Since Dogs Are Not There, I Will Feed You To Fish

The boy stared at her with a shocked and frozen look when she felt that she was a bit perfunctory. But she did not know how to continue when the child went silent.

She had no idea how this mother thing worked. She was only trying to be nice to fill his promise but she cursed when the situation turned awkward.

But a maid saved her from the trouble. Just when she bit her lips and racked her brain for ideas.. The head maid of the central palace arrived there.

"My lady, you are here!" her voice was slightly cold as she looked at the young girl with a frown on her face, "we have been looking for you everywhere. Your highness has asked us to escort you to the teachers who are going to train you."

"Ah! I will see you later then, Rowan." she stood up and nodded her head to leave before she made more mess here.

The maid smirked and took the lead to walk out and Anastasia followed her giving a sweet gaze to Rowan who was finally blind but once she was out of his chamber, she stopped walking and stood with her hands folded in front of her chest making the handmaid frown again.

"My lady, we are getting late for the meeting already. What excuse will I make for your tardiness?" her voice was full of impatience when Ana smirked.

She was not the girl from the past. This woman! She had set her up multiple times and trapped her in false accusations. She was the one who disdain Ana most in the past because she was in love with the duke.

Instead of guiding her when she came to the palace, the countess used every way to insult her in front of others and when she tried to speak back, she was taken as brash and rude!

Ha! Did she think she could do it all over again, Ana looked at her with cold eyes and a disdainful smirk. Her face had the look of a predator who had found her first prey.

"Why do you need to make excuses for me? It sounds like we are related or of equal rank, countess Melia, right?" she asked in a soft but dominating voice as she enquired the head maid who frowned.

"I am the caretaker of the palace after the late duchess. It is my duty that everything goes perfect in the palace and every order of your highness must be fulfilled without a mistake." her voice had a hint of arrogance and was full of pride when Ana chuckled.

"Even so, do you make excuses in front of the guests for the absence of Cassian or call him tarry in front of others?" Though she was laughing, there was no humor in her voice when the woman boiled with rage.

How dare she call their master by his name.

"You! What in the world are you talking about? He is the master of the palace, he had many things to do. If the guests want to meet him, they must wait or return. How could they blame his highness for being tardy! Much less me, her loyal subject?" she replied with a frown as impatience filled her face and she started to tap the ground with her feet showing her irritation to deal with a child when Ana sighed.

"At least you are not that much of a fool and can be saved." she said as she walked closer to the countess, "countess Melia, since you know the role of a maid and the master, then you must know that the wife of the duke would be called duchess, the mistress of the house!" finally Melia understood the meaning behind her questions and her face froze,

"I am the owner of the palace, I have the right to take my own time in everything I do. Forget about making excuses, who gave you the right to judge me and call me tardy?

If it happens next time, I will cut your tongue and feed it to the fish in the pond. Did you get it?" Her voice was so cold and cruel that she felt the glimpse of her master Cassian in the woman and nodded her head unconsciously.

And before she realized what she had done, it was already too late. The girl had started walking again, taking the lead this time with a look of domination in her eyes.

"And next time, don't you dare to lead the way. You must know that servants only walk behind their master.

Since the family of the count is the closest vassal family of our house, I am forgiving all your mistakes. But.. I am not a forgiving person. Remember that." she warned the woman again as she walked through the long passages without any guidance.

She even crossed the long line of romes before entering the room where she was going to train without being informed. As if she was walking in the palace for decades.

All the maids were shocked not only by her behavior and authority but the way she held her clam while walking in a new place.

Ana, without caring for their looks, opened the door of the room and smiled at the women waiting in.

"Welcome lady Anastasia to the palace, i am baroness Neverie and she is viscountess Feloniata, we are responsible for training you in financial matters of the palace and the etiquettes of the duchess.'' They both bowed her heads slightly towards Ana who nodded her head and walked in.

But instead of feeling pressured, she sat down comfortably and asked for the tea first from the maid.

Both ladies looked at countess Melia with confusion before sitting down and talking to the young girl again who looked at them with a smirk,

"Ah! My memory is getting weaker. I didn't even remember that I asked you to sit down."

"....."