Joking

Anastasia frowned and called out Rosa twice, but there was still no response; she took a deep breath to calm herself. She was worried that the Duchess had played some tricks to send away the most trusted aide by her side.

After Rosa's action in the kitchen the previous day, Anastasia knew that Leah would find a way to punish her for it. Otherwise, Anastasia would learn from her.

"I have to speak to father," Anastasia made up her mind. She did not want to lose Rosa, especially with the duchess people around her. Anastasia wasted no time; she decisively left the courtyard.

"Good morning, my lady," Anastasia had only taken a few steps when she met Rosa, who was returning to the courtyard.

"where have you been?" Anastasia asked. She was still worried that Leah had found an opportunity to deal with her.

"I woke up early to help my lady make Spice, but the Duchess had already appointed someone else, so I stayed back to make some for my lady, but Grater had already taken care of it," Rosa answered, showing her the small pouch Grater gave her.

Rosa felt she had wasted much time doing nothing for her lady that morning. If had known she would have used the time to prepare her bath. Moreover, she felt the atmosphere in the Duke's residence was strange; she asked around, but no one was willing to talk to her.

The previous evening, the duke had asked to see her lady. Now, she(her lady) was relieved from making spice like a maid.

Rosa feared the rumors of sending her lady to the monastery to become a nun might have some truth. This was all she managed to overhear from a few maids who were gossiping.

She wanted to tell Anastasia about it when she noticed the two ladies standing outside the courtyard. Her heart missed a beat. She felt that the ladies might have been sent from the monastery to carry her lady away.

Rosa has heard different stories about the monastery; it was said that the young nuns did not have a good life. They were made to do heavy jobs that the men should have done. Because men were not allowed inside, the women had to do it themselves. More so, they could not eat till they were satisfied, as they needed to learn to control their appetite.

 "My lady, who are they?" Rosa asked, pointing at the maids. No matter how composed she wanted to act, at that moment, her voice quivered.

"Dorata and Nile, the Duchess sent them here to help," Anastasia answered. There was no smile on her face; otherwise, Rosa would have thought she was joking.

'When did the Duchess become so nice that she would assign helpers to the courtyard?' Rosa thought, looking at her lady as though waiting for her to speak the truth.

"Dorata has been in the family vineyard; she would be in charge of fetching water and keeping the environment clean. Perhaps we could grow Mother's favorite flowers," Anastasia said.

Rosa blinked, she looked at the maid that Anastasia pointed out. She had an arrogant look that reminded her of Leah. "she must be here to cause trouble," Rosa shivered, wondering what the duchess was planning.

"Nile would do the laundry and cleaning inside. Here, you are my personal maid. You must teach them proper etiquette," Anastasia said. Although she used the word 'teach,' Rosa knew she was asking her to keep an eye on them and deal with them as their superior.

"I will not let my lady down," She promised. If the Duchess sent troublemakers to make life difficult for her lady, she would have to keep an eye on them and protect her lady.

Anastasia nodded and walked back into the courtyard; it had been a long time since she had a peaceful morning. She walked to her mother's room and pulled it open. After her mother died, Leah took away most of her jewelries in the pretends of safekeeping.

Anastasia walked over to the bed and pulled out a box. The box was so large that it took her a lot of effort to pull it out. The box was covered with dust. Anastasia walked over to the table and took a duster.

*cough cough

Anastasia coughed as she dusted the box. She was going out with Miss Maria and could not afford to look too plain. After dusting the box, she opened it.

Inside the box lay books that looked worn out; it was apparent that the book had not been used for a long time.

Anastasia sighed as she gently set the books aside. After two layers of books, another box was revealed.

Anastasia took a deep breath before pushing the small button at the side. Those who did not know would be unable to open it. When the lid was open, a small light shined from the box. Her mother was always cautious. The jewelries in the box had not been worn for a long time. These were her mother's real wealth.

Since Duchess Anita took over the household, her mother had a few of her rear jewelries hiden.

Anastasia picked one of the necklaces, designed with a small heart shape. The craftsmanship was simple but beautiful.

Anastasia was unsure of the material used to make the necklace, but she was confident it should be a precious gem. The color was white, so Anastasia felt it would not draw much attention, unlike the other design in the box.

This way, she could not be said to be plain but not overdressed. Anastasia picked up another piece; she had seen her mother wear it once when she was younger. She remembered her mother looking so beautiful. It was the last time her mother attended the duke's birthday party as a host.

A single tear dropped down her eyes when she remembered the humiliation her mother had gone through that day. Taking a deep breath, Anastasia blinked back the tears. 'rest well, Mother, ' Anastasia said as she ran her hand through the necklace.

After making up her mind on the necklace, she chose a pair of earrings. Then she picked a book and hid the necklace and earrings in between. She was worried that the jewelry location would be exposed to Leah now that she had her people in the courtyard.

....

"My lady, your bath is ready," Rosa called out. Anastasia was standing before her wardrobe. She did not have many dresses fit for going out, so it was easy to pick out the only dress that was still presentable. Although the design was no longer popular, it was in good shape.

"My lady," Rosa walked closer to Anastasia when she got no answer the first time.

"I am coming," Anastasia answered.

Rosa looked at the dress in her lady's hand.

"Let me help you prepare your dress while you take your bath," Rosa said as she took the dress from her.

Anastasia trusted her, so she let her handle it while she walked over to take her bath.