The golden leaves were floating in the air, and the light of the setting sun spilled on the ground, faintly creating layer upon layer of hazy golden light circles.
On an evening after the wedding, Aaron De and his bride were about to pay a visit to his mother's family. This was a rule of the imperial family in the Aslan Kingdom. Newlywed couples of the imperial family would go to pay their respects to the groom's mother a few days later to show their respect.
Unexpectedly, I became one of the maids in the entourage. "Am I just a menial worker?" I asked.
Maggie was busy at the moment and didn't have time to pay attention to me. She casually replied, "Of course you are. You'll still be in charge of things like fetching clothes, serving tea and water during this trip."
"Oh, I see," I replied.
Several carriages were parked outside the Earl's Mansion. The one in the front was a magnificent silver carriage pulled by eight horses. That was the carriage for Aaron De, his Lady Annabelle, and Lady Pesner, his mother.
I got on the last black carriage with the other maids. The carriage was running so fast that I had never ridden in such a fast one before. Watching the five winged Pegasus horses almost "galloping" in the air, I was dumbfounded. The evening wind blew the carriage window open, and the wind rushed in. I had to hold down my hair to keep it from flying around.
In just a few minutes, we arrived at the Pesner family. It was also a luxurious mansion, but it looked a bit old. The colors of the doors and the roof had gradually faded over the years.
The tall and burly Aaron De and Lady Pesner got off the carriage one after another. Lady Pesner said to Maggie, "Lady Annabelle just said that her hair was messy and she needed to comb it before coming down. You find two people to help her."
"Yes."
I walked behind Aaron De and Lady Pesner with the other maids and carefully stepped into the main house. The hall of the main house was very spacious and beautiful. The elegantly light-golden walls and the light-golden fireplace combined elegance with delicacy. The whole hall had a unique charm of the elves.
A short old elf woman walked over with the support of several maids. She was old and had silver hair, but she was still in good spirits. Lady Pesner went to meet her and gracefully knelt down on one knee in front of the old woman. With excitement and a bit of choking in her voice, she said, "Grandmother..."
"Get up, my dear granddaughter," the old elf woman had a kind smile on her face. "Let me see my great-grandson and great-granddaughter-in-law."
I suspected that "great-granddaughter-in-law" meant daughter-in-law.
The old woman walked up to the tall Aaron De, looked at him carefully, her eyes full of kindness and seeming to light up with some hope. She said excitedly, "Aaron De, my great-grandson. After so many years, I finally get to see you."
Aaron De just stood in front of her, looking indifferent and not saying a word. The old elf woman had tears in her eyes and was also speechless for a moment. At this time, Maggie signaled me to carry the gifts and follow her as she walked towards the old woman.
"Lady Delnor," Maggie said respectfully, breaking the awkwardness between the grandmother and grandson. "Our Lady Annabelle has specially prepared precious gifts for you."
"Oh?" The old lady's attention was attracted. Her eyes first fell on the gifts and then on my face. Suddenly, a surprised smile appeared on her face. She took two shaky steps forward and grabbed my hand holding the tray. "So this is Aaron De's bride. She really has an extraordinary temperament and has even come to bring me gifts in person."
I froze, holding the tray motionless. Everyone else was also stunned, especially Lady Pesner, whose expression was particularly blank. There was an extremely awkward atmosphere in the air.
Only Aaron De had a faint smile on his face, and there was even a teasing look in his eyes. The old lady noticed something was wrong and looked at us doubtfully.
"I'm sorry, madam. I... I'm not..." I stammered to explain, panicking. "I'm just a maid."
Lady Pesner came to her senses and quickly stepped forward. "Grandmother, the great-granddaughter-in-law was delayed in the carriage for a while because her hair was messy. She's on her way here now."
"Oh?" The old grandmother chuckled, her face full of kindness. "It seems that I made a mistake. Come on, let's go to the living room and sit for a while." After saying that, she gave me a meaningful look with her sharp little eyes and then led everyone to another side room. Maggie took the tray from my hands and told me in a low voice to go back to the carriage.
I let out a long sigh of relief and quickly left the main house.
When maids went to visit the royal relatives' families, they wouldn't wear maid uniforms, because it was considered improper. Usually, they would wear various dresses prepared by the mistress and dress up beautifully to go to the royal relatives' families. It was said that no one had ever mistaken a maid for the masters before. This was the first time for me.
After returning to the Earl's Mansion, I hid in the attic and didn't dare to take a single step out.
I thought about resigning. After thinking about it all night, I first proposed to Maggie. Standing in her room, I said, "I haven't been home to visit for a long time. I'd like to ask for a few days off to go home."