Seth heard the news of his wife's visit to a brothel and spending one million gold on a whim. The latter wasn't a problem as it was nothing new but the former. He thought he wouldn't have any headaches since Grace Finley wasn't here anymore but this was another kind of headache.
Going out without an escort. Spending time in a brothel. He wished she would be more aware of her station. Grace Finley was a lavish spender and enjoyed the attention but she was well aware of her station and flaunted it around. This strange woman who doesn't remember her name not only managed to commit blasphemy on her first public appearance earning the ire of the entire holy empire but also she was now visiting the least place one would expect a Grand Princess to visit.
"Your Highness?" Jasper, his aide, pulled him out of his thoughts. Seth sighed tiredly and looked at the people in his office. The Butler and Head Maid were here to report on his wife's activities inside the Grand Palace meanwhile one of his commanders, Sir Emil Rupert, was here with one of the newly appointed Squires to report on the Grand Princess' scandalous adventure in Eonon, the capital city of Valoria.
"First of all, Why am I not aware that she was taking a trip out of the palace until today?" Seth asked, looking at the Butler and the Head Maid.
"Forgive us, Your Highness. We thought that you didn't want to know unless Her Highness caused trouble and we thought that this was just another outing like before the accident." The Head Maid explained.
She was right, Seth never cared about Grace Finley's outing because he knew she was only going to Balls and banquets and shopping for rare and expensive things that satisfied her. All of her interests and activities were never a problem given Seth was the second richest man in the whole of Verdant and Valoria after the Verdant Royal Family. But this, this was just, Seth didn't know how to control this. He couldn't help but let out another sigh before he heard a commotion outside his office door gaining everyone's attention.
"I heard you called for me." The strange woman came barging into his office without a knock. She was like a sudden storm.
"Haven't you heard of etiquette?" He couldn't help but ask.
"I did. Though your meaning of etiquette was ancient history for me, We do have something called common sense that enables us to knock before entering someone else's space. And I decided to ignore that today." She replied. Before he could say anything else she stood in front of him expectantly.
"How do I look?" She asked, twirling in her new dress in front of him. "Better than before." He commented. He sincerely thought that this was a million times better than before. She was wearing a dress the colour of a certain shade of violet that complimented her changed hair colour. Seth couldn't help but notice her hair had turned from a soft light brown to a rich dark brown and she had silver-coloured eyes that had no trace of the gold from before. This change was a little jarring for him because now he had to treat this new person as his wife and princess. It was a shock to realise that she wasn't Grace Finley but he also felt relief in some corner of his heart. Grace Finley's flippant aura and fickle character made people ignore her but this woman commanded a presence that attracted everyone's eyes just by standing in the room.
"Be grateful that you already have a wife and children. Otherwise, no lady would want to marry a man who can't utter something as simple as a compliment. Your face can make up for that but then again, pity it was a waste." Seth almost scoffed and her comments strangely got on his nerves. She shook her head and settled on one of the settees. And her disappointed stare angered him but he stomped on it before talking about the reason why he called for her.
"I heard of your trip to Iridescent." He began.
"That outing was an impulse and impromptu which means you couldn't attach a knight on my tail. So," She looked around the room and the people in it. "Who was it that snitched on me?" She asked.
"Squire Basil here has an elder sister who works in Iridescent. He saw you there on one of his visits home." Seth nodded at the sixteen-year-old boy standing beside Sir Emil Rupert. She looked at the boy and waved her hand, was that supposed to be a greeting? Seth wondered.
"So, What is the problem here?" She asked and waved to her young maid. The maid, Ivy, placed a tray overflowing with letters on the table in front of her.
"Problem? Do you know how dangerous it is to walk on streets with no escort? You should know it better than anyone else after the carriage accident." Seth tried his best to speak in an even tone.
"What? Afraid you would lose your first line of defence?" She smiled at him and Seth froze. He understood what she meant. It is true that with her gone the king of Verdant would have the opportunity to send Seth another wife. But that wasn't the only reason, he was truly concerned for her safety. This person was forced to live in a strange body and accept this new life. She must be feeling uneasy and scared without anyone to rely on and not a single familiar face. She carried herself confidently but Seth couldn't help but look at her sunken and red eyes on some mornings.
"The way things are now, death might be the only way out left for me. I might not have enough courage to take my life but others are welcome to try." She said, turning to the letters in front of her.
"You-" Seth calmed himself. The room fell into a tense silence after her words and Seth watched her sorting through the letters silently for a while.
"You promised." His words were vague but they were clear enough for the both of them. They don't know if dying would let her return. It was unsure but even if it was true, Seth didn't want death to be her way back home.
"I know. I will live as I want. If you want to put a tail on me, do as you wish. I will make sure my outings are scheduled from now on and even if they weren't I will let you know before leaving." She assured and Seth thought this could be the best outcome for now. She was a good partner and very cooperative, He thought but that thought didn't last long.
"Are we done here then?" She asked.
"No." He replied immediately. "Your trip to Iridescent was problematic as well. You are a Grand Princess, So I request you keep your station in mind before acting. A good public image is expected and necessary among the high nobles." Seth explained.
"The pretty ladies in Iridescent are a great company. Hence, Your requests are denied." She said and Seth felt a headache coming. He also wanted to ask her how old she was again.
"You are married and a mother of two children and the mother of this land." Seth tried to reason. If the nobles learned of this, the royal family of Valoria would become a joke and its influence might weaken. Being extravagant was fine for a Grand Princess but not Wanton. Seth didn't want that to happen, not now at least.
"Are mothers not allowed to enjoy some good tea and company?" She glared at him.
"That is not what I meant. If you want to have friends, You could accept one of the many invitations you got." Seth offered. "I don't want to hear rumours flying around about the Grand Princess wandering around brothels and ruining the royal family's reputation."
"If you are so worried about your reputation then what about before? The fashion sucked, no academic background, education amounted to only private tutoring which was a waste, spending money on stupid things on a whim. Why didn't you speak then?" She questioned, her tone verging on anger burst out.
"Nobles like to flaunt their assets."
"So you are saying that I can set fire to a mansion worth millions of gold but not visit a brothel?" She looked at him incredulously.
"Better than having the rumours of Grand Princess' debauchery flying around." He said. He just wanted to say that her station wouldn't allow such actions and the nobles wouldn't think any good of it. It was okay for a man but women were not allowed such behaviour openly in this world. Of course, there were always exceptions and there were women who took paramours but for a Grand Princess, his wife, such freedom was not allowed.
"I visited once out of curiosity and you call it debauchery?" Her hands clenched into fists crumpling the letter in her hand.
"Once was more than enough for a Grand Princess." Seth reminded again and again of her title, hoping it would help.
"I wish I could truly set fire to this palace but I have a conscience." She sighed, her voice softening. Seth breathed a sigh of relief and only then did he realise that there were five more people in the room. He rubbed his temples to soothe himself.
"I will attend the tea parties and see if I can find someone to keep me in a good mood. If I don't then prepare yourself to hear the rumours of my debauchery." She gave him a tight-lipped smile that conveyed her finality.
"So, Which houses do you like?" She pointed to the table littered with letters.
"Are you going to meet Valorian nobles?" He was a little surprised but it didn't last long once he remembered she wasn't Grace Finley who was embarrassed in one of her first Valorian banquets and never attended one since then.
"Felipe, Marcel, Irvin, Fox and Eves." He replied the houses that were closest to the Peregrine royal family and the ones Seth was confident to confide in as they would stand with him.
"And the ones you don't?" She asked, picking up invitations from the houses he mentioned.
"Argyle, Henrik and Woods." Argyle was a Marquisate with a long history and a house that was present since the founding of Valoria. Its roots were thick but it flaunts itself as almost as powerful as its rulers, the Peregrine House. The Argyle family managed to keep strong connections with Verdant despite its animosity with Valoria. Henrik and Woods were its henchmen.
"What about the young ladies of these houses? Give me a list of those who are head over heels for you." Seth realised this for a while but this woman doesn't bite back her words. He sighed and turned to his Aide.
"I will send you the details soon, Your Highness." Jasper cleared his throat a little before answering. It must be new for these people to watch Seth Peregrine and Grace Finley have a conversation and work harmoniously. It was new for Seth as well. Seth resumed his work as he looked at the reports and the people waited for him to give his feedback. His wife silently looked around the room for a while before sighing.
"Can't you have them sit? They are making my head spin." She pointed to the Knight Commander and the others. Seth waved at them to take a seat without taking his eyes off the document in his hands. Jasper busied himself beside Seth as Ivy poured tea for them. The Squire Basil was stunned by everything that happened until now and was still sitting stiffly beside the Knight Captain.
"This Argyle house. Do they have a young lady after you as well?" She asked.
"Must you say it like that?" Seth shook his head but she ignored him and looked at his Aide for an answer.
"Isla Argyle was in fact dubbed as the most beautiful flower of the High Society of Valoria and Yes, she does have her eyes on His Highness." Jasper explained pushing the glasses up his nose.
"Quite popular for a married guy aren't you, Your Highness." Sarcasm dripped out of her words and Seth ignored her…
"Are you jealous, My wife?" He couldn't ignore her.
Seth was known for a few words along with his hard and cold exterior but their conversations always proved those words wrong. Seth felt weird every time she brought out this new talkative side of him.
"You call me wife one more time, I swear I will visit you tonight and set fire to your hair." She hissed, making the Head Maid chuckle. Others however were stunned at this atmosphere between them.
"You are welcome." He replied nonchalantly flipping through the pages of his report.
"Ivy." She snapped and the little maid handed her the stationery.
"Everyone in this room, I want you to answer honestly. How annoying do you find Viviana Campbell, the beloved princess of Verdant?" She asked out of the blue.
"Her letters are incessant." The Butler frowned.
"She is relentless." Seth sighed tiredly.
"I wish she wouldn't make any visits at least for a few months." The Head Maid looked at the Grand Princess a little expectantly.
"I wish I could beat her order of knights to a pulp." Sir Rupert said.
"I… I have never met Her Highness." Squire Basil stuttered.
"She is a princess." Ivy offered a little unsure of how to put it properly.
"Spoiled and pampered to the core." Jasper spoke at last.
"This woman, She addressed me as Lady Grace in her letters." She laughed and her eyes lit up like she found something entertaining.
"The only people that are above my station are the King and the Queen, right? Even the Crown Prince comes after me doesn't he?" She asked and Seth nodded confirmation.
"What are you doing?" He asked as she began scribbling away in a letter.
"Writing a reply." She replied without pausing. "I'm going to troll this woman so hard that she will cry tears of blood." She laughed evilly. Seth couldn't help but look forward to what sort of reply she was writing.