"This is our new Duchess? What garbage are you talking about?!"

"Kindly hold your tongue, Young Killian," The old servant scolded with an aghast expression. "You are speaking to Princess Soleia of Vramid, the current duchess of Drakenmire."

Soleia stared at her new husband's relatives― no, they were her relatives now, and all of them looked at her with various degrees of distrust and dislike. Drakenmire was a cold and dreary place, made worse without her husband's presence. 

Her husband, the newly titled Duke Orion Elsher. Born from a commoner family, he had slain a dragon in the army to save hundreds.

And so he was rewarded with Soleia's hand in marriage― an offer made by her father, who wanted her to spy on her new husband. But it was hard to spy on someone who had been packed off to borders mere hours after their wedding.

 All she had of Orion Elsher were his relatives. Just looking at them made her heart sink. 

"Yeah, and I'm the fucking King of Vramid!" Jeers filled the air as they agreed with his statement. 

"There's no way my cousin would marry someone like her! Isn't she the useless princess, the one that everyone says has no powers?" One of the young women complained. Her name was Lucinda, and she enjoyed her status as Orion's favorite cousin. 

"No powers? Then what is she good for?" 

"So, are you going to do anything for us? You're not planning for all of us to serve you while you sit around and look pretty, are you?"

"That's right!"

"We can't feed you for nothing!"

"Shush, all of you," the most elderly of them all cleared her throat. Soleia focused her gaze on Orion's mother. The hair at her temples was beginning to go gray, yet there was a shrewd look in her eyes that set Soleia on edge. 

"Princess Soleia is it? Forgive us for not recognizing you. I am Orion's mother, Elisa. After all, my son has never spoken of you to me."

The room burst into ugly titters while Soleia tried to smile. "Yes. Our marriage was done in haste." 

"While that may be the case, I believe every member of the Elsher family must contribute in some form or another. Since you are a member of the royal family, you must be wealthy. Kindly hand your dowry over to support this family."

"I…"

"You are unwilling?" Elisa arched an eyebrow. 

Everyone else began to complain. 

"I knew it! She's just a haughty bitch that doesn't want to share!"

"If she's not sharing her wealth, then she can scram!"

"It's not that…" Soleia said hesitantly. Their words have brought up something she had forgotten. "I… don't have any dowry to give you."

Her father had given her nothing, as he packed her off to this godforsaken place. After all, she was only one of his many daughters.

"That's nonsense! You're lying!" Lucinda exclaimed, and the others agreed with her. "What kind of princess has no dowry?"

"This is a grave insult to my son," Elisa noted with grim disapproval. "Does your father think so little of my Orion that he assumes that he'll be desperate enough to wed any woman without offering anything else in return?"

"Dowager Duchess Elisa, this isn't just anyone. This is Princess Soleia," Jerome said weakly, trying to remind the old woman. Royalty were bound by different rules.

Elisa scoffed. "So? If she was royalty, she ought to have the dowry to match her status. Even the poorest commoner families prepare dowry for their daughters when they get married. Is she truly a princess, or an illegitimate bastard daughter of the king?"

"I am not!" Soleia exclaimed, nearly shaking with rage at her insinuation. 

"Are you sure?" Lucinda chimed in. "I've never seen a royal family member appear without heavy escort. Horses, knights, fancy carriages… you name it. You appeared alone today. If you're royalty, the king must not think anything of you."

"Hey don't say that," One of the men chimed in, a wicked grin on his face. "I saw a cute lass standing outside our gates, with a few trunks. Maybe that's her escort! One extra maid for us to use!" 

Cruel laughter filled the room. Soleia sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself down. It was true that her father had sent her away with nothing more than a carriage, a few foot soldiers, and Lily, her personal maid. The foot soldiers had left with the carriage, the moment they had deposited her on the estate. She could not stop them. 

Elisa spat on the floor at the news. The glob of spit hit the hem of Soleia's dress, and she scooted back in disgust. 

"After all my son has done for the kingdom, they saddled him with a destitute, useless princess! He could do so much better than you, but now your father has sent him off to the borders. I'm telling you right now, if he showed up with another woman, I'd be the first person willing to help him toss you out!" Elisa raged at her, vitriol in her voice.

Soleia's face paled, especially when she caught sight of the many expressions of disgust on her new family members. No one even wanted to know her, the moment they realized she had no money to offer.

"In fact, they shouldn't be staying in the main estate. Escort them to the servants' quarters. Didn't you say you wanted company?"

Jerome spluttered helplessly. Making a princess, the Duke's lawfully wedded wife, stay in the servants' quarters? It was an insane idea!

"If she ends up anywhere else, you'll be sleeping outside instead!" Lucinda added threateningly as she wagged a finger in his direction. 

With one last mocking laugh, she turned away and flounced off, her skirts swishing delightedly in the cool breeze. Soleia couldn't help but notice how fine the fabric was, in comparison to how poor the living conditions were.

In fact, all the other family members were dressed to their station. Only Jerome's outfit was weathered and patched at certain parts.

The other family members began to follow suit, in twos and threes. Since Jerome was a servant, educating new servants was his job. Newly titled nobles like them didn't have to care!

Besides, they would be more than happy to bully the young princess when she entered the castle. She would be scrubbing floors until her hands bled!