Chapter - 5

"This does not feel right." Vaidehi murmured to herself. She looked at the paper placed in front of her.

The Countess was beyond excited about the turn of events. Their reputation had taken a hit when the marriage between Vaidehi, their adopted ward, and the late Duke, was proposed. Not many were happy about it due to Vaidehi's unknown background. The death of the Duke further fuelled rumors and then the court case tarnished reputation further. The aristocrats were wary of them, even if they did not voice their distrust due to the ties of mutual benefits they shared with the Count. At a time like this, the invitation to the royal ball was a chance at reasserting their dominance in the social circle.

The royal ball was an annual event held by the royal family of the Neopatrad. Only few aristocrats were invited. To be there, even once in a lifetime, was a muscle to be flexed for generations. They had been given this opportunity. No. She had been given this opportunity. Only she was invited.

But, why?

For the invitations, only those invited by the members of the royal family were called.

She had never even met the King, so he would not be the one to. Also the Duke Oswald Merlo, her father-in-law, was close to him. The Duke had led various missions to cush the rebellions in the kingdom. That she won the case was only because he let her. And he let her because she secretly signed the contract that the property would be his after three years, even if she won it. She was in much too powerless position so the king won't be the one to invite her.

The Queen had been dead for years. Princess Annette was conceited as everyone else. They had met last year, in Countess Dina's tea party and the princess was quick to look down upon her. That had not gone well as Vaidehi was too tired to deal with all the disrespect and was quick to retort.

Princess Sara never left the castle, so she doubted she even contributed to the list of invites at all. The last man was the Crown Prince, Prince Heathrow. He had been out in the battlefield alongside Augustus. Her best bet was him. Maybe, Augustus asked him to invite her?

Should I ask him directly? He would— no. She shook her head and frowned. It was better to stay away from him. That she was not caught up in a scandal after what happened at the court was a miracle and won't repeat itself. Being anywhere near him would only mean risking her already tarnished reputation. She must lay low. The royal ball was an exception since she could greetings the king and return early. Not going would only make her stand out and that was the last thing she wanted.

Vaidehi took a long breath and picked up the quill. Her quill hovered above the paper, words escaping her. She groaned and put the quill back in its place.

"You have to reply to them soon." Martha placed a cup of tea on the table.

Vaidehi peered outside the window. The shade of night was slowly creeping in. Office workers were walking out in groups, some solo. Their steps fast and eager to reach home. The tea vendors were flocked, customers desperate for their evening tea after a day of hard work.

"I know." Vaidehi took a sip of the tea. "Anyways, did you find what I told you to?"

"Yes, my Lady. The Commander had been there at the Court to meet Duke Oswald."

Vaidehi's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"They went together to the Duke's mansion."

"He spent the night there?"

"That is what we thought, but then he was at the warlord's mansion so we might have missed him leaving the Duke's mansion."

"And because we do not know when he left the mansion, we don't know if he might have met someone else either? Hmm." Vaidehi rubbed her forehead. "What lead do we have on the will?"

"We are still finding it." Martha pursed her lips.

"Not much progress then."

"I am sorry, my Lady."

"Call the spies back for now." Vaidehi sighed in disappointment and picked up the quill again.

After writing the letter, she sat in her chair for a while. She received the invitation yesterday. For this to reach the palace in time, she will have to post it tomorrow early in the morning. Then, it would reach the palace in a month.

I will send this before leaving for Kirk tomorrow. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

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Grey clouds gathered in the sky. Kirk was a lot colder than she had expected. Vaidehi sat in the carriage on her way to the inn booked for tonight. She was reviewing the papers from the meeting earlier. The meeting went well in general and the client seemed satisfied with their price range. She ran her fingers through her curls and leaned back, exhausted. A hot bath and sound sleep were the perfect solution for her ailment. If —

A suddent jolt sent Vaidehi flying forward, face first. Her head hit the seat in front of her, knees scraped on the floorboard as she fell.

"My Lady!" The coachman shouted.

"I am alive." Vaidehi sat up with a groan. Dusting her light pink gown, she stepped out of the carriage. "What happened?"

"The front wheel, my lady." The horses neighed.

"Oh Lord." The spokes of the front wheel were broken. The horses tapped their feet on the ground, shaking their head violently. She frowned. "How did this happen? All of a sudden? Did you not check earlier?"

"I don't — don't know, my lady! How could something like this..." He trailed off as a familiar rumbling shook the ground. Another carriage was approaching.It was black carriage. Two white horses drew it. It slowed down nearing them.

The carriage stopped a few paces away. The coachman stepped down and opened the door. Vaidehi frowned upon seeing a polished black boot descending. The opened door obstructed the view — oh.

Commander Augustus William Smith nodded at his coachman before his eyes found her. He strode near her, his steps long and firm. At a respectable distance, he stopped. "Good evening, my Lady."