Diane stirred peacefully, still enjoying her sleep, until she felt someone, or something, shaking her gently. "...iane, ane, Diane." A childish voice called out into her ears. She opened her eyes slightly, her gaze still hazy, seeing only a flood of blue hair. "Diane!" The voice called out again, seemingly irritated. Diane's line of sight was clear this time around. Sitting next to her on the bed, and wearing a silver and dark blue frock, with a ribbon at the front, her blue hair packed into pigtails, was no other than Leonia, with a slight frown on her face. "You finally woke up!" She exclaimed. "Good morning to you too, Leonia." Diane said as she sat up on the bed, rubbing at one of her eyes. Leonia bounced down from the bed, and strode over to Diane's side, grabbing one of her arms. "Get up, get up quickly!" She said, attempting to drag Diane down from the bed. Of course, there was no way the eight year old could do that. "You are going to make us late for the picnic!" She said, as she saw that all her attempts yielded no result. "What?" Diane was momentarily confused. Soon however, she got out of the bed as if she had been struck by lightening. "It's really today?!" She asked her younger companion. "What do you think I have been telling you all this time?" Leonia asked, sitting herself on the long sofa in the room. The door creaked opened, and Dorothy walked in. "My lord sent me to get my lady ready." She said, as she bowed. "Good morning, young Miss." Dorothy said, as soon as she saw Leonia. "Dorothy, could you please get Diane ready in time?" Leonia politely asked. "That is why I am here, young Miss." Dorothy said, giving Leonia a reassuring smile. "Now my lady, take off your night gown." Dorothy said, proceeding to where Diane was. "What? Hold on!" Diane said, crossing her arms across her chest. "What is the matter now?" Leonia demanded, getting impatient. Diane beckoned for Dorothy to come close, which she did. "Leonia is here, wouldn't it be inappropriate if I.. change in front of a child?" She asked. "My lord was right. My lady is truly impossible." Dorothy said with a sigh. "The young Miss is a female as well, isn't she? And I am certain she will grow up to be quite the charming beauty." She replied. Upon Seeing that Diane was still fidgeting, there had no other option but to change in the bathroom, where a large tub of warm water had been long waiting.
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Diane soaked herself in the warm water, while Dorothy began to wash her hair. "Don't even think of dosing off, my lady." Dorothy cautioned, when she noticed that Diane's eyes were drooping. "But the water is so relaxing." Diane said, tilting her head back a little. "Besides, it's Diego's fault. Why didn't he wake me up when he got up?" She asked. "My lord said you retired rather late, so he didn't want to disturb you." Dorothy explained while rinsing her hair, and began to apply sesame seed and coconut oil to it. "Are these rose petals really necessary? Aren't they too much?" Diane observed. True to her statement, there were countless Rose petals floating about idly on the water surface. "Well, this is the first time my lord is taking my lady out, so she should smell nice, no?" Dorothy said, while smiling. "He is not taking me out, he is taking the kids out!" Diane corrected her. "But your presence is still needed, regardless." Dorothy said relentlessly.
Diane stepped into her room, Dorothy behind her, both her head and body wrapped in a white towel. "At least you have taken a bath." Leonia said, gazing at Diane. "All that is left is to pick out a dress." Leonia said. Dorothy nodded, and clapped her hands. A group of four maids trooped into the room, bringing with them a trolley of clothes. "All that is left, is to pick out the right outfit for the occasion."
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"Does this one fit" Diane asked, emerging from the changing room, wearing an elegant blue dress. "It will suit banquets more." Dorothy said. "The material will make it difficult to move around." Leonia observed. Diane went into the room again and emerged with a pink and white dress. "What about this one?" "That..."
After several episodes of dressing and undressing, the trio finally settled for an elegant yellow and red gown. "All this just for a picnic... Someone might think that I am going to a ball!" Diane said, as she collapsed on the sofa, exhausted. The dress was hugging her at every angle, and the heels she wore bit at her toes. "This dress really highlights my lady's figure, My lord will love it." Dorothy said as she nodded, apparently proud of herself. "The gold in this dress complements your blonde hair, Diane." Leonia told her. "I knew your were pretty, but I never thought that you could be this beautiful." She complimented her. "Thank you, Leonia." Diane said, with a gentle smile. "I hope brother will think so, too." She added. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "It's Alice." A voice said. "Come in." Diane said. Alice walked in elegantly. "There you are. Do you know I searched everywhere for you?" She said, as soon as she spotted Leonia. Diane was a bit astonished at Alice's transformation. Yes it was the same Alice, the same black hair and red eyes like her mom, but there was something more refined about her character. She had a more mature physique now, and that look in the maid' s uniform gave her a sense of responsibility and duty on her.
"Why were you looking for me? I am perfectly capable of handling myself." Leonia said, Jumping down from the chair. "
"Look who is talking, look at that stain on your frock!" Alice said, upon noticing the stain on the blue dress. "Come with me right this instant! You are getting cleaned up, now!" Alce said, stamping her foot lightly. "Do I have to?" Leonia said, trying to conceal herself behind Diane's figure. "Leonia." Diane said, looking down at her. "Go with her." "Fine." Leonia released her grip on Diane's dress, and went out the room, Alice right behind her.
"My lady sit, let me do your hair." Dorothy said, ushering Diane into a chair. Diane proceeded to sit, while Dorothy gently brushed her hair, humming a tune. "Just imagine, my lady, living in this mansion, you, my lord and your kids... Yes, I will very much like to nurse your children, I just hope they don't end up being like you." Dorothy said, with a smile. "Dorothy." Diane called out as soon as she was done. Dorothy understood immediately. "I am sorry, my lady. I guess I got a bit Carried away." She said. Diane sighed. "It's fine." Diane said, looking at her hair. Dorothy had done it her usual way, brushed down like her water fall, with two braids packed to the back.
Diane soon descended got outside the mansion, where two carraiges were patiently waiting. Everyone was present- except Diego. Where was that man anyway? "Sister!" Morris called out, running towards her, in his red and black suit. "Oh my!" Diane called out. "Who knew that our little Morris could look so handsome?" She said, attempting to ruffle up his hair, but he dodged it. "I like the way Alice brushed my hair, I don't want it ruined so quickly." The five year old admitted. "Oh, alright." Diane said, placing her hands down in defeat. Lucille also came up, wearing a dark purple dress, with a splash of black in it. She walked up to Diane. "You look beautiful." She complimented her. Diane smiled as well. "You look dazzling as well." She said. Not long after that, Diego came out of the mansion, with Theodore by his side, seemingly giving him instructions. "I see that you are all here." Diego said with a nod. "And Diane..." Diego briefly paused when he laid his eyes on her. Diane also equally stared back. Was there something on her face? She wished that Dorothy could give her a mirror, so she could see. "Stop staring at her like that. You have her all to yourself, you know." Theodore's voice brought him back to his senses. Diego cleared his throat, before shooting daggers at Theodore. "You look pretty, Diane." Digeo said. Diane stared like an idiot, before she received a slight nudge from Dorothy, who was by her side. "Ah, thank you. You don't look that bad yourself." Diane said, coming to her senses. "You look stunning too, Lucille." Diego said. Lucille gave a slight courtesy at that statement. "Okay then, I think we are ready to leave."
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Diane looked out of the window of the carraige, admiring the wondrous scenery outside. Of course, back at home, she was like a caged bird. "You really weren't lying when you said that you didn't come out frequently." Diego said, as he looked at her. "No, I wasn't." Diane said, turning towards him. "Now let me people- watch in peace." Sje said, as she turned back to the window. "Maybe next time we could plan another outing, just the two of us." Diego said. "This is almost as good as any date, I am fine with it." Diane said, too busy looking out of the window to initiate a proper conversation with him. "Really? Could you call this a date?" Diego asked, in his usual sneering manner. Well he was right. Could she call it a date? No it wasn't a date in the first place, it was a picnic. The kids, the maids, Lucille... there was nothing spectacular about it, just a normal regular outing. But she was fine, in fact, more than okay with it. At least the sun could get to bless that overly pale skin of hers, and she could get a lot of fresh air as well. The carraige stopped suddenly. "We've arrived." Diane heard Diego say.