Chapter 3

"Let's hurry up and put this things away so we could go buy the things we need for the next few days." Amelia said starting to put their things back into their wagon. Eve moved and helped her mother put back the things they used for their vegetable stand. Her mother smiled at her and patted her hair softly at the same time.

"What for me here. I'll go and ask Josephine to watch our wagon for us while we go shopping."

Eve nodded at her mother as she sat down on the side right next to their wagon. She watch her mother walks to where Josephine is. Josephine is their made before they became a fallen noble. Although she was not working for them anymore, Josephine stays loyal to their family until this day that is why they can still call Josephine and ask them for some simple errands.

"Good afternoon, miss." Josephine greeted her with a slight bow as they arrived. Eve stands and nodded at Josephine with a sweet smile.

"Good afternoon, Josephine. It's nice to see you again." Eve greeted back. Eve and her mother only went into the capital if it is harvest time to sell all the vegetables.

"We'll go ahead, Josephine. We'll be back after a short while. Please keep watch of our wagon." Amelia said with a polite tone. She then held Eve's hand and softly pull her towards her.

"Yes, Madam Amelia. Enjoy yourselves." Josephine said as she waived her hands at them with her polite voice. They walk towards the inner part of the market place to look around and buy the goods that they will need.

****

"There's the salt and the sugar, mother." Eve tagged at her mother's dress to get her attention before she pointed at the direction of the shop where she saw the salt and sugar. They both walk in a hurry towards the shop together. And because they were in a hurry, they did not saw the woman that was walking towards the shop from a different direction where they came from and her mother bumped into the woman.

"I apologize. I'm so sorry, I did not... Greetings, your majesty..." Her mother stopped mid- sentence as the woman in front of them put her fore finger on her lips motioning to her mother to not say anything. Her Mother sealed her lip and slightly bowed down to the Woman.

How is the Empress in here? The inner market was not included in the past when her majesty the Empress went to an outing. And eve even make sure that they will not bump to any of the Imperial Family this day or any day. She gulp as she watch from the side how the Empress moved and looked at her mother in familiarity.

"It's been three years, Amelia. How have you been?" The Empress said in a low voice. Eve twitched her eye as she continued to watch her mother and the Empress converse as if they were a friend that haven't seen for a long time. "Silly me. You must be in a hurry. I'll sent you a letter of invitation some time, let's have a tea together."

The Empress smiled at her mother before she walked away from them without looking back. Her mother sighed and smiled at her. Amelia then motioned her to come near her and hang her hand around Eve's shoulder before she softly press and tap her shoulder.

"Let's get going." Eve nodded at her mother and they started walking towards the shop again. While they where shopping, Eve was still thinking about how they met the Empress in the inner market. She's also thinking how she could tell her mother of the possibility to reject the Empress' invitation.

"What do you think about the empress' invitation, Mother?" Little Eve asked as she looked up to Amelia.

"Would you like to come? I can ask the Empress if I could bring you along with me once she sent out an invitation." Eve shakes her head and smiled at her mother. She took her mother's hand and softly caress it.

It must be inevitable to avoid some of the original scenes that should happen in the novel. She might have a little choices and can avoid minor events but she can't entirely change the flow of the story no matter what she do. 'Then I guess, at some point, I'll go with the novel's plot but I won't just make the same mistake that I did in the past.' Eve thought as she followed her mother walking out the inner market.

****

A few weeks later, they received a later from Her Majesty the Empress, inviting them to visit the palace. Although Eve wanted to tell her mother to just refuse the invitation, it is not possible. People might think otherwise. The empress is generous enough to invite them - a fallen noble - to a tea session in a palace. There is no way that other people will sympathize to them and Eve can't just say that she knows what will happen in the future.

That very day that they receive the letter is the same day that they should go to the Palace and have a tea with the Empress. Since the empress already sent carriage for them and knights to accompany them.

Amelia prepared herself and her daughter to meet the Empress. She choose the most beautiful and presentable dress that they have in their closet for them to wear. Eve, although her soul as Hye-soo just arrived and inhabit Eve's body during this time in the past she still have the memory of Eve when she was young. And in that memory, Amelia loves dressing up. She loves dressing Eve and making her beautiful.

"Stay still, Eve. We have to hurry. The Empress is waiting for us." Amelia said as she pull up Eve's hair into a beautiful bun before she put on a shiny ornament on her hair.

"What about you, mother? You have to fixed your hair now." Eve look up to her mother as she touched her hair that is already beautifully in place. Amelia nodded as she comb her hair and pull it up the same way as she did to Eve's hear.

"Let's go." Amelia said. Eve walks towards the carriage and get inside. She watch her mother hurriedly locked their house and walks towards them.

The carriage started moving as soon as her mother got in. Her mother smiled at her and moved to sat beside her. She hold her mothers hand and softly pressed it with her tiny hands.

Just like in the past, they were invited in a hurry without even a prior notice and they just decided that they should leave as soon as they receive the invitation and just says that The Empress is very busy and they should comply as soon as possible. This will be the time that the Empress would ask her mother to be the crown prince' nanny and she would be either the prince' maid or the Imperial's scholar. In the past she chose to be the prince' maid as what was written in the original novel and was described that Eve fall in love with the prince at love at first sight and wanted to be near the prince and does not even think of other things.

'This time, I would choose differently. No matter what, I will chose my own path and would not follow what was written for her.' Eve thought. She leans towards her mother and closed her eyes to take a nap as they still have a long way to go to the palace. She felt her mother put her arm around her and softly tap her to sleep.

****

"Eve, wake up. We're here." Eve slowly opened her eyes and looked at her mother before smiling sweetly.

"I'm sorry that I fall asleep, mother." Eve sit up straight. Her mother pulled her softly out of the carriage. They saw the lady-in-waiting of the Empress standing in front of the carriage and watched them like a hawk watching it's prey.

"The Empress is currently doing something important as of the moment. Please follow me. She will be with you shortly." They followed the lady, she knows as Countess Adeline Roberts. Countess Roberts leads us towards the sitting room for us to wait for the Empress. Mother mumbled her thanks towards the countess before we sat down on the sofa. The countess just glanced at them before she leaves them inside the room along with the other maids that she had assigned to look after them.

They waited in silence for the Empress to come. 'Yup! Just like what have happened in the past.' Eve thought. The novel starts and focuses with the female lead Lady Ingrid Azalea D'Aleo Ohlmann. Although Eve was a supporting character, it was briefly introduced in the novel how Eve became a lover of the Crown Prince. They waited a few hours inside the sitting room before someone announced that the Empress have arrived. They both stands up from where they were sat down and bowed before the presence of the Empress.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress. Thank you for your generosity and inviting us to be with you this day." Eve and her mother said in unison.

"Sit down." the Empress said and motioned her hand to the maids. The maids bowed down and went out of the room. "I apologize for inviting in a short notice. I have been very busy this days especially the Prince' birthday is just around the corner."

"We understand, Your majesty." Amelia said in a humble voice. The empress nodded at her before looking down on Eve who was just looking at the Empress.

"This must be your daughter. She's beautiful, she looks exactly like you when you were young." The empress said and waved her hand at Eve, motioning her to come to her. Eve looked up at her mother before she moved towards the Empress. "What is your name, little girl?" The Empress asked softly as she let Eve to sat beside her and hold her tiny hands.

"Eve, you majesty. My name is Eve Gabrielle Baignard Ariston." Eve saw the empress smile at her and caress her hair softly. They looked at the doors as it opens and the maids from earlier came in with the tea and the desserts on their hand and place it on the table in front of them. One of the maids pout the tea in the cup before they went out of the room again.

"I would like you to be the Prince fiancé if only your family was not ruined. You would be the best candidate." The empress said in a low voice and she seems to be sad at what have happened to their family. "I am deeply sorry, I shouldn't have let you remember what happened before. Amelia..." The Empress picks up her cup and sips tea from it and looks back at Amelia who was quietly looking at them with a solemn expression.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"As I can not do anything for your daughter to be the Crown Prince' Fiancé, would you like to be the Prince' nanny instead? And your daughter, she could be the crown prince' maid or she could be a scholar." Amelia stopped and left her hand with the cup of tea mid air and looks at the Empress before glancing at her Daughter.

"I apologize, your Majesty the empress but I don't want to be the Prince maid or the Empire's scholar." Eve whispered enough for the two of them hear her. The empress moved and looked at her.

"Why not Eve? It is a great opportunity for you and your Mother." The Empress caress her little hands. Eve looked up to the empress with a determination on her face.

"We are thankful for your offer and for thinking about us, your majesty and we can see your good intentions towards us but giving us the position or if we ever accepted your offer it will already sealed our future and I do not want that your majesty. I wanted to have a freedom where I could chose what I wanted to be when I come of age." Eve answered. The Empress laugh as she pat Eve's head softly.

"What a smart child. I understand your reason, Eve. I might be doing this after I saw my closest friend after a long time. I apologize for not thinking this through. What do you plan on doing then, Eve?"