Three maids each grabbed a section of Anthonette's hair as they braided it. Anthonette was busy reading a novel paying no attention as they usually gossiped, she normally called in the maids when she was bored, this was her snare of entertainment replacing a cellphone.
"Lord Hivera is finally paying a visit." The maids didn't say anything interesting for the past half an hour. So when they started discussing about her father she didn't notice why the maids froze.
"It's been ten years. He didn't even spare time to come for her debutante." Anthonette finally looks over a maid. "Who ?"
"Lord Hivera, my lady.." the maids informed in unison. "Lord Hivera ?"
"My father ?" The maids thought it was too easy to call him father since be abandon his daughter a decade ago. "Has the maiden probably forgiven the Lord ?" Anthonette didn't have any feelings to spare, contrariwise he did her a favor by being a deadbeat.
"Why is he visiting the lady now ?" Anthonette had the same questions. Anthonette thought Lord Hivera was faceless or at least dead. They never spoke a word about him in the book so she wondered how she even enjoyed all this luxury. "So he isn't dead afterall." The maids felt pity for their lady, they thought she was troubled about his visit.
They couldn't be anymore far from the truth.
"Lady Anthonette shall we go shopping later today ?" Anthonette has made it a habit to shop when ever she was feeling bored.
She was bored, but she wanted to limit coincidentally meeting her ex husbands. Just two days ago Keith queried her about what she did at the ball.
"No need. I rather spend the time napping." The maids felt uncomfortable, they thought they upset the lady. "I'm not upset, I don't want to go out today." They all heave a sigh of relief and resumes braiding her hair.
"Remind me why father abandoned me..." The maids look to each other. They wondered if she didn't really remember. "The lady was 11 when master left." All heads except Anthonette nod in accordance, she was too young to understand what must have happened.
"The master didn't abandon you, to me he didn't have a choice."
Anthonette arched a brow.
"Here Zeriti goes again, it's doesn't matter what you think. The whole kingdom witness him abandon her."
"He didn't reply to her letters or even attend the lady's debutante. He could have seen her at her coming of age as well but he chose to live as if she didn't exist.."
"But that wouldn't have happened if the mistress..." A slap went across Zeriti face. "The Mistress ?" Anthonette repeated as the maids face bleached pale. One of the maids suggested Zeriti leave immediately. It was too late, Anthonette curiosity was peaked.
"The Mistress, you mean my mother ?" Anthonette was sure her mother was faceless or was a commoner. They all nodded sluggishly like it was forbidden to acknowledge her.
"What happened to her ?" The maids looked at her as if she were still 11. Anthonette was old enough to know this by now.
How was this not said in the story ?
The maids didn't seem chatty and their next reply confirmed it. "It is forbbiden to talk about the mistress. Pardon us my lady. Zeriti will be reported and punished." The maids quickly change the conversation, acting like nothing happened.
Anthonette was curious now, since the story didn't talk about her mother, should she do a little digging.
"What kind of punishment will she be getting ?" Anthonette asked as everyone paused for a moment.
••••
"What do you mean Zeriti was fired ?" Anthonette asked the head butler. "She spoke of something that was forbidden. There are rules for everything, she failed to obey one, I didn't see why I should keep her. It wasn't her first time." So what you just kick people out because they had an opinion ?
Anthonette was pissed. After a little digging, the only thing she found was that her mother a member of the imperial family. This did make a little sense for Anthonette, she had little to no decision to marry who she loved.
The thing that bothered her was why everyone treated her mother, a member of the imperial family as nothing. While the crazy Duke was the talk of the kingdom.
What did she commit that made her this irrelevant ? Even just talking about her was forbbiden.
When she asked around the servants of the house either played dumb or refuse to answer her.
The only person who could give her answers was fired.
Great, just great.
"Say..." Anthonette looked to the butler who glared at her. "Oh come on Sedric." The Butler remained adamant to her whining. "Refrain from finding more about that, it will do you no good." The Butler warned sternly.
"Fine Sedric, when is my father arriving ?"
"Today..." Sedric answered. "Refrain from discussing about that with your father as well. You don't want to spoil his mood after all that journey." Anthonette nodded. She wandered if her father is as cruel and narcissistic as her father in her original life.
A life where her name wasn't Anthonette Hivera, her name was....
"Hmm..." Anthonette pouted. "How long has it been, that I can't even remember my name."