Chapter 3 : Broken Stool

Father always comes home a little late in the evening. Thankfully, he's never returned drunk or smelling like cigars. One of the few things Amary could appreciate about him, truly. Casia would always be the one to greet him at the door as soon as his carriage arrived, welcoming his return with a smile as an attempt to appease any unnecessary tempers that could stem from just about anything that could have gone wrong for him that day. The taxes, his brother, his mother, sometimes even the smallest little details for example if the soup wasn't mild enough or the tea was too sweet.

It was infuriating for everyone within the household to deal with but they couldn't simply kick the Baron out of his own estate. As poor as the condition of the estate was and of their own home, the town that surrounded it was doing rather fairly under his supervision. He wasn't cruel or as stingy as a certain number of aristocrats.

' Though in all fairness, the credit goes to the Baroness but it hurts his pride if mentioned.'

Casia has heard Ms Jones herself say so while helping the nanny with the dishes in the kitchen as their father had been away. She silently agreed to it, though she dares not to say so aloud. She tolerates as many things as her family goes through various troubles, despite not facing them as much as her older siblings and mother does. But, there was one particular pet peeve she thoroughly dislikes.

" Casia, go fetch us some tea. Use the good silverware."

Her father ordered the moment she opened the door to greet him. The young girl smiled stiffly as she held the door for him and his guest. She hates serving unannounced guests for a simple reason.

" Oh, young Lady Casia!"

The older man, dressed in finer clothes than anything her father has worn since his late twenties, greeted her cheerfully.

" My, you've grown taller since I've seen you."

" Thank you, Marquess Merlin."

She bowed carefully, not too low as to resemble a servant nor too tall to acknowledge her standing in the hierarchy, following the courtesy and etiquette her mother had engrained in her. She hurried to the stairs as soon as her father leads his guest to the drawing room, the best room for guests. She was sure she looked messy and definitely needed to change.

" Who's here?"

A voice asked as her elder sister stopped her.

" Marquess Merlin of the Eastern Territory."

" You greeted him in those rags?"

The hiss in her voice was clear as her eyes glanced over the girl's dress distastefully. Amary immediately took her by the arm and dragged the poor girl to her elder sibling's room.

" I have to- I have to go change, Father asked me to serve tea."

Casia stammered. There was no escaping an angry sister but there certainly wasn't any time for it either. Holly usually had to be reminded of this whenever they had guests over, though the need for it has significantly lessened over the years.

" I know but this is the Marquess. You'll need to be more presentable than showing up with any of your plain skirts."

Although she was mildly offended, she couldn't quite refute. Not against Amary. The older sibling quickly handed her a light blue dress with white ribbons and led her back to her own room.

" Wear this and be quick about it, we shouldn't keep our guest waiting."

Doing as instructed, Casia slipped on the azure dress and tied her hair with a matching white ribbon. Stepping out, Amary did a quick inspection and gave a single satisfied nod before sending her back down to serve the guest and her father. She wiped the best silver tray they had and carefully arranged the tea set and silverware before preparing the tea in the prettiest Bone China tea pot they had stored away specifically for guests like these. Putting on her best smile, she carries the tray into the brightly lit drawing room.

The floors never creaked here, the curtains always drawn and dusted clean, the most comfortable chairs and couches were placed here as well, and Casia changes the flowers in the vases here daily. It was also their most expensive room.

" Your tea, Sir."

She served the seeping beverages carefully, the way her mother had showed her when serving tea for guests. Her dark eyes glanced briefly at her father who seemed rather pleased with the dress, his feet placed over a very familiar stool. He must've taken it from the tea room. Oh dear, Harlow will not be happy.

" He did what?!"

The short girl exclaimed before her sister reminded her to control her voice at night. Now in their sleeping gowns, their guest was long gone. As well as Harlow's stool which their father had broken while laughing a little too hard at a joke the Marquess made regarding their uncle, the current King of Khaltu.

" What did they discuss?"

Holly asked her younger sister as the four daughters of the Baron sat together. Casia stiffened, mouth curling nervously under her sister's stare. She couldn't have dazed off again, could she?

" Taxes! They were talking abut the latest taxes."

She says quickly, receiving a raised brow from Amary. She paused while trying to recall anything else in their painfully long conversation.

" So, it's the usual then-"

" The throne."

Casia mutters, cutting off Harlow as she furrows her brow to try and remember.

" The Marquess mentioned something about the throne but Father dismissed it."

It could be serious. As an exiled and disgraced prince, their father had no rights to the throne as declared by the current King and Queen Dowager herself. The land they own was all he was allowed to keep as his place of exile.

" Not surprising from the 'Clever One'."

A fit of laughter fills the room, eyes crinkled in mirth at Harlow's cheeky jab of the nickname. The grandmother had called the Baron the Clever One when the well being of his land was questioned during her visit before. The little title would be used time and time again with several other playful nicknames the family has referred to him to. Yet, this was just the start of the Clever One's fate.