The time it took for them to get to the Verdigris Estate was enough to almost drive Edward insane from boredom.
It had taken them the better part of the day to finally reach their destination.
The Verdigris estate was wholly different from from his own house, but it still oozed the same grandiose and elegance befitting a living space of high nobles. The estate was a sprawling field of gardens, small buildings and accommodations centred around a large mansion.
Unlike the Myrvale estate, which was built out of bright white marble, this building was more greyish. The weathered texture of the stone consisting it indicating at least a few centuries of history.
The main premises itself were bordered by a large line of metal palisades, making the place look more ominous than it already needs to.
Edward was slightly taken aback by the change in atmosphere. The carriage containing him entered the area, and headed straight towards the estate.
Once they reached the front door, Edward could see a couple of people waiting for his arrival.
It was the woman who had chewed him out the first time he was brought here, and by here side was the man who had saved him from her clutches.
The carriage came to a stop right in the main entrance. And the door swung open, Calen extending his hand towards Edward as support for him to descend.
Edward took the hands and carefully stepped down, still not used to the stifling feeling of being in so many layers of dressing at once.
And Emilia said this was light...
Truth to be told, he was a little worried for when he would eventually have to attend a formal event. He was sure that it would be painful, to say the least.
Currently though, he was wearing a white, high collared linen shirt. It laid soft against his skin, and in the somewhat warm weather, it helped keep the temperature at bay. He wore slim dark pants, along with leather boots that came up to his knees. And he wore a long cloak over it all, covering his appearance.
It was clothing fit for travelling apparently, and since he had insisted on not wanting to wear anything too flashy, Emilia had barely let him off the hook this one time.
The man in front of him stepped forward and offered him hand, Edward took it and gave it a small shake.
"Greetings, Your grace." He said, following the instructions on etiquette he had memorised on the way here.
After that, he turned to the duchess and gave her a deep bow, lifting the hem of his coat with his hands as a sign of good will.
"Greetings, your ladyship."
She nodded to him, and after everyone accompanying him had came out of their respective carriages, the duke ushered them in, and Edward followed, Calen along with him.
The Verdigris Estate was a large enough maze in its own rights. It had only taken a few turns for Edward to feel like he had lost his sense of direction, but since there were people accompanying him right now, he didn't have to worry about accidentally wandering off... at least for now.
The air around them was a little tense, no one spoke anything while they walked, only the sounds of feet hitting the hard floor bouncing off of the walls as they headed towards their destination.
After turning a few corners, they came in front of a large door. Two servants that were standing by it opened the door for them, and the four of them, the duke, duchess, Edward and his escort, stepped in.
The door immediately closed behind them with a damp thud.
They were in a large guest room overlooking the garden in front of the mansion. It was lightly furnished, only tasteful paintings and furniture decorating the almost bare room.
"Sit." The duke showed him to one of the sofas, and he took a seat. Calen stood behind him, his stance as rigid as ever.
The duke and duchess took the sofa opposite to him.
By this point, Edward was practically being crushed under the weight of the tension in the room. Both the lords felt like they were ticking time bombs, and he still vividly remembered the furious face of the duchess the other day. And how the lady had exploded on him, heck, almost made him cry from terror.
What made him be on edge, though, was the gaze of the duke. He felt he was being dissected and examined, like somehow, the duke was deciding what his character was just through a look. It was a little creepy... if he had to be honest.
He gave them a controlled look, skilfully staying silent according to what Emilia had hastily drilled into him. Then, after planning out his words in advance, he spoke.
"Thankyou for such a kind reception." He folded his hands and placed them neatly in his lap, slightly dipping his head in gratitude. Then continued,
"I am sure that the both of you have many questions regarding your daughter."
He looked them both in the eyes individually.
"However, I am afraid that there is a slight complication regarding the situation."
Edward exhaled. And dropped the bomb, just like how he was told to.
"I have contracted amnesia."