"I cannot believe it. That Lady Elaine broke her engagement with the Prince?"
"It's true! Multiple eyewitnesses saw that a carriage with the Gustova family crest was leaving the castle with her in it!"
"But, it might be that the Prince broke it with her first? We all know about how His Highness loathes her."
"The Royal Palace maids confirmed that it was Lady Elaine who did it."
Word of the broken engagement spread like wildfire as intended. Elaine could not hear it from inside the walls of her home, but she knew of it instantly when invitations flooded her study table. Elaine guessed that this would happen, but she did not plan on attending a single one of them. The hosts' intentions of the parties she received invitations for were evident, and Elaine did not plan on answering any of their questions to quench their curiosity.
"You can throw them away," Lady Elaine instructed Violet. The young maid cried her eyes out upon knowing that her Lady did not remember her. She was still processing the situation and decided to act distant towards Elaine as a result. All Violet could do was take all the invitations with her outside. Elaine's eyes stayed on the door, and she sighed when she remembered Violet's depressed back. Elaine didn't want to approach her first. Instead, she would wait until Violet was ready to open up to her.
In the meantime, Elaine walked to her shelves of books and took one out. She frowned when information started flooding into her mind the moment she opened it. There was no need for her to read them; the knowledge would suddenly come flowing back. According to the text, whether it be mathematics or history, Elaine knew them all. It was that convenient for her. Within a day, the studies that she learned in her life returned to her brain. She had already caught up to her peers and maybe some adults. The books she stored in her room could be shocking to her peers if shown, and she even had collections that some scholars would die for. It was rare for a fifteen-year-old girl to understand such complexity, yet Elaine has overcome them.
But, the public did not know of this woman's capabilities and kept ridiculing her. Elaine shook her head even more as she thought about it. Then, she found a record of her exam papers in one of her folders, finally finding out why. Elaine was astonished at her grades.
"Fifty. Fifty. Fifty." Elaine chuckled at the red markings; her eyes widened as she flipped through the pages. Of course, people would think God blessed her with immense luck as fifty was a barely passing number. But, if one were to get the exact grade constantly, then it was not merely luck; it was planned.
"There is no doubt there are people who have seen through this facade," Elaine mumbled to herself as she returned the folder. She smiled at her musings, her eyes glinting in a different light.
"My Lady." Violet knocked on the door before entering. "The Prince plans to have dinner with the family tonight. His Highness also notified that the King is too busy and won't be able to meet my Lady today."
"I understand." Elaine nodded at the message. "Then, will you help me prepare, Violet?"
"Of course, my Lady." Violet exited the room again and called a few maids to prepare her bath and dress. Only Violet was allowed to attend to Elaine to prevent her illness from spreading, making things more complicated than usual. It would take a longer time to dress her Lady alone, but Violet didn't mind if it was to protect her. She just had to learn to be more efficient.
The moment Elaine stepped into her room after her bath, she stopped in her tracks as she saw the dress she was to use for dinner. "Who prepared the dress?"
Violet lifted her head when Elaine asked, taking a glance at the dress in front of them. "There were maids assigned to prepare them, my Lady."
Elaine did not like the design, and it did not seem like one that she would personally choose from her wardrobe. "Violet, what do you think about the dress?"
"Well, I am not well versed in fashion, my Lady," Violet said, embarrassed. "That's why other maids were in charge of dressing my Lady."
Elaine sighed. She approached the dress and touched its fabric. The dress was too frilly for her comfort, which will make her look unpleasant in the eyes. The material was of top quality, but it still did not suit her taste.
"Call for the maids that prepared the dress," Elaine told Violet. "I want to know why they decided to pick this one."
After doing as Elaine told her, a few maids entered her room with timid eyes. They were newly recruited and feared that the Lady of the Gustova Dukedom's rumours were true, afraid they would get scolded. "Do not be frightened. I only wanted to know the reason why you have chosen this dress for me to use."
Elaine expected the answers the maids gave in response, and she nodded at their statements. "Other noblewomen might think that it was extravagant and would attract the attention of men, but it might backfire instead." Elaine lectured her maids.
"My Lady," One of the maids spoke, "I also received information from one of my acquaintances who worked in the Royal Palace. She was in charge of dressing my Lady whenever there were events that required my Lady's presence."
"What was it?" The maid's answer piqued Elaine's interest.
"She said that recently, my Lady preferred dresses that had more layers of fabric and would not take light clothing any longer." The maid told her. "That was why I suggested this dress to the other maids. It was the most decent one we could find in my Lady's closet."
"...I see," Elaine frowned when she heard of this and faced the maid. "Thank you for telling me. Will you bring me to my wardrobe so that I could choose something else?"
"Is the dress not to your taste, my Lady?" The same maid questioned.
"Well, it seems my preference changed again." Lady Elaine told them. "Since I have troubled you over this misunderstanding, I do not wish to bother you all anymore. I will choose the dress I wish to use for dinner myself."
The words Lady Elaine used took the maids aback. The rumours said that she was temperamental, but it was the opposite. Elaine Louise Gustova was very understanding of the employees of her house. "Then, we will show my Lady to her closet."
It wasn't a long walk, but Elaine's closet was huge. It was probably more significant than her room. Some dresses would no longer fit her, and there were a bunch that she would never use. She thought it was a problem which she had to address soon. For now, she looked at dresses and gowns with bright colours and finally picked one out.
"I will wear this one." Elaine handed it to Violet. She chose a dress similar to a Greek designed gown with slit sleeves and a silver belt.
"We can use some white flowers to decorate my Lady's hair." The maids told her enthusiastically. "We will search the garden for the white flowers, my Lady."
"Okay." Elaine smiled at them as the three maids frantically went out of the closet. Elaine and Violet went back to her room, and the maid dressed her in the white gown carefully.
"This is an unusual dress, my Lady," Violet commented. "I have never seen this design before."
"Is it?"
"Yes. It is like a nightgown."
"It would typically be embarrassing to use such a dress in public, wouldn't it?" Elaine thought. "In my eyes, it is fashionable and comfortable to wear since a corset is unnecessary."
Violet just nodded to Elaine's words. The noble ladies always used such huge gowns that seemed uncomfortable whenever Violet went out. The dress her Lady chose, however, was simple yet elegant.
The maids that were out in the garden plucking flowers came in with broad smiles. They were satisfied with the white decorations they found. When the maids placed the flowers down and bowed to leave the room, Elaine stopped them.
"Why don't the three of you aid Violet in dressing me up?" Elaine suggested. "I think you each have creative imaginations of how I should look."
The three maids blinked, processing what their employer just suggested. "I-If you would allow us, my Lady."
Elaine smiled at them while Violet was flustered. The Duke and Duchess specifically instructed that Violet should be the only one to serve the Lady. However, if she wished for it, then Violet could do nothing.
The three maids debated on how their Lady should go about her look. One wished for her hair to be braided, and the tiny flowers could be stick on it, while the other two came up with the same idea. As it was two against one, the maids quickly crafted the flowers into a beautiful crown. They placed it on her ladyship's head after combing and parting her hair carefully and when Violet finished her makeup.
The four maids present in the room heaved a proud sigh, satisfied with their creation. Then, right on time, Elaine was alerted by a servant that Prince Lucas just arrived at her home.
"Thank you." Elaine looked at herself in the mirror with a smile, thanking them for their hard work. "Do you like the look?"
"Yes, my Lady." They answered in unison.
"Then, please continue to stay by my side and dress me up like this." Their Lady told them. "I see that you three have some talent in this field."
The compliment made the young girls blush. No one had made such a comment in their lives.
"Hm..." Elaine stared at the three of the maids. "What are your names?"
The maid with dark blonde hair and brown eyes answered Elaine first. "Bianca, my Lady." She also had freckles covering her pale face.
The one standing next to Bianca, on the other hand, had dark brown hair and dark green eyes. "It is Lily, my Lady."
"My name is Laurel, my Lady." The last maid who introduced herself had fair skin, paired with her black locks and dark eyes.
"I will remember you three," Elaine told them. "There might be something I need your assistance with in the future. Will you help me, then?"
"If it is within our capabilities..."
Elaine thanked them once again and made them leave with unanswered questions. But, unfortunately, the three maids that Elaine recognised would soon have sleepless nights due to their anxiety.
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