Chapter 4: Shine on her stage
"I will just go to class; I can't stand the nagging," Anastasia made up her mind, knowing that if she went to the kitchen, those women would deliberately make things difficult for her.
Anastasia did not have many clothes, to begin with, so if the dress she was wearing got stained in the kitchen, she might not have anything decent to wear to class, and then she would have to deal with Miss Brice's disdainful gaze for a few hours.
"Sister, " a young lady was already Sitting in the classroom before Anastasia arrived. She has a kind smile on her lips. She was looking gentle and innocent.
"Elisabeth, " Anastasia responded. She could never call her sister when only the two of them were present. Anastasia had fallen into Elisabeth's schemes too often to be moved by her pretends. In fact, she felt too lazy to play such games with her.
Elisabeth maintained her gentle smile, not bothered about Anastasia's indifferent attitude. Anastasia did not pay any attention to her either. She walked over and sat down. In Nixet, males and females were educated differently, so only two ladies of the Duke family would attend the class.
Shortly after they settled down, a woman in her mid-fifties walked in. Her back was straight, and she had a scholarly aura around her. There was a gentle air around her that made her look approachable. Coupled with her well-maintained skin an evidence of her social standing, one could tell she was a great beauty in her youth.
"Good Morning, Miss Brice, " the sisters stood up as soon as their teacher entered the class.
The two sisters had their backs straight, like proper ladies, but their head was slightly lowered to show respect to their teacher.
"Sit," Miss Brice instructed after she took her seat. "Lady Elisabeth, would you like to give an insight on your assignment?" Miss Brice asked. She smiled warmly at her. It was the Gaze of a teacher looking at her best student.
"Yes," Elizabeth adjusted her sitting position as she began to recite the poem 'The Joy of Motherhood,'
"Motherhood is a blessing that every woman with good fortune receives... "Her voice was not loud; it was smooth and soft, pleasant to the ear like a sweet melody. The words flowed smoothly with no pauses or hiccups.
After she recited the poem, she gave her insight. Miss Brice had a smile on her face as she listened. She did not have to say anything before one knew she was satisfied with Elisabeth's answer.
"You are so talented, you should try writing a poem," Miss Brice complimented.
"Lady Anastasia," Miss Brice called. There was no smile on her face. If she were not a trained teacher, disdain would have been written on her face. "I suppose you had time to study your assignment this time?" she raised her eyebrows.
"a bit," Anastasia replied. She did not seem anxious to speak. Her composed behavior irritated Miss Brice, but she held it in.
"Then go on and recite the poem. If you can remember the words correctly, I would be a proud teacher," Miss Brice murmured the other half of her statement, but Anastasia had been looking at her so she could easily read her lips.
Anastasia was not bothered about the comment; her mother had taught her many songs and poems. In fact, if she wanted to, she could make her voice more pleasant than Elizabeth's, but since she turned six, her mother had been making her hide her talent.
When she asked once, her mother had told her, "We all have our stage. Once you find yourself under another person's stage, you must not steal their light unless you have enough power to own it."
Back then, she did not understand, but she saw the picture now that her mother was dead.
The duke's house belonged to the Duchess and her children. It was their stage, so they could shine freely. On the other hand, if she appeared better than Elizabeth even the slightest, she would only be calling trouble to herself. The more stupid she acted, the bigger her chance of survival.
Anastasia started reciting the poem; she got every single word correct in the first stanza and made a few mistakes in the second stanza. The third and fourth stanzas were filled with errors, total ruins of a good poem.
"That's enough, " Miss Brice stopped her. There was disappointment all over her face. Not even her wealth of experience stopped her from sighing in disappointment. So, she did not bother to ask her[Anastasia} insight before she started her lesson for the day.
Two hours later, Miss Brice concluded her lessons for the day. As usual, Miss Brice only cared about Elisabeth; as long as she understood, she would continue the lessons.
When the class was over, Elisabeth's maid brought her some snacks.
"Would you like to have some? " Elisabeth offered. She had a friendly smile and even offered the plate of snacks herself. Anastasia shook her head. Although hungry, she knew better than eating something from Elisabeth. Sometimes, the food was fine, and other times, she needed to visit the toilet for the rest of the day.
Anastasia already felt sick; she did not dare take such chances. After responding to Elisabeth, She buried her head on her desk. She seemed to be sleeping, but was revising the topic Miss Brice had taught.
Although she could not shine at this stage, her mother had told her that she had to be prepared so that when an opportunity showed up, she would be able to shine.
Elisabeth frowned when she saw her response; she knew Anastasia had not eaten anything before coming to class. She wanted her to share the snack so she could return to her courtyard sick.
They had three teachers, Miss Brice, Miss Ellen, and Miss Maria. Miss Brice and Miss Ellen already gave up on Anastasia, not bothering to teach her, but Miss Maria was different.
She focused on Anastasia, teaching her everything she needed to become a respected lady.
No matter how slow she was at learning, Miss Maria did not give up. And the most annoying part was that Anastasia seemed to improve. In the last few days, she noticed that her walking and sitting posture was not worse than hers. Besides, she seemed to have a better posture, which did not sit well with her.
Elisabeth had already complained to her mother, but the Duchess could do nothing. Miss Maria was well respected in society, so she(the Duchess) was scared she would lose face if she went to her. Moreover, asking Miss Maria to ignore Anastasia in class was handing her a knife that could be used against her(the Duchess).
So, she advises Elizabeth to devise a plan to make Miss Maria disappointed in Anastasia.
After thinking for a while, she felt that playing a little prank on Anastasia by adding stomach-upsetting herbs into her pie would do the magic. Since Miss Maria was an etiquette teacher, if Anastasia embarrassed herself before her, she would be disappointed and stop paying attention to her.
After all, no matter how patient she was, no one could stand all their teaching for years going to waste. Unfortunately, Anastasia did not take the bait.
"Take it away, I am not hungry, " Elisabeth lost her appetite.
Half an hour later, Miss Maria worked into the room. She was also a lady in her fifties. Although she could not be said to be a great beauty, her steps had the charm to attract the attention of anyone nearby. The two ladies got up and greeted her with proper etiquette. Miss Maria looked at Anastasia and was pleased with what she saw. Although what she wore was inferior to Elisabeth's, the grace she possessed was not inferior, and this was the real meaning of being a noble.
"Miss Anastasia, you are hosting a party; please turn to Lady Elisabeth and welcome her," Miss Maria instructed. She was pleased that Anastasia was showing improvement.
Elisabeth frowned when she heard the instruction. She could not stand the fact that she was being Ignored. Anastasia nodded before straightening her back. She smiled warmly as she looked at Elisabeth with the domine of a host.
Elisabeth's frown deepened when she saw this; she gazed at Anastasia with undisguised hatred.
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