As Leanna sat in the carriage, the afternoon sun shining through the windows lit up the interior and seemed to cast a glow on Keaia. Leanna had thought long and hard about what to discuss with Keaia, and the most poignant topic was Correy. The story of the abused lad turned Keaia’s heart faster than anything Leanna could spit out about Charles. Correy’s abuse and his desire for revenge tugged at Keaia’s heart, and as Leanna continued to lay on the depressing story, Keaia’s eyes grew wider and her lip would quiver at times. At one point, she asked Leanna where this information had come from. Leanna told her how she had one of Morris’s lackeys investigate Correy’s background, and while snooping around in Charles’s office for documents she could use, found his private journal. Charles had a private journal that he was very proud of that only Morris knew about, and Leanna had Morris copy every page while Charles was out on business, until a full copy had been made. She showed Keaia this with one of the original pages she had torn out, nodding as the young woman instantly recognized Charles’s iconic handwriting. The journal, the investigations, and her accounts of Charles's drunken speeches about his heroic deeds shattered Keaia’s image of Charles and rebuilt her image of Leanna. 

After she had left the carriage and was delivered back to her jail cell, Keaia sat on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Keaia had trouble processing such vastly different information, and it made her so mentally ill that she grew so sick to the stomach and all she could do was lay in bed, depressed. As she continued to lay in her cot, Keaia heard the sound of keys jingling on the third day and heard rushed footsteps. Charles came rushing in on the third day, stomping down the stairs like a valiant knight on his pure white horse, to swoop in and rescue her. His blood boiled, and with the veins nearly popping on his forehead, roared with a deep primal rage. Charles felt like he could kill Leanna on the spot, or at least incapacitate her. He hurriedly carried Keaia, who lay limp in his arms and bellowed to the servants to take them back to the ducal estate as fast as possible. Charles bellows could be heard all over town, and his outrageous behavior made the townspeople recoil in disgust. The moment the carriage disappeared from view, the villagers immediately began to gossip about the scene they had witnessed. The words animal and disgraceful were left lingering on many lips. 

As the townsfolk continued to whisper in hushed voices, a few brave souls spoke louder and louder until the discussion pivoted to Duchess Leanna. Duchess Leanna, in comparison to Charles, stood in the minds of the villagers with grace and decorum. For the few moments that Charles and Keaia were in the rain as he bounded to the carriage, Keaia felt the fat rain droplets pouring down. The feeling of cool water washing her sorrows brought a faint smile to her face. When Keaia finally had the strength to rise, she was leaning against Charles, giving him only a sad smile. "WHO DID THIS TO YOU WAS IT THAT B**** LEANNA'' he roared, the vulgar words spitting out of his mouth. Keaia weakly nodded and laid her head on his chest so she didn't have to look at his face. "WHEN I GET HOME I'M GOING TO B*** HER ------- ARMS AND LEGS TO SHREDS. THAT ------- WOMAN BETTER HOPE HER ------ WILL EVEN WORK AFTER. SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO WALK OR TALK. THAT ----- BETTER PRAY I DON’T KILL HER...."

 Charles's tirade continued, and Keaia realized just how scary he really was. She couldn't believe she thought he was some poor bunny rabbit of a man. That moment made her incredibly grateful that she was on Leanna's side. As they approached the ducal mansion, Charles' rage-filled face contorted when he saw the carriages with the Gresser family crest, and it looked like several veins were ready to burst. He threw open the carriage door, and stormed up the front steps, dragging Keaia behind him.

On the third day, as Leanna waited for Charles’s arrival, she thought back to the events that occurred earlier today. In preparation for the potential fight, Leann took measures into her own hands as the duchess of the mansion. Leanna and Delaney arrived at the mansion around late afternoon, and the two ladies immediately went upstairs to her chambers. Delaney prepared a luxurious bath with lovely flower petals and exotic-smelling oils. Following her bath, Leanna relaxed as Delaney began to get to work. Delaney applied some hair and skin treatments for Leanna and prepared one of her nicest dresses. Delaney’s makeup and jewelry skills were put to work, and the result was well worth the effort. A splendid and eye-turning Duchess Leanna strode toward the grand staircase. She exuded dignity and an authoritative air. Gracefully descending the staircase, Leanna rang for the head maid, and with a single nod, continued to the ballroom. The head maid followed along, and Leanna carefully explained how she wanted to have all the staff assembled in the ballroom, with a single chair and table ready. Tatiana understood and quickly arranged for everything to be ready for Duchess Leanna. Duchess Leanna entered the ballroom and sat on the chair with an imposing air.

After she had sat down, Duchess Leann looked around at the nervous faces and waved at Tatiana to begin. Duchess Leanna held her hand out, into which Delaney placed the stack of paper she received from Tatiana. Duchess Leanna looked through the papers, glancing up every so often. The entire household staff stood quietly, only the sound of the rustling papers echoing throughout the ballroom. The papers Duchess Leanna looked through were a collection of records of every servant in the manor. Each servant had a record that included their family and work history, descriptions of the servant, their hobbies, and any crimes or good deeds they had done. A small section detailed the servant’s attitude toward Leanna and any positive or negative actions they had taken toward her.

Tatiana started the event by explaining that the entire ducal mansion would be undergoing a performance evaluation. Tatiana called out each servant alphabetically and they would then step forward and face the Duchess. With each servant Duchess Leanna would read the servant’s records and assess their performance and behavior. Several of the more seasoned workers were upset that their service was being called into question, as some such as the chef had worked there for over a decade, or the gardener who had lived there since childhood. Duchess Leanna praised those who worked hard, and criticized those who had been lazy or harbored ill will toward her. Of the many servants, a few stood out such as Lyra, who worked as an assistant in the kitchens. Lyra always made sure the food given to Delaney or served to Duchess Leanna was of good quality and not tampered with. There were multiple records of servants trying to sabotage Duchess Leanna’s food. Such servants were dismissed immediately, with no severance pay or reference. Lyra, and a few other kitchen staff were kept on. She humbly accepted and with a happy smile told the duchess she wished only to serve her with care and consideration.

While there were a few servants who showed exemplary loyalty or work performance, the majority had already been corrupted by Charles. Of the tainted servants, one in particular that stood out was Caleb. Caleb was a stable hand who had been moved into the main estate after Duchess Leanna stopped horse riding altogether. His records showed numerous incidents of tempering with and destroying property owned by Duchess Leanna, displaying malicious intent behind each accident. Caleb had been at one point in time in charge of the maintenance of the dishes and silverware used by the Duke and Duchess. In several recorded incidents, an unknown figure at the time caused damage to the silverware intended for the Duchess, and several pieces of wood furniture became either dangerously splintered or spider infested. Silverware intended for the Duchess’s use was damaged to the point where the silver would not react the same to poison; there were plates and bowls that were chipped in such a way that while it was not openly visible at first, there were porcelain bits mixed in with the food. The quality furniture that had been initially in the Duchess’s quarters, or the items Leanna had brought as part of her dowry, were either missing or damaged. Despite the fact that this was a very serious and pressing issue, the employees neither cared nor had the power to do anything. Even more so, no one seemed to know who was behind such nefarious acts. Thankfully, while all of the more dangerous plots had been stopped before harm had come to the Duchess, it had caused some of the servants and the Duchess a troubling anxiety. 

Caleb’s plans were often orchestrated by one of Charles’s valet’s, known by the mansion as a twisted and cruel man. Once the evidence was presented, the two men were fired, handed off to the guards, and they were dragged away to jail. While a few servants had dark looks on their faces, the majority seemed relieved to see the two finally gone. The whole ordeal continued for several hours, in which nearly the whole of the mansion’s staff were fired, with only fifteen percent remaining. Those who had stepped in to stop the schemes of the wicked were praised for their diligence, and rewarded anything from money to a higher position. Ruenn was such an example. He was an often bullied servant training under the butler, who had stopped Caleb and the valet’s schemes many times. His actions earned him a sizable bonus and he was finally promoted to under-butler. The remaining servants were altogether pleased with the Duchess’s decisions, and they happily returned to their posts.

Once the performance evaluation was completed, the servants left the ballroom, with only Tatiana remaining behind to speak to the Duchess. Duchess Leanna beckoned Tatiana over to give her next orders. Tatiana was to bring the newly hired servants in before sunset and feed them properly. Tatiana was given a list of the newly hired servants; they had been screened and chosen two days prior by Delaney and Duchess Leanna. Tatiana left with the paperwork and returned three hours later, the sun tucking itself into the horizon. With the sun setting on the past, the night crept in and the new hires ate as the mansion laid itself to rest. The newly hired servants who quietly ate in the servants dining room had been strictly chosen, all displaying applaudable morals, excellent work ethics, and little to no interpersonal connection to Charles. Tatiana herself was a woman of strict upbringing, and displayed strong discipline and a morally righteous attitude. Tatiana had originally been a commoner, but had the fortune to marry a baron. She had been chosen as Charles’s nanny before his birth, and had risen to the rank of headmaid after he had turned ten years of age. Being the shrewd woman she was, Tatiana felt great pride in the change in her Duchess. Tatiana did not support such ideas of adultery, or taking a lover before marriage, so she naturally had respect for Duchess Leanna as the legal wife, but the changes she observed over the last few weeks caused her perception of Duchess Leanna to rise to new heights, and gave her a new sense of pride and fulfillment in her work. Tatiana held a strong dislike for women who did not go about life in a logical and decent manner, which made her a great ally for Duchess Leanna. Tatiana saw Duchess Leanna’s efforts and so her respect for her allowed Tatiana to strive to accomplish anything Duchess Leanna asked of her to the highest degree.

The only challenge Duchess Leanna faced with Tatiana was her distaste and utter lack of respect for Keaia. Anytime the Duke was out of the mansion, Tatiana’s disdain showed, from her attitude to her lack of hospitality. The cruel stares Tatiana would give and the icy tone in her voice cut Keaia down so many times she would flinch anytime she saw Tatiana. Duchess Leanna knew that this relationship would need to be mended if any progress could be made. Duchess Leanna addressed this the next morning with the head maid, explaining the situation and making the boundaries and rules clear. Tatiana was very hesitant at first, remembering with sharp clarity Keaia’s relationship with Charles and the hurt it had caused the mansion and Duchess Leanna in particular. Tatiana in particular had a strong distaste for Keaia, so the mere thought of working with her was not a pleasant idea. Tatiana’s stomach rolled, but she gritted her teeth and swallowed her pride once she understood what was going on and the importance of every role. Once Tatiana had returned with the new servants, she was summoned to the Duchess’s quarters. Duchess Leanna sat on one of her couches in the drawing room, and rose once Tatiana walked in. Duchess Leanna turned to Tatiana, and Delaney placed a large thin box into Duchess Leanna’s hands. She spoke, “Tatiana, I greatly appreciate the services you have done for me, and I understand your abilities were limited due to Charles. Please accept this token of my gratitude and let us continue to work well together.” Duchess Leanna handed Tatiana the necklace box and inside was a lovely silver pendant with a turquoise stone. Tatiana gasped "M-My Lady, please, this is not at all necessary." Tatiana tried to refuse the necklace, but Duchess Leanna gently placed it into her hands and nodded and smiled sweetly. Tatiana excused herself and Duchess Leanna’s quarters feeling very grateful. Leanna then turned to Delaney, and Delaney nodded, following Leanna as she left the ballroom and headed back to her room. Leanna then sat down at her desk, and began to start writing. It was hard at first, but the letter she wrote to her brother soon began filling pages upon pages. As a few lone tears fell down her face, another piece of her soul returned to her.