8: Emilia

"We have arrived at Marchioness Emilia's residence, my lord." His maid told him politely, not even asking about what Trojan had been speaking to Domino about.

Trojan nodded, the door opening as the driver gestured for them to leave. Trojan hopped out of the carriage before straightening his attire. In front of him was something resembling a palace, much bigger than Earl Sichal's residence, and definitely much larger than his own. He took some time to observe the decorations of the palace, the residence of Marchioness Emilia.

Servants showed them towards the main door, a garden all around them. There were several hedge decor, cut into several shapes and with many features. Flowers of varying colours lined the garden like a rainbow, and a fountain flowed, with little chubby baby-looking angels pouring the water out of the pots they held over their heads.

Trojan and his maid was led around the fountain, which resides in the middle of the path towards the main door. Eventually, they were allowed in.

Inside, everything seemed to sparkle. The chandelier that hung on the ceiling, the golden decorations everywhere. A set of double stairs were in front of him, each one seemingly curving a different direction. The second floor had a statue under it, a naked and built statue of a man holding up the second floor on his back. There were a variety of potted plants and paintings everywhere.

They were led up the stairs and to an empty room which seemed plain and empty compared to the rest of the house. Trojan sat down, his maid standing behind him respectfully, the both of them waiting for their host to arrive.

Approximately half an hour passed.

Someone burst into the room. It was a young-looking lady. She wore a puffy dress that was so wildly decorated that it was too bizarre to describe fully. She had light amounts of makeup done that did just enough to highlight her already beautiful appearance. She had blonde hair that was tied into a tight bun, her skin so pearly white that many would wonder if she had ever spent time in the sun. Her eyes were blue, a very shocking blue that seemed so unnatural yet natural on her at the same time.

"Marquess Trojan!" The Marchioness said cheerfully. "Sorry for the delay, I hadn't the time to do my makeup yet. How wonderful of you to visit me."

"I heard that Marchioness Emilia has requested to speak with me?" Trojan replied, more out of formality than anything else.

"Indeed," the Marchioness said, sitting down across him gracefully before smiling at Trojan. "But could we discuss matters in private?"

Many people knew about Marchioness Emilia and her ways. She, for several reasons, wanted to be married to Marquess Trojan.

First, Marquess Trojan was to soon be promoted to a Duke, so she wanted to marry someone of such high standing.

Second, though only a rumour, it is said that Marchioness Emilia was made fun of by some other nobility for being single at that age, so she needed to marry soon.

Third, the Emilia noble family had recently been on the decline, so she needed someone such as Marquess Trojan to help recover her family into prosperity once again.

Trojan's maid swiftly left the room without a single question.

Marchioness Emilia waited for her to leave the room completely before she continued, "Marquess Trojan, first of all, I would like to congratulate you for your promotion."

"It is nothing much." Trojan waved in front of him, tapping his walking stick.

"Well, as celebration, would you like to have dinner with me one day?" Marchioness Emilia asked.

"I will consider it." Trojan replied.

"You don't ever write back to me, and you don't ever seem to call me out. Have you been too busy recently?" Marchioness Emilia asked, putting a finger to her lip.

"Yes, I have been rather busy recently." Trojan agreed.

"Oh, but you managed to make time today! How about some snacks? Or tea?"

Trojan shook his head, putting his hand in between them, a polite manner to reject her offer. Marchioness Emilia did not falter, continuing, "How nice of Marquess Trojan to arrive at my residence so much earlier than I had expected. I was intending to visit your residence later today, but your surprise visit did not allow me much time for makeup."

"I apologise for that." Trojan said.

"So, have you considered marriage with me?" Marchioness Emilia asked. "I am rather young too."

"Can we delay that topic for the meantime?" Trojan asked. "I would like to discuss the details regarding the recent rebellion amongst the peasants?"

Marchioness Emilia's expression darkened when Trojan brought the topic up. She let out a long sigh and slouched before leaning back against the couch she had been seated on. Trojan had noticed that Marchioness Emilia had been acting slightly different since he saw her, and seeing her act that way, he suspected that it was related to a lack of sleep.

"Who told you that?" Marchioness Emilia asked, her voice tired.

"Earl Sichal."

"That Earl needs to keep his nose out of my business." The Marchioness said, facing Trojan once again.

Her eyes seemed to be on the verge of closing, as if she was forcing her eyes open. Trojan could understand what took Marchioness Emilia so long to do her makeup, probably to hide the dark circles under her eyes. She did well to hide it, but completely broke her act when Trojan brought up the topic on peasants.

"How frustrating…" Marchioness Emilia said. "The peasants are refusing to work unless we increase their pay and give them more food."

"On what basis do they request?" Trojan asked.

"We have done nothing except increase the price of food." Marchioness Emilia replied, waving her hand. "The peasants are unsatisfied, and are currently refusing to work and even staging riots. Things are a mess in Inner City. Even the farmers in the Middle Cities refuse to sell their wheat to us, how selfish can they be?"