On the carriage going home, there was silence between me, Lady Octavi, and Ade inside the carriage. Until… Adel spat out some words in front of my seat,
"That was surprising, my lady…"
"Surprising?" I was puzzled by her words, "What do you mean by that?"
"You easily let Lady Octavi partake in the Queen's plan…"
"Me? Easily? Why did you say it like that?"
"Was my lady not recognised or not realising her intention? She tried to pry you, and my lady easily reacted to her intention."
Adel's words struck a nerve, causing me to furrow my brow in confusion, "Yet, Lady Octavi was fine on the grander sparring." I looked at her, where she sat in front of me, "You are fine to partake in this event, right?"
Lady Octavi answered, like before, "It's up to my lady; I will obligate your words…"
"See! My lady, she just followed your words, so it's up to you, how you observe and see around, and what will happen in the future. My lady needs to know that…"
Immediately, Lady Octavi reacted to Adel's words with a brash tone, "Insolent! Are you doubting my lady's judgment? Or perhaps do you question my skill? There is no need for further questioning. Do we need to test each other? Because the last time we were just warming up…"
"I am not questioning your skill or my lady's judgement about this grander sparring…We all know how great and formidable you are…Yet, is it alright not to tell her, the person you are obligated to protect and serve, what lies ahead? She needs to be informed of potential risks and challenges to make well-informed decisions. But you, Lady Octavi, are just accepting everything that my lady asked…"
I saw Adel kept stay composure and calm without showing any emotion, after what she had just said to Lady Octavi. On the other hand, Lady Octavi seemed taken aback by Adel's words, her expression momentarily faltering. Lady Octavi took a deep breath and replied with a thoughtful tone,
"I believe my lady is capable enough to decide and make decision…And she is now twenty-one years old; at that age, she is quietly mature…"
"Here is a thing, Lady Octavi… Maturity does not always equate to wisdom or the ability to make great decisions. Age alone does not guarantee great judgment, which requires experience and knowledge. So when she asks you about what you think about something, you should give her your insight and what would happen in the future, not just blatantly say 'It depends on you, my lady.'."
I sensed some heat from Lady Octavi, and immediately she slightly stood up from her seat, and looked at Adel with an irritated face and said
"IMPUDENT!! You know what you said, right? You assume your master, whom you serve, is incompetent and incapable of making great decisions…"
Adel's face didn't change at all; she still showed no emotion and was calm. She took her gaze on me, and addressed me, "As for you, my lady, I apologise if my words came across as disrespectful to you." Her face turned back to Lady Octavi, "I am not assuming; my lady is incapable and incompetent, yet I stand that my lady needs guidance enough to ensure she is not making bad decisions. However, you, as the sword's of the family, have a duty to protect and advise her; it's not about against your master or my lady; it's about advising. After we gave all the possibilities and advice to her, it depends on her to choose, but you just put everything towards her without giving any advice. That's the one I don't like about you, Lady Octavi…"
I saw Lady Octavi gripping her hand hard as if trying to control her anger. Suddenly I could see Lady Octavi want to swing her right hand towards Adel…
Quickly, I screamed "STOP!", and suddenly the carriage stopped too. In quick, Cassius opened the door and asked, "Is there something wrong with the way you screamed?".
For some moments, I ignored Cassius, and addressed Lady Octavi, "May you control your anger?
Lady Octavi said, "Forgive me for my outburst….”
~~~
As soon as we arrived home, I could sense that there was still tension in the air between them. After our foot stepped on the ground from the carriage, Lady Octavi immediately excused herself to go to her room. I granted it because I understood that she needed some time alone to calm down. Suddenly, I could hear a whistle from Valerie, it was like a surprised or impressed whistle. From the coachman's side of the carriage, Valerie said, "It seems your sword is in a bad mood…"
I said, "Lady Octavi just needs some time to cool her anger…"
"Well, I am more impressed with the person who dares to make your sword in a bad mood like that…" Said Valerie.
I continued to walk towards the front door. When I was in front of the door, Cassius suddenly called me, "My lady…"
"Do you need something, Cassius?"
"I heard that you want to learn about transmutation…" Hearing that, I was taken aback for a moment as he continued, "May I offer myself to be your instructor?"
I was surprised by what he said. For now, I didn't know who would be my instructor for this thing; the closest one was Lady Octavi, and after that, Adel. Yet, for Cassius, he was a completely unexpected choice. After learning what had happened when I was unconscious, this task may have been difficult for him. I said to him, "That's an amazing offer from you, Cassius. Yet I need some time to decide…"
"I appreciate it, my lady…" answered Cassius.
"The sun is already setting; you should take a rest now, Cassius," I said to him.
~~~
The next morning, I was woken up by Lady Octavi, who gently shook my shoulder. She informed me that breakfast was ready and that I should hurry downstairs. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I thanked her, and she helped me quickly get dressed with my morning routine. On the way to the dining hall, suddenly the atmosphere around the home was different. I sensed the other servants seemed different, like usual; they
Even in the dining room, I found it surprising. Cassius and Valerie were in the dining room, yet they didn't sit at the dining table. They usually didn't attend breakfast; however, this time, they were here. It was unusual to see them here. Adel immediately set up my seat, and I took a seat in there. As I sat down, I couldn't help but notice the tension in the air. It was clear that something significant had happened, but no one seemed willing to speak about it. First, I offered Cassius and Valerie to take a seat at the dining table. Yet they refused it.
I couldn't stand the atmosphere of the room, so I decided to break the silence, "What is happening here? Why everyone is so different today? Is it about the offer of Cassius?"
Everyone in the room took a glance at each other, and Lady Octavi who took a seat at the dining table, finally spoke up. "My lady, before I explain to you what is going on, may I ask you something?"
"Sure…"
"Did my lady ask something from the Crown Prince?"
I was taken aback by Lady Octavi's question. Confused, I replied, "Ask something?"
"Yes, did my lady recall that you asked something from the Crown Prince?"
Suddenly I remembered that I asked something of the Crown Prince at the party.
I could see suddenly that one of the servants behind Lady Octavi seemed to be giving her an envelope. After the envelope was in Lady Octavi's hand, she immediately brought it to me at the table and said, "May my lady read the letter inside this envelope?"
Curiosity piqued, and I cautiously took the envelope from Lady Octavi's outstretched hand. As I opened it, my eyes scanned the elegant handwriting on the letter inside, and a sense of unease washed over me. The content of the letter was a confession of the Crown Prince's past seven years towards me and a confession of the Crown Prince's desire towards the agreement of our betrothal. As I read until the end, my heart raced with a mixture of shock and disbelief. I couldn't believe he did it.
Lady Octavi said, "As my lady has read it, this letter is a testament to the Crown Prince's sincerity and commitment towards your betrothal. Not just that, it showed the guilt of the Crown Prince towards you for the past seven years."
Wait! Back then, I asked him to show his sincerity across the kingdom. I asked her, "Is this confession being shown across the kingdom?"
Lady Octavi nodded solemnly. "Indeed, my lady," she replied. "The Crown Prince's confession was not only shared with the entire kingdom but also publicly displayed in every corner, ensuring that his sincerity and remorse were known to all."
Yet, it wasn't the answer to why everyone acted differently today; this confession surely was a great deal for me: "Is this why everyone in this room acted differently?"
Lady Octavi paused for a moment and hesitated to answer, but finally, she spoke, "This confession is a deal-breaker across the kingdom…"
"What do you mean?"
"First, your betrothal is announced to the public, so it sparks some power balance and political alliances. I believe the other dukes will not be happy with this betrothal being announced now. Second, this confession shows how the royal kneels before your family. The guilt feeling from the Crown Prince shows how incapable the royal is towards an agreement and shows how big control Aurelius' family has across the kingdom."
Lady Octavi's words hung heavy in the air as she carefully considered her next statement. "Furthermore, this confession could potentially ignite tensions between rival factions within the kingdom. The other dukes' families may perceive it as a threat to the four powers in the kingdom. They might view it as a challenge to their own influence and attempt to assert their dominance. Additionally, this letter could also lead to speculation and rumours about the true intentions of Aurelius' family, because this letter showed how willing the Crown Prince was towards Aurelius' family."
Everything happened like what the Crown Prince told me at the party when I asked him about this. Yet, I saw another servant give Lady Octavi another envelope. Immediately, the second envelope was brought in front of me. As Lady Octavi said, "This envelope is the reason why we act different today, my lady…"
I became more curious about the inside of this envelope. I eagerly opened the second envelope, my heart pounding with anticipation. And I found it just a flower, a sprig of flowers; the flower's colour was yellow. I asked Lady Octavi, "Who is the person sending this?"
"It's from the third prince."
"The third prince? I don't know if he will send me a sprig of flowers…"
I saw Lady Octavi's face was confused, and I turned to the others; they showed some confusion too. Lady Octavi asked, "Does my lady know this flower?"
"I don't know anything about this flower. May you tell me about this flower?"
"Well, my lady…" Lady Octavi seemed hesitant to tell me, and I didn't know why, finally she continued, "This flower is a Tansy flower…and…if a person gives someone this flower…it means…" I could see her somehow struggling to say the meaning of the flower.
Seeing her like that, I said, "Just say it!!"
Lady Octavi took a deep breath and finally revealed, "If someone gives you a Tansy flower, it signifies that person hates you so much, and not forgiving you…And it can be…an unofficial declaration of war…"
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