One of the maids said to her other employees, "Are the rumors true?"
Another muttered, "The Young Miss has hardly shown her face to others. I'm not quite sure."
"Perhaps because she was ashamed of how she behaved at the hunt last month," One growled.
"If I were in her position, I would be too!"
"Why did the Duke not lock her up and toss the key away?"
"I won't die for your naive comments," another screamed, "Watch what you say!"
In an effort to preserve her Lady's dignity, another maid passes by the gossipers while holding to what she was instructed to do: "To ignore them all. They despise me for a variety of reasons."
Martha grumbled a little but carried on into her mistress chamber. Martha entered after knocking and requesting permission to see Eloise on her balcony. She had a leather-bound diary on her tea table that Martha had observed her working on for the last week. Martha has no clue what Eloise may be writing in that book, but she has never bothered to inquire out of fear of upsetting her. She didn't want to upset her Young Lady's pleasant, or more accurately, mild, demeanor.
In order to gaze up at Martha, who was putting the tray of tea and sweets on the tea table, Eloise snaps the cover of her journal shut, which is full of events that are still to come in chronological sequence. When Eloise saw the fresh items that Martha would have created by hand for her, Eloise aloud a tiny grin on her lips.
Eloise takes a drink of the tea and adds, "There are far too many for me to eat alone," allowing her poison-green eyes to peek out of the rim and gaze at her handmaid.
Quickly bowing her head, Martha responds, "My apologies, My Lady."
Knowing that Martha has lost faith in her ability to control her rage, Eloise sets the cup down and sighs. "Nonsense. Nothing warrants an apology. Now sit down and assist me in finishing this pot and my snacks before they cool."
Before taking the seat opposite Eloise, Martha hesitated briefly. She made herself a cup and gently began to eat some nibbles while keeping an eye on her Lady to see if anything irked her. However, Eloise maintained her composure the entire time, savoring her own cup and the cookie she had chosen to munch on.
As dusk descended, Eloise was notified of an announcement and asked to join her family for supper. Eloise consented to be dressed by Martha and a second group of servants while also having her long raven hair pulled back from her face. She resembled a female version of her father in every way, in contrast to Erik and Donomic who were more like their mother, despite Donomic having her father's eyes. Eloise looks at the mirror in front of her, noting the skillfully concealed expression of indifference and lack of feeling.
In all honesty, she was irate. Since the moment she awoke, she had a constant rage. It took all of her willpower to resist acting on those feelings, but here she was with barely any emotion visible on her face other than in her eyes. The eyes are the soul's window, they used to say. She avoided looking people in the eye because she was afraid of frightening them away because of the fury that emanated from her emerald eyes.
The Duke, Duchess, Erik, and Domonic were all seated in the dining room where Martha led Eloise. She arrived last and took the seat next to her mother. Eloise had to fight her need to reach across and strangle Yvonne, and demand answers. Instead, she sat with her hands in her lap and searched everywhere but her mother and family.
Before addressing everyone at the table, Duke Ambrose gestured for their dinner to be brought. However, before doing so, he made a remark regarding Eloise: "Glad you were able to finally join us, Eloise." This made Domonic snicker and Erik huff in irritation. Even her mother's glare began to settle on Eloise.
She merely apologizes, "My apologies Father, I was given the news of a family dinner a bit late than normal," but instead of throwing the head butler into the fire as is her right, she lowered her head and said, "I will be better next time."
"The Emperor and I finally came to a decision, and we finalized your betrothal to the Crown Prince," Ambrose hums before continuing. "In three months, there will be a ball to welcome you to the castle of the crowned princess."
Eloise recalled that the previous time she received the news, she had jumped with excitement. This time, however, she had to push herself to keep a neutral expression; nonetheless, this did not stop her teeth from grinding and her eyes from darkening once again in response to the news. After sighing, she said, "Yes, Father."
Everyone was stunned by her demeanor and expected much more of her response, but she disregarded them all and continued to enjoy her meal so she might be excused sooner.