Chapter 13

The duchess is probably the only noble who can barge in on a member of the imperial family without having to worry about any consequences. They must be quite close for her to disrespect the princess in such a blatant manner.

"Your highness, I came to offer my assistance. I have a wide selection of capable maids who are familiar with the process of organizing the spring festival. Please to use them as you see fit, Princess."

She seems desperate to send me off. I wonder if she made the same offer to the young master. Well, there is no need to dawdle here any longer, anyway. It's obvious what her highness' choice will be.

"I truly appreciate your help, duchess Gwen."

"Brilliant!" replied the mistress with a loud clap.

"Now then, will two of you take care of that thing on the floor? Quickly!"

"Yes, your grace." They promptly responded as they approached me.

They grabbed each of my arms and began to drag me across the room.

"Not so fast, ladies." The princess suddenly said as she rose from her seat.

"While I appreciate your offer to help me, duchess…I do not remember granting you the permission to order my subordinates around. I suggest you refrain from giving them commands while they work under me. That also includes my aide that you are so eager to get rid of."

"I assure you that I meant no disrespect, your highness, I simply thought…"

"I shall overlook this slight just this once, duchess Gwen, since we are to be family soon. However, I hope this does not happen again. Oh, and do announce your visit next time, yes?"

The princess' expression had changed drastically during her brief exchange with the duchess. She may not have realized it,but she just defended a slave. Not only that, but she also defended someone who secretly coveted the heart of her future husband. I feel so ashamed that I could not bear to look at her as she helped me off the floor. By then, the mistress had already left the room.

"You look as though you saw a monster just now. You are shivering like a newborn animal."

I'm…shivering? Why?

"One of you go fetch some water for her."

"P-pardon?" blurted one maid.

One glare from her highness and the servant dashed out of the door as though her life depended on that small errand.

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-Ecchelon Kingdom-

"Where could my Charlotte be? It has been over a year since she disappeared. I miss her so much."

"Mother, please don't cry. I'm sure Char will come back to us safe and sound."

"Loraine, you must find your sister as quickly as you can. She has to ascend the throne no matter what. It is her duty as the crown princess."

"No need to worry mother, I have sent several troops to search for her. I am certain one of which will find her in no time."

"Thank you dearest, you are the only one I can truly depend on, my dear daughter."

*Sigh…Good grief.

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I wonder what my family is up to these days. I miss them so much that I dream about them every night. On the day I was purchased as a slave, Duke Kartier told me that my sister would come to fetch me after some time. However, a year has gone by already. How much longer do I need to wait? I miss home…

"What's the matter Fati? You've been sighing a lot since we left the bakery."

"It's nothing."

Sir Nate and I have been spending a lot of time together as of late since he is also partaking in the preparations for the spring festival. He and the princess seem to be rather close, which I suppose is a normal thing between childhood friends. I noticed their appearance and their temper were strangely similar, as if they were twins. No, that's impossible. Sir Nate is a mere knight of common background, they couldn't possibly be…

"What's going on in that tiny head of yours? You keep making the strangest expressions."

"Why did we buy so many pastries? The bag is so heavy."

"You were drooling over all of them. Here let me carry that bag, you can hold on to this. It's lighter."

"You should have stopped me. Now I feel guilty for making you buy all these."

"I'm sure Ivey and Clover will enjoy them."

As we approached the secret passageway to enter the mansion, we noticed a commotion near the main gate. A middle-aged couple were arguing with the guards from behind the fence. They were loud enough for us to overhear their conversation.

"Our daughter hasn't returned home in two years! All we are asking is for his grace to investigate her whereabouts."

"Please, I beg of you, kind sirs. Please find our Melissa. She is our one and only child."

"For the last time, your daughter ran away with her lover!"

"We did not raise any such daughter!" exclaimed the woman.

"Melissa was happy with her new position. She would never have abandoned her post for some lover. Why can't you tell us the truth?" shouted the man as he consoled his tearful wife.

"I suggest you step away from the gate. There is a vehicle coming through."

They immediately moved to the side of the road while the automobile passed through the gates. Because of its tainted windows, it was impossible to tell who its passenger was, however the insignia on the front of it was a sign that it belonged to the Kartier Duchy.

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Her name was Melissa Dougherty, and she was the only child of their middle-class family. Her father, Willough Dougherty, is a skilled carpenter, and her mother a florist. At just ten years old, she became a junior scholar upon joining the academy. Nevertheless, her exceptional performance led to a more advanced curriculum compared to her peers. The subject she enjoyed the most was history. Her favorite subject was history;thus, her hobby was collecting antiques of all kinds.

Melissa's future was as bright as the sun, however, that was until her mother fell from a ladder while hanging decorations in her store. That unfortunate incident had rendered her partially crippled in one leg, which made it difficult for her to move about without a cane. Out of concern for her health, her husband decided to close down the shop and, as a result, their income began to spiral down. Worried about her parents and her future, Melissa began to seek employment, and that is how she became the young master's aide. Despite her parents' disapproval, she was determined to excel at her newfound post and make them proud.

"I assume you have been working at this estate for quite a while,Sir Nate. Do you know anything about Melissa?"

"For your own sake, I suggest you refrain from prying into dangerous matters, such as this one."

"Dangerous matters? So, you do know something. What is it? I can keep it a secret! I promise I will not tell a soul, so please tell me, Sir Nate. Please!" I begged while tugging on his shirt.

I was observing his behavior throughout the entire conversation with Mister and Mrs. Dougherty. He seems to know something about Miss Melissa but is keeping quiet for whatever reason. Perhaps if I persistently probe him, he might let something out. I promised them I would help them find their daughter, but…where do I even start looking?

"I'll see you all in the morning."

"Bye Sir Nate! Thank you for the snacks!" cheered Clover.

"Thank you, Sir Nate!" said Ivy while bowing.

"Wait, no! Sir Nate, you can't leave just yet! You still haven't told me anything about Melissa. Come back here! Ugh!"

He's gone. My only source of information…is gone.

"Did you say Melissa?" muttered Clover, with a mouthful of snacks.

"How many times have I told you not to speak with food in your mouth, Clover? Huh?!" yelled Ivy while pinching her cheeks.

That's right! Though they may be younger than me, these two were here way before my arrival, so they must have run into her at least once.

"Say you two…"

"Uuuhh… I do not like the look on your face Fati." Replied Ivy as she slowly retreated.

"Remember that deal we made the other day?"

When I returned to the stables after that night, I found them scampering around the area, searching for me. They were so relieved when I suddenly showed up that they kneeled in front of me and began to beg for my forgiveness. The sight of them in that position made me feel guilty, so I did not know how to appease them. Hence, I proposed a deal; Ivey and Clover must do as Fati says for the entire week. 

"Melissa was so kind! She used to bring us lots of leftover snacks from tea parties, which the mistress found rather displeasing."

As Clover continued to fill me in on what she knows as well as what she heard from rumors, a wave of fear came over me. Suddenly I am not so sure how to go about finding her.

Melissa and the mistress were in an open feud inside the mansion; however, she was under the young master's protection. Hence, she could escape her harsh treatments. The young master would often reward her with gifts because she was such a brilliant assistant, which led to rumors that they were secretly dating.

"I heard one maid caught them kissing in the library once." added Ivy.

That rumor spread like wildfire all throughout the capital and eventually reached the princess' ears. Enraged with his promiscuous behavior, she proposed to annul their engagement,which caused an even bigger scandal. However, before he could remedy the situation, Melissa suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a note stating she was running away with her lover. That letter served as proof that the young master was innocent and everything was merely just a baseless rumor to sully the Kartier name. However, the damage to his reputation was far too great,as some nobles were still skeptical about the said note. Hence, it was decided that he would accompany the crown prince on a trip around the continent for an entire year in order to kill the gossip.

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"What really happened to Melissa Dougherty? Dimitriu."