My new home

Alissa (the maid who was attending me while I was staying with the Marcellus') and I were chatting in the room I had been staying in. She was telling me how wonderful life was going to be now that I was a noble, and she was gushing about all the important people I was going to meet.

"Oh! And now, everywhere you go people will address you as Lady Riley..." She said clapping her hands together and daydreaming while she talked to me.

"Oh Alissa, I am going to miss you," I said to her pouting.

I was going to miss Alissa, who was a really sweet person, a little bit simple and a little too obsessed with the young men of the other noble families, but she was a gem. She was the person who made me get used to having 'Lady's maid'. I realised how independent people were on earth when at my stay with the Marcellus's, I was given a lady's maid who was supposed to help me get dressed help me bathe, then also always accompany me outside the mansion.

At first, I had felt suffocated, but Alissa had been so sweet and kind and patient with me, that I got used to having her around all the time. I still wasn't quite used to the whole servant-master dynamic, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to get used to that dynamic... I was going to make sure that I treated my servants really well in my new house.

Alice had told me that most nobles regarded their servants as lesser than them, and it was common to find masters abusing or mistreating their servants. That really shocked me. I would never do that to my staff.

Then Alice walked in, "And me...? Aren't you going to miss me?" She said, pouting her lips as she stuck her head around the door.

I laughed, "Yes, yes, I'll miss you too..." I said opening my arms and waiting for a hug from her. She skipped over to me and gave me a big hug.

"You don't have to worry about your new staff milady. All of the servants that have been assigned to you are very good and hardworking, and I told all of them how nice and kind you are, so I'm sure you'll love them!" She said smiling widely.

"Thank you, Alissa," I said gratefully. Leaning over to give her a hug.

"It was my pleasure milady!" her toothy grin got even wider.

"That was very kind of you, Alissa," said Alice approvingly. Just then Lady Eleanora entered the room, her eyes were red and puffy and she was dabbing a white handkerchief to her face while sniffling softly.

Then she saw us all seated on the bed, "Riley, my dear... I can't believe you are leaving us already..." Her voice cracked as she spoke. I rushed up to go and give her a hug.

"Oh Lady Eleanora, don't cry. I'll come and visit as often as you let me..." I said starting to feel myself tear up.

"Your... Welcome... any... time." She choked out.

Alissa jumped up and gently lead Lady Eleanora to sit down on the bed, Eleanora was a bit prone to overreacting and tended to need to be looked after, Alissa spoke gently to her, in order to get her to stop crying. "Don't be sad My Lady... Ms Riley will come and visit as much as she can."

"I will." I chimed over her shoulder.

"Yes! You have to come back every day, and kiss me goodnight!" Demanded Tyrion as he marched into the room with his little legs and an adorable stern look on his face.

"Me too!" exclaimed little Audrey as she ran in after him.

"Well, I can't come back every day..." I began, but then I saw their big eyes looking at me, pleading with me to humour them, "But when I do come back... I'll bring you lots of sweet treats!" I exclaimed, hoping that would make them happy again. It did the trick. They started bouncing around the room shouting 'Yay!' and 'I love sweets!'. speaking of sweets, this world didn't have many cakes or sweet foods, and if there were any, they were very rare and tasted kind of weird. Actually in general, the food of this world wasn't the best, I would have to remember to teach my new cook some Earth recipes.

"My goodness what is this racket?" Joked Lord Umphrey as he entered the room with Cornelius.

"Tyrion, Audrey, you've got it all wrong, you two are supposed to be sad that Riley is leaving, not happy and jumping around." Teased Cornelius.

"No big brother, Riley said she would bring us a million cakes the next time she came to visit!" Shouted Tyrion as he did another victory lap around the room. I didn't quite remember saying I would bring a million cakes, but whatever, I just let the kid do his victory lap.

"I wouldn't mind some sweets..." commented Lord Umphrey, louder than he thought he had said it, however, we all heard him say it clearly and all started laughing at him. Poor Lord Umphrey's cheeks, turned a brilliant shade of red before our laughter came to an end.

"On a serious note, I just wanted to thank you all for taking me in and really treating me like a part of your family. I am eternally grateful." Suddenly I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay here with them and be part of their family. However, reality sunk be back down to the floor like how it always did. I knew if I stayed here I wouldn't be able to accomplish all the things I was supposed to. I needed to be on my own, in a place where I could be freer.

"It was our pleasure, my dear." Responded Lord Umphrey gently. "Now, now, everybody, back to their own rooms, we have to give Riley, some time to pack as she has to be at her new home by midday!" He commanded. Everybody nodded and left the room, besides Alissa because she was helping me pack.

At about 11 am a carriage arrived for me, in order to take me to my new home. The butlers packed my luggage into the back of the carriage and helped me inside. I was heading to my new home in my white shimmering dress, I loved how tall and elegant it made me look and I didn't have to wear a corset under it, so that was a plus.

The carriage ride was about an hour-long but I enjoyed it because I got to gaze out at the beautiful scenery of Gismead (after we got out of the noble sect to the more rural areas). The lush green forest, the long soft-grass hills, to the sea breeze that washed up over the hill as we travelled north.

Finally, the carriage jiggled about as it rode over the gravel stones of the driveway, I had finally arrived at my mansion. I was surprised to see a line of ten people standing outside until I realized that they were my new staff.

When the carriage came to a stop, the oldest person in the line (a man in a butlers uniform) came forth and assisted me out of the carriage.

"Milady." He greeted me, giving me a very formal bow, with his hand on his heart. "My name is Bard Thibault and I am your Head butler."

I nodded politely back at him, "It is a pleasure to meet you." I said smiling at the very refined-looking middle-aged man in front of me. His beard and moustache where grey from age and his hair was tied back into a little ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had a nice big build like most of the men in this world, but he seemed a bit chubbier and a bit softer, which gave him an overall gentler appearance.

Two men from the line of my staff came forward and took my luggage from the carriage and carried it into the house.

"May I introduced you to the other servants?" He asked.

"Please do!" I nodded.

"The other two butlers with your luggage are Auberon and Rudyard." He pointed at them. Auberon was the one with blonde hair and blue eyes. Rudyard had light brown hair and green eyes. Both of them looked to be in their twenties.

He then leads me over to the line of the staff. The first in line was a short stout woman, whose hair had also greyed with time, but her eyes were a vibrant shade of green.

"This is the Head Lady's maid, Mrs Agnes Whitcombe." She curtseyed to me and I nodded to her.

"These next two girls are Edna Clancy and Mellie Branwen, they are your other two lady's maids."

They were really young, they looked my age (19) or a few years younger.

They curtseyed to me and I nodded back.

"This is your cook, Augustus Flannery. And this is his assistant Ilsa Garnet." My plump cook with purple hair and his little assistant who had bright red hair and freckles, who looked about twelve years old, smiled and bowed/curtseyed to me. I nodded at them.

"Lastly the two cleaners, Cecily and Anthea Maude." They both had faces full of freckles with light green hair and warm brown eyes, they seemed to be in their thirties. They curtseyed to me and I nodded back.

With that, I had met everyone, remembering all those names would be a struggle though...

"Well Milady please come inside, and we will give you a tour of the house." Suggested my head maid, Agnes, warmly.

"Yes, I would like that. Thank you." I replied. Agnes and my butler Bard lead me inside my mansion and I was instantly blown away by the beauty of the interior.

It was so stunning. Pastel wall paint with intricate relief carvings, lavish materials covered the furniture, and the vast size of the place was more than I could ever need or want. The entrance hall was magnificent: It was a vast open room with marble floors that I heard my heeled shoes clack against as I walked, the ceiling was impossibly high and was decorated with a painting of fluffy white clouds dancing across a beautiful blue sky, a grand marble staircase that leads to the second floor, was centred against the back wall, It's railings were decorated with floral carvings of vines, entangled around the structure.

"It's incredible..." I was in a state of shock, I hadn't imagined that it would be this beautiful. Agnes and Bard had proud grins on their faces.

"We are glad you like it Milady." Agnes chimed.

"Please just call me Riley..." I said, the whole 'lady' title just didn't feel right to me.

"Milady, we couldn't possibly call you by your first name." Replied the butler, as if I was asking him to do a backflip. Agnes agreed by shaking her head.

"Milady, if I may. We have been informed of how you have lost all your memories, and thus you probably can't remember the importance of status and titles, but I must insist that we continue to call you by your title." Said Agnes, I frowned, would they really continue calling me 'milady' forever.

"However, it would be quite appropriate for you to call us by our first names. It is actually a sign of closeness for nobles to call their servants by their first names." Said the butler encouragingly.

"Indeed." Said Agnes.

"Well, alright. But if you ever change your mind about calling me by my first name, I would be really happy." I said, advocating for them to call me by my name.

They smiled happily at me like proud parents.

"The library is to the left..." began Agnes.

"A library!" I exclaimed and charged ahead of them to the room.

"Milady wait!" called out Agnes, "Don't run!"

"Milady wait! you might trip and fall!" Called out Bard.

But I was too excited to be slowed down by them. I sucked in a breath as I reached the room and looked inside. The library was incredible, shelves and shelves of books in the most exquisite white and gold cabinets, and it was a double story library. I couldn't wait to come in here and chill with all the books.

"Milady! Ladies of your calibre should not be running!" Exclaimed Agnes as she and Bard caught up to me. Oh right, Girannon was very beautiful, but it still had a while to go before feminism was even a concept here. I mentally added 'equality' to the list of things I would try to change about this nation.

"Well, I tend to run a lot..." I teased her. She humphed at me and gave me a disapproving look.

"This way to the drawing-room." Bard lead me through to another beautiful room. It had lavish satin couches, cushioned chairs and a small table. It looked like a living room.

"This is one of nine drawing rooms in the manor, and is the least decorated, so perhaps milady would prefer the others over this one." Commented Bard. Who I was beginning to characterise as a very sweet old man.

"But since it is right next to the library, milady might find it useful."

I thought it was stunning, and to think there were another eight like it...

Suddenly I remembered the greenhouse. "May you please take me to the greenhouse?" I asked.

"Of course," Replied Bard cheerfully, "This way." He led on.

On the walk there, Agnes took the opportunity to teach me more about the code of ethics that this society followed. "Milady, since you have lost your memories, I will have to teach you about all the proper forms of society." I nodded in agreement because I knew that I would have to learn them all in order to succeed here and be able to change this country for the better.

"Firstly, a noble lady must always be well dressed, poised and polite. Since you are now a third rank noble, you must look the part. This means you must dress in more beautiful extravagant clothing. I have already sent for a dressmaker to come to the house and have you fitted for some new clothing." Woah, she was really on top of things.

"I have a feeling that milady might be a bit of a free spirit, I am not saying you have to give that up, but I am saying you must not show that to everyone." She said giving me a don't-go-running-around-the-house-like-a-hooligan look.

"I suspect that the reason that milady chose a house so far away from the noble sect was that you feel that you don't fit in with the other nobles, however, it is very important that you make important connections among the nobles. Gismead is a ruthless place and those without connections with powerful people will fall." I could tell that she was a very clever woman by the way she talked about society, a very sharp and thoughtful woman. She would be a great ally.

"Have you perhaps made any such connections?" She asked with a gleam of hope in her eyes.

"Yes, actually I am quite close with the Marcellus's, and my Mage tutor will be Sinjin Von Esterheim," I said. I was sure that they were good enough.

"Two first rank noble families!" She said excitedly, suddenly breaking from her serious demeanour. I giggled at her. I guessed that first rank nobles were a very big deal. "Well, that really sets my mind at ease milady. Make sure to grow those bonds." She said.

"This is the greenhouse milady," announced Bard. The place was very rundown, with overgrown vines and barren soil beds, but I would soon make it a wonderful medical garden. I had plans for this place, "The butlers and I will start with replanting it tomorrow. Are there any plants that milady wants to be planted here?" He asked.

"Yes. I will write down a list of the medicinal plants I need." I planned to do that after the tour. But then suddenly one of my maids, Mellie, burst into the greenhouse very excitedly.

"Milady, Mrs Agnes, the dressmaker is here!" She shouted excitedly. She was practically shaking with joy.

"Calm yourself, child!" Reprimanded Agnes, not liking her sudden outburst, "What will our Lady think of you just bursting into rooms like that!" She scolded.

The girl suddenly paled, remembering that she was supposed to act politely. I felt bad for her, she was like me, untamed and not used to the strict codes of society.

"Sorry Milady, I forgot myself for a moment." She said solemnly curtseying to me.

"Don't worry about it, Mellie," I said smiling. When I called her by her first name, she cheered up again immediately. Agnes sighed, sounding annoyed.

We all walked back through the library to the entrance hall where the dressmaker was waiting for us. I instantly recognised her as the lady from the dress shop that Alice had taken me to buy gowns for the ball.

"Lady Delton, we meet again." cooed the old woman with the large nose. Agnes lead us all to my bedroom where we would have the fittings.

My bedroom was exquisite. It was really a lounge and a bedroom combined. It was simply huge, far bigger than it needed to be, but then again this society seemed to relate monetary possession with ones worth, so the bigger and more extravagant it was the more important you were. I think Alice's room was about this size actually.

After that, the dressmaker, Madame Rowena Ottilia and her assistant set up a little curtain so that I could try on the clothes behind it. Her assistant assisted me in trying on the dresses. Agnes added in that I was looking for some fancier gowns appropriate for a noble lady. Rowena nodded and began the session.

First I tried on this extraordinary pale blue gown with a ruffled skirt which I loved, and I didn't have to wear a corset with it so, I was pleased. Mellie clapped excitedly when I came out from behind the curtain to show them.

The next dress, was another very fancy gown that I would wear to another ball or dance, something like that. It was a very striking bright red, that they all said went well with my long dark hair. Mellie admired it giddily, while Edna (my other lady's maid) tried to keep her quiet.

The third gown was another very fancy one, one that I could only possible wear to another royal ball. Agnes told me there was a party that was held ever year by the Von Esterheim family, where all nobles of third rank and higher were invited and were expected to wear their best most extravagant clothes. She said that this dress would be suitable for that party.

I then tried on some more simple everyday dresses, even though they were meant to be casual, it felt like they were still quite fancy. However I ended up buying them all. In total I bought eighteen dresses, and I started to feel quite dizzy after handing over twenty gold pieces to Madame Rowena afterwards. Even though, I had literally gotten a ton of gold from the King for winning the mage tournament, and I was still getting payed by the mage society for being a member, it still felt horrible to hand over so much money.

Even though I felt like taking a nap, I coudln't, I still had so many things to do today. I pushed my tiredness aside and walked back down to the library, in order to write down the names of the plants I wanted Bard to go and get for me. I referenced the plants from the books in the library to get the names right, so he wouldn't accidentally purchase the wrong thing.

The reason I wanted to grow medicinal herbs was to create a better quality healing potion than the one Girannon had, and I was planning to sell it cheaply so that everyody in Girannon could benefit from them. The potion that they had at the moment was really ineffective (I learned about it while studying at the Marcellus's). It could really only heal scrapes and scatches, thus people with real injuries couldn't use it. Furthermore, because there were so few people who could use healing magic (and the people who could charged ridiculiusly high prices) the poeple with injuries jut had to live with their injuries with almost no hope of getting them healed. This kingdom had the worst healthcare services I had ever seen. If I was able to create the potion successfully, I would spread it throughout Giranon and thus I would help a lot of people.

After I had written the plants down, I gave the list to Bard and I gave him a gold coin to go and purchase the plants with.

"Milady, may I take the liberty of also purchasing a few pretty flowers to plant in the garden." Bard was such a sweetie.

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you milday." A few minutes later I saw him leaving on a horse. Where did he get a horse from? I wondered if I had horses on this property.

However I continued with the task at hand, I was writing down the list of deeds that I would do to help this kingdom progress. After I had finished the list I folded it up and took it with me back to my bedroom. Agnes, Millie and Edna were still there putting my new clothes in the wardrobes and drawers. I sat back in on of my armchairs and watched them lazily.

"Mrs Agnes, where should we put the trunk of gold and jewels?" Asked Edna as she gazed down at the two trunks.

"For now we can keep them at the back of the wardrobe, but later we should move them to the safe room." She said.

"What is the safe room?" I asked.

"It's a room spelled with magic, so that nobody can steal the treasures within." Oh so it's like a vault.