Clack! Clack! Clack!
Marianne walked down the hall while a maid closely followed her. The maid had silver hair while her eyes were silver gray. Her fair light skin tone made her seem like a snow princess. Her maid costume was the only thing she could be identified as a maid with. Her eyes were free of emotions as she followed the Duchess around. In her hands, she had a pen and a small notebook quickly taking down some notes.
"Mary. Please invite the best tailor here. They need to take his measurements. Make it as quick as possible. Invite several professors who specialize in different subjects and languages of the kingdom. An etiquette teacher as well. Let Mer know she will fill in this role for the basics until then. I will require a new room prepared according to his preferences and new position."
The Duchess listed all things needed for a person Mary was unaware of.
"Pardon me, your Highness. Who?"
"My son. He arrived yesterday."
Marrianne said in a slightly cheerful voice different from her usually cold and uncaring tone.
"....." Mary didn't know how to react. Even if she did, it wasn't her place. She ignored the tiny detail and continued her duty.
Théoden had arrived the day when all the mansion workers were away and none had seen his face since. Mary was among the group of those who had not seen him. However, Mary was speechless for another matter.
The Duchess was infamous in the entire kingdom gaining fame, awe, and respect. She was also the scariest of the Dukes. Her position inspired many and she was an icon to many women as well. She could be considered the most beautiful woman in the kingdom on top of her superior achievements.
Thus Mary couldn't view her as a mother. She looked younger than she was, which made the idea of her as a parent more obscure. Despite having many questions in her mind, Mary knew better than to question the Duchess. The Duchess was as kind as she was cruel.
"Make sure all this happens swiftly. Not a single leak should leave the mansion. Not even the maids should find out about this. Anyways that is the summary of the things he needs right now. I will give you the specifics later. I will go to the temple to get his name registered."
Marrianne finished what she was saying in a brief precise summary. Her steps rung across the hall, unlike the maid whose steps could hardly be heard on the marble floors.
"I will do as you say. Please wait for the positive reply."
Mary gave a small bow. Mary walked behind the duchess a while longer before disappearing as if she was never there. Marrianne had the same cold resolute eyes as she moved along the walls. However, she stopped and looked in a certain direction, and smiled. It was the direction of the room for the heir which was always on the topmost floor on the Eastern wing.
'I finally found you.'
The meeting with Marrianne brought lots of changes right after. First, Théoden was no longer a guest, but the son of the Duchess. The only heir to the Astalles Dukedom. He was also the prospective fiancé to a princess of the kingdom. Théoden could not believe it though he had experienced it firsthand. His luck was no weaker than the previous days. It all started when he met Marrianne.
Many changes came with the sudden rise in status. His ignorance was longer an option. Being a transmigrator with the memories of a country bumpkin didn't give him enough knowledge to adapt to his new life. He was the adoptive son of the duchess. This meant he was a noble. Unlike the other nobles whose knowledge had been imparted to them from birth, he was new to this world. He needed to put much more effort to reach the minimum requirement to effectively play his role which he got in exchange for the Duchess's trust.
Théoden had read the documents and there was no issue. He received a lot more benefits and freedom than he would have hoped for. After signing the documents, he stared at them with a smile.
"Young master, Now that you have signed the papers, you are officially considered the son of the Duchess. As such, I will speak formally to you while you speak informally. This is the attitude that comes with your new status. You are above all except the Duchess, the Dukes, and the royal family. I will guide you going forward on these details," narrated Mer
"Thanks...Mer."
Not to say getting used to new rules was not easy.
"Good. The room you are residing in has been switched to one befitting your position. Follow me."
"Mhnm!"
Théoden following closely behind Mer walked down the halls of the main hall. Unlike the room in which he spent the last night which was in the annex, he was moving to the main building. The mansion was that huge to be divided into such sections. As usual, he strained his eyes not to lose Mer. Her stride was neither quick nor slow but with one distraction you could lose her in the maze-like halls. Her steps were as silent as ever.
"This is your room," said Mer.
Getting the confirmation from Mer, He opened the door.
"Wow!"
Théoden could not help but gasp and hold his breath as his eyes brushed the interior of the room. It was like it was personally modeled to fit his taste. It had white black contrast theme the majority being white and potions of grey. He like the brightness it had. His bed was large and glamorous with almost transparent snow silk curtains surrounding it. Two bedside stands with lamps were on either side of the bed. There was a couch on the other end of the room. The window pane had a sitting area to busk in the sun rays. There were several decorations in the room of various artworks intricately placed.
Théoden walked in as he was mesmerized by the fancy room. The fanciest room he had gotten in both lives. The bath was behind another door in the room. It had a tub that was uselessly huge. More like a family bath. The closet was behind another door in the room. It was like a miniature room. There were empty racks and hangers. The main room was much better than the guest room.
"Is the room to your liking young master?"
Mer asked peeking for a response. She found a bright sunny smile on Théoden's face. The expected disappointment was nowhere to be found. The Duchess requested that the room be made especially simple and casual where there were few shiny things. Since the room itself was simple it would not be a crime to see disappointment on his face.
"Yes, Mer. I love it."
Mer was however met with a bright smile of approval. The Duchess was not someone who made losing deals. She said so herself. She must have seen something in the young boy to trust him so much making him her only heir.
The guy seriously had no idea what that meant. The extent of power it held or the weight it had.
The only conclusion was the Duchess and the boy were hiding a secret.
"If there are any changes you would like, let me know."
Mer closed her eyes and closed off her thoughts. Her mission was neither to doubt nor question the Duchess. She would follow the orders given no matter what they were.
"Thanks, Mer. Not for now."
Mer left the room after a slight bow. Théoden, not holding his joy back, jumped on the bed. The comfort it gave was like being enveloped in a bundle of clouds. Since he had woken fairly early, he drifted to sleep soon after. He didn't sense the person who came into his room.
Marrianne reached the temple where she was quickly welcomed by the nuns. It wasn't a temple for gods but for nature spirits. The people worshiped different spirits. The temple held significant authority in the kingdom. This was because most things in the world depended on the spirits of nature. Marrianne liked being at the temple.
"Get me a registry for my son."
"Certainly, Lady Camilla," said the nun.
Unlike the rest of the places, titles meant nothing at the temple. Of course, high-ranking nobles would receive some dignity, but it was rare. Marrianne's divine name was Camilla. Everyone would receive a name from the temple a few days after their birth. It was always given by the high priest or high priestess. Thus everyone was registered in the Temple. It played a role in citizenship in the capital, as did other Dukedoms.
"Are you sure you don't want his name given by the priest?"
"I am sure. I'll decide that."
Marrianne responded with the certainty of gifting a holy name, something that could be done by high priests or priestesses since it was directly linked to the spirits.
"Okay, Lady Camilla. Have a safe trip back."
After an hour, Marrianne left the temple. She went to the mansion that was swarming with workers busy cleaning the mansion. She walked to the room assigned to Théoden and touched the door. It opened for her and she walked in finding Théoden lazily lying on the bed uncovered. She reached out to the bed covers and covered him. Marrianne stood there and stared for a couple of minutes before leaving.