Chapter 03

It's not much of a surprise when Myrthe woke up the day after, the marquessate was in chaos. Rumors had been going around that their beloved lady was seen having quite a merry time chatting with soon-to-be Duke Adelmire Edevane.

Maids we're running around in a panic, preparing something that shouldn't be a big deal yet. The marquess of Wildhemn is seen in a daze, looking far into the horizon from his balcony while holding a cold teacup. The Marchioness is pacing in her room, unable to process that her beautiful and precious daughter might have found a suitable partner. And the Marquessate heir, Myrthe's younger brother Allistar is planning a master plan on how to get his sister to dislike Eddie. All happening while Myrthe is peacefully off to dreamland.

"What's... with all this fuss, Jane." Myrthe rubs her temple in annoyance, watching as a row of maids stand before her ready to doll her up.

Jane, Myrthe's personal maid stands anxiously, not knowing why her lady is so calm. "Milady... haven't you heard?! Rumors going on how Lord of Edevane is planning to send Milady a request of engagement!"

Myrthe, completely unfazed, sat on her bed with an irked expression. The morning just started and she had already gotten a headache. "It's just rumors, isn't it? How foolish of you to believe such rumors,"

"Then is it not true, Milady?"

"Of course it true," with a playful smirk, Myrthe got up from her bed.

"Milady!!"

"Don't raise your voice, Jane. the morning is still young and you're already having a fest." Myrthe clicked her tongue as she slips off her nightgown, leaving her silky smooth body exposed to the sun that seeps through from the curtains.

"B-but Milady! You are going to be engaged to the Duke! How is it not a big deal?!" Jane fussed while frantically doing her job of helping Myrthe wash up.

"I guess that's true. Nevertheless, 'Eddie' will be a Duke and It is kinda a huge deal," She thought while humming. "But how could I make it such a big deal when I know how much of a dork he is, plus it's not like this is my first time marrying him." suddenly, she let out a chuckle on her own. With the maids staring at her weirdly for laughing without a warning.

"Is breakfast ready?"

"Goodness, Milady. Breakfast ended hours ago. Milady woke up very late today," Jane shook her head in disapproval, picking up Myrthe's dirty clothes ready to put them in the laundry.

"Well damn, I guess I had too much fun last night," with a satisfied smile, Myrthe simply waltz out of her room to the dining room.  "We did chat until the party ended, that's how much I miss him..." she thought to herself with a saddened smile. Although it's soon replaced with a giddy feeling at the thought of being together again. "My dialect is slipping again, I have to speak more old-timey..."

"What dress would you want today, milady?"

"Eh, just use whatever you see first, I trust your ability to make any dress match me,"

Jane laughed wholeheartedly, walking up to the closet as she says, "I'm flattered, Milady. Well, the winner seems to be this dress," Jane holds up a light blue dress, with off-shoulder white ruffles graced with sequences of clear crystals.

"Hmm... another blue dress, my wardrobe seems to be very plain, yes?" Myrthe glance inside her wardrobe, which looked more like a sea of blue dresses overlapping each other. "My god, where had my sense of style gone to? Why had no one stopped me from ordering the same colored dress??" She just realized how disastrously monotone her closet is, with each blue dress only differing in two to three tones.

"Well, blue dresses had become a trademark associated with Milady,"

Myrthe shook her head in disapproval, disappointed in her own self for not caring about her appearance more. But Myrthe being herself, found it a great opportunity in the midst of a problem. "Which means I have a reason to go out and shop, means I can invite him, in other words, a date." She couldn't stop the smile stretching on her face, the maids must've been weirded out seeing her express so many raw emotions.

Myrthe couldn't help it, she felt as if she went back to her youth playing around with her first crush, giggling like a young maiden in love. It's been so long, after all, 21 years since she last saw her beloved husband. The man she is so smitten with, the man she vowed to be with for eternity, the man so willing to accept her.

"Jane, I am so hungry," Myrthe suddenly blurted out, tho her face is kept bright and smiley from all the thoughts about her husband.

"Yes yes, give me a second, Milady." Jane laughed while skillfully doing Myrthe's hair. Her experience playing with her younger sister's hair had helped a lot in styling Myrthe's hair in a way no stylist had ever imagined. With the help of Myrthe's ideas stolen from the modern-day had also helped Jane grew into an exceptional maid able to do many hairdos.

"There, all done~" Jane mused while grinning, satisfied with the intricate half updo she managed to pull off on Myrthe pale blonde locks.

"Great. Now breakfast," Myrthe did not waste any precious second admiring her appearance, instead, she went straight to the door out of her room into the hallways, already craving food.

"Of course Milady, I'm pretty sure lunch is ready, although not served yet, but is it alright for you to eat lunch instead? Or shall I make you a breakfast meal?"

"No, no need the hassle. I'll just eat lunch, as if breakfast and lunch is any different for me." the clicking of her heels rang trough the seemingly endless hallways, and Myrthe could not be more annoyed at how big the Wildhemn mansion is.

hastily she entered the dining room, pushing the grand door with all her might as if anyone inside would be awed by her presence. without even looking at the menu, Myrthe sat down and began eating. she was known to have a great appetite, after all, food is the only thing keeping her patience in check in this time full of hindrance.

while filling her stomach happily, a sudden burst opened the door with full power. Myrthe nearly coked on her tomato.

"Myrthe, dear!" the Marchioness, Zelilah Wildhemn hurriedly stepping inside the dining room. Face full of worry and panic. "Dear, why had you never told me you are with Lord Edevane?!" Myrthe's mother stammered.

"Morning, Mother."

"It's noon, dear. And don't just 'Morning' me! answer my question!" she panicked. Her once perfectly oval face wrinkled with age, her silver eyes graying alongside her platinum blonde hair, despite that, there's still reminiscent of timeless beauty adorning her looks.

"My god, everyone seems to be in a fuss today, huh?" Myrthe laughed, elegantly wiping her mouth with a napkin. She faced her mother with a smug face, enjoying the look of panic and surprise that highly entertains her. Myrthe was one to prank people a lot.

Myrthe's mother sighed, looking at the daughter she birthed. Like staring at a mirror, Myrthe was very much alike her mother. With the exception of her dark green eyes she inherited from her father.

"The estate wouldn't be in so much of a panic if you told us before hand," Zelilah sighed, resting her body on the dining room chair.

"What is there to tell? Sir Edevane will give a proper request which shouldn't be a surprise? isn't engagement request always sent without prior notice or am I missing something? or is everyone swept by the rumours?" Myrthe was slightly disappointed. Even if the news of her engagement will eventually be true, it's still a mere rumor as of now.

It's baffling seeing everyone in so much panic. Especially when Myrthe always had engagement request coming each month without fail. So it shouldn't be surprising that another man is rumored to want her hands in marriage, it just so happens that the man was the next Duke in-line.

"The engagement request hadn't been sent, dear." The Marchioness seems equally confused, raising her eyebrow as she looked at her daughter weirdly.

Myrthe mirrored her mother's expression with rivaling confusion, "then it's true that everyone is swept by the rumours?" She shook her head in disbelief. Sighing for the nth time, Myrthe was beyond disappointed. "Mother shouldn't believe what others said easily, for all I now it could be just rumors and Lord Edevane is not at all interested in me. So let's not make a fuss until a proper statement came out, yes?"

With a soft face and patience of a saint, the Marchioness heaved a sigh. "On normal circumstances, that's what should have been done. But how could everyone not panic when Lord Edevane himself showed up?"

"What?" Myrthe blinked. She tried repeating what her mother just said and wiring her head around it, she hoped she heard wrong.

"Lord Edevane is downstairs now, dear. He came this morning to personally discuss your engagement."

"...what?"

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