Arriving home, the three children—Aelia, Alicia, and Alecia—welcomed us at the entrance. As soon as I stepped out of the carriage, I immediately headed to my room, the three girls following close behind like ducklings. I pointedly ignored the two women Father had brought with us.
On my way to my room, I saw Lady Laura walking briskly toward Mother, holding an envelope sealed with yellow wax and stamped with an intricate pattern. I stopped for a second to watch. From afar, I saw Mother receive the envelope and break the seal. As she read the letter, her face registered surprise. Father, reading over her shoulder, looked equally shocked.
Shrugging it off, I continued to my room.
Once inside, I couldn't go straight to bed because I was still wearing my gown. Instead, I went out to the balcony as usual to enjoy some tea and fresh air.
After a few moments, there was a knock at the door.
Knock-knock.
Aelia went to answer it. It was Sofia, accompanied by one of the women Father had brought—the short-haired blonde one.
Sofia and the woman walked up to me on the balcony.
"My Lady, may I introduce this young woman to you?" Sofia asked.
I glanced at the woman briefly while taking a sip of my drink, then set the cup down.
"What is the reason you want to introduce this young woman to me?" I asked coolly, picking up my cup again to sip.
"This young woman will be your personal physici—"
PFFFT!
Hearing that, I immediately burst my drink all over the table.
"WHAT!"
I slammed my cup down—BANG!—and stood up, marching right up to Sofia's face.
"Does my father dismiss you? I will talk to him! Just stay here!"
I tried to storm out, but Sofia immediately grabbed my right arm.
"You don't need to do that, My Lady," she said quickly, "because His Grace did not dismiss me."
She let go of my arm and stepped behind the blonde woman, placing her hands on the stranger's shoulders.
"This young woman will become your personal physician. Is that great?" Sofia smiled, peeking her head out from behind the woman.
"But you are my physician. Why do I need her beside you??"
Meanwhile, the table was a mess of spilled tea. Alicia and Aelia hurried over to clean it up.
"I am the family physician," Sofia explained patiently. "But with her, you have your own dedicated doctor. Is that not great for you, My Lady? Especially at this time."
I leaned in closer to the woman. I knew her from the beginning—it was Gennaia—but I wanted to inspect her human form. The woman kept a perfect poker face, but as I scrutinized her, she suddenly flashed me a knowing smile. I took it personally.
"May I introduce her to you, My Lady?" Sofia asked.
"Surely," I drawled. "I am curious, too. What is the name of the woman Father took such an interest in?"
"Her name is Gena…." Sofia began listing her skills and abilities, but I tuned it all out.
What! She just took her own name, from Gennaia to Gena? What about Delios?
"My Lady, perhaps you didn't hear me?" Sofia asked, noticing my distraction.
"I heard you… so this is Gena."
Gena bowed, lifted the edges of her skirt, and introduced herself. "This Gena will be your physician, My Lady."
"Raise your head, Gena."
She raised her head and locked eyes with me.
After that, Sofia took her leave from the room. But Gena didn't follow her. She just stayed standing beside me.
"Why are you not following Sofia? And why are you still here?" I demanded.
"Because I am your personal physician now," she replied smoothly. "So it is my obligation to stay beside you, My Lady."
"Right… GENA!"
The table was already cleaned. Alecia and Alicia had done their work well. Aelia poured fresh tea into a new cup.
I reached out to take a sip, but Gena suddenly spoke up.
"My Lady, I think you have had enough tea today."
"Huh?" I paused, confused.
"May I take a look at your tea?"
Without waiting for permission, she snatched the teapot from Aelia's hands and opened the lid. She peered inside, a small, triumphant smile playing on her lips.
"My Lady, perhaps do you consume this type of tea every day?" she asked.
"Yes, she drinks the tea every day," Aelia answered nervously. "Is there something wrong?"
"This type of tea is not healthy for My Lady's body."
"Is that true, Gena?" Aelia gasped.
"Yes. Maybe this tea can be one of the causes for My Lady's health deteriorating."
"You are making this up, right?" I asked skeptically.
But the three children took it seriously. Their faces turned horrified. Immediately, they dropped to their knees and bowed down to me.
"Forgive us, My Lady! We didn't know!"
I sighed. "I forgive you. Just stand up."
They hurriedly took the cups and the teapot from the table and fled the room, leaving me and Gena alone.
"Look what you have done!!" I hissed at Gena.
"I just did what was best for you, My Lady," she said innocently.
"Cut the chase and your fakery. There is no one around here." I leaned in. "Why did you two follow me? Even disguised in human form?"
"We thought it would be more fun than watching you from afar," she shrugged.
"Sigh. Just do whatever you want. But don't lay a single finger on the people in this house. And especially, I don't want any information about concubines."
"You just gave us a great idea," she smirked. "I like it."
"HEI!" I glared at her. "And that body… how old is it?"
"This body? I think I disguised myself as a twenty-four-year-old woman."
"So you are younger than my mother…"
"Really? That is a great opportunity," she mused. "But her beauty is undeniable. When I saw her for the first time, I didn't believe she was human given her beauty."
"And about your tea commotion," I crossed my arms. "You were making it up, right?"
She just smiled without saying a single word.
"You know, your words will make a big commotion, especially in the kitchen," I warned.
"I think it will be alright."
"Why are you so confident about it?"
"Because…."
…. … .. .
"Ah! Aurelia, finally you are here! We were waiting for you. This dinner will be different because Delia will be the one who cooks it," Father announced happily from the dining table.
I froze at the entrance.
Because Delios already took over the kitchen.
And just like Gena, her fake name was lazily close to her real one. Delia and Delios.
"Why do you keep standing there? Come and take a seat!" Mother called out.
I walked to the table and sat down.
…
After dinner was done, Mother and the twins left, leaving only Father and me at the table.
"Why did you let this Delia cook?" I asked Father.
"Because your mother likes her cooking."
"Mother likes her cooking?"
"Yes. I believe your mother came across Delia cooking something in the kitchen, she tasted it, and found it delicious. Immediately, she let Delia take over the kitchen."
"Just like that? Mother let a stranger take over the kitchen?"
"Well, she is not a stranger anymore," Father reasoned. "And about your tea… I was shocked to hear that from your personal maids. For now, Delia and Gena will be providing everything that is best for you."
"Hehhhhhhhh," I groaned.
"Don't grumble about it. And your mother said to me that she wanted to meet you. You can ask your maids about that, and they will lead you to your mother."
I just nodded at Father and left the dining room.
Outside, the three children were already waiting for me. Without speaking, they led me to Mother. It was the same private lounge where Adel had led me before.
Mother waved her hand to me, and I sat beside her on the sofa.
She held up the envelope from Lady Laura I had seen earlier.
"You need to read this."
I took the envelope, opened it, and read the content.
Dear Duke and Duchess of Florence,
On behalf of His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince of Fotia, we would like to inform you that The Crown Prince will pay a visit to your duchy tomorrow upon the arrival of this letter. I hope His Grace Duke Marcus Aurelius and Her Grace Duchess Cordelia Aurelius have prepared for The Crown Prince's arrival.
His Royal Highness has a desire to meet his fiancée, Lady Aurelia Aurelius. We hope The Lady will be present during His Royal Highness's visit.
Yours Sincerely,Courtier of the Court of His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince of Fotia.
After I read it, I looked at Mother. "Is this true?"
"Yes, Aurelia. The seal of the envelope is real."
"I didn't know if my fiancé was from the Royal Family, especially the Crown Prince… Mother just told me his name."
"I forgot to tell you about it," she admitted. "Aurelia, do you have a desire to meet your fiancé or not?"
"Huh??"
She pulled me into a hug. "If you don't have the desire to meet him, it is okay. We will find another way. But if you have the desire to meet him, we will allow him to see you."
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Because your mother wants the best for you, besides this betrothal."
"Does Mother object to my betrothal to him?"
"Not quite object to it," she said slowly. "But more… not supporting it."
"Why??"
She released her hug. "It is just… a personal… matter… your mother with the Royal Family. Besides that, what is your answer to this letter?"
"First, I want to look into my fiancé more. So I will be present when he arrives."
"If you say so."
She suddenly clapped her hands.
Clap!
In a second, I was surprised to see two figures I knew well appear at the entrance.
"They will stay beside you in this circumstance," Mother explained. "Because the three children still do not have experience with Royal arrivals. But they will stay beside you, so in this circumstance, you will have four personal maids and one Lady-in-Waiting."
It had been weeks since I saw them. I got up from the sofa, walked toward them, and hugged them tight.
"Welcome back, Adel and Lady Octavi."
"It is an honor to see you again, My Lady," Adel whispered.
"You two better not show feuds with each other again," Mother warned sternly.
"We know our mistake, Madam," they replied in unison.
"And once more, Aurelia," Mother added, "Lady Octavi will not be your tutor again. She will just be your Lady-in-Waiting. Your new tutor will be Gena."
"Hehhhhhh," I groaned again.
"It is alright, My Lady," Lady Octavi smiled warmly. "To see you and be with you is enough for me."
"You better get rid of your grumbling trait," Mother scolded lightly. "All of you can dismiss and leave the room."
Outside the room, Adel and I went to my bedroom followed by the three children, but Lady Octavi separated to attend to other duties.
When we arrived at my room, Gena was already waiting there. I could not see her as a human; every time I looked at her, I saw a goddess.
Gena told me that she would be conducting an examination of me under Sofia's orders. Before I lay down, the three children undressed me and put me into my pyjamas.
I lay down on the bed. Gena started to examine me—like Sofia, she checked my pulse, temperature, and tongue.
After the examination, she leaned down, her mouth close to my left ear.
"You better be in bed tomorrow," she whispered.
I was surprised. Tomorrow I needed to be present for the Crown Prince. I couldn't be in bed.
"WHAT!! Why??" I whispered back urgently.
"The Dianoia will react tomorrow," she hissed. "The specific time, I don't know about it, but I guarantee it will react to your mind. So it would be great if you stay in bed."
"I can't do that. Tomorrow I need to be present; my fiancé will come to the house. Is there anything you can do about your thing that is somehow inside my mind?"
After she heard that, she pulled back and flashed me a little smirk.
"I think it is just that. I see there is nothing wrong with My Lady's body."
She immediately walked away and left the room.
That woman…