Chapter 4
''C-countess?''
Sylvanna blinked rapidly as her thoughts came back to reality. She turned to see the Marquise beside her, as if waiting for her to respond.
The Marquise, was in her fifties closing sixties, beautiful with a reddish-brown hair and green eyes. She wore a simple gown but looked expensive enough for Sylvanna to recognize.
She had no doubt she'd had many offers when she was young. Her status in the palace was evident in the way the maids looked at her and treated her.
It wasn't really in Sylvanna's nature to care about palace affairs, but seeing such things was still intriguing. The Marquise's hair was tied up in a neat, professional bun.
She's a gentle and sweet woman—who would have thought Sylvanna could be so easily fooled by it?
If only she had known what kind of person the Marquise was, she would never have bothered. Then she would not have dragged in this place.
Oh, shut it, Sylvanna,How could you just leave an old woman stranded in the middle of nowhere in the countryside?
"P-Pardon? Forgive me… were you speaking, my lady?" Sylvanna asked, giving the Marquise an apologetic look.
"There's no need to apologize," the Marquise chuckled softly. "How is life in your estate? Have there been any troubles lately? And how is Nelly?"
Realization struck Sylvanna, "Ah—oh, everything is doing well, thank you for your concern. And Nelly, she is doing wonderful. She loved the gift you sent. Truly, you shouldn't have troubled yourself, my lady."
Nelly was Sylvanna's three-year-old Standardbred horse. The Marquise had gifted her a pair of custom brushes and hoof tools. Over time, Sylvanna had grown deeply fond of horses and riding. It had become one of her new hobbles in this new life.
"Nonsense," the Marquise replied with a wave of her hand. "It was the least I could do. I'm only glad Nelly liked it."
Sylvanna's smile. "Forgive me… my thoughts have been unsettled these days."
The marquise nodded her head. "You must be tired from the long trip. I would have been too after being cramped in a carriage for two weeks. Don't worry, Countess. After you introduce yourself to the Empress, you can spend the rest of the day resting."
That immediately made Sylvanna stop on her feet and brows knit together. Day off? She thought she would only need to pay her respects and then return home. She wasn't even sure why she had been called here in the first place.
The letter hadn't mentioned anything other than that she was to be escorted to the palace. Sylvanna tried to come up with something, but nothing came to mind. She hadn't broken any laws, nor had she done anything illegal… she even pay tax right on time at least, that's what she knew of.
She hesitated before she hurried and run to catch up to the Marquise. "My lady… Forgive me if this sounds uhm, but… do you perhaps know why the Empress have me summoned??''
The Marquise stopped in her tracks this time.
"Y-you must have a lot on your mind," she said.,
Of course Sylvanna did. She was anxious, her head full of questions none of which anyone had bothered to answer.
What if she was being accused of a crime she didn't commit? The next thing she knew, her head could be rolling beneath a guillotine with no chance to defend herself. Sylvanna's hand drifted to her neck without thinking.
Who really knew how things worked inside the palace? If your idea of judgement didn't match theirs... well, you wouldn't last in this place for long.
The Marquise looked hesitant before turning to face Sylvanna directly. Only then did Sylvanna notice the woman's eyes look dry.
She seems tired or fatigued?
"I wanted to tell you my lady in advance how sorry I am for this sudden summons," the Marquise said, her voice tinged with guilt making Sylvanna surprise "I know you said yourself you didn't want to be here but I can't st—"
"O-oh, please, at ease, my lady," Sylvanna interrupted gently. "Relax.. There is no need to apologize. I am not upset at all. I was just… curious and a bit alarmed, that's all. It's just that all of this is so sudden, it made me wonder what was ahead."
Sylvanna wanted to hit her head. The older woman already looked so dejected, and regret filled her more. Being a lady-in-waiting to the second most powerful person in the empire must be unbelievably stressful.
An Empress was expected to have at least three ladies-in-waiting, often more, yet the Marquise served alone. What could the Empress be thinking, letting a woman of her age handle all these duties by herself?
Sylvanna wanted to voice her feelings, but she couldn't bring herself to burden the old Marquise with them. All she could do was try to understand the situation, listen to whatever the Marquise needed to say… and, hopefully, leave soon after.
Marquise Bernice kept glancing toward the empty hallway, her eyes darting as if afraid anyone would eavesdrop their conversation. Meanwhile, Sylvanna could only watch with a frown in her brow.
"Countess," Lady Bernice said finally, "I think I need to apologize in advance—for what you're about to hear from the Empress."