Master Aldo was silent for a long while and George was beginning to wonder if he had asked a wrong question.
Something in his guts wanted him to say *yes* so George would get the lady, but recalling how easily irritated he could be by a new contact, he changed his mind.
So, without saying a word, he walked away into the bathroom and George took that as a *no*.
*
Next_Morning
*
Arianna yawned and stretched on the bed and her hand ended up hitting Hera on the face.
"Ouch! What's wrong with you, Arianna??" Hera shrieked as she pushed her hand away and sat up.
"Oh... Sorry doll" Arianna said yawningly and also sat up.
"Hmmmmm. What a bright morning".
"Yeah. A bright morning for the newest bride! Anyway, I need to get ready to leave now. I'll be..."
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Arianna turned to her immediately and asked.
"What do you mean to leave? Leaving where?"
Hera acted a little confused.
"Well...I need to go back home, Arianna. You don't expect me to continue living here, do you? This isn't my..."
"Shut up, Hera. You're staying here and that's final. You can't possibly leave me all alone in this strange mansion. Besides..."
"Are you kidding me?? You're somebody's wife. Besides, I didn't even come with a single thing that's mine"
"Don't worry, we'll get new clothes from the market. But for now, you can just share my clothes with me".
"Arianna…"
"Stop talking, Hera. I've made my decision".
There was a sudden knock on the door which clamped their lips shut as they all faced the direction of the door.
"Who's it?" Arianna asked, stretching her neck and next, a maid walked in.
"Good morning, my princess. Sorry to disturb you, but I was asked to call you out for breakfast" the lady said respectfully with a bow and Arianna and Hera glanced at each other.
"Breakfast? I thought breakfast is meant to be served here?"
"Yes. But the Madame wants you to join them for this morning - since it's going to be your first breakfast here".
Oh .. Madame... Could it be that woman that had welcomed her the previous day after the wedding?
"Um...Okay. I'll just wash my face". She replied and the maid bowed and walked out to wait for her.
"Hmm. Having dinner with your in-laws, huh?" Hera asked teasingly and Arianna just rolled her eyes and left the bed.
She went into the bathroom, washed her face and mouth and came out, feeling relieved.
"Hold on, Arianna. You're going for breakfast. What will I eat?" Hera asked and Arianna gave it a thought.
"Um...Don't worry, honey. I'll just ask the maid to get you something to eat". She beamed and left the room.
The maid had been waiting patiently for her and without wasting time, they left immediately for the dining.
Arianna kept looking around, finding the mansion extremely beautiful and all. Too bad she was only there at the wrong time and married to the wrongest person.
After a long walk, they got to the entrance of a room which the maid pointed out was the dining room.
"Thank you, pretty. And um... by the way, I need you to get some food for my friend right there in the room, okay?" She told the maid.
"As you wish, princess" the lady bowed and left while Arianna proceeded to the room.
Getting there, she found about four people already eating. The woman from the previous day, the two ladies, and the boy that had winked at her.
"Finally, she's here!" The woman beamed as Arianna walked towards the table with a timid smile.
"Good morning ma'am" she greeted with a light smile.
"Oh! Morning, dear. Please,take a seat". Royalty and prominence echoed in the tone of the woman.
"Hi, Sister in-law" the boy in the room said and Arianna shut him a surprised stare.
Sister in law?
"Hi" she answered anyway and took her seat.
The two ladies in the room were hardly paying attention to her.
"Come on, Mia. Get up and serve her meal" the woman said, looking at one of the girls who's face grew sore immediately.
"Huh?? But why does it have to be me, mother?" She grumbled.
"What? Are you expecting it to be me?" The second lady snorted.
"I don't want this argument. Now, do as I say and stop embarrassing yourself!" The woman said in a more strict tone. And with a frown, the lady stood up and began dishing out the meal.
Hmph. Arianna just watched it in amusement, finding the drama interesting. And there she was, thinking the Mansion would be so boring. What a fool she had been.
The lady dished out the meal and placed it in front of her.
"Good job," Arianna said with a smile as she drew the plate closer and started eating.
They were silent for a little while.
"So, Arianna, how was your night?" The woman asked.
"I can't recall how it went because I was sleeping. But I think it was fine, anyways" she answered and the boy laughed.
"Um... I think it's time for a proper introduction" the woman said.
"I am addressed as Madame Nadie and these...are my children.
"This is Aarav - my eldest son," she pointed to the boy.
"This is Frida - my eldest daughter . And this is Mia - my last".
She pointed out to them accordingly.
"Okay. Nice meeting you all. But...if I may ask... what's your connection with Lord Aldo?" Arianna asked.
"Oh!" Madame Aria smiled.
"Aldo's father was my brother - my only brother, actually".
Hmm. No wonder.
"And what about your husband?" Arianna wanted to ask, but restricted herself, having a feeling it wouldn't sound appropriate.
"I really hope you get to enjoy your stay in the mansion, Princess, and I hope you can make a difference" the woman said.
Make a difference? What does she mean by that?
*
"Aish! That princess is so lousy and looks really troublesome. Did you see the way she looked at me when I served the meal to her?" Mia grumbled to her sister as they walked down the passage.
They had just finished breakfast and were heading back to their rooms.
"It's all mother's fault. I wonder why she had to turn me into a maid in front of her''. She continued whining.
"Just shut up, Mia" her sister finally shut her up. "You talk a lot"
"Yeah. And I guess I've been wasting my time talking to someone like you" Mia snorted and walked away, taking a different direction.
Frida ignored her and proceeded to her room and soon, she got there.
But on entering the room, she was shocked to find someone on her bed.
"Helena??" She called out in Surprise.
*
Arianna walked cheerfully to her room, swinging her arms as she did. Urgh! She was nothing like a princess!
She found Hera at the entrance of her chambers, just looking around.
"Hey, what're you doing here?" She beamed.
"Oh! Nothing. I was just taking some air" Hera replied and yawned.
"So, how was breakfast? Who are those people, anyway?" She asked.
"Well, breakfast was fine. I had gotten to know the woman is actually the late Master's sister. But gross! Her daughters are so spoiled! They don't even know what respect is" she groused.
"Huh? Seriously? Maybe they need someone to beat them up so they could learn some respect!" Hera said.
"Anyway, come with me, Hera. Let's go out" Arianna tried walking away, but Hera stopped her.
"Go out? To where?" She asked, confused.
"Oh!! I'm bored! Let's just go out and have some fun!" She pouted her lips.
"Seriously Arianna? You want to leave the mansion? This isn't your father's Kingdom, Arianna. We can't cause any trouble here".
"Oh, please! And who said we were causing trouble, huh? We're only going out to have some fun. Besides, let's have a look at the Aldo community".
"But what if we do something wrong and Aldo ends up punishing us? Arianna, I..."
"Fine! You can stay here if you want to, but don't try to stop me!" She rasped and continued walking away.
"Arianna!!" Hera grumbled and ran after her.