Up until recently I had been engaged to the Crown Prince of Ibor, who had then taken in a mistress from Simhania and not only broke our engagement, but also exiled me from the principality. My father had quickly taken it upon himself to send me to our neighbor, the Diarchy of Aslen. Had I known what this would mean later, I never would have left.

With assassins that my ex-fiance’s new woman had sent on my heels, and the loss of my noble title, I left with my heart worse for wear. It hurt, to be rejected in such a manner, especially considering he had treated me so well until that moment. I had received many gifts that now meant nothing. My father had been unable to get me a new life at anything other than a Lady-In-Waiting for Duchess Versalune of Aslen.

I was thankful, for in the past several years I’d heard that those in service to the Duchess were treated quite well after the annulment of her own engagement. The crown prince was now serving as a knight on the frontlines against Simhania, while the second prince had stepped up and taken his place.

However, I was shocked when the Duchess greeted me with a warm tone. “Marquess Sibylle, I’m glad to see you’ve arrived in good health.”

“Oh, yes. I’m not a marquess anymore though,” I answered in a soft voice. The Duchess was a touch more intimidating than I had expected, but I was thrown when I saw the girl on her arm.  Her hair was only to the back of her neck, but she was a fair bit shorter than the Duchess and considerably less intimidating.

“I’m afraid to say that matters to me in the least, you were born to your house of a marquess, and until the day you die, in my home you shall be one. Please, join Anna and I, I shall let you know more of what your life will be like here over tea,” she turned to one of the manservants and instructed them to gather my belongings and have the stable hands come take over for the horses. My driver stepped down, thanked her, and left with the servant as we entered the manor.

The building was quite large and auspicious, more so than my home had been. There were a fair number of portraits, flowers, and ornate decorations on the walls. As we entered the study, I noted the shelves filled with books, many were ones I hadn’t seen back home.

She gestured for me to sit across from her on the second couch around the table. I sat down silently as a maid, who was nearly as tall as the Duchess herself began to pour the tea. Her fingers had small scars, but were still thin and beautiful as she expertly poured the tea. When she set the teacup in front of me, I caught the mixed scent of different teas. I felt myself relax into the scent, reminding me of the tea parties I had with some of my closer friends from home.

The Duchess picked up her own teacup and took a small sip before placing it back down as I pulled myself out of the haze I was in. The Duchess began to speak, but my eyes were quickly drawn back to the maid for a moment as I took in her face. Eyes the color of the deep foliage of the forest looked back at me before I heard the duchess speak.

“Sibylle, as a Lady-In-Waiting, the fellow noble women of this kingdom would most likely have a series of rules and requests of you, However, seeing as you are a marquess, I do not expect you to tend to me in any way, all I require is that you join me for social events. Otherwise, you are free to live in this manor as you please,” she said, waving her hand lightly before picking up her tea once more.

I lifted my own as I processed her words. After a few sips, I set it back down. “That… is all?”

“Yup,” the girl beside her answered, “Fleur might seem stuck up outside, but here she’s quite carefree.”

“Anna,” the Duchess said slowly, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

I was shocked when the girl started giggling. The Duchess rolled her eyes and turned back to me. “I understand your situation more than most, so I just wish to offer you a proper life. Your father offered much in exchange, and while I accepted the trade deals between our domains, I saw little else to ask because of that. Simply live as you please here. You’ll have a maid assigned to you, of course.”

She gestured towards the woman standing beside the serving cart. The maid smiled at me and bowed, “My lady.”

For all my years as a marquess, I felt myself flush at her warm green eyes. “Oh, yes, um, thank you.”

“I’m sure you are tired from the trip so why don’t we finish tea and then I’ll allow Lydia to get you situated in your new quarters,” the duchess suggested and I nodded.

As we drank the tea in silence, I felt my eyes grow a bit heavy as I relaxed into the couch beneath. It was quite comfortable despite how it looked. When I saw my teacup was nearly empty, I looked at Lydia, my maid for the future. She still had that warm look in her face and my face still felt warm.

“Lydia, please show her to her room,” the Duchess said as she rose from her own seat. Anna was quickly behind her, a smile on her face as she looked at me. Her eyes almost sparkled mischeviously.

“Of course, my lady,” Lydia bowed. I was caught off guard by her voice. It was silky and light in my ears, and it seemed ease my nerves.

The Duchess stepped out of the study and I remained seated for a moment as the following silence permeated the room. “Lydia?” I muttered as the anxiety I felt returned. Ever since I’d been rejected by the prince, I’d felt unsure about a great many things.

“Yes, my lady?”

“If you don’t wish to serve someone like me, I’m sure the Duchess could find someone else. There’s no prestige in serving someone like me,” I said slowly, the haze of exhaustion setting in.

Lydia muttered something under her breath that I failed to catch, and then said something that I did catch. “I’m proud to serve a lady as cute as you.”

Suddenly, I was wide awake and more than ever before, my face was hot.

Kaffeina

Hello everyone, I’d like to thank you for reading this series of oneshots.