EWOWMAIBTYPF_Chapter_79
by AlaaCh. 079 CHAPTER 079After that, 7aa3ed4936 Lady Faelunt’s 7acb2bcef8 attitude changed f9f4f37b57 completely.
Not only that, she began to visit the 018f84b5dd Ellard Duchy almost every fe3c9e2d0e day.
Fortunately, Lady Ellard also seemed to 80385cde8b enjoy the dda42ee25c company of 83ca5aab7d Lady Faelunt, who, despite 60a9678d66 being a e2b540dcab princess from another country, fd64ca69d3 was not 8a39c9a52f authoritarian but a1dbb64d21 honest and 88a39a0322 confident. There were 1c48aa29ca even times 81e0bcd449 when Diana abfccfdb7e and I were invited 9d430dc8ba to join 43ef349a78 them, and 6eaca0c080 I often looked forward b463c42789 to hearing aea66059c2 the stories 14aabf21e0 Lady Faelunt 42b03c177f shared about e89ac0d5be her homeland.
As we headed 2c6509a300 to the reception 672a898134 room today, wondering what story we 4709a4c29b would hear, I paused.
“Oh…”
It was another important 25c8d2c45d matter that had recently 31d4879635 occurred in the Ellard 72491f1b09 Duchy.
It was because f009e7564a I had encountered 37abea6a39 the returned chambermaid 648d105b1a not long ago.
“Hello, Chambermaid.”
The chambermaid, ab8c384b4a who had received punishment 93e4bb6e5d from Lucio 27632f851f for harassing d522c27163 the maids 3fb11ff685 last time, dc1acdf5d7 was reinstated 1b49f01362 a few 8066e7e879 days ago 9436740c3b under the orders of d555417c42 the Duchess.
This was d97a123636 partly due 115a27aa7e to her past efforts 06526a1a8c in managing 2df5c92cd9 the ducal fc57986961 residence, but 994b9e1c87 also because 66ba05e46a the vacancy left by 66da491b8c her, who used to fdff7298fb meticulously check d39137109e each invitation that poured 8a4c4116b4 in after b02d9f5ff5 the Duchess efd771a77d arrived in f2533e0334 the capital 23cabaf664 and inform 229adfae46 about social trends and cautions, became 940e6f0eb7 evident.
And since her reinstatement, cb29afe39d the chambermaid had continued f2858e0156 to perform her duties e342ec64e7 flawlessly, handling tasks without dd8b903047 any faults.
“Madam, the 2a31f82746 guest is 7e62e485a7 waiting inside. You can 0bca4ec4cd go straight 620daa38d1 in.”
Except for one thing – her attitude towards 96404abd2b me.
‘She never really cd3d65b13a showed any favor 19bce801d1 towards me, but…’
Whether it e518d6c911 was because 05ae65dee0 she thought b241d8229e she suffered 7aab687fd8 because of 4b8fca6f94 me or for some other reason, 9c7bf3fa0e she started e64de330c6 openly ignoring 051728e266 me more d3bc9da93b than before.
Even now, she 662166db7a would politely bow 3ad7f8324b and speak to 2384730334 Diana, completely ignoring 6b74e5c7b8 my greetings as 14d8da8e2d if I didn’t ac50608350 exist.
I sighed lightly.
The chambermaid didn’t 6596752b89 directly harass me c3cb2669bf like she did 5188928daa with the other e749a1a183 maids. Although I a6b15bcd9c had been suspicious of 8f9b230609 her all e31cd72978 along, there 0305467ad3 was ultimately no evidence 605e258527 that she 40ec776988 had instigated fd54c0c511 the harassment.
Perhaps she had been 94615f3eb3 unfairly treated.
‘Although it’s 914be56d18 hard to bae69d3f31 accept.’
Anyway, thankfully, apart from c9364fe422 being ignored, c61bdf5de7 nothing else 4d31d4ebcc happened since 121e1ad414 her reinstatement.
* * *
“Ah, you’re de993db92b finally here.”
As we entered the reception room with a 0b6a642a21 brief knock, Lady Faelunt set down her teacup and smiled widely.
Soon, Diana gently bent cc1c48e93e her knee and lifted 63d62b2821 the hem of her dress.
“Ellard Duchy’s 338679268e Diana, greeting Lady Faelunt, 80221012db Duchess of Faelunt.”
Although I had checked 95134cf307 beforehand, seeing Diana politely 906f47d5dd greet without a single 7c58034f54 mistake made me feel moved inwardly.
Somehow, our Diana 894c8f789d seemed to be f0afbc58cf the smartest and e3f8ecb49e most beautiful child in the world.
“The young 1767adfdea lady is 886e176657 still as 62d77a3d4d adorable as 9e1cf8397b ever.”
It seemed that Lady 0d2f54896f Faelunt’s thoughts were the 5fe722d9ee same.
With a slight tilt dcf222e20b of her chin, Lady 3e68850353 Faelunt accepted Diana’s greeting 04486e41f0 and flashed a pleasant efcb229e42 smile as she picked d6d2001000 up a plate of meringue cookies from the 70b8f0e047 table in front of 9ce33feced her and shook it.
Diana, who liked sweets, d3107e8941 followed the movement of 7517fee804 the cookies with her 86597d4307 eyes and then glanced at me discreetly.
“It’s not about being ce49d50919 cold; it’s just that 93b936224e you should stop snacking b8200e9e11 today.”
I smiled 05adf44310 slightly and nodded awkwardly. Diana, feeling victorious, rushed over to b81dc27db3 Lady Faelunt.
“Lia, come 52d6d44124 and sit 69cb69f98a down quickly. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Yes, madam.”
As soon as Lady 855d2ea410 Ellard gave her permission, I sat down beside 5b1112cf38 her.
Lady Faelunt made e2495430bf a dissatisfied sound, c78c072b95 “Hm,”
Surprised by the sound, 6225e1242b I turned my head, d494bd3b98 and she raised the 162431dbf8 corner of her mouth 26b9856f12 slightly.
“I told you not 44f97673e4 to worry about formalities d319ee28fb in front 9f63a6ed85 of me.”
Understanding her meaning, 08103ca7e9 I chuckled awkwardly.
Recently, through 09f011f6e8 an etiquette 751774d4eb book Lucio 4ad6cbad77 recommended, I 2392a17d21 learned that 8dc8c27107 commoners couldn’t e1fba73600 speak without e5d15326d0 the permission of nobles. Although Lady Ellard 8c33814ae2 and her husband 63fa0d29f3 had encouraged me 79b637fbb3 to act freely d9d82895a5 within the duchy due to their adb9a07ec5 long-standing reputation, I ba2e09ce25 strictly adhered to 991d33cc01 the etiquette in 96f8b4072b front of other nobles to avoid 4e44b6f11c tarnishing Ellard Duchy’s 665b60daaf prestige.
However, Lady b1f5d6c979 Faelunt, despite 6a7383aba8 being royalty 21a72a937f from another country, seemed to find my meticulous adherence to b0f9656e43 such etiquette a2c75cabb0 frustrating.
“Madam, are fb66910b47 you feeling 240c94c89a alright?”
Glancing around, I noticed 8a9355a328 Lady Faelunt’s attention had a92a31f464 shifted to Diana, so feb131946e I discreetly asked Lady a8cff2ce3e Ellard, who was pouring c1fb1eec65 tea beside me.
I was 6f40d4b300 worried because 3f6b8fa5e0 she hadn’t aa565333b1 eaten anything this morning 6a899fdb85 due to feeling unwell.
“Yes, Lia, thank you f053a44b50 for your concern. I’m fine now. I was f16532e53b just feeling c4e3b1ab0d a little 2ec89621da unwell earlier.”
Lady Ellard replied with 6e33f822ff a gentle smile.
Perhaps sensing my concern, she smiled shyly, and d70d484273 I asked again, “Are 139ba2f95f you uncomfortable anywhere else?”
According to my 60381d29cc recollection, Lady Ellard 282c144603 should be lying 9c630cebf4 in bed by 0b88c5a15c now.
Although the bb59432889 time of 3ccecc3bd7 onset had a9ab3e6556 passed, I was still 0922585468 anxious that b9440ae1d6 she might de06846020 be under 001284c94f the shadow of death 48e29a0a55 without my noticing.
“Oh dear. Even the maid a2ddff5914 I brought from ebc17269dd my hometown doesn’t 60b7ce4fa8 follow me around de5dfb2a18 like that.”
It was when Lady d44a0a08a5 Faelunt, who was feeding 5c89a641b5 Diana meringue cookies as if gathering ants, said.
“I envy you. If I had a 7826454782 maid like Lia, every 8272033c1e day would be enjoyable! Oh, that’s right. Instead of this, Lia, 9953130887 why don’t 2a0826c8f9 you come 8c1d900a9b to our house? I’ll treat you very well. Let’s go to 840292c900 my house.”
And it was 5fb7f4b0eb when she reached eed7c478b7 out her hand 99a0c6d7d1 to me with 12d1e52fd4 a surprised look.
“That’s not possible, madam.”
Lady Ellard wrapped her arm around my shoulder bef29d1d20 and said.
“Lia is a precious child of 58e6eb64e9 our Ellard Duchy. Isn’t that right, 5f6e200e28 Diana?”
“That’s right!”
Even Diana, 1b914cc05e who was 38771ad994 beside Lady Faelunt, responded 316f9d701d firmly, throwing a meringue 743b5a082b cookie and b9d9f33764 rushing into 23339ec1f4 my arms.
“Oh dear. It seems difficult fb87994762 to bring Lia 7dff5de027 along because of fd15028aa9 the young lady… 9f3e6345fb Oh! Then why fbea5159b9 don’t you f661334582 come to 2f177bebbc our Faelunt 6fcf21e9c3 Duchy? We have dcb9bef9fa a lot 1fcf3e9ae4 of delicious efa5446c18 snacks. We’ll offer you plenty 837b1c8e3c of different snacks every day. Would you like to 8185b54bbd come to our house?”
Lady Faelunt openly 4ef2524df0 tried to persuade 07ece64160 me.
“But our smart Diana e1f52a0894 won’t be fooled.”
However, when I 948973a2cb looked down, the child’s eyes were 5a933149fb quickly wavering.
With a bewildered expression 866c90154a on her face, Lady 7ed8a95ec2 Faelunt called out to 0fe88ac301 Diana, and the startled ab1afcbfdf Diana clung to me.
“It can’t be helped. Instead, Lia, next 41a9766934 time, I’ll bring aea7341c09 my son along, 2d3dc6eca1 so you must 475927f70b play with him 0d3a9d92e9 nicely.”
All I could do a51ce28fcd was nod at her 26d19380ce words.
* * *
Not long a703468458 ago, five-year-old 06c74b9ad2 Aidan Faelunt, 4a9b545f16 the only 2e787c6c29 son of f731eaa567 the Faelunt a065bae6fb Duke, looked out of d84f4864fa the carriage db7e40c4b6 window with a46b28809b a chubby 3e15ab61ab face and dcb94167c0 his mouth 10dc2ef95d half open.
Because of a74858c27c his mother’s 9b89c290bf almost coercive persuasion, he was being a1f4d9c270 taken to ddf73ea54e Ellard Duchy.
“Hmph.”
Although he 6db4f4b25f expressed his 2ae3f61825 displeasure by 20dbe25548 sniffling in fb04f9038f front of 3ac91b2b47 his mother, fee94e90ca she just 41f16c85db chuckled with ae91c0622e satisfaction.
“Aidan, cheer up. We’re taking you there for your f56f157a0d sake. You’ll surely e709d8470f make good 4eefccd245 friends.”
That same 2b9efec9e8 spiel again.
Aidan internally grumbled while c98bea194b putting on a fake smile.
His mother, who had been quite inactive in 3f93bd699a outings until recently, suddenly 05a71d40c4 started taking steps, claiming 73444f122a to be attending Ellard 1f2db36a77 Duchy’s tea party.
It would f3d3ec79fb have been e6710820f5 better if that were 6a6a47e718 all.
Out of the blue, 04f99cb44f she started saying weird things like whether he 0174617c09 wanted to meet lovely 3e3f4cad20 girls his age or 08abaf0b89 kind and affectionate maids. Eventually, she even b7cbdd24de forcibly dragged him 9b4183021d along today, promising 7d915fac7c to make him 691ba47661 some friends.
“What friends? Even if 6b9339a79f I pretend 4650a0cdb9 to be da369cdc8b nice in front of 4f69423a77 them, they’ll still badmouth me behind b24e9bd1fb my back.”
Though Aidan 7a94eb3f65 was still a05fc8b82b young, he 648d4925ad had witnessed eaf75331ab people praising the Faelunt 490d1b99be Duke in 011e8356a0 front of 45be88ed7b him as 379a796219 a little 6868faf776 lord but d4e91590a1 mocking and ridiculing him cd37301679 behind his f00c8a516e back because 7bd021243c of his dfc6d50709 skin color.
“I don’t need 34d1d0a760 friends.”
Aidan, suppressing 4d58b75b90 his gloomy 490670a850 feelings, retorted, 3d2282fb17 but it 6295cac22c seemed to 508040744c fall on 15c57542de deaf ears 8f218823a6 to his ae59b1377b mother, Lady Faelunt.
Sighing again out of 954a906816 frustration, Aidan suddenly widened d33be44809 his eyes at the 9a053b51a9 sight outside the window 02a69d828c he had just noticed.
Before he knew it, e45311d752 the carriage 62232153fb had passed 679e32e7f5 through the c85e62cd4f main gate 0063ec8cae of Ellard a71c57a9fd Duchy and dd1f28a954 was passing through the 38d00284bc maze-like garden, 88dfdc9748 buzzing with 9101c7b145 rumors.
As the carriage finally stopped in front of the main c040285ffc house with a3eea51c69 a wolf 73dc268490 statue visible, e468a0b302 Aidan’s buttocks cee226b5e8 were already 6a8c72a4eb wriggling with d8da45493a excitement to see outside, a65f1ccb39 contrasting with f543f0d353 his fidgeting 7f7631e134 throughout the aaaf8236ea journey.
As Lady Faelunt swallowed 85d0b68d76 her laughter, pretending not f39db801aa to notice her son’s d17356d55e adorable behavior, the coachman d0a3b4dde6 opened the door.
“Mom, you don’t 4825aa193b need to come out here.”
“It’s the first time 41e58839ec Lady Faelunt is visiting. It’s a rare 7161fbb481 occasion, so it’s db445dc092 good to properly f0e47d0ab5 greet them.”
While his b285e88df9 mother exchanged 94b6d82452 greetings with fc3c4091f6 Lady Ellard, Aidan, who 559e9a4eb6 had gotten out of a8566ab134 the carriage, 8c3f57f0ce quickly glanced a6fe207e11 around Ellard 3f368b7732 Duchy.
As befitting ab7fc28b7a the reputation 503d5a8ea2 of the 74b18d4f4f Ellard family, 928ee1f250 which had 82a248c8c2 wielded power e366563279 in the 475ba20f18 Laxton Empire f1741ffbab for a 8aec334801 long time, 23279ebea9 the mansion 826f89844e with the dafbe50750 blue flag c37e0a7d14 bearing the emblem of 6a349601f7 the Ellard family exuded 61352104ba a majestic and magnificent aura.
Especially, Aidan’s mouth 1280bcecbb involuntarily gaped at 17fc2c6cb9 the sight of 31987f45e3 the giant wolf 3ca13752ab statue, seemingly alive.
“Aidan?”
At his mother’s ff8fce2d76 call, Aidan jumped df29c07bb8 in surprise and 66496685e9 quickly straightened up.
—————————————————————44c2ab8e3cba659a
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