The first question Leanna asked the new maid was "Will you become my ladies maid, or abandon me like the rest have." Delaney looked at her new master with respect and answered kindly "I thought I already was, your Grace." Leanna smiled, a warm smile, one she had once locked away in the vaults of her heart. "Then let us get started. Please draw a bath for me, and prepare some nice oils as well. After that, we will look to my closet to see what is...wearable." Delaney nodded and replied "Yes your Grace. I will prepare that right away." Some time later, Leanna relaxed in the bath, letting the warm water wash away her troubles for the moment. 

The temperature was perfect, and Delaney had added rose oil to the bath, which added a pleasant and luxurious scent. Delaney had already washed Leanna's hair, and she finally felt clean. Cleaner than she had been in many years. As the years washed away, Leanna started her plan. She was sick and tired of Charles, and wanted out, but the only way to get a divorce was through one of two means. She could either be divorced for committing a scandalous act and damaging the Sihnegh name, or by divorcing Charles for his scandalous acts. Leanna had no intention of being divorced and left with nothing. 

In order to divorce Charles, she needed the proof of his infidelity, approval from the head of her family, and approval form a royal family member. While courtesans freely came and went, She had no concrete evidence that Charles had slept with any of them. Without that, given that she and Charles had consummated their marriage, Leanna was a bit stuck. As she pondered the issue with the evidence, Leanna thought about her brother, the Marquis of Gresser. Leanna hadn't reached out to her older brother, Edmond, much in the 4 years she had been married. She had been so obsessed with chasing her husband, and then ashamed by her actions, that she had barely written three letters to him. 

Edmond had taken over as family head before their father had passed, and had always made sure Leanna was taken care of. His wife Charlene treated her like a sister, and wrote to her occasionally. Leanna knew she would have to push past the shame and write to her brother. Fear and excitement welled up as she thought about his possible response, and seeing her beloved brother again. Steeling her resolve, Leanna turned to her next hurdle. The biggest problem was that Charles was the nephew of the Queen. Queen Carlotta Umbra Freuin. Charles' mother, the queen's sister, had passed away when he was only 8, and so the queen had very much been like a mother to him.

He had grown up in and out of the palace, and she and Prince Courdon were as close as brothers. King Andimion Vermillion Freuin, despite being the sovereign ruler, loved and trusted his queen so much that her decisions were considered law. he never approved anything she denied or did not agree on. Getting a divorce approval from them would be equivalent to pigs growing wings and flying. The only solution was the Crown Princess. Crown Princess Emilietta Cordova Freuin. A beautiful young woman with dazzling curly black hair and sapphire blue eyes whom countless men and women fell for. 

Crown Princess Emilietta was known as a woman who courted men, and fortunately for Leanna, women. Leanna knew she would need quite a bit of material to make everything come together, and in order to get the rarer magic imbued contracts she needed, there were people that she would have to bring to her side. Magic existed, but it was rare, and limited to the magician's tower in the royal capital, and the occasional roaming magician or town healer. Charles's younger brother was talented in the magical arts, but while he had been sent to the tower at a young age, had disappeared three years ago. 

He was also the final key to Leanna's success. With Correy Sihnegh found, she could use him to take down and replace Charles. Leanna knew that there was an elderly man with magical capabilities two towns south of the ducal estate, and began to form a plan to acquire his services.The pieces of the puzzle were making themselves known. Leanna called for Delaney at the end of her bath, and strode confidently to her new room, clothed in a silk bathrobe. Prior to her bath, she had instructed Delaney to clear out her original room, the room that belonged to the duchess, and clear out any and all trash. 

While Delaney at first had trouble clearing them out, a hot fireplace poker did the trick to scare the naked courtesans out. Delaney had replaced all the sheets, and cleaned as much of the room as possible. Leanna walked through the ornate wooden doors, and was bathed with afternoon sunshine and the pleasant smell of lilac. Pleased with herself, she carefully examined the whole room, smiling at the luxury and quality of it all. Delaney was herself a low ranking noble, the daughter of a baron, and so had decent decorating taste, as she had taken nobility classes as a child. 

The bright room had gorgeous curtains that paired excellently with the furniture, and Delaney had found a few beautiful vases that fit and filled them elegantly with flowers from the gardens. Leanna sunk into the bed, and happily rolled in the soft sheets. Delaney stood on standby, happily taking in the Duchess's joy and approval. Now that she finally had a base to herself, Leanna took a moment to fully assess her new maid. Delaney was of average height, had brown cocoa colored hair, chocolate brown eyes, and freckles. Her face exuded youth, and was quite cute. 

She had soft, slightly rounded cheeks, and a strong nose. Leanna was pleased she had a cute maid, especially one so capable. She motioned to Delaney to come over, and gazed up at her. "Bring some tea, something floral and fruity, and enough snacks for the both of us." Delaney took a minute to process what she had heard and responded "Yes your Grace, would you like the snacks to be more sweet, or savory?" Leanna thought for a moment and replied with a shrug of her shoulders "Whatever you can produce quickly. While I do enjoy sweets more, if those are not readily available, I do not wish to wait too long." Delaney nodded and headed out. Leanna sat up and glanced at the mirror in front of the bed. 

It was the same mirror from her old room, and the only item she kept from it. Its purpose is to serve as a reminder of the past, a mirror for the present, and a window for the future. While it would take many more treatments, her hair was showing signs of returning to its former beauty. Her pale skin was still gaunt and dull, but the right diet and care would restore it. Leanna thought back to her marriage. It had been an arranged marriage, and Leanna remembered being 18 and excited to marry a handsome duke. Coming from a Marquis family, this was a step up in the social world. 

Her "friends" all were very excited, chatting the hours away about her wedding and all the luxurious and beautiful things she would now be in possession of. While he was friendly, Charles did not show much interest in her after the wedding night, and a year after their wedding date, Charles starting to bring in the whores. Leanna had still been hopeful she could win his love, and tried everything in his power. After the second year, Leanna's hope started dwindling, but she held on strong. She started dressing herself up like the courtesans and acting out. Leanna faded from the social circles after the first year, and so was very alone. 

At the point of the third year she started to give up, and spent most of her time in the sad room she had been displaced to. It had now been four horrible years and she was ready to be done with Charles. A sudden slam, and Leanna rolled her eyes. The "master" of the house had returned, and she knew he would at least be a little upset that she had her maid chase his toys out naked with a fireplace poker. As she listened, the lack of raucous giggles struck her as odd. Charles almost always brought home some filth or other, but this time was different. She steeled her nerves and prepared to deal with Charles, who clearly wasn't in the best of moods. Unfortunately, there is only so prepared you can be when dealing with an ornately dressed pig with a temper.