"Good morning, My Lady!"
Calista woke up to Lola's cheerful voice greeting her first thing in the morning. She slowly got up and sat on the bed as she watched her maid go back and forth—bringing stuff into her room. Calista would never tire of watching the petite maid doing her work.
"How's everything?" The lady asked, taking off her robe. "I'm expecting you're feeling better now compared to last night—"
"I'm feeling great, My Lady!" Lola blurted out, cutting off Calista's sentence. "Thanks to you!"
A frown appeared on the lady's forehead as she shot a glare at her maid. "And who told you to talk when I'm not done yet?" She meant to scold her maid, but the latter just grinned as if she was waiting for it.
"Uh. Never mind. Anyway, I'm going to take a bath first. I'm sensing a storm and I'm not feeling any good about it," Calista said, heading to the bathroom.
Lola followed behind her, holding a thick pile of newspaper. "My Lady, you might want to read these while you're in the bath," she suggested.
"Why? I bet they're all boring gossip," Calista stated. She used to read newspapers every morning until she turned 15 and read something about her being the 'perfect model' in society. It pissed her off that she never wanted to see the news again.
"Those people behind these papers knew everything but facts and it irks me," Calista muttered and heavily sighed.
"Exactly, My Lady. They wrote something about you on today's paper, so I wish you'd check them out," Lola insisted. "Or would you prefer it if I read them to you?" She smiled after offering an alternative to her lady. After all, Calista was the one who taught her how to read and write.
Shrugging, Calista took off her remaining clothes and dipped herself in the water prepared by her maid. "Give it a go," she said and closed her eyes, waiting for what Lola had to read.
Nodding her head, Lola flipped the first paper open and frowned. She swallowed a lump in her throat before reading the headlines. "The Saintess' greed led to murder: The Empire's greatest lady has been corrupted!"
Calista tilted her head when she heard what Lola said. It was the first time she was put in a bad light by the same journalists who showered her with fancy praises just a while back.
"Go on. What else is there? They better write something interesting than boring words just to flatter people," Calista said with a slight curve, pulling the sides of her lips up.
"Whew! I know you'll enjoy this, My Lady!" Lola exclaimed. She knew better than anyone what would interest her lady and reading the rumors about her would be one of them. Despite Calista's ignorance about what people think of her, she was honestly enjoying hearing the public's opinion about her obvious 'bad behavior' which they mostly considered as just one of her 'best side' even if it's not.
"Are they finally ready to admit that I'm no Saintess?" Calista's voice was cold. She opened her eyes and turned to her maid. "Go ahead, Lola. Read the others."
"Yes, my lady." Lola cleared her throat and read the headline on the next paper. "The Reign of the Goddess in the Empire is ending. The Villainess appeared!"
Lola crumbled the paper after reading it. "How could they say you're a villainess?!" Her veins popped on the sides of her head, which made Calista worried for a moment.
"Calm down, Lola. It hasn't been a day since your last shift. Do you want me to die taking care of you?" The lady sighed as her maid tried to calm herself. "Forget about the news and prepare my change of clothes," Calista ordered.
"Find something black," the lady added.
"Understood, my lady." Lola bobbed her head and left the bathroom.
Calista shut her eyes once again and enjoyed the cool sensation of water touching her skin. A smile curved on her lips as she thought of something to do for the day. Thinking back about what happened, everybody seemed to point their fingers at her because of what Edward said in front of others. She wondered what would Hayes County do if she returned the favor.
"He just has to say it out loud. Does he think I'm dying to be with him?" Calista shook her head in disbelief. She didn't expect Edward Hayes to be so conceited when he was not that handsome after she took another good look for the second time.
"Duke Crown, however, might have looked even better if not for the scar on his face—Wait…Why am I even thinking about him!" Calista dipped her head in the water for a few seconds before pulling her head back up. "Whoa! This is bad. His annoying face keeps popping into my head since then!"
Meanwhile, as Calista struggled to get rid of her thoughts about a certain someone, a particular Duke was going through the same.
"Your Grace, are you sure you're not sick?" Coton waved his hand in front of the Duke as he spoke. He found it amusing how the Duke finished all the paperwork piled on his table while in a daze. "I don't know what's going on, but whatever the reason for this strange behavior of yours, I hope you don't forget and keep it to your heart. I won't have to do anything much if you finish all your work on time," the young aide continued.
"Say, Coton. Shouldn't I visit my Lady La Forte?" Damian blurted out suddenly, sending his aide jolting in surprise. "After what happened that night, I haven't met and talked to her again. You know, as her fiance…"
Coton sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.
How would he tell his employer that someone like Calista La Forte could change her mind whenever she wanted to and nobody could stop her so it would be best not to expect anything?
"Should I send her gifts? I can't think of anything worthy of enough of her status and beauty," Damian continued. He was asking his aide, but his face screamed he would do whatever he wanted, anyway.
"You Grace, are you sure about marrying the lady? I have nothing against it," Coton said, lying about the last sentence. "But Lady Calista is capricious. She might dump you suddenly and you won't have any idea why," the aide added.
"Do you think she'll change her mind?" Damian finally looked at his aide. "If that's the case, should we get married right away without considering divorce? She wouldn't get away from me then," the Duke said and smiled.
"Uh-uh. I don't like where we're heading," Coton whispered to himself. He was ready to create an excuse to leave the room when someone knocked on the door.
"Your Grace, I'm Donovan."
Damian leaned his back on the chair and replied. "Come in." His eyes darted toward the butler as soon as he stepped into his office. "What do you have in your hands, Don?"
Donovan walked toward the Duke and put down the newspaper he brought with him. "Your Grace, check this out. This is the current topic in the whole empire."
Damian took the paper in his hand and checked the headlines. His eyes widened when he saw Calista's name on it. "Hah!" The Duke clicked his tongue. "It looks like they all have a death wish," he commented, crumbling the paper after reading the news.
"Y-Your Grace, please calm down. Get involved with the lady as her fiance, but this matter should be carefully considered," Coton said in panic. He was serving Damin Crown for years and he knew better than anyone else what the Duke was thinking by just a glance.
"Y-You can't kill anyone for the lady…Unless the two of you are officially married! For now, rein your anger in as you wait for the right opportunity." Colton sweated coldly. He could faint just by thinking about what the Duke could do when he was angry, especially after his recent outburst.
Damian frowned at his aide. He always thought Coton was capable, but he couldn't understand why he had been rumbling nonsense in the past few days. "What are you even talking about?" Damian smirked, which sent goosebumps to his aide.
"Lady La Forte…Calista is more than capable of handling the media," Damian stated. "There's no need for me to step in unless she'd asked for help. Well, I think there's something I should take care of in the shadows."
Coton clenched his fists as he waited for the Duke to continue.
"The media should write about the engagement between Lady La Forte and the Crown Duchy. I want to see them on the news in the morning," Damian muttered. "You should know what to do now, Coton."
Coton let out a sigh of relief after hearing the Duke's order. "Yes, Your Grace. I'm on it," he said, turning his heels toward the door as he thought of a good headline to suggest to the journalist.
"Wedding of the Century: The Saintess Proposed to the Beast of East," Coton mumbled and grinned.
"This is a fact, and it should make an impact. I'll definitely get a raise when the Duke sees this caption on the news tomorrow."