Of course, Eliza didn’t stop walking. So what if his tone sounded convincing? So what if he seemed too sure of his words? She rolled her eyes as she walked towards Lily, still irritated at the man who didn’t even bother to approach her when she first entered the room.

  If only she could say something to her parents about this matter. If only she could cancel this stupid engagement for on her own.

  "You alright?" Lily asked when she noticed her stiff smile.

  "I feel fabulous." She roamed her eyes around the hall, looking for her sister. "Mikaela was never late for something." Eliza commented when she saw that she wasn’t in the hall.

  "Yuanfeng told me that she already arrived just a few minutes before we walked inside the hall. However, The Duchess pulled her towards her office for a private conversation." Lily said as she smiled to another gentleman walking towards their way. "If you want to learn about business…… you should observe and listen." Lily noted. "Stop sulking on old boys. They don’t deserve it."

  For some reason, Eliza found Lily’s words funny. It wasn’t the meaning behind her words, it was the way she said boys. In Lily’s eyes, Harringfort was nothing but a boy— and old one. This was enough to lift her mood up. Smiling, she nodded and got herself a glass of champagne while listening in on Lily as she started another conversation with the man who approached them.

  Eliza didn’t even bother asking how Lily knew that she had been studying business in the past few months. Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the Duchess’ office was the exact opposite of Eliza’s mood. It was dark, gloomy and suffocating as the two women who sat across each other were frowning. Each in deep thoughts.

  "It wasn’t Pierre’s intention. Whatever Lily told you was wrong."

  "What makes you think that she said something to me?" The Duchess said. Her tone might be calm but the irritation in her eyes was apparent. She took a sip of her tea to calm herself as she met her daughter’s eyes. "An attendant told me about the ruined dress, near the kitchen. I can show you the recordings, if you want me to." The Duchess said. "Stop protecting your husband."

  "Mother…… it wasn’t Pierre’s fault. I already told you. Whatever happened was because of my negligence. There is nothing more to that. I actually forgot to inquire with the attendants about it."

  The Duchess’s beautiful eyes narrowed in her daughter’s direction. "I am your mother Mikaela. Do you really think you can lie to me?"

  "Mother—"

  "That man is trying to sow discord between you and Lily. Obviously, Lily is too smart for his petty schemes. However…… don’t you dare think that I will let this pass. He has done enough damage. I don’t want to see him in this household all throughout Lily’s visit!" Her sharp eyes bore towards her daughters. "Do you understand me?"

  Mikaela nodded as she gulped. "Forgive me."

  "An apology will not change anything!" The Duchess said. "This will not change the fact that Lily already saw how negligent you are. In her eyes, this must be your fault. After all, you were so proud about how you could handle stuff with your perfect planning and yet you failed to send a simple dress! A small dress to her properly." The Duchess let out a sharp breath. "I’m sorry." She sighed. "I—"

  "I understand mother. There is no need to worry." Mikaela said. Growing up, she had witnessed her mother’s temper flare like this. However, not once did she raise her voice nor punish them severely. She had always been like this, calm on the outside yet boiling on the inside.

  The only man who witnessed their mother’s fury should be their father, the Grand Duke.

  "Do you understand why I am upset?" her mother asked, her face still calm. She nodded in response. Seeing this, the Duchess continued. "You let your husband trick you. Even if you knew that there was a big possibility of him retaliating. You got careless my daughter. That is something that I never taught you." But then again, love can be blind and trusting. The Duchess let out another sigh. "You should remember that the man that you married belongs to the family that wanted to overthrow your father. The family that wanted us to leave this palace, this country."

  Again, Mikaela nodded, her back straight as she continued to listen to her mother.

  "Your husband might seem kind and generous to you." The Duchess continued. "But let’s not forget that you are his wife, the mother of his children. That man is too…… cunning. Mikaela you should not let him create any more problems in between our families."

  Mikaela nodded. Of course, to her mother’s eyes, her marriage with Pierre was nothing but a strategy to make people think that the two families had already found their peace with each other. A facade to fool everyone. Pursing her lips, Mikaela lowered her head. She was not able to stop her hands from clutching her dress.

  If this was another day, Mikaela would have nodded and just gave her mother a smile. However, Mikaela’s day had already started with a problem when Pierre ignored her and stayed in his office all day. When she asked him for breakfast, he only nodded and asked her to bring it inside his study. Now, this was something that rarely happened in their household.

  Pierre might be sensitive and his views might be different but he was always a good father to their children. He was sweet and a very good and kind husband. He was far from the person that her parents described him to be. Sometimes, Mikaela would even wonder if her parents only made those stories about the man because they wanted her to be by their side and act as a spy for the Nassae family.

  "Alright…… let’s finish this tea so we can accompany the others in the hall. I am certain Leandro is already there waiting for us." Her mother said calmly. In response, Mikaela raised her head to look at the woman who raised her. Exhausted Mikaela nodded and smiled. Sometimes she wished she was not born as royalty. She sighed inwardly before drinking the rest of her tea.