The difference in living was vast, although everyone lived on Earth. The simple morning where Helle would rise at the crack of dawn to clean the house and do the chores was suddenly taken away from her, and now, face-palming her cheeks with freezing fingers, she stood on her balcony staring outside.
'Will it ever sink in?' she questioned. It was her second day only, but she felt out of place. Moreover, she couldn't help but worry about her mother.
The clean, neat, all-too-well-maintained place didn't feel like home. But the view before her was phenomenal. She could see the entire capital city covered in fluffy grey clouds.
"Miss Helle?" Martha entered the room with cleaning tools. She was dressed in a meticulously ironed uniform.
"yes?" Helle quickly headed inside while shivering.
"Let's get you ready before breakfast."
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Martha got Helle to sit poised in front of the work desk. Pulling out a standing mirror, Martha started to comb the luscious black hair and formed a slick bun in the middle. Around the sides, she made a braid that circled and clipped a few bow clips.
"Wow, it's so beautiful." Helle was stunned by style. Not a strand of hair was peeking through!
"Thank you." She felt obligated to reply after all; not all guests were so humble, and especially not the candidates for the marriage. "Now let's do your make-up." Martha was kind to teach along about the techniques while she placed the products.
As the fiancé of the Lennox family, Helle's first and foremost duty was to always be presentable, as taught by Martha. The subtle makeup enhanced her eyes without being too heavy.
~
"Good morning, Helle!" Donovan had his eyes brightly hit, and he wore black sweatpants and a grey shirt.
"Good morning, Mr. Snow?" Helle replied with awkwardness, as she hadn't remembered his name but only his face. Was it Dono? Donan? Do-do-
"Donovan," he raised his brow.
"Oh yeah! Donovan." Staring at her bright eyes, his smile softened.
Breakfast was served. It was a heavy palate. While Helle knew how to use the fancy fork and knives, as she peeped at her tablemate Donovan, he executed an elegant aura. From the posture to the way he ate, it was entirely different to her.
"Your drink might turn into cold chocolate by now, Helle," Donovan caught her admiring eyes, which made her turn away immediately and give a nod. The rest of the dinner went quietly until Helle was done with her food.
"Let's go to our first class now." Donovan got up from his chair, and so did Helle. He led her down the living room and past it to the study room, where all the teaching materials were kept.
The curtains were undone, and sunlight peeped through the wide window at the wall. Next to the wall was a wooden cupboard, a whiteboard, and a table and chair for a single student.
"Let's start our first lesson today. So first, we'll learn about the introduction and background of people who are serving you, your role, who will come to your engagement party, and whom to prioritize. "
Meanwhile, Helle vigilantly listened to Donovan, who was the same age as her but prepared for success from early childhood.
"Butler, housekeeper, and chef are the three main workers who serve in this household. While the Butler manages the budgets and administration as well as the main functions, the Housekeeper is essential to keeping the household neat. With that said, they are the people of authority who will work under you once you get engaged. The house keys as well as the budget would need to be handled by you."
"For the representative of the house, you'll first need to know how to serve guests, and to do that, you need to know who they are and what they prefer. First and foremost, the family." Right then, Donovan took out a small remote from his pocket and pressed its red button.
A white, thick paper covered the board and the wall, and a family chart was displayed.
"He is Grandpa Arthur. The most friendliest of all family members and also the most loving, so you should try to be on his good side." Donovan even had a fond smile. Surprisingly, Orion had taken after his grandfather in terms of his looks.
"Granny Lara passed away a few years ago. Next, it's Harvy and Lily, the green tea couple." He had a disturbing smile. "It's better to stay away from them or until you are more familiar with the society. Lastly, it's Axel, Lily's biological son and brother Orion. "
"Biological son?"
"Yeah, brother Orion was brought when he was five years old." She nodded in understanding. It was sad, but she wasn't satisfied with the vague answer. Of course, infidelity was clear, but she wanted to know more.
"You should ask brother any other questions regarding his past. So, moving on next, we have the social standings. The family business of Lennox's is very successful, and only a few can rival them. The Hawthorn and Campbell are two of them."
"Selah Campbell was brother Orion's childhood fiancé, but they soon parted ways."
"Eh? Why so?"
It was surprising. She had never thought that Orion would have had a fiancé, but again, she knew very little about him, the place she was in, and about everything.
"I do not know. But what I do know is that you should stay away from the aunties group!" He leaned closer and said it as though it were a secret.
"Why?" she whispered back.
"Once the aunts get you, you're not going to leave until they know your entire family history! They're scary!"
"So the typical aunties?"
Their giggles filled the air, and so the class went on for a while and ended after two hours. Donovan was precise with his teachings and spared no effort. It was an informative class!
"That's all for today. Additionally, I will teach you the basic table manners tomorrow."
The class was over, and Helle was quick to leave the class. She had a book to finish and a mystery to uncover! Heading to her bedroom, Helle had her annotation pocket note with a pen and the book.
Seated comfortably amidst the warm pillows and blankets, she started to read through the pages, and in between she'd annotate as a way to sharpen her criticism skills.
~
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