Chapter 84: A Glimpse of the Past: Mother and Daughter

Hearing his wife and seeing her expression made the Marquess freeze as he felt cold sweat down his back.

"Judine, dear, I was going to tell you when I came home today-" the Marquess was interrupted by his wife.

"Save it, Fred. Have you already told her the news?" asked the Marchioness as her face looked frosty.

"Ahem. I was going to call her later-" again, he was interrupted.

"What were you going to tell Bella?" the Marchioness interrogated her husband.

"I was going to tell her that the Queen has a team that she can join due to her status. That way, she would be amongst peers," said the Marquess as he did not divulge that they were black-sheep in their families but secretly thought to himself. "If I told my wife that, she would feel upset since Judine's existence amongst the nobles here would be considered unconventional."

"I see. What sort of group would she be joining?" continued Marchioness Judine while glaring through the holograph.

"She wants to join a sort of talent competition to test out her acting skills. I think that it would be a good experience as she will not have this opportunity once she comes back to the capital," reasoned the Marquess as his wife kept quiet while she thought silently to herself.

"Alright. But you have not told her yet, correct?" the Marchioness asked to clarify while looking sternly at her husband.

"No, I have not. I was waiting for-," and again, the Marquess was interrupted.

"Then let me tell her. I want to see her," she said before giving her husband a look and hanging up without saying her farewell.

Seeing the holograph dissipate made the Marquess feel speechless. She did not even let him finish what he had to say! He sighed as he massaged his temples. Seeing this, his Shadow Guard worried that he might be overstressed.

"My Lord, are you alright?" asked the disembodied voice from the empty space. "Is the Madame upset?"

"It looks like she will give me the silent treatment tonight. Maybe for the next few days," said the Marquess as he looked up at the moving vehicle's ceiling.

The Shadow Guard kept quiet as he understood his master's dilemma with his wife.

The Marquess was known for being a loving family man that doted on his family. Outside his family, he was very stern and strict. Even when he was younger and would hang out with friends, would he be serious. His wife was the opposite of him.

She was very protective of her family and would rather keep them close. Elizabella's curious personality made it difficult for her to control but ultimately let her do her own things with caution. Elizabella's character is closer to her mother's inquisitive nature and adventurous spirit.

When the Marchioness was younger, she loved to travel and meet new people. Sometimes she would get into trouble with the people she had just met, but her younger, more cautious twin sister, Ludy, would always help her out of any sticky situations.

After their father received the title of Baron in the Kingdom of Glear, Lady Ludy stayed with her sister for a while in the Kingdom of Edalelia to make sure that she would not feel snubbed by all the nobles that looked down on her because of her upbringing. During the first married years of Lord Frederick and Lady Judine, it was difficult to make friends with any of the nobles that looked down on her linage until Elizabella was born.

After her birth, the Queen paid attention to their family more, making it easier for Lady Judine to get accepted into the noble society finally. Seeing how her older sister was doing fine after her marriage, Lady Ludy left to help their father in the Kingdom of Glear. As the old Baron got older and had no male heirs, it was apparent to leave his title to one of his daughters after passing.

Seeing his eldest daughter, Judine, married into a wealthier and more prominent family, he had believed that his youngest would benefit the most with his legacy. Lady Ludy left Edalelia for Glear with her new husband and went to live with her father. She and her husband both kept a low profile as she was aware that nobles had their own rules and cliques that she was sure she would never fit in.

The old Baron had no choice but to continue going to the Palace as the King's "best friend." Understanding the ins and outs of the noble families, Lady Ludy never wanted to get mixed into that world. When the late King of Glear passed away, Lady Ludy was happy to know that they would leave the capital and get far away from all the nobles.

In the future, when her only living niece came to live with her, Lady Ludy moved back to the capital only because she felt it was for the best for Elizabella. Otherwise, she would never have gone back to the capital.

Marquess Fredrick knew his wife well and understood that with her headstrong character, she would, indeed, ignore him when she was mad at him. He could only hope that she would not disregard him for the duration of their daughter's outing. The Marquess did not want to see that happen at all as he sighed deeply as he was driven home.

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It was afternoon when the Marquess held an audience with the Queen, and a little after Elizabella's classes were over when she received a call from her mother. She answered promptly as she saw the figure of her mother in the holograph forming with a smile.

"Mother! How are you?" asked Elizabella as she wondered why she was calling and if her mother knew what she wanted to do in the near future.

The idea of her mother not letting her audition did cross her mind, but she hoped that was not the case as to why she was calling her. Or else she would have to turn on the charm that she learned in class.

"Bella, dear, your father told me that you wanted to continue to stay there and travel with friends for a talent competition. Are you sure that this is a good idea? How will you be kept fed all this time? You have been away from home for a few months, and even though I make sure that the servants provide for you, you still seem to have lost some weight.

"How will you cope when you start traveling? I do not want to have my daughter be skin and bones when she returns. Remember that you have an extremely healthy diet," began her mother as Elizabella felt her face twitch at the mention of her "healthy diet."

"Mother, why not just say that I eat a lot? Although I believe I eat healthily due to my active lifestyle, I still will enjoy eating things I should not. You do not need to sugarcoat it to make me feel better," said Elizabella as she believed her mother was being nice in her wording.

"Oh, dear Bella, I meant that, unlike other Ladies who struggle with their weight and eat truly little, you have a heartier intake that makes me happy but nervous when I notice you eat less. I am sure that when you marry, your future mother-in-law will be delighted to know that you like to eat. Granted that you mind your table manners," said her mother with a gentle smile as Elizabella felt her ears start to burn with a visible tint appearing on her face.

"Mother! I do not even have a boyfriend! How can you speak of my future in-law when there is no candidate yet? Do not tell me that you already want me to get married?" asked Elizabella as she felt her heart flutter at the thought of dating.

"Of course not. Your father would not like it if you suddenly did. What I meant was that due to your high intake of food, would you not suffer when you travel around? I worry that you will be uncomfortable when you are away from home," said her mother with worry in her tone.

Hearing the worry in her voice, Elizabella felt warm and fuzzy inside. She smiled gently at her mother, trying to reassure her.

"Mother, father tells me that when you two were younger, he met you on one of your travels. He says that you were traveling, alone, with your sister, Aunt Ludy. I want to experience that for myself. May I go and see what that is like before I no longer can, due to any social restrictions?" asked Elizabella with a pout, making her mother speechless to see that her daughter learned to beg while away.

Marchioness Judine felt like she had swallowed a fly after hearing that her husband told their daughter about her earlier travels.

"Why is he telling you such things?" mumbled the Marchioness as Elizabella heard her grumbling making her giggle.

"I had asked him how you two met. Is it not true that you settled here after traveling? Grandfather Gabrian even lives in a different kingdom. As far as I know, he has never been to Edalelia," reasoned Elizabella as her mother looked uncomfortable with her words.

"Alright! I get it! You want to travel. Fine! Do not come crying to me when you are starving somewhere in some godforsaken place," said the Marchioness through gritted teeth before pouting her cheeks like a child.

"Mother, you know it will take place in father's territory, right? How can it be a godforsaken place, then? Do not worry so much about my food intake as I am sure father's servants will not let me starve," said Elizabella as she saw her mother's inner struggles and understood her. "I am very thankful that my mother is kind and caring about my well-being."

Immediately, the Marchioness was beaming from her daughter's praises. Seeing this, Elizabella thought it was easy to cox her mother.

"How does father not seem to understand?" she thought to herself as her mother looked at her with a beautiful smile. "He always seems to say the wrong thing to her, and then he has to jump through hoops to make her feel better."

"I understand now. If anything should happen to you, I will blame your father," said the Marchioness decisively while Elizabella realized that her mother seemed mad at her father. "I give you my permission to go and travel. I hope you will be able to call me frequently."

Elizabella felt her face twitching as her mother bid her farewell. The Marchioness always seemed to turn into an airhead when it came to family problems. Honestly, it was easy to get her upset, but it was easier to cox her mood.

"I am really amazed at the fact that the nobles are not aware of her personality," thought Elizabella as she remembered how her parents always seemed to grace the parties with their presence. "Luckily, she becomes elegant and regal when in front of others."