Lying there like a dead pig

Ashley woke up early for her first day. Today, a lesson was scheduled to take place with Countess Mariette as her first instructor. The woman who looked like a hawk, ready to snatch her any time with just her gaze. She was sure that today would be mentally and emotionally tiring for her.

The maids came knocking on her door minutes later. They helped her with her bath and also prepared a new set of dress and sandals for her to change into. After that, she ate her hearty breakfast and was sent to a private room which will serve as her study room.

 Ashley couldn't help but suddenly be grateful towards Ramier realizing how she was well accommodated. Everything she needed and didn't even ask for was already prepared for her.  She promised herself that she would try to do her best on her first day. It was only her way of showing her gratitude to Ramier; by excelling in her studies.

'Let's see about that..' She thought as she waited for the countess to arrive. She was very nervous because she didn't know if the countess would like her or not.

She sat straight and thought that she might impress the countess with her posture at least. But  ten minutes later, she sighed and slumped her shoulders down. It seems that she was running late. She'll just wait and relax till she arrives. It's better to not pressure herself or else she'll mess up.

She yawned and looked at the clock it's almost an hour but she hadn't arrived yet. She wasn't really angry that she was very late for their study session. In fact, she's totally fine with it. As long as she comes, that is the only thing that matters. 

Slowly massaging her shoulders because they started to hurt from her posture, she grew tedious from continuously staring at the tall doors. 

She decided that she will take a quick nap. But that might be a bad idea. However, she remembered she woke up very early today besides she needed energy... so sleeping for a little bit wouldn't hurt. 

She closed her eyes and laid down on the sofa. It didn't take her a long time and she immediately drifted off to dreamland.

Meanwhile... 

Countess Mariette huffed out a sigh. It seems that this was gonna be a bad day for her. It was quite embarrassing that she arrived late for her first day of teaching the Legacy. It was quite shameful considering that the Emperor personally summoned her to teach the girl.

Blame the carriage... It was truly unfortunate that it broke in the middle of the road. Though she understood that it can't be avoided, it still hurt her pride as a renowned etiquette educator.

She hoped that she didn't disappoint her student. She decided that the first thing she'll do is to apologise for her incompetence. Even if they didn't have a pleasant meeting and was upset at how the lady reacted towards her, it was still her job to teach her everything...regardless.

She looked at the servants who were currently guiding her to the room where she would meet the legacy. They looked nervous under her gaze. She shifted her eyes and didn't mind their reaction. She was used to this anyway.

They arrived before a tall door where the maids knocked on carefully. But a few seconds later there was still no response. They tried again but the result was the same.

The countess decided to volunteer. She knocked on the door audibly, but not too loud. Certainly, that was enough to inform her about their presence. But to her disappointment, there was no response.

She suddenly wondered what the girl could be doing at the moment. She wasn't interrupting something important was she? The lady was supposed to know that they were going to have lessons right?

She looked at her pocket watch impatiently. They were already wasting a lot of time. It was past ten minutes since she was standing at the door.

When she couldn't tolerate it anymore, she impatiently opened the door. It was not appropriate for a woman to barge in like that but she didn't want to wait for the whole day.

'Thud.

Ashley was startled and fell on the floor with her back facing the ceiling, not knowing if she will stand up immediately or not. She already knew who opened the door. It was definitely the countess. She knew because she felt her strict aura which made her lying body tense up.

'I'm dead...'

Well, this was humiliating... Awkward silence enveloped the whole room.

The maid who was dumbstruck didn't know what to do. They stood frozen as they watched Ashley with shock. Countess Mariette only shook her head in disappointment.

So the whole time they were waiting outside, Ashley was just sleeping? She couldn't believe it. She instantly cleared her throat. Apparently, she was still lying there like a dead pig.

It was time for here to at least stand up and introduce herself with courtesy. But that didn't happen.

Ashley clutched her face with embarrassment. She wanted to cry. Why was she so dumb? She wasn't like this before. Now, she kept embarrassing herself over and over again. This place must have a grudge against her.

She filled her heart with courage and stood up slowly. She bit her lip and awkwardly raised her head to meet the countess's eyes. She wanted to explain that she fell asleep or took a nap while waiting for her.

"I'm sorry—I..actually.." she shut her mouth.

It was useless. She knew...

The countess only narrowed her eyes and told the maids to leave since they were going to officially start their lessons.