Correy's abuse and desire for revenge are what Leanna had told Keaia in the carriage, as she had one of Morris's lackeys do some investigations, and Leanna had snooped around in Charles's office, trying to secure documents for her own use. Charles had a private journal that he was very proud of that only Morris knew about. Leanna had Morris and his lackey's gather this information along with others and presented it, along with her own accounts of Charles's drunken speeches about his heroic deeds.
Correy had grown to become a very powerful mage, but when Leanna tried to reach out to her brother in law, he mysteriously vanished, and Charles seemed quite happy with himself. 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.
Correy's abuse and desire for revenge are what Leanna had told Keaia in the carriage, as she had one of Morris's lackeys do some investigations, and Leanna had snooped around in Charles's office, trying to secure documents for her own use. Charles had a private journal that he was very proud of that only Morris knew about. Leanna had Morris and his lackey's gather this information along with others and presented it, along with her own accounts of Charles's drunken speeches about his heroic deeds.
As she continued to lay in bed, she heard the 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, and swooped in to rescue her. His blood boiled with rage, and he felt like he could kill Leanna on the spit. Or at least incapacitate her. He hurriedly carried Keaia, limp in his arms, to the carriage and ordered they be taken back to the ducal estate as fast as possible. Charles bellows could be heard all over town, and the townspeople felt disgusted as they watched what seemed like an animal.
Leanna in comparison seemed like a fair and just lady, who presided with grace and decorum. The rain was pouring down as all this happened, and the only thing that made Keaia happy was the feeling of cool water droplets washing the sorrow from her face. When she finally rose while on the carriage ride back, all she could do was look at Duke Charles with 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 TO BE ABLE TO WALK OR TALK. THAT ----- BETTER BE LUCKY I CAN'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.
Several days prior, as soon as Leanna and Delaney had arrived at the mansion, Leanna went upstairs immediately and took a bath. Delaney did some hair and skin treatments for her and she dressed in one of her nicer dresses. Delaney dolled her up with makeup and jewelry, and Leanna looked like a proper duchess, ready to execute commands with an authoritative air. Leanna rang for the head maid, and explained she wanted to have all the staff assembled in the ballroom, and to have a chair and table prepared for her. Tatiana understood immediately what she wanted, and had it arranged. Duchess Leanna gracefully ascended the grand staircase, and entered the ballroom, heading straight for the comfortable chair placed right by the windows.
Duchess Leanna sat down, and glancing around at the nervous faces, waved at Tatiana to begin. Leanna sat with an imposing air and held out her hand so Delaney could place the stack of papers on it. The papers were a collection of records of the servants of the manner, including work history, descriptions of the servant, and their hobbies. There was a small section that detailed the servants attitude toward Leanna, and any positive or negative actions they took toward her that stood out.
Tatiana called out each servant in alphabetical order, and Duchess Leanna would assess them, and read through their records. For example, there was Lyra, an assistant in the kitchens that always made sure the food given to Delaney or served to Duchess Leanna was of good quality and not tampered. There were multiple records of servants trying to sabotage Duchess Leanna's food, and Lyra saving the day. Leanna kept her on and even gave her a raise. Lyra humbly accepted, and with a happy smile told Leanna she wished only to serve her with care and consideration.
Another servant in particular was Caleb, a lackey of some of the more malicious maids. His records showed tampering with and destroying property of Duchess Leanna, improper care of silver that was for her use, and general insults and jabs toward her. He was dismissed with no severance pay and no reference. Many servants who held negative feelings toward Duchess Leanna, or those who acted against her were fired and had to leave the mansion by sunrise the next day. Only fifteen percent of the servants were kept on,
and Duchess Leanna instructed Tatiana to bring in the newly hired servants after sunrise and feed them properly. Tatiana had already hired servants on Duchess Leanna's orders a few days prior, and was pleased. Leanna had given her strict instructions, and Tatiana was a woman of strict upbringing and high moral values. She was a commoner originally, but had married a baron, and so she understood the difference between riff raff and civilized people.
Tatiana had always held a level of respect for Duchess Leanna as the legal wife, and her recent change in behavior had raised her respect for Leanna immensely. Tatiana disliked women who did not go about life the logical and correct way. She struggled to treat Keaia with any amount of respect, and with The Duke out of the mansion, she wore her thoughts on her sleeve. After the servants were excused, Leanna turned to Tatiana "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 a lovely silver pendant with a turquoise stone to Tatiana, who 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 left the ballroom 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.
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