Making Preparation

The two sisters left the duke's residence in two carriages. Anastasia, Elizabeth, and Miss Maria rode in one, while Miss Magdalene and Elizabeth's nanny rode in the second.

Elisabeth's heart burned with fury throughout the journey. She felt that Miss Maria was making things difficult for her by bringing Anastasia along. What angered her the most was the fact that a lady-in-waiting from the Queen was now under Anastasia. Elizabeth could not understand why a lady-in-waiting would be willing to serve as a maid for the daughter of a mistress.

"What is so special about her?" Elizabeth wondered when she saw how Miss Magdalene treated Anastasia respectfully. She did not notice any disdain in her voice or actions when she assisted Anastasia.

To make matters worse, Miss Maria already knew that Anastasia was the one engaged to the crown prince. She had planned to spread the news that one of Duke Thompson's daughters would marry the crown prince. Naturally, many would assume Elizabeth was the one; after all, she was the legitimate daughter. Even if the truth would soon come out, she wanted to hide it for as long as possible.

"I will make her pay," Elizabeth thought. She decided that later at the party, she would find a way to make Anastasia embarrass herself. This way, Miss Magdalene would realize that the only person worthy of the prince was her.

Since Anastasia wanted to climb up the social ladder, Elizabeth swore to pull her down.

"My friend is celebrating her fiftieth birthday. This time, she chose to celebrate in a garden because she loves flowers," Miss Maria began, introducing the party.

Usually, she would not attend such a party with her students, but her friend had successfully planted a rare flower and wanted to share her knowledge.

So, when sending out the invitations, she had specifically asked her friends who were teachers to bring their students along.

Miss Maria agreed because she felt it would be an excellent opportunity for Anastasia to practice her social skills, make friends, and network. Moreover, attending the party without bringing any students along would make it seem as if her students were unpresentable.

Elizabeth's face lit up the moment she heard this. She also loved flowers and had extensive knowledge about them. She saw this party as an opportunity to shine effortlessly and overshadow Anastasia. After all, Anastasia had failed to maintain the flowers her mother had nurtured for years.

"You two must be well-behaved," Miss Maria said, catching sight of Elizabeth's smile. She honestly did not want to attend with Elizabeth because she feared she would pick on her sister and cause an embarrassing scene. The two were her students, so if either of them made a mistake, it would reflect poorly on her. However, it would be out of character to favor one student over another.

Anastasia took a deep breath; fortunately, she had Miss Magdalene with her, who had helped her prepare a gift. After all, it would be awkward to arrive at the birthday party empty-handed. Although she did not know the host and it wouldn't be entirely inappropriate to come without a gift, with Elizabeth present, Anastasia knew she would be picked on.

After Miss Maria's warning, the carriage fell into silence. Meanwhile, in the second carriage, Miss Magdalene had her eyes closed, not enjoying the journey in the slightest.

"Miss Magdalene, my name is Lala," Elizabeth's nanny introduced herself with a warm smile.

Miss Magdalene opened her eyes upon hearing her voice. When they had entered the carriage together, they had exchanged pleasantries out of courtesy, and she had then closed her eyes to avoid further interaction. However, the woman before her seemed to have difficulty understanding such a simple message.

Now that Lala had spoken, ignoring her would be rude.

"Oh, nice to meet you," Miss Magdalene answered briefly, without a smile, hoping to end the conversation.

Lala smiled brightly at her response. She had been worried that Miss Magdalene would ignore her. Since they were the only two in the carriage, she knew Miss Magdalene could not openly dismiss her without appearing impolite.

"How are you settling into the duke's residence?" Lala asked in a friendly tone. Although she could tell that Miss Magdalene was uninterested in conversation, she ignored the hint.

As a nanny, she knew a great deal about etiquette and understood how to feign ignorance while ensuring the other person could not openly refuse her. At this moment, she was acting friendly and concerned, so no matter how uninterested Miss Magdalene was, ignoring her would only make her seem rude.

"It has only been a few hours," Miss Magdalene replied. She still did not smile but maintained a neutral expression that made it impossible for her to be called impolite.

Lala smiled again. "Although the duke's residence may not be as comfortable as the royal palace, I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay. The duke and duchess are such kind people. I have been working for the duke's family for six years," she said, her smile unwavering.

"I see," Miss Magdalene replied, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her lips. She could tell that the nanny was trying to form a friendly relationship with her—either for personal reasons or under someone's orders.

Miss Magdalene would have ignored it, but she realized that Lala might be able to help her understand the duke's household better.

"Since you have been in the duke's residence for so long, you must know a lot," she commented after a short pause.

Lala smiled at the question. "What's there to know? The duchess is such a wonderful person," she began, launching into praise.

She spoke highly of the duchess as a wife, mother, and mistress of the house. Although her comments were short, to Miss Magdalene, they sounded like a long song of praise. In between her statements, Lala complimented Elizabeth and mentioned her brothers but skillfully avoided any mention of Anastasia. Miss Magdalene did not need to think hard to realize that Lala was trying to shape her opinion in favor of Elizabeth.

"I look forward to my stay," Miss Magdalene said faintly. She realized she would not get any meaningful information from Lala and decided to end the conversation.

The two carriages continued the rest of the way in profound silence. One would have thought they were attending a funeral rather than a birthday party.

Soon, their carriages arrived at the entrance of a small courtyard. The gates were open, and after being identified, they were allowed inside. The building itself was small but beautiful, surrounded by flowers of various colors.

Just as they arrived, two other carriages pulled up ahead of them, and the host was at the entrance, welcoming guests.

When Anastasia stepped out of the carriage, she felt as though she could finally breathe fresh air. Although she had not spoken much during the journey, she had felt the heated gaze from Elizabeth, which made her uncomfortable.

"Maria!" the host called out as soon as they approached the entrance. The two women hugged and exchanged pleasantries.

"This is Lady Anastasia and Lady Elisabeth, daughters of Duke Thomason," Miss Maria introduced them.