hall, close to the library, it happened at the Salon. Wren sighs, she have forgotten that she's with Yessenia and she left her there alone for a long time.
"It..."
"Boaife let's go."
"KYAAAAA YOUNG MISS YESSENIA!" the screams are louder than earlier and she has another foreboding feeling that someone finally ticked Yessenia.
From their generation, Yessenia is the one who they should be worried about. She may be looking stupid and carefree, but that face is hiding its claws.
"Did you think that I had no idea what you were doing?"
the scene she entered was the room in disarray, Lady Johana is soaking wet as other kids were comforting and cleaning her. Eventually, Yessenia was the one who made her this as she was holding an empty cup in her hands before dropping it to the floor.
"I dislike people who have no sense of awareness." Yessenia says while dusting her dress, she then looks at everyone eventually stopping at Lady Ariana who was trembling in her place.
"You keep bringing up that story, trying to kill the atmosphere we have. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Johana rubbed her cheeks as she looked at Yessenia's piercing eyes. Wren grabbed someone's arm and asked, "What happened here?"
the girl pointed at Johana's group and said, "The lady eventually keeps digging up the story of the white tiger who devoured the rabbits."
Wren's face crumpled with confusion, "why are we talking about animals?"
Boaife sighs with Wren's stupidity, even Celestine has no words for her question. The girl who seemed frightened with Yessenia suddenly looked at her with disbelief, "Eh?"
Wren tilts her head as she glances over at Yessenia and Johana who was squaring at each other, "I simply want to tell you the story about it. I have no intention—"
"and it is ruining the atmosphere. Is your head still intact? Wren already said we do not want to know anything if someone is uncomfortable with it."
"Oh wow, she was listening to me after all."
"You do think of your cousin so lightly." Boaife retorted, however, Celestine suddenly had a grim face, "This girl..."