章 7: Opening The Curtain At Perfect Stage
"Oh! Did i?``Although no one said a word, everyone understood her motives.
"Then I must apologize to the guards you are talking about." she said with a mocking smirk which was full of disdain. Her eyes had a strange confidence that shocked the crowd.
Everyone knew that Althea had been a meek and scared girl who did not have the courage to speak.
It was an open secret that she had been tormented and bullied by everyone but she had only hidden the scars and smiled at everyone, hiding the fact to save her image and others that had only brought more torment for her.
But now her gaze and voice both are no less than daggers. Her eyes were so sharp that everyone could feel the wound.
"But then, if I had gone out of the palace, how would I have been here in such a short amount of time?" she asked as she tucked her hair behind her ears.
"As everyone knows i only receive three coins as a monthly allowance, i can not hire a commoner's carriage through them and i did not have access to the carriage of the palace. Isn't that why I never leave the palace?
For that reason only, I was never able to go and meet my own fiance too.`` She stared at the young man who still had a bright smile on his face but it turned stiff when his eyes met Althea.
"I have asked him too but I think even the marquis' family was short of carriages and he was never able to send me one. Right?" she blinked her eyes and asked the question naively but her eyes were mocking them.
"......." the whole room turned silent again. Since the case was of much importance, the officers were standing behind the ladies and noting the whole conversation.
To note that the eldest daughter of the family of marquis did not have a carriage for her was already hilarious. Not to forget that she only received three coins that are lesser than the amount offered to slaves just as pity.
The men tried to peek into the room making the duchess embarrassed. Her face turned red. She wanted to beat Althea to teach her a lesson but at the same time she wanted to hide herself in a hole until the whole incident died down.
"Since I did not have a maid to help me. I did not have money or carriage, is it possible for me to come and go out of my chamber even if I want to?" she asked Jenny who was biting her lips by now.
"How could that be!" she gasped as she covered her mouth, "i am sure mother had offered the same allowance to everyone since i helped her in making accounts.
Sister is sick so most of the time her money was sent through maids. I am sure she had lied and kept the money to herself. I could not believe we had such people working in our palace." she shook her head as if she was shocked to the core.
Getting the hint, her mother nodded her head too.
"Yes, I have assigned 1000 gold coins to each of you for a month. I have sent it with the help of a maid since I was busy with various other matters. But I have never thought that you have misunderstood me. I will look into the matter and as a compensation, I will send you double your allowance for the next week." she said with a righteous tone while blaming everything on the maid when Althea laughed.
She had thought the men and women had better tactics in the past and this world is about magicians, yet they were such fools!
Did all of them really believe in such lame excuse! But she only nodded her head.
"Then I have to thank you for that." said Althea with a smile but her eyes were still cold and indifferent. "Now that the matter is solved? I want to know who said such words. Is it another insolent servant, sister Jenny?"
The sister looked at her and then at her mother as if she wanted her mother to say something. Their actions really work in tandem. The mother took the hint and cleared her throat.
"Someone had complained in the royal court that you have an affair with a man and you go out at night to meet him.
If it would have been someone else, then we would have ignored it since you are our family but we can not ignore the complaint coming from the royal family.
That is why I am asking again, Althea, tell everyone the truth and we will plead for forgiveness." she said with some pressure in her voice when the girl raised her brow.
"Did my aunt still think that I am guilty? The palace is so large and I live in the smallest chamber. How does anyone notice me if I go out?" she asked when the woman frowned
"And more than that.. I did not have money to go out." she added as she raised her dress. The color of the dress had faded and it had many patches on the bottom.
The dress looked worse than the dress of the maid standing behind Althea. Her lips curled into a smile as she pointed at those holes.
"Do you think any woman could have the courage to go out wearing such clothes? And trust me, this is the best dress I have."
"......"
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