Family Dinner (2)

Those words welcomed her after stepping out into the cool breeze of the night. The door creaked behind her, and Jane respectfully stood beside another person in the same black-and-white uniform.

Chaos gave a quick glance to the additional person, before looking up at the woman staring down at her. Exactly like the original owner's memories, this woman was undoubtedly the mother.

The sixth wife of the grand duke and also addressed as the sixth madam.

Now she understood the reason this woman had mouthed such words to her on the battle grounds.

'Why is my body so small?' Amid her thoughts, Chaos couldn't help but complain in her heart.

''Greetings mother.'' Chaos acknowledged the sixth madam with a curtsy of her own. Her movements were without a flaw. Having the memories of the etiquette was very helpful to Chaos, and this body that had also practiced etiquettes from a very young age came in very useful. Though, Chaos hated that she was very weak and prone to danger.

''Yes, greetings child.'' The sixth madam returned, observing Chaos, who straightened up, and met her gaze. The sixth madam slightly tilted her head a bit to the side, her cold brown eyes on the tiny figure in front of her.

''Your eyes have changed.'' She pointed out, her tone indifferent, like the child in her gaze wasn't her own daughter.

''What do you mean, mother?'' Chaos smiled, outwardly behaving cluelessly to her words. It seemed she was not wrong about not underestimating people around the original owner. Her memories of this woman were less than she could count.

The sixth madam was someone who did not interact with the original owner. So Chaos expected to be ignored, but it seemed the woman was quite sharp in catching onto something.

''…Nothing. Let's be on our way to the main manor.'' Ending the conversation after a moment of silence, the sixth madam turned her back on Chaos. ''When we return, you must begin the daily dosage of the Nerium flower. Since you've been ingesting tiny fragments of weak poison, it's time for a change. You are already at the age of succession. My reputation of having the weakest child of the Grand duke must change, Raven. Don't disappoint this mother of yours.'' The sixth madam gave a side-glance before moving ahead to the carriage waiting for them.

Raven was the name of the original owner. Now, it was time for Chaos to bear that name, since she was going live in someone's body and interact with the person's family.

''Yes mother.'' Chaos, now Raven, kept her sweet and innocent smile throughout the spoken words of the sixth madam. She wondered what the original owner would have done upon hearing these words. Judging from her memories, the latter wouldn't want to agree to ingesting poison. Who would love to take something that would kill them? However, her words had always fallen on deaf ears as this woman would have ignored her pleas and forced the maid with jane to mix water with poison and shove the poisonous water in her mouth. Raven had seen this happen in her memory multiple times.

Even after she stepped outside, the sixth madam never asked of her health. The increase in her poison intake was probably the reason the woman did not ignore her.

''The sixth madam awaits in the carriage, young lady.'' An unfamiliar voice pulled Raven out of her thoughts. Her red eyes shifted towards the additional person with jane.

Lily was the name of the maid. The same person that had always forced the original owner to ingest poison under the orders of sixth madam.

''Thank you, Lily.'' Raven's smile remained the same at the maid. This was also how the original owner would have thanked the maid, even after all that had gone between them. The original owner understood that Lily had no choice but to follow her mother's orders, so there had never been bad blood between them. Not even a hint of blame or resentment from the original owner.

'What a naïve child.'

Raven inwardly scoffed and boarded the carriage with the sixth madam already seated on the cushion.

Raven also ignored the worried glances of Jane. She had no time to mind the maid.

Her mind was focused on the original owner's family. She guessed the characters of the family should be interesting if a mother like the sixth madam could be this indifferent. She was curious to see how the other wives of the grand duke acted with their own children. The memories of the other wives and the grand duke himself were not much since the original owner hardly interacted them.

A moment after Raven settled opposite the sixth madam, the carriage began to move. Not a word was uttered as the sixth madam shut her eyes during the short journey. Her posture made it clear that she had no desire to chat with Raven.

This was something Raven could work with. She also had no desire to converse with the sixth madam and turned her gaze to the window. She could use this opportunity to look around her original owner's home. Though it was dark, but the night lamps helped her sight.

In a steady speed, and a weirdly comfortable silence, the carriage wheeled all the way to the main manor of the Langston Grand duchy.

''This servant welcomes sixth madam and fourth young lady.'' As Raven descended the carriage with the help of an unfamiliar footman, lined-up maids and manservants acknowledged herself and her mother, who was out of the carriage.

''Hm.'' The sixth madam acknowledged them with an indifferent nod. ''Escort the fourth young lady to her siblings. I will be going to meet my sisters and his excellency.''

''As sixth madam orders.'' The leading maid accepted without a hint of defiance.

Without a word, the sixth madam walked past the servants and entered the main manor. She did not bother to exchange words with Raven, though this wasn't something to be surprised about. When the sixth madam spoke to the servants, Raven only stood behind her with a smile that never left her lips.

Regarding the bowing servants, Raven showed no sign of surprise. From the memories of the original owner, she understood that she was in an era different from her former life. The restricted way of interaction, the use of candlelight and carriages, the existence of castle-like houses, maids and manservants, all these informed Raven that this era was likely to be ancient. None of what she had seen and recalled from the memories of the original owner was found in her former life.

This era was a distant past that was no longer in existence in her world. The classical or medieval times of man.

''Allow this servant to escort fourth young lady to the dining hall.''

''You can lead the way, head maid.'' Raven agreed to the leading maid's escort. From the original owner's memories, this leading maid was the head maid of this manor.

The main manor of the Langston Grand duchy. It was also the place of the Grand duke, her father of the original owner.

''As fourth young lady wishes.''

The head maid finally lifted her head and briefly met her gaze before avoiding them with her overlapped hands.

''This way, fourth young lady.''

Servants staring in the eyes of their masters were against etiquettes.

''Thank you, head maid.''

Raven followed the head maid into the main manor. Her eyes caught the rigid posture of the servants on both sides. Not a mistake could be seen amongst them. It seemed the grand duke's way of educating his servants was quite strict, though that was not of her concern.

The second Raven stepped on the polished floor of the main manor, her shoulders flinched and a chill traveled down her spine. Moving past the lavish interior of the main manor, Raven sensed the drastic change of the atmosphere that was different from outside. She felt her skin prickling with many gazes. Raven could not detect the intention behind the unknown gazes, but what she felt from them was unsettling, as if they wanted to end her life.

Her sensitivity and instincts as a Chaos from her former life still remained for her to sense when someone wanted to kill her. The body of the original owner was also screaming fear. The trembles on her shoulders remained rampant, to the point that Raven found them hard to control. Her feet also felt heavy to carry on her steps.

Truly, the original owner must have hated coming to the main manor for her body to have this intense reaction. Possibly, it might have been because of this gazes crawling on her skin.

But….

Despite feeling fear that did not belong to her, the smile on Raven's lips was wider than ever. Her mind was filled in pure ecstasy and anticipation as she wondered how exciting her time in this family would be in the near future.

Surely, it would be better than her wasted years in prison.