AFTER SUCCUMBING to her emotions for a moment while lying in bed, tears flowing freely over her cheeks, Charlotte was stirred from her sorrowful state by the presence of the maid servants.
Tiding up and preparing their young lady for the day, the maids' presence served to interrupt Charlotte's mourning, but failed to erase her grief over her mother's actions and words.
They combed her hair and cleaned her beautiful face, Charlotte's grief may have been momentarily veiled, yet it persisted beneath the surface of her heart.
"Lady Charlotte, it would be delightful if you would lift your face with a smile," a young maid requested. Charlotte, despite her sadness, mustered up a fake smile as the maidservant meticulously tended to her hair, while the other two fussed over her clothes in preparation for her birthday celebration at midnight.
After they finished their preparation for the day, a knock sounded on the door. "My lady, the carriage awaits your arrival," the butler announced behind the door, while wielding his pocket watch.
The mention of the carriage reminded Charlotte of her mother's earlier words regarding her impending birthday celebration. Even though she tried to conceal her sadness, Charlotte knew that she had no choice but to go along with her mother's plans. Her heart ached at the thought, yet there was little she could do.
Charlotte rose to her feet as the maidservants escorted her downstairs. Her heart skipped a beat, and her body froze as she laid her eyes on her mother, who regarded her with a glacial glare.
She remained still, sensing the tension and the weight of the moment. Charlotte knew that her encounter with her mother had tremendous consequences, and she was unsure of what the outcome might be.
As the cold, piercing gaze of her mother fell upon her, Charlotte's couldn't help but make a small gulp from her thriat, as if captured in a state of vulnerability and inaction.
As she drew closer to her mother outside the mansion, the carriage doors opened and revealed the interior, further adding a sense of anticipation to the situation.
Charlotte could sense the tension and the atmosphere of expectation. She stood in front of the open carriage doors, unsure of what would follow next.
The thought of the carriage ride with her mother, along with the anticipation of her forthcoming birthday celebrations, made her heart pounding.
She had no clue how to approach this precarious situation. The moment the carriage began to set in motion, Charlotte and her mother maintained a hushed silence.
There was no need for words after what had unfolded in the young lady's chambers earlier. The tension and the implications of what would ensue remained like a dense fog in the air, filling the atmosphere and casting a heavy blanket upon their minds.
It was as though some unspoken force held them in a state of suspended action, and no words would be able to move them from that position.
* Clank! Tap! Tap! Clank! *
Their thoughts and emotions were as silent as the motion of the carriage. In the midst of the thick and palpable silence, the faint but distinct sound of the hooves of the horses and the wheels of the carriage cut through the air like a sharp knife through butter.
The deafening silence of mother and daughter remained as the carriage glided across the cobbled streets, the only sound being its wheels and horses. A moment so tense, so still, and so quiet as if to absorb out all the air within the confines of the carriage.
After a few moments of agonizingly tense silence, Cordelia decided to break the standstill by uttering a few words in her sentence.
"We shall be visiting the art museum after visiting the boutique. Perhaps it shall change your mind," she spoke, her words punctuated with a steely determination.
The silence was finally shattered, yet the meaning behind those few words only seemed to heighten the tension, and Charlotte could see no way out of the current predicament. Perhaps the art museum would change her heart and mind, yet she remained doubtful.
As the carriage sped forward, Charlotte turned her gaze upon her mother, whose face was stern and resolute. With her hands grasping tightly to the fabric of her gown, Charlotte turned her eyes towards the window of the carriage, seemingly wishing herself far away from the current circumstances.
The atmosphere within the carriage was tense and oppressive, and she looked towards the outside world with a sense of longing and helplessness. Despite being physically present within the confines of the vehicle, her mind and heart were elsewhere, lost in a world of her own thoughts and feelings, unable to find a way out of the situation.
A few more rides later, they finally arrived at the elegant and exquisite town of Vercesia. People of all classes were mingled together in a seemingly chaotic and unorganized spectacle, with the upper class and lower class interacting in an unprecedented manner.
In addition to the citizens, there were numerous people peddling newspapers relating to the current Grenswood incident, specifically with regards to the mysterious accident of the fallen carriage. The newspaper reports of the incident must have gripped the people and made the incident the hot topic of the town.
"That Grenswood incident, certainly the most recent and mysterious news of the day," Cordelia murmured while gazing out the window of the moving carriage. The people outside were seen busily buying newspapers and reading the current headlines.
"Here yey! Here yey! Get you freshly new published news papers with the most recent news for the day!"
Even with the plethora of news available, the Grenswood mystery was still the talk of the town. The bulletin boards, filled with updates about the incident, showed how intriguing and captivating the subject was for the citizens. The Grenswood Incident was surely a captivating and alluring topic in Vercesia.
As they continued their smooth and relaxing ride within the confines of the moving carriage, the abrupt stopping of the vehicle threw Charlotte and Cordelia into confusion. Cordelia, with a knock-followed inquiry to the coach, was eager to have answers, "Hmm, what's with the sudden interruption?"
The sudden halt of the motion threw them into a state of curiosity as to the reason for their stoppage in the middle of the road, and they longed to learn what caused the obstruction in their carriage. "It seems it is a matter of public concern, Madam," the coach replied, in response to Cordelia's inquiry.
Charlotte leaned out the window for a further glance, she managed to obtain a clearer view of the scene unfolding in the middle of the road.
Her heart broke as she saw the sight of a mother and child being abused by a drunk man in the middle of the road. As a woman, she felt empathetic towards the two victims of the abuse, and it filled her with a sense of distress and concern.
Without a second thought, Charlotte opened the door of the carriage to get a closer view of the situation. However, she was confronted by her mother, who firmly gripped her wrist and stopped her from going close to the scene.
"Charlotte don't bother them. Let the Marsheries stop them," Cordelia instructed, in an attempt to halt her daughter's intention to engage in the matter at hand. Charlotte felt torn between her desire to rescue the victims and her mother's plea for her not to intervene, causing her to be in a state of indecision and internal conflict.
Charlotte retorted back to Cordelia's plea, "But this isn't right, letting these people to be abused? This is inhumane, Mother!" She said it with a determined look and a firm stance, and with no second thoughts, Charlotte left the carriage and marched on foot towards the scene of the incident.
"CHARLOTTE!"
Cordelia yelled out Charlotte's name in an attempt to stop her daughter from proceeding ahead, worried for the consequences of what might happen as a result. However, Charlotte was determined to intervene in the situation, and her moral compass would not allow her to turn a blind eye to this injustice.
With a heavy and determined footfall, Charlotte proceeded to confront the drunk man, "Hey you! Stop this abusive treatment towards them!" she yelled, with a voice that conveyed a strong sense of courage and resolve.
Her sudden intervention in the situation caused the drunk man to be surprised, and he turned his attention towards Charlotte, with an enraged expression on his face.
Charlotte's sudden interruption in the scene caused quite a chaos and commotion, which attracted the attention of the people nearby as well. The drunk man, in his intoxicated state, could not comprehend what was occurring, but he was not willing to back down.
When Charlotte came to stand up for the victims of abuse, the drunk man's anger was inflamed even more. "You! Get away from here you pesky noble woman!" he yelled while pointing towards the young noble girl with a bottle in his other hand.
"You're interrupting a conversation between peasants and a middle class! This woman behind you, is a thief!" The drunk man continued to hurl rude words at her, while he continued to show aggression and accusations towards the mother and the child.
"First of all, where is your respect towards the people? You're in front of the whole crowd in the middle of the road. Rampaging and causing troubles in the society." Charlotte then turned to the mother, who replied with sincerity and earnestness.
"Young lady, I beg your pardon, but please don't believe to this man. I just picked his wallet to return it to him while he was walking in the middle of the road. But suddenly he accused me of stealing."
"I believe in you, just let me handle the situation." Charlotte replied with a soft smile showing in her face. Reassuring the mother and the child that they are safe from the drunkard's harm.
"You little pesky liar!"
"No! You're the liar here, mister! Acting as the vicitm on this situation just to make others believe that low class people only knows to do is crime! Not just that buy you're making a scandal in front of the people of Vercesia!" Charlotte yells back at him spreading her arms to show the people around them.
"Hence, I highly urge you to listen to reason, and believe that what the mother said was the absolute truth. She had no intention of stealing your wallet but was rather going to return it to you. It was your drunkenness that resulted in this debacle, and it is not fair to accuse the innocent mother of theft when she did no wrong. I am certain of her innocence, and I plead you to see the truth." Charlotte added from her testimonial.
"DID YOU JUST DISRESPECTED ME YOUNG WOMAN?!"
"NO! Actually— you're the first one who acts disrespectful." She uttered back to him while pointing her fingers to the man, with a smug in her face expressing the truth to him.
However, the furious drunkard continued to vent his anger towards the mother and the child by hurling more accusations and rude words against them. Yet, his action of breaking the bottle only added to the danger of the situation. The shattered glass fragments from the bottle were sharp and dangerous, threatening to cause harm to anyone nearby.
When the drunk man's anger and fury escalated to uncontrollable levels, he proceeded to attack the innocents in front of him using the sharp broken bottle. Charlotte was not expecting the sudden attack from the drunk man as she didn't predict his next move, which almost cost her life.
But suddenly, the situation turned in their favor when another man suddenly grabbed the drunkard's arms and twisted it behind his back, effectively restraining him from attacking further.
The brave young man, who successfully restrained the drunkard's attack, proceeded to criticize him for the act of aggression towards innocent civilians. Speaking with confidence, he said, "Didn't your grandma taught you to treat women nicely?"
The restrained drunkard, now unable to move and attack, remained in a state of shock and disbelief at the words he got from the young man.
After successfully detaining the drunkard and preventing him from further attacking the innocents, the young man decided to let go of the drunkard from his grip, knowing that he already injured him during the altercation.
Before stepping away, the young man hinted a small smirk as he wiped his hand on his shirt, clearly satisfied for managing to stop the drunkard's rampage. As the guards arrived on the scene, they proceeded to arrest the drunkard, who remained silent in shock after experiencing the whole ordeal and being held accountable for his actions.
As the young man walked away from the scene, Charlotte spoke up to offer her appreciation to the young man, addressing him with a sense of gratitude and respect.
"I am deeply gracious towards you... Sir."
Using a more formal tone and a sense of deep gratitude, Charlotte delivered her gratitude towards the young man with a touch of civility and respect, acknowledging his actions that allowed the situation to be resolved in a favorable way.
Upon hearing her words of gratitude, the young man stopped walking and gave her a glance, as if to acknowledge her thankful words. However, the young man downplayed the significance of his actions by saying, "It's not a big deal..."
Charlotte quietly observed the young man in the blindfold retreat, back into the crowd, seemingly unnoticed by others. However, what caught her attention the most was the sudden appearance of her mother, who was seemingly anxious about her daughter.
Her mother, Cordelia, came rushing towards her, with a tone of worry and concern in her voice, as she checked her daughter for any harm or injuries.
"Are you okay, darling? Are you hurt? You shouldn't have done that!" Cordelia said anxiously to which Charlotte simply replied in a matter-of-fact manner: "I'm fine, Mother.
Cordelia released a sigh of relief upon hearing Charlotte's answer, which served to alleviate her worries and anxiety about her daughter and the danger she was in.
While there existed tension and conflicts between Charlotte and Cordelia, the scene that erupted on the streets had a positive effect on Cordelia's attitude towards her daughter now.
It was like the event served to put in perspective Charlotte's importance, value, and safety, which made Cordelia more softhearted and understanding towards her.
She then faced the mother and child, and she was seen bending her upper torso to reach the little one, who was evidently in a state of fear and distress due to the preceding scandal. Charlotte then gave a soft smile to the child, as she handed them a small gift from her beads.
Charlotte chose three beads from hers, and she then removed a loose string from her clothing, to create a bracelet as a small gift to the child. The beads, which represented the concepts of freedom and happiness, were given by Charlotte with the intention of bringing a sense of reassurance, comfort, and joy to the little one.
Upon seeing the frightened expression of the little child, Charlotte reassured them with compassion and empathy. In a gentle tone, Charlotte spoke to them saying, "There, I know you're still scared about what happened. But I'll try to make sure that you won't encounter the same thing again."
The child's initial fright slowly faded into a gentle smile as they held onto their mother's skirt, while looking at Charlotte for comfort and reassurance.
The mother showed her utmost gratitude to Charlotte once again. "Thank you... Young lady..." The young noble girl, Charlotte, seemed unfazed by the mother's words of gratitude and recognition. In a humble manner and without too many words, she simply nodded as though she considered the act as nothing significant.
Having achieved her goal of helping the innocents and restraining the aggressive drunkard, Charlotte, along with her mother, they return back to the carriage that was parked on the nearby road.
She must have been relieved and satisfied for a job well done, but at the same time, her mind must have wondered about the consequences of the event she just witnessed and played a part in solving. She must have felt content and happy, but at the same time, she must have felt responsible and guilty, with mixed emotions of relief, fear, and concern.
"I find it extremely hard to believe how you have saved these humble commoners from the wicked clutches of that drunken scoundrel." Cordelia spoke whilst seated in the interior of the carriage as the congestion gradually dispersed.
"Yes mother, I am aware of their humanity, just like our own. Never-" Charlotte's words were abruptly interrupted by her mother's utterance. "Nobility holds a higher standard, my dear child. *Sigh*... Luestre, drive us to the shop immediately." Cordelia spoke with a swift alteration of tone, knocking strongly upon the ceiling of the carriage.
And so, they arrive at the luxurious boutique with the sole purpose of procuring dazzling dresses for the latter's birthday celebration, which was to take place at midnight.
"Welcome, Her Grace." Greeted the lady to them with a bow of curtsy.
Cordelia scanned the range of options, seeking an outfit that was truly exceptional and befitting of her daughter.
After contemplating for a while, she finally settled on a woolen dress of a pastel purple hue that perfectly complemented their amethyst eyes, bringing them out and making them shine with elegance and grace. Cordelia was utterly delighted with her pick, knowing that it would surely draw compliments and admiration from onlookers.
Therefore, upon leaving the fashion boutique, Cordelia and Charlotte proceeded along a few steps to the town's renowned art museum. "Truly, the beauty of this structure, the art museum," Charlotte was awed as she beheld the imposing edifice before her, her eyes brimming with joy, fascination, and pure delight.
Cordelia viewed her daughter with a subtle smile plastered on her visage, as they both entered the art museum. Charlotte was thoroughly impressed by the variety of masterpieces on display, ranging from oil paintings to sculptures, after years of not being able to visit such an establishment.
Her enthusiasm and amazement were overwhelming, savoring every moment of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse herself in such impressive works of art.
While Charlotte was distracted, taking in the grandeur and elegance of a particular painting before her, a man suddenly spoke behind her in a stern and deep voice, sending a light shudder of apprehension through her. "La Boucle d'Oreilles, by Jean-François de Troy. What a remarkable masterpiece, I must say."
Glancing behind her, Charlotte saw a butler dressed properly in grayish black attire, complemented by spectacles and golden eyes that matched the color of his jet-black hair.
The man returned her gaze and questioned her, causing a moment of silence as she tried to process the question. "Violet...eyes...?", the man spoke to his mind.
Violet... Eyes....?