Cruel laughter filled the room. Soleia sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself down.
"My escorts are stuck at the gate, along with my belongings. It is nigh impossible for them to squeeze through the missing grills of the broken gate. I made my way inside simply because I was tired of wasting daylight," Soleia explained patiently.
Jerome's face paled further. "Oh dear, then we must make haste. My sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused, Princess. Let me help you let them in."
"Now I need to see this!" Lucinda cackled. "I wonder what kind of escort they provided for you!"
Some of the family members were truly excited, like the two children who leaped up immediately and cheered. The others were a lot more mocking, and they got up, just so that they could see a good joke.
"Thank you, Jerome," Soleia said gratefully to her sole support. A whole crowd of them made their way back to the gates. Soleia hoped that the size of her escort, paltry as it was, would be able to convince her new relatives that she had some power in court. After all, a hardy carriage wasn't cheap, and the soldiers that were with her were well-trained.
However, by the time they arrived, there was only Lily, with her eyes wet with worry, and her trunk of belongings. The carriage and the troops were nowhere to be found.
To call it pathetic would be a vast understatement.
"Where are the rest of the men?" Soleia asked with a frown.
"Your Highness, they went to the nearby taverns," Lily said miserably. "They believe since you entered the Duke's holdings, their job here is done."
Lucinda's lip curled derisively. Turns out she had no need to fear. This princess was so worthless that even the soldiers had deserted her!
She let out a vindictive laugh and clapped her hands in delight. "Everyone, here's her escort! Her little maid!"
The two children shot Soleia with disappointed looks, while the rest of the family laughed in great amusement. Soleia's ears flushed with humiliation.
"We might as well go to the taverns to search for the mysterious soldiers… that is, if they actually exist," Elisa sneered. "This has been an utter waste of my time. A princess with no dowry and no escort… how are you different from any other commoner woman in the kingdom? No wonder my son didn't speak highly of you in his letters."
"He wrote about me?" Soleia asked, surprised that Orion Elsher would even make an effort to mention her to his family.
"He told me he got married to a conniving witch against his will," Elisa spat on the floor. The glob of spit narrowly missed 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. All of them supported Orion's views. No one even wanted to know her, the moment they realized she had no money to offer her.
"Let me help her maid through the gate first," Jerome said quickly as he tried to diffuse the tension, but he was halted by a rough hand.
"Why bother? She'll just be another mouth to feed," Elisa said dismissively. "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!
"I'm truly sorry for their behavior. I'll let your maid through now," Jerome said, embarrassed by the behavior of his masters. He stepped forward and did a series of complicated maneuvers to the stuck gears, and finally, the gate pulled itself up with a hefty creak.
Jerome quickly stepped forward, wanting to help Lily with the trunk, but Soleia stopped him.
"It's alright, I can pull it along like this."
"You can… what?" Jerome asked, befuddled.
"Wheel it," Soleia said, as she pulled her trunk up vertically. She pointed to the bottom of the trunk, where there were apparently miniature wheels made of clay attached to the bottom, joined together by a wooden pole. "I made this because I got tired of doing nothing on the route here."
"How ingenious!" Jerome praised, his face beaming with delight. Perhaps this new duchess was just what the estate needed to thrive. As they made their way back, Jerome began to inform Soleia about the estate's multiple issues.
Long story short, they had no money. This territory was not considered important by the King, which meant that it didn't get any support from the royal family.
Multiple generations ago, it was considered a stronghold for Vramid, but in the eyes of the current ruling family, it was nothing more than a dumping ground for troublesome court members who made too much noise. As such, no one wanted to lend a helping hand to save the crumbling estate from ruin. Doing so might draw the ire of the current King!
It was simply too much risk for too little reward.
The only thing Drakenmire could boast about was its beautiful scenery, but pretty sights couldn't feed a man. Soleia could only sigh; perhaps she would take a look at the accounts later to see what she could do.
But deep down, she knew the real trouble was going to be dealing with her new family members. Never before had she seen such a group of shameless people!
As Jerome showed her around the pitiful estate, they eventually came to a stop right in front of a door.
"This is the master bedroom where the Duke resides," Jerome said.
"Thank you," Soleia said, but before she and Lily could move another step, a familiar redhead came rushing over.
"Hold it!" Lucinda snapped, using her body to block the path. "What do you think you're doing? Who said you could move into this room?" She then turned to Jerome and reprimanded, "Jerome, this is my cousin's bedchambers. Not anyone and everyone could stay here."
"This is my husband's chambers," Soleia shot back. "Why can't I stay here?"
Lucinda scoffed, glaring at Soleia's luggage with disdain. "Either stay in the servants' quarters or scram," she said. "We have no room for a worthless princess. Funds are tight and there are mouths to feed, stomachs to fill. Feel free to leave if you're unhappy about it. Otherwise, pay up."
Soleia gritted her teeth tightly together, suppressing her anger as best as she could. It had been a long, tiring day. If she left, there wouldn't be anywhere she could rest her head for the night other than in the bellies of the monsters.
Going back to the palace wasn't an option either. Her father would simply cart her right back half-alive.
"Fine," Soleia spat out. "I'll chip in to provide for the family. At least until my husband's return."
Lucinda's lips slowly stretched into a broad, sinister smile.
"That's more like it."