At the Ambroise Estate.
While the commoners bustled about discussing the news of the Southern Gate opening, the Head of the Southern Region, Aeris Ambroise, quietly enjoyed her tea on the terrace.
"Your Grace! Everyone is talking about the possibility of you opening the gate!" Aeris' maid, Daisy, walked toward her hurriedly, almost running. Her face brightened cheerfully, excited to convey what she had gathered to her mistress.
"Daisy, how many times should I tell you to compose yourself?" Another maid by Aeris' side reprimanded Daisy as she arrived.
Daisy nodded, accepting her scolding. "I know, I know. There's no one here but the three of us, Rachel. I know how to behave like a proper maid before others. Don't worry." She brushed off Rachel's words.
"Let her be, Rachel." Aeris intervened before her two maids began to bicker again. For some reason, she always ended up involved in other people's petty arguments.
"Yes, Your Grace." Rachel bowed to Aeris, accepting her command. Daisy, who stood beside Rachel, also bowed to greet the Duchess.
"What have you heard?" Aeris asked, instructing Daisy to tell her everything she had learned.
"Your Grace, everyone in the city is talking about you right now! The rumours had been circulating for three days, but everyone was still suspicious of them. Until they saw our gate open and the Hatra Knights rode out from it, they finally began to believe those rumours!" With a puffed chest and an excited expression, Daisy spoke eagerly.
"The people are very excited, especially about the Swordsmanship Tournament! Ah, I don't know how they will react once they hear about the festival prepared especially for them later." Daisy cupped her cheeks with both hands and spun around Rachel. It was clear she could not contain her excitement and happiness.
"At this rate, I think you are the most excited among them all." Rachel rolled her eyes and commented. She stopped Daisy from continuing to spin around.
A small smile appeared on Aeris' face before it disappeared without a trace. She did not comment on Daisy's childish behaviour, as she had already grown accustomed to it.
"Aren't you excited, Rachel? It's been years since we held any festivals!" Daisy smacked away Rachel's hand that was still holding hers.
"Do you think I am as childish as you?" Rachel raised her brows, clearly displeased at the thought of being compared with Daisy.
"You!" Daisy puffed her cheeks in anger but could not find anything to say in return. Well, what could she do? She was truly excited.
"It's not wrong to be excited." Aeris spoke as she looked at her maids with a gentle expression. "But if everything goes according to plan, all of you might need to work harder before you can enjoy the festival."
"As soon as we receive approval from His Majesty, there will be much work to do." Aeris sighed as she bid farewell to her leisure life.
"It's fine, Your Grace! I also heard from the market that many people don't even know what our Duchess looks like. How can that be? They haven't seen your beautiful face! So I will work harder to make you become the most beautiful woman in the Empire. No! You are already the most beautiful woman, but I just want to make sure everyone will be fascinated by your appearance!" Daisy declared her goal firmly. Her eyes seemed to spit fire, her passion burning as she imagined dressing Aeris up.
Aeris and Rachel were dumbfounded by her sudden change of topic. They were taken aback but could not find any words to contradict her. In the end, Aeris simply nodded and accepted her fate.
"Your Grace, you have lustrous black hair and golden eyes, so I think a dress in sapphire would look best on you. No, wait! House Ambroise's colour is red, so a burgundy dress would suit you best as the Duchess!" Daisy began to ramble. In her mind, many colours and styles were already taking shape.
"Let's go with dark blue. I like that colour." Aeris interrupted Daisy's thoughts.
"But red certainly looks better!" Daisy whined, protesting to Aeris. She had never seen Aeris wear dresses or accessories in red, even though it was House Ambroise's official colour.
Aeris simply laughed and shook her head. She completely rejected Daisy's protest.
"I like blue."
Her answer immediately stopped Daisy from protesting further.
"Alright, Your Grace. What can I do if you like blue?" Daisy replied sadly, lowering her head in disappointment, which only made Aeris' smile grow wider.
While Daisy immersed herself in planning colours, Rachel looked at Aeris with concern. She hesitated for a moment before finally gathering the courage to speak.
"Your Grace?"
Aeris turned to Rachel, waiting for her to continue.
"If His Majesty approves our proposal, will there be noble families staying at our estate?" Rachel asked.
"Yes." Aeris nodded. "If members of the Imperial Family come, then we must certainly offer them proper hospitality. I plan to let them stay at Breeze Manor."
"Breeze Manor? It's been a long time since that manor has been used. I need to inform the Head Maid and have it cleaned as soon as possible!" Daisy responded immediately.
"Your Grace, will you excuse me?" She looked at Aeris with pleading eyes, asking permission to go find the Head Maid.
"Go, but don't rush them." Aeris shook her head softly and waved her hand, allowing Daisy to leave.
Without wasting time, Daisy bowed and hurried out from the terrace, leaving Rachel alone to accompany their Duchess.
"This girl!" Rachel frowned at Daisy's childish attitude.
Daisy was a cheerful and clumsy person, while Rachel was calmer, meticulous, and always followed rules and etiquette carefully. Because of their different personalities, Aeris had decided to keep both of them by her side. It was strangely entertaining to see Rachel become so worked up over Daisy, who remained completely unaware.
"Do you have anything more to say?" Aeris asked as she noticed the concern on Rachel's face remained even after she had answered her earlier question. It seemed that what Rachel had asked before was only a way to lure Daisy away.
"Your Grace." Rachel bowed to Aeris. Her voice trembled slightly.
"What's wrong?" Aeris asked in a flat tone.
"Everyone has been wondering that…" She hesitated. For a moment, Rachel regretted her decision to agree with the other servants' persuasion.
"What is it, Rachel?" The more she delayed, the more suspicious Aeris became. Her eyes turned cold as she waited.
"We have been wondering if, if Young Master Airel and Young Master Arian will also retu—"
Clang!
A teacup fell to the floor, cutting Rachel off before she could finish her words. Realizing she had made a grave mistake, Rachel immediately knelt down.
"Please forgive me for overstepping my boundaries, Your Grace!" She pleaded tremblingly, but received no response.
Aeris' eyes remained fixed on the broken teacup. Her fingers were bleeding, yet she felt no pain. Her eyes were empty of emotion, and her frightening expression seemed to make the air around them grow colder.
"Rachel, your master is me." Aeris spoke as she looked at Rachel with cold eyes.
"I am Duchess Ambroise. The one you should serve, and where your loyalty lies. Do not concern yourself with others."
Rachel nodded repeatedly in fear.
"I understand, Your Grace," she replied weakly.
"Convey my words to everyone else. Without my permission, the Ambroise gates shall never open for them." Aeris spoke sternly. She stood up and walked past Rachel, heading toward her office.
"Yes, Your Grace." Rachel nodded as she accepted the command.
As soon as Aeris' presence disappeared, Rachel collapsed onto the floor. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it might burst.
"Why did I have to dig my own grave?" she muttered in frustration. It seemed she would need to warn the other servants to refrain from mentioning the two young masters again for the sake of their own safety.