Chapter 58: 'Feels like punching something, or someone?'
The mass ended an hour later.
It was just as usual. The High Priest prayed for the souls of her deceased family and to grant the duchess strength to pursue what she wanted and the best of luck to her; a bountiful harvest and a gentle winter were some of the prayers for, and then some others.
Amelia received the same kind of prayers and blessings and whatnot from the previous years, but she knows better than anyone else that all these years, all she wanted was revenge. To find her family's killers. And every year, the mass just reminds her of that. With every second she spent sitting, listening to the sermon, she's reminded of what she hasn't done and achieved all these years. Before she would clench her fists as faint memories of that night came to her, but she's worked her way out of that now.
"Are you alright?" Vance was with her in the carriage on her way back to the palace while her ladies-in-waiting were in the other.
"It dulls over the years," the duchess showed a half-smile then averted her gaze outside.
At the palace, the hall was abuzz with visitors for the luncheon. Some decided to spend the remainder of the day in the expansive garden, in awe with the different floras blooming for the season, while the others chose business over leisure in the drawing room.
The entertainers arrived just when she was about to leave for the church, so there's plenty to keep them busy until the food's ready.
In her room, two maidservants went going back and forth at the whim of a tall woman wearing a rich blue velvet dress cinched at the waist with a band decorated with pearls and crystals. Her hair was done in a high bun and accentuated her long neck enclosed by the collar of her dress.
"Oh, darling!" a high-pitched voice cheerily welcomed Amelia. With wide arms, she walked towards the duchess and embraced her. "Your advisor knew I was coming, and the butler led me to your room. But enough of that, you must get out of that immediately!"
"I… I thought you'd be coming this afternoon?" Amelia stuttered.
"Oh, hush now. I have some extra time, so I thought to myself, why not now?" she shrugged her shoulders with a wide grin. At the clap of her hands, the maidservants stopped what they were doing and carefully placed the boxes and fabrics near or on her bed. "Thank you, my dears. Go along now, I'll have the duchess' ladies help me with this one."
"You're going to help me dress?" Amelia almost took a step back. When it came to dressing, Madame Camellia's notorious for being too much. She just didn't want to have her corset a pull too tight.
The duchess looked at her ladies-in-waiting but all of them returned her gaze apologetically. Why wouldn't they? Madame Camellia's the must-have seamstress for every other noble out there. She's known everywhere. For sure, a selection of her ladies' dresses has been from Madame's shop.
There was nothing else for Amelia to do but accept the seamstress' help.
"And, oh, before I forgot…" Madame Camellia lifted a finger and pulled her skirt a little so she could walk around her bed with ease. "I brought this exquisite box with me. Miss Sybil went personally to my shop yesterday and told me to use this. It's a surprise gift from her that she said she personally designed for you." Amelia's eyes widened as she stared at the box in front of her.
"Oh, Heavens, she shouldn't have," she whispered to herself, and her ladies-in-waiting couldn't help but succumb to their curiosities and took a peek at what made the duchess froze.
"Ooh!" the seamstress shuddered, "Just carrying it with me in my carriage stressed me so much. I was anxious all the way here. That's also the reason why I came so early! Heavens, I can't have this thing in my shop a second longer."
Amelia understood the seamstress completely. Even she didn't want to touch it. It was too much for a gift—a very expensive and rare one.
Chipped red diamonds set on a silver band that matched her hair color well. No one crystal has the same shape as the others which made the band even more unique. It made Amelia smile thinking that Sybil has been thinking about her, but the gift? Alexander could give it to her, and she wouldn't think twice about it, because he's so wealthy he's probably bathing with all sorts of rare items. But Sybil?
"This is just too much," Amelia muttered again.
"Well, they do own some mines back at Toutis. Something like this probably isn't that much for her or her family," Arabella butted in, nodding approvingly at the jewelry in front of them.
"Knowing Sybil, she's bound to do this sooner or later. That lady is used to spending a lot—and when I say a lot, I mean a 'lot', trust me." Christa emphasized the word 'lot' so much, her gestures were as wide as her arms permitted it.
"Well, it's better than the tiara…" Laila whispered, and Arabella bobbed her head. The two forgot that Christa and Madame Camellia didn't know about the tiara the emperor sent, so the two got all flustered trying to explain it.
"Thank you for bringing this with you, Madame Camellia. I'm sure this will look good on the dress you made for the luncheon," Amelia butted in to change the subject, and upon hearing those words, the seamstress' eyes sparkled. The duchess then looked at Christa mouthing the word 'later' before she turned away to follow the seamstress.
The dress' skirt was made of high-quality silk dyed over and over again to achieve a rich burgundy hue. It came from her waist down to the floor, with a short trail. From the waist up, it was tulle in the color of a lighter shade than her skirt. Golden floral appliques covered her bust and torso, as well as the edge of the short collar that went up to her neck. The puffed sleeves tightened around her forearm down to her wrists and had similar golden appliques—but before all that, she had to hang on her bedpost for dear life as the seamstress tightened the overbust corset until she was satisfied.
Amelia grunted and almost cursed. Her ladies-in-waiting all grimaced at the sight of her struggling. After that, she was made to wear two layers of thin underskirts before she's fitted into the actual dress.
By the time her ordeal was over, Laila quickly came over to wipe Amelia's sweat. The duchess was then ushered to seat in front of her dresser so they may start with her face and hair.
"Your face's perfect the way it is, so just a little powder and some light tint would do," the Madame said in a low voice, almost a whisper. When she was done, she grabbed the duchess' hairbrush and started brushing her hair.
As they came from traveling, her hair's become a little tangled, and every time the seamstress forced her brush through the tangled bits, Amelia winced. A portion of her hair in front was braided by Christa and Arabella as the Madame instructed. After they were pinned at the opposite side with the ends carefully hidden. The rest of the duchess' slightly wavy hair was brushed thoroughly until it was shining.
"And for the finale," Christa muttered. In her hand was the box Sybil gifted to the duchess. "Sybil would be elated to see you wear this, Lia."
Amelia glanced at it and gulped before she bobbed her head, bringing smiles to others.
Carefully, Madame Camellia fitted the diamond-studded hairband on her head and her hair perfectly camouflaged the band, making it seem like the red diamonds were placed one by one to form a line. Next, small boxes of jewelry were opened and placed in front of the dresser for Amelia to choose from.
For her necklace, she chose her mothers'—a long gold chain with a pendant engraved with her House's crest. Ruby studs for her earrings; and lastly, for her ring, Amelia told Arabella to take the box she kept in one of her worktable's drawers in the adjoining room.
"Are you sure?" Arabella lifted the box when she returned. "Isn't this going to send some kind of mixed message? I mean…" Arabella trailed off when she saw the duchess' warning stare.
"I wear rings all the time. It's not as if this is going to be something huge. I just wanted… something new."
"Is there some kind of hidden meaning for that ring?" Christa was quick to notice.
"Nothing much. Arabella's thinking too far ahead about it as usual," Amelia answered casually, and the lady assassin's mouth dropped. She scoffed at the duchess but received a mocking smile that made Laila giggle, and Christa was at a loss for words since she's not aware of who the ring came from.
It's fun teasing the new lady-in-waiting, but Amelia's already set on explaining everything to her after the day is done so she won't be so left out next time—everything.
A last twirl and an approving nod from the seamstress were the end of it. Satisfied, the Madame wiped her forehead of imaginary sweat and left the ladies to themselves. The other three were not changing so they accompanied Amelia until it was time for her to head down to the hall, a few minutes before the gong for luncheon sounded.
**********
From the hallway, the chatter from the drawing room could be heard. Followed by her ladies-in-waiting, Amelia signaled to the knights to open the door. And as they did, the sound died, and all eyes fell on her.
No matter how many times she's been subjected to scrutinizing stares, the duchess just couldn't get used to it. But even so, she kept her head high and walked with confidence in her every step.
As she stepped into the crowd, everyone greeted her with a good day and gave a compliment or two. Amelia did the same, chatting as much as she could to be a welcoming host though it's actually her first time holding one.
"Duchess!" Amelia looked back to see who called her and she instantly beamed when she saw Reignold Whitt—the very reason why Arabella's been absent lately. It has been a while since she last saw the old Felfords' head.
"Heavens, Sir Reignold! I haven't seen you for a while, I'm starting to think that you're avoiding me."
"Of course not, my dear Duchess," he said in a fatherly tone, and Amelia instinctively held out her arms to accept his embrace. "Happy birthday, dear," Reignold whispered, and Amelia's arms wrapped tighter around him. When she let go, the Felfords' head placed a hand on her shoulders and lightly squeezed it.
He's the second person to greet her.
The earliest memory she had of Arabella's grandfather was when he came the evening following the incident. Amelia remembered his huge stature and deathly stares standing by the door conversing with Vance. His voice bounced at the wall of the small manor where they stayed, and with heavy steps, he flung open the door of the room where Amelia was.
Reignold stared down at her, and her young self stared back at him. Amelia just lost everything that time, there's nothing she could think that bothered her.
"How—how's your health? Arabella said it's been frail lately," the duchess' voice cracked a little.
"Well, at this age, a little difference in the weather can put a toll on my body. It's nothing to worry about, however. I'm like fine wine; the more I age, the better I become." Reignold chuckled, and Amelia was about to respond when her words were drowned by a familiar voice who talked a tad louder than was necessary.
"You should find yourself some young miss to tell that to, Whitt."
The duchess glanced at the Felfords' head before turning to face her late Aunt's husband.
"It's good to see you again, Uncle. I hope you've been well since we last saw each other." Amelia smiled like how she was taught. At the side of her eyes, she noted the others whispering to one another. As some of her guests were supporters of Walton, she has to be extra wary of how she acted so as not to give any gap they could exploit. "And who is this Miss you're with?"
"Ah, a lady friend I met during one of my business travels," Walton's eye sparkled as he looked at the short-haired brunette linking her arm with his. "Adora Stanton. A rising entrepreneur who I happened to come across on my way back from Toutis."
"In my hometown, everyone called me, Milly, your grace," Adora bowed her head and curtsied deeply that her bust peeked through the slit in front of her dress that started from the base of her closed-neck collar down to the middle of her chest. Her peached-colored wool dress touched the floor, and her sleeves were long and cuffed. "My grandmother's name was Milly and they told me that I look just like her, so I was the 'little' Milly." Her voice was honeyed that Amelia could just listen to her for the rest of the day.
"Greetings to you too, Miss Stanton. And welcome to Osmea…"
"Yes, thank you, Duchess." she lifted her gaze and Walton stepped up to mention Reignold's intricately carved cane.
"Be careful with that cane now, old man. You might hurt others with that—but wait, you probably won't have enough strength in those arms."
Reignold sneered and straightened himself, "This old man is having a bit of trouble walking lately," he said in a slightly rough and deep voice.
Adora giggled, her arm snaked around Walton again with the side of her bust touching the baron's arm. Walton looked beyond happy to accept such a generous display of coquettish behavior, but the duchess wanted to gag in front of them. Glancing at the crowd behind them, there were some visible disapprovals, which somehow made the duchess a little pleased.
'May Walton bring ruin to his own self,' Amelia thought.
"You're glory days are in the past now. You should just be enjoying your time surrounded by young'uns. They're proven to make you feel young too," Walton let out a hearty laugh, and Adora, again, giggled with him.
Her voice was starting to irk Amelia, and the more that she stayed in front of them, the more it's getting harder for her to control her expression. Luckily for her, someone at a distance waved to get her attention.
"As much as I'd love to chat, unfortunately, I still have some other guests I need to attend to. So, if you'll excuse me, I'd love to catch up with someone else."
"Of course, dear. Go and meet the others," the Felfords head placed a hand on her back and nodded slowly. "I must meet with someone myself. Arabella, my dear, help this old man through the crowd," he made an accent at the words 'old man' even though he walked with his cane barely touching the floor. Those who heard and saw it didn't make an effort to hide the smirks on their faces.
"What was that about?" Amelia looked back to the door where her lady assassin exited before answering.
"Well, you know… In time you will. I'm not in the mood to explain anything right now."
"Feels like punching something, or someone?" Oswyn showed a mocking smile.
"Someone," Amelia stared at the scholar and scoffed.
At the short time that she spent with him, she was already comfortable enough to converse as she would converse with her ladies-in-waiting. It was as if she knew him all along. Must be the hair.
After a short laugh, Oswyn leaned forward and whispered the words, "You look beautiful, by the way, your grace" which made Amelia's ears turn red.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone