Chapter 9: The Snake Of The Party

In a path that led to a building or structure of a mansion different from Byrne's Architectural Castle design appears a flag on the top of two golden gates and a silver chain that has a lizard stone statue as its design.

When you enter by the road leading straight through a double door made of scales and wood. Besides the road lays three rare cherry trees that have a dark-red color with a small rounded red that bears a cherry. It heights 11 meters around 36 feet that were exaggeratingly gorgeous.

Around the cherry tree is a garden of orchids that only grow upon the weather of the Monique Estate. Because the weather of this estate writes to spring where everything blooms at the right moment unlike Byrne that only rains after the fall of summer and it is limited unlike in the other part of the empire.

The carriage used by Kiana was made of white spruce that has silver linings around and a golden structure sculpted on both of the doors. The emblem is an embroidered wings to both shields and swords pricked on the center of a book. This emblem was also seen on the carriage's flag while a coachman was well clothed as if he's a butler.

The emblem embroidered on the flag was the crest of the Byrne Family that was passed down in generations as the heirloom of the duchy estate and its identity both in family and in business.

The crest has based on a knight who is not only a prodigy of business but also a prodigy of swordsmanship as well as leadership. When the Byrne crest was created, it was just a book in a pen lined to understand the quality of being a businessman but then suddenly the 1st queen embroided not only commerce but also swordsmanship and leadership that is why the Byrne crest was refined as the three exclusive meanings.

Since then, the crest has been changed to a brand new design that marking the qualities of the Byrne because they had long generations than the other houses because Byrne's ancestors fought alongside the 1st emperor to conquer the land and reunite them.

When the carriage arrived at the Monique Mansion's door, a two-woman dressed up in a white and black maid suit showed up. When the coachman stopped the carriage, then the knights following their lady parked beside the carriage while one of them opened the door of the carriage.

The knight following her behind was sent by her father, he said that she cannot leave the estate if she won't bring any escorts with her. Though it was troublesome, she didn't have any choice but to bring them in since Conrad also insisted on choosing who will escort her.

She has not yet thought about who will she appoint as her knight because she has yet to decide when will she appoint her personal bodyguard. However, whenever she doesn't bring a knight with her, there are chances that her life will be risked that is why appointing a knight won't be bad if she had not made contact with the beast.

Now, it seems bringing knights along is going to be troublesome.

The knight offered his hand to the lady inside, Kiana accepted it without complaint and she gracefully exited from the carriage. Then she let go of the knight's hand and she walks towards the stairs of the mansion.

"We welcome you, Lady Kiana. We are here to escort you inside the garden as per order, please follow us! " The two maids who look the same but different in the color of uniform bow their heads down low and they opened the door that leads inside the mansion.

The interior of this mansion was huge like a castle. It has two stairs on both sides like other mansion's, the walls are made of wooden white wool while the floor was made of dashing marbles that are sparkling and shining, there was also a big chandelier place on the top of the ceiling, its design is pretty much normal like the others but it has chains and glasses that look so extravagant.

This looks like the ballroom thought, but what also amazes her was the painting at the center of the edge of both stairs. A painting of not a person but a scenario, something so majestic that has all the potential painted in one crest of wood, it's like a particular work of art that was so beautiful and it shines up the entire mansion.

It's a particular design... 'Whoever the artist was, I want to meet them! ' She thought.

As they followed through the ballroom, the maids open the door in the middle of the ballroom, and then there was a carpet instead of a marble floor. The walls are pretty much the same though, but there is vases and flowers design by the hallways and of course doors of different types.

Before she could even know, another door showed up as they move to the left and the maids opened the door which connects to an outside view. A garden of a rose emerges with a dining table to the center, with few seats that have been occupied by ladies invited today.

When they arrived, the two maids gracefully bow their heads and they calmly spoke. Kiana looked at the person in front, the lady who's hosted this tea party and the only person that she has ever considered as nonsense.

Lady Eshiavar is in her 17 but despite that, she has a good body shape, a slim face that shows her thick make-up, her pointed nose that matches with her plump lips, and her eyes that bloom widely.

She has a type of long level, a brown reddish-brown hair that matches her porcelain doll face. Her eyes that has the color of ray golden lemon and pinky devilish lips. Let's you see what is beyond the smile of a devil. That's how you can describe her unfamiliar and unique beauty.

Let alone her appearance, she has a spoiled personality because she has doted both of her parents and servants. Thus she thinks, she owns this entire kingdom acting selfishly. In the past, she once looked down on Byrne because she was unable to satisfy her grief and discrimination against Lady Kiana who had taken her spot as the most beautiful lady of the Rosemary Empire's noble system, the high society.

However, she wasn't invited to participate in the upcoming Queen's Race for the crown. She was considered unfitting if you think about how much trouble she cost on her family name. How much irrelevant stuff she put, fight over nonsense gossips and rumors, even treated her servants rudely while beating them off.

She was upset about the outcomes of her actions and blame her poor parents for not giving her what she desire. She's the lady who thinks she is famous just because she has been the talk of the town. She did not know that her father had to control the gossips, turn rumors into a good one and make other noble houses agree with his demand in exchange for having ladies come by to have her as a friend.

She was known as the Empires 'Trash' daughter, a spoiled villainess, and a useless troublemaker. She didn't know that because, for her, she was known as the most beautiful angel of the empire like some crazy thug hallucinating for salvation.

Of course behind the smile she's putting a show for Lady Kiana is a knife ready to backstab her. She's cunning, selfish, demanding, and a spoiled rotten brat.

"Pardon Lady Eshiavar, the visitor has arrived. " Eshiavar the woman in front of the 7 guests placed on the sides of the table. She crossed her hands against her chess and talking to the ladies present today.

She looked at her twin maids and she nodded as she stood. "I'm glad you came! I'm very surprised right now. Please take a seat, Lady Kiana. " She offers the empty seat opposite the same side of the table as her.

"Do apologize me for being late, I have been delayed for departure. Now, I know I'm not familiar with all of you here but please do know that I'm Kiana Byrne, if you have something you wanna ask about me, I'm happy to give you an honest response. " She gritted her teeth, bowing her head and lifting her dress the way a proper courtesy has taught her when she stood straight and she sat on the empty seat prepared by Eshiavars Maids.

They become silent and once she smiles at them. They look at each other and smile happily.

'She's that lady right? ' - Lady 1

'I've heard, she was quite genius at a young age. ' - Lady 2

'I also heard about her being a fierce lady, she was quite talented in etiquette because she learns faster than a normal child. ' - Lady 3

'Don't they know? I also heard, she was very good at her work. She finished political endorsement at age of 8.' - Lady 4

They've been talking about her achievements while not noticing the gruesome expression of Lady Eshiavar's face trying to hide her anger behind a smile to stop her from further falling out of rage and destroy her reputation.

"It seems that the lady here is very fond of you. I supposed you intend very popular. May I ask, if I can be rude, someone said that you took advantage of being a doted daughter to spread the news of you being a genius, is that true? " Kiana looked at her closely and her smile turned to someone scheming for something.

It has not been 5 minutes yet since Kiana seated and she's already attacking. She really is different back then, when she hasn't yet known the Lady of House Byrne. She became a different person in the span of time, not only that, she attacked her verbally by spreading false news to the ladies by asking her a question.

With that said, Kiana nodded and smile.