Victoria's tea soon turned cold, the flavor of the taste changing with the temperature.

That damn butler just had to bother her with useless things and start a pointless argument. Victoria rubbed her temples and mentally cursed the butler.

She just wanted to enjoy herself, drinking tea and reading poetry. But this house had other plans for her.

But because her time was ruined and the tea was cold, she still plans to stay in the garden. "That butler is foolish," she mumbles.

Victoria hopes that Alice made it safely to Mrs. Johnson's villa without accidents. She knows that it will take some time for Alice to make it there and not get caught by her mother or the other servants.

"So this is where you are."

Victoria looks up and sees her father standing a few feet away from her. "You are reading the poetry book that I got you?" It was almost as if he was shocked that she was reading it.

"You sound shocked," she says and he laughs "A bit. Truthfully, I expected you to not like the book that much." He tells her as he takes a seat right next to her right when she moves the tea cup from the spot for him.

The two sat in silence; neither one wanted to start a conversation.

"Victoria," her father, was the one who broke the silence. "Do you want to spend some time with me?" He asked her, and she turned to look at him, "What do you have in mind?" She questioned.

"I remember when you were a young child, you wanted to ride a horse. You would always put it when I told you that you are far too young to ride a horse," he says, laughing at the memory while Victoria wanted to disappear from her embarrassment.

"Victoria, despite what your mother says, I am proud to have you as my daughter. Others may tell you that I want a son, but having a daughter made me all the happier," he put his hand on top of her head.

"Someday, I want you to take over me and become the marchioness once I die. I'll protect you with all my life. I want you to know not to be afraid to tell me anything; your father is here to protect you." Victoria is so happy that she was born into this family.

"Father, I would love to ride horses with you." She tells her father with a smile. "Fantastic! I will figure out a day for us to go horseback riding," he tells her and then stands up from the bench.

"Victoria, no matter how many times me and your mother fight, we both love you very much. I will go talk to your mother about the prince," he ruffled her hair and picked up her half-drunken teacup. "I'll take this inside with me; come in once you are ready," he says as he walks away.

Victoria put her hand on top of her head and looked down at the cover of her book.

Victoria decided that it was time to go back inside after sitting in the garden for a few hours. She believes that Alice should be back by now, and she should meet her before anyone else does.

She stood up from the bench, holding the book close to her chest. She exited the garden and went back inside the mansion.

She immediately went to her room, not paying attention to the passing servants or maids. Victoria made it to her bedroom door and went inside with zero hesitation, and there, standing by her bed was Alice.

Alice brightened up when she saw Victoria. "My lady!" Victoria breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could finally breathe.

"I delivered the message to Mrs. Johnson!" Alice said with a wide smile on her face. "Thank you, Alice. I knew that I could count on you with this task," Violet tells her with a smile as she sets down the book on the vanity table.

She noticed that the books that used to be sprawled on her bed were neatly put away on a shelf. "I put your books away when I got here early, my lady." She said it with a kind smile.

"What would I do without you?" Victoria asks in a joking manner, and Alice jokes back, "You will be bored without me, my lady." The two laughed out loud together.

"Mrs. Johnson read the letter and told me to tell you that you are welcome to come any day with no worries," Alice said with a smile. "Did anything happen while I was gone for a few hours?" She asked.

Victoria let out a tired sigh and sat down at the edge of her bed and began telling Alice what had happened in the last couple of hours.

Alice got completely annoyed once Victoria finished speaking. "That stupid prince! That stupid Robert!" She yelled while Victoria laughed out loud. "How can they be so annoying? The prince wants to see you next week?" Alice was in complete disbelief.

"And Robert! Why in the world would he treat you like that? You are the daughter of the master of this house! He is a mere butler while you are the lady! He may be the madam's original servant, but he still needs to show respect!" Alice kept ranting and started walking back and forth as she rants.

"My lady, why haven't you told your father or fired Robert?" Alice asked as she finally stopped walking and looked at Victoria once more.

"I won't tell Father about this yet. If Robert is disrespectful to his master, then I'll just have to punish him in my way. I will not fire him that easily." Victoria tells Alice with a smirk while Alice shakes her head "My lady," she walks towards her and gives her a serious expression "If you murder Robert, I will hide this body for you."

That made Victoria burst out laughing, "Why would you think that I will kill him? I am not evil, Alice. I will never kill a man; I am a coward." She answered honestly.

"I know, but if you do, I will make sure to help you hide the body." Alice is serious, and for a second, Victoria would not mind if Alice did that.

"Alice, mind taking a nap with me?" Victoria asked her while Alice nodded with a smile, "Let us go get your nightgown." Just as she was about to go to the closet, Victoria grabbed her wrist and pulled Alice into bed with her. "Let us sleep in our day clothes. No one would dare judge us," Victoria said with a smile, and Alice smiled.

The two held each other's hands and closed their eyes, succumbing to sleep, enjoying each other's company.