Agatha smiled when she heard this, "this must be your students? " she asked, her smile remaining gentle, but there was a hint of mockry in her gaze.
"Yes, Lady Elizabeth and Lady Anastasia, " Miss Maria answered with a smile.
"Good day, Miss, " Anastasia and Elisabeth greeted Agatha. They had no idea that Maria wanted to avoid this woman as a smile had remained on her face.
"Well manner, just like you, " Miss Agatha said. It seemed to everyone that Agatha was praising her, but only the two of them(Maria and Agatha ) understood that she was making a mockry of her.
"Janette and Lily, say hello to your Aunty Maria, "Agatha turned to her daughters. One was age fifteen and the other twelve.
"Good day, Aunty Maria, " the two sisters responded obediently. They knew their mother well enough to notice that the relationship between her and Miss Maria was complicated.
"How are you," Miss Maria asked as she took her seat. Anastasia and Elisabeth followed suit. The servants did not get to share a table with their mistress, so Miss Magdalene and Lala each nodded at their mistress and got ready to leave.
"Miss Magdalene, " At that point, Miss Agatha, who loved to puke her nose in other people's business, recognized her.
Miss Magdalene did not expect to be recognized, so she paused for a second. "yes, " She decided to respond to Agatha. The Empress did not send her on a secret mission. It was apparent that the emperor wanted the news of this engagement to spread. Hence, he made such a big move to propose on behalf of his son.
"You left the palace? " Agatha asked when Miss Magdalene answered her. She had chatted with Magdalene once when she accompanied her mother-in-law to the empress's palace a few months back. Although it was a short chat, Agatha remembered what she looked like. In her heart, knowing a lady-in-waiting who served the empress was not bad.
At first, she doubted if she saw correctly. After all, why would a lady-in-waiting to the empress be with the daughters of a duke?
"I still serve under the empress. It was at her command that I am here to guide her future daughter-in-law, lady Anastasia, " Miss Magdalene responded. She had given out so much information because she wanted to establish Anastasia's status. She was worried Elisabeth would take the changes to give away false information, as she did in class early.
The venue fell into silence at Miss Magdalene's words.
Previously, lady Agatha had been a bit loud when she called out Miss Magdalene, so a few curious eyes looked over.
Nobody had expected to hear such news, hence the silence.
Elisabeth felt like she had been pushed into a cold Spring. Everything had happened so fast. She did not expect anyone to recognize Miss Magdalene at the party. So, she had not been on alert.
Moreover, when Lady Agatha asked a question, she never expected her(Magdalene) to give out so much information.
While Elisabeth was feeling frustrated, the other ladies recovered from their initial shock. A few already knew of the emperor's action that morning. They were only unsure of his intention.
"Miss Magdalene, you are not old yet; surely you mean Lady Elisabeth, right," a lady seated at the next table joined the conversation.
Although it was considered rude to join other people's conversation without being invited, this lady took the risk as she wanted a chance to become friends with Elisabeth.
Her family was a small one. If she wanted to climb up the social circle, she needed to befriend people from that circle. This lady knew that only two daughters were in the duke's residence. So, although she had never met Anastasia, she knew she was the daughter of a mistress.
No matter which prince would take a wife from the Duke's family, it could never be the unpresentable daughter of a mistress. This lady felt that Elisabeth would be in an awkward position to correct her (Miss Magdalene), So she decided to be rude and gain Elisabeth's appreciation. After all, now that Elisabeth would marry a prince, it meant that her standing in the noble circle would only go higher in the future. So, being rude was worth the risk.
"I made no mistake, Lady, I am here to serve Lady Anastasia, daughter of Duke Thomason, as the future wife of the crown prince, " Miss Maria said. She knew her statement would push Anastasia to the spotlight, but she had already thought things through and said those words for two reasons.
First, the emperor wanted this engagement to spread as soon as possible. He placed so much value on the marriage for whatever reason. Meaning It would be difficult for the empress to stop it. This was a chance for her to serve the future empress, secure her future, and have a more noble status in the palace.
Secondly, if Anastasia could not handle this spotlight, the empress would have an excellent reason to reject this marriage. Either way, her action at this moment could only bring benefits.
This time, everyone present was surprised when they heard those words. No one had thought about the crown prince.
After all, there were other families who were considered bigger than Duke Thomason's family, and the crown prince could choose a wife.
When the lady who said this heard the response, she wanted to slap her mouth. Not only was she unable to help Elisabeth, but she ended up embarrassing her(Elisabeth ) and creating a wrong impression for herself in front of many people. Of course, she did not care what so many people would think of her, what she cared about was Miss Magdalene and Lady Anastasia's opinions.
Anastasia, the unprestentable daughter of a duke, suddenly becomes the crown prince's fiance. How could she offend the possible future empress?
"I must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, " she cursed her fate.
The young ladies present all turned to look at Anastasia at those words. They could not see anything special about her. If not that the one who spoke was a lady-in-waiting by the empress's side, they would have doubted those words.
How could the elegant and gentle crown prince marry the daughter of a mistress? More so, this mistress daughter was so disgraceful that her family did not dare let her attend any royal ball or party.
Anastasia took a deep breath, she was already prepared for unexpected situations at this party. So even if she had so many gazes at her simultaneously, she did not flutter. Her gaze remained calm, and she elegantly picked up her cup and took a sip of water.
It was like those curious and disdainful gazes had nothing to do with her. On the other hand, Elisabeth was smitten by anger; her face turned back, and it took the gentle reminder from her nanny not to run away at that moment.
Elisabeth glared dagger at the lady who spoke up a few moments ago. 'if only this fool kept her mouth shut, Miss Maria would not have continued making things clear.
"Lady Anastasia, congratulations on your engagement, " one lady spoke up. She had a crush on the crown prince. Although she knew that she may never get the chance to become his wife, she could not swallow the fact that someone beneath her, in her opinion, would marry him.
'she only has a beautiful face; what right does she have?' the lady was furious, but there was a gentle smile on her face.
"Thank you, I am overwarmed by the emperor's favor, " Anastasia answered. She could tell that although this lady had a gentle smile, it only reminded her of Duchess Anita when she was pretending to be a good mother before the duke or guests.