"I have nothing to pretend about, sister." The word sister felt bitter on Anastasia's lips, but since they would be going out together that day, she felt it would be fine to practice a little. Usually, she would have chosen to ignore Elisabeth, but at that moment, she wanted to make her uncomfortable. "It seems you are still unaware of why Father sent for me yesterday?" Anastasia asked. She felt it was easy to glean some hints about what the duchess was planning from Elisabeth.
"Tas," Elisabeth clicked her tongue. "The whole residence knows that Father is angry at you for not managing your maid properly," Elisabeth replied. She seemed to be in a good mood after voicing her thoughts. She wanted to see how Anastasia would continue to lie through her teeth.
Anastasia couldn't help but chuckle at the remark. True, the Duke had never shown much interest in her, and she had also thought it was nothing good when he summoned her. But thinking back, the Duke never involved himself in the household's affairs. So why would everyone assume he intended to punish her for something her maid did?
"What's funny?" Elisabeth frowned, forgetting all her nanny's lessons about remaining composed at all times. After all, this was the first time Anastasia had mocked her so openly.
"You, of course. Why would Father punish me because my maid spoke against the unfair treatment of the kitchen staff?" Anastasia asked. Even though she knew the kitchen didn't act without instructions, she pretended to be ignorant.
Anastasia's question felt like a bucket of cold water poured over Elisabeth. In truth, the Duke was not a man to act without investigation. Over the years, her mother always acted after crafting an excuse. Elisabeth's heart shook with worry; it would not go well if her father discovered that she had given orders to harm her sister. This was a punishable offense under the customs of Nixet.
"Then why did he call you?" she asked, trying to hide her fear. She tried to sound curious, but deep down, she prayed it had nothing to do with the kitchen.
"I am of age. Father informed me of my marriage," Anastasia answered, a warm smile spreading across her lips as she saw Elisabeth looking uncomfortable. She finally understood how Elisabeth felt every time she made her uneasy.
"Marriage?" Elisabeth chewed on the word. She and her mother had always planned to marry Anastasia off to an unfortunate man or perhaps make her someone's mistress. Why would her father suddenly choose a husband himself? "It is definitely nothing good," Elisabeth told herself. "Father must need some political alliance and is just using her. That's right, everyone saw her looking like she'd seen a ghost when she left Father's study," Elisabeth reassured herself. She concluded Anastasia was pretending to be fine.
"Yes, my good sister," Anastasia stressed the word, smirking. "A good family has brought a proposal to Father, and he has already accepted it on my behalf," Anastasia said with a nod.
Elisabeth didn't like what she was hearing, especially since Anastasia used the term good family and didn't appear to be joking.
"Which family?" Elisabeth couldn't suppress her curiosity. She prayed her father was merely fooling Anastasia about the marriage. She began to wonder if Anastasia's odd demeanor the previous day was due to excitement.
"You will find out soon enough," Anastasia replied.
Elisabeth hated being kept in suspense. If they were anywhere else, she would have demanded an answer. But since they were in class and the teacher could walk in at any moment, she restrained herself.
Elisabeth didn't want her composed image tarnished by an outburst, so she took a deep breath to calm herself. "What's the point of waiting? You can share the good news with your sister," she said with mock enthusiasm.
Although she sounded interested, Elisabeth secretly hoped it was a bad match. After all, Anastasia wasn't well-informed about the noble circle, making it easier for the Duke to deceive her about the marriage partner.
Anastasia frowned at the request. She didn't consider her engagement to the crown prince as good news. Her reluctance stemmed from her dream two nights ago and her growing feelings of unworthiness.
Seeing Anastasia frown, Elisabeth felt at ease. She was convinced the match wasn't ideal, perhaps an old lord or someone undesirable.
Elisabeth pressed her handkerchief to her lips, pretending to clean something while stifling a giggle. She didn't want to ruin her image.
Her nanny had always emphasized the importance of maintaining her reputation. "Sister, you can't keep such good news to yourself. You have to share it with me so we can celebrate together," Elisabeth said as she walked to her seat, inwardly mocking herself for almost falling into Anastasia's trap.
Many servants had seen Anastasia looking downcast the day before. How could that be from excitement? It was clear her marriage wasn't a favorable one.
"There's no hurry," Anastasia said. She could guess what was going through Elisabeth's mind but wasn't in a rush to correct her.
Elisabeth's reaction made Anastasia wonder if the Duchess was also unaware. Could her goodwill this morning have been another performance for the Duke to witness? Anastasia frowned at the possibility. After all, Rosa's action yesterday might have actually caught the Duke"s attention.
Pressing her lips together, she decided to push the thought aside. No matter how much she speculated, she couldn't discern the Duchess's motives.
Elisabeth's smile widened as she noticed Anastasia pouting. She would make sure everyone at the party learned about Anastasia's engagement.
At that moment, a maid entered the classroom. "Lady Anastasia, the Duke requests your presence in the receiving hall," the maid said politely.
Anastasia was surprised. When she saw the maid enter, she had assumed she was delivering a message for Elisabeth. She hadn't expected to be summoned herself.
"Are there guests in the receiving hall?" Elisabeth frowned, a bad feeling creeping in at Anastasia receiving their father's attention.
"Yes," the maid replied.
"Then I should go and greet them," Elisabeth said, rising to follow the maid and Anastasia. She was unwilling to remain in the dark.