The Eunuch pretend not to notice the shock around him. He finished proposing the marriage.
"We are honored, " The Duke accepted the proposal. The emperor already told him about his decision, and he could not refuse.
The Enunch smiled, clapped his hand twice, and four servants walked into the hall bearing gifts. A proposal was not complete without the bride receiving gifts from her fiancé. The servant placed the gifts before Anastasia and withdrew.
"I thank his majesty for his grace, " Anastasia accepted the gift. She could feel the burning gaze of the duchess and her daughter.
"Her Majesty, the Empress also sent Miss Magdalene, a lady-in-waiting in her court, over to teach and prepare Lady Anastasia for her life in the royal family, " The first lady-in-waiting introducing the other lady who has been quiet since her arrival.
This revelation made the duchess bite her lips hard. She had been planning to warn all the maids present not to say anything about the situation in the receiving hall outside, but even that plan was ruined by the empress's action.
No matter how much she wants to push the marriage to her daughter, the presence of a lady-in-waiting ruins all her plans.
"That old man must have really become a fool, " she could not help but curse the emperor in her heart. In truth, the groom's parents were supposed to propose to the bride's parent, but since he was an emperor, this part should have been skipped. The emperor only left the palace for state matters, but by sending an eunuch by his side, the emperor was telling the entire kingdom the value he placed in this union.
The Union would elevate the position of the Thomason family not just among other nobles but even among other dukes. How could Duchess Anita swallow the fact that the bearer of this honor was not her daughter?
"worse yet, that witch sent a lady-in-waiting." Duchess Anita felt that she had been dealt a heavy blow. Years of learning went down the drain as her gaze turned dark. The only reason why she did not challenge the Eunuch was the consequences that would befall her if she did.
Even the Duke was surprised by the empress's action. He wondered what was so special about Anastasia that she would receive such a blessing. "Her Majesty is kind, " Duke Thomason said, concealing his doubt perfectly.
"I would not disappoint Her Majesty's grace, " Anastasia bowed her head. Although she was talking to a lady-in-waiting, she represented the Empress, so proper etiquette had to be followed.
The lady-in-waiting nodded her head, satisfied with Anastasia's etiquette.
Elisabeth watched in dismay. How did her sister, who was locked up in the house, get engaged to the crown prince?
As the daughter of a duke, she had a few chances to meet the prince; he was handsome and intelligent.
Many of the noble ladies had their eyes on him; Elisabeth was no exception. She was captivated by his gentle personality, and becoming his bride would mean everything to her.
Why would the emperor choose Anastasia, who was unknown, to become his wife? She was not even worthy of being his mistress. "Father, " Elisabeth felt that her father was the one who made this decision. This thought fueled her anger; she had been a good daughter to him
Elisabeth dug her fingers into her palm. The pain helped her to be clear-headed and not say anything.
....
"Miss Magdalena, let Leah take you around the resident. This way, you would be familiar with it, " Duchess Anita offered as soon as her husband saw the guest out.
After careful consideration, Duchess Anita felt she could win Miss Magdalene to her side and proceed with her plan.
"That would not be necessary; I would instead like to get more familiar with Lady Anastasia, " Miss Magdalene rejected. She had lived in the palace all her life, so she could easily see through the duchess's little tricks.
"Miss Magdalene, Lady Anastasia has to go to class; why not get familiar with the environment instead, " Duchess Anita proposed. She hated that an unknown lady in court was putting on an air, but she could not voice it out. After all, to hit a servant, one must look at the master.
"I thank the Duchess. I am here to teach the young lady, so following her to class would be an opportunity to understand her progress better, " Miss Magdalene rejected again. The Empress sent her to the duke's residence to find out if there was anything worthy of mentioning of a mistress' daughter. So she could not waste her time on other trivial matters.
The Duchess wanted to say something else, but Elisabeth beat her to it. "Mother, I have to leave with my sister now. Miss Brice does not like to be kept waiting. I am sure it is a good idea for Miss Magdalene to understand sister studies better. "
Duchess Anita frowned because she initially felt her daughter was trying to ruin her plans, but upon careful consideration, she soon understood what her daughter wanted to do. The Empress was a mother; no woman would be willing to allow their only son to marry a girl with no talents.
"Lady Anastasia, you should ask your maid to send the gifts from the palace to your courtyard, " Miss Magdalene said. She handled arrangements in the palace so she did not forget the gifts in the receiving hall.
Duchess Anita became embarrassed; as the daughter of a duke, Anastasia should have at least one maid to accompany her everywhere.
"You, move the gifts to Anastasia's courtyard, " Duchess Anita immediately instructed a maid before Anastasia could say anything.
Everyone in the duke's residence was under Duchess Anita's control, so she acted the way she pleased, but the same could not be said of Miss Magdalene. So unless she was sure that she(Anita) had Miss Magdalene on her side, she was unwilling to let her know some things.
Anastasia agreed and left the hall with Miss Magdalene. It was not the first time that the duchess covered up her act.
"Get that girl's courtyard cleaned up, " Duchess Anita instructed Leah as soon as Anastasia and the others left the hall. She was not sure what kind of person Miss Magdalene was. So until she figured her(Miss Magdalena ) out, she was unwilling to expose too many weaknesses.
Leah felt her head spinning. Anastasia's courtyard had decent decoration, but she had moved them all into her private purse.
In the past five years, she had given away many of the items she took. She sold some and fluted the money to her relatives. She had never imagined that she would have to vomit everything so soon.
Last night, when Steward Manum had warned her, she had taken it for granted, thinking that, as long as she remained the loyal maid of the Duchess, she had nothing to fear.
"what should I do? " Leah broke out in cold sweat as she did not have enough money to cover the expenses; besides, there was not enough time to slowly gather the funds. "I am done for, " Leah murmured in sorrowful as she headed towards Anastasia's courtyard.