'What is this guy talking about? Who is going with him after the party? Certainly not me. Nah ah.'
Ruby thought inside her mind as the claps around the crowd rang loudly on her ears. Instead of saying those biting words against the duke, she bowed in a curtsy again. With thousands of escape plans already running in her mind, Ruby won't even hesitate to execute those.
She had no time to be swoon by the duke or be greedy on the power he can possibly give her. His polite behavior won't fool her into thinking that he might be different in person. Those countless dreams should be a warning enough for her not to step near his line.
"Then, I shall expect an audience from you in the Briston estate." Cataleya said in the most respectable way possible. She didn't want to sound like she was up to something.
The duke regarded her momentarily as if he can clearly read what she was thinking.
Cataleya's lips almost waned for too much smiling when he wasn't saying another word. She thought that he was reading her mind right now.
'Can he read minds though?' Ruby thought and blinked at the duke's direction.
"Then I shall ask for an audience to the marquis in two days." The duke finally said.
Two days?
Ruby's was smirking in secret as her villainess blood coursing purely on her brain right now. It was more than enough for her to take action to her plan.
Let's make this our goodbye then. Ruby thought as she scoffed in secret.
"Then, please excuse me, your grace. I still need to attend my lady in waiting duties to the Baron." Ruby said, using that as her reason to get as far away from him as possible.
When she turned away from him, she could almost runaway from him but she fought the urge to do so, knowing that all eyes in the ball were directed at her. She went to her father and her brother with a practiced polite smile she would wear in public.
"I need to retire early in bed, father. I am weary for all the waiting that I've been doing since the ball starts." Cataleya said.
The marquis then turned to Cxenon and nodded to him. "We're going to send you with Mikael to the estate. We still need to talk to duke Adelard."
Ruby tried her best to bite her tongue before she could say anything at all. For all she know, these two greedy men only want power from the duke that they were willing to hand her over to a cold blooded killer.
"I'll be leaving then, father, brother," Cataleya said and went to the door where she exited without bothering on reciprocating the congratulations for being chosen by the duke in the party.
If only they should know that she was chosen to die like a pig in slaughterhouse and her butcher was none other than that insanely handsome duke from the southern lands. Many might get trick when his outer appearance but certainly not her at all.
As she marched her way in the hallway, she already decided on the course of action she shall do when she reaches their estate.
Mikael then started the carriage as soon as she got on and sat comfortably on her seat. With the coachman in haste despite the darkness outside, there was a woman plotting for an escape from the Bristons at the very moment.
Seeing that only the daughter of the marquis arrived in the estate, the butler welcomed her instead and bid the lady's maids to attend to her immediately.
"You're back too soon, lady Cataleya." Sasha said as she helped her lady removed her dress carefully while the others draw her bath in that room.
"I got bored so I went home." Cataleya said, happy that her auburn hair was rid of all the torture of pins and her waist from the tight corsets.
"How is the ball?" Karina asked.
"A ball is a ball. There was nothing new anymore." Cataleya said.
"Did the duke chose his duchess yet?" Lia interjected.
"Oh he did. It's Frencia." Cataleya lied but she didn't consider it the whole lie since time will come that the duke will fall in love with Frencia who will then to execute her by cutting her head. The mere thought of her dreams always shivered her.
"Are you cold?" Sasha asked when she actually shivered.
"N-no, I just thought of my nightmares." Cataleya said. "Wait, I'll bath myself while you guys help me do something."
"Are you bathing alone?" Sasha asked, since I had been their duty to helped her so.
Ruby thought that this era was kinda weird. Helping someone bath in the tub was one of the many things she frowned upon. Since only in bathing will she ever think clearly about some stressful things in the modern world.
Now having someone scrubbed for her back or put shampoo on her head while she stayed still might be an old Cataleya thing but not her. she won't ever get used to it no matter how hard she tried. It just won't work for her.
"Yeah, I will bath alone again. I'm stress over the party and I need to think." Cataleya said.
Sasha stared at her co-maids before they nodded.
"What do you want us to do?" Sasha asked.
"I need you to bring all my jewels here and put them into the bed, Karina, prepare me a horse, the fastest one and Lia, prepare me a travel bag and put on something essentials there." Cataleya said.
The maids looked at her in confusion.
"Milady, are you going somewhere?" Sasha was the one who voiced out.
Cataleya sighed, "The probationary will end soon and I overheard that I will still be hanged in the plaza."
This made the maids gasped in horror and looked at each other in panic.
"Where will you go?" Sasha asked.
"I don't have to tell you. Now, because I told you this, you guys will also be in danger. This shall be your alibis." Cataleya looked at them seriously, " You all have no idea what I was up to. You helped me bathed and then retired to your quarters after attending to all of my needs."