Chapter 23 The Lady-In-Waiting

The court maid winked at Susan, quickly straightened her dress, and smoothed her breathing.

Susan hurriedly followed to do the same.

Then the court maid straightened her face and respectfully knocked on the room's door.

"Come in."

A slightly stern female voice came from behind the door. Susan hurriedly pulled herself together and focused on the lady.

The maid gently pushed open the door of the room.

Susan saw the legendary lady-in-waiting of the Queen.

It was a middle-aged noblewoman in her forties, with slightly slim cheeks and cool brown eyes. She had long, soft chestnut hair, but it was meticulously coiffed. She was wearing a walnut-colored high-necked dress, with no shawl or collar ornament except for a bit of decoration on the shoulders. She looked capable and calm, and also, it was impossible to underestimate her.

Lady Weber stopped the quill in her hand and looked at the two girls outside the door.

Contacting that shrewd and sharp gaze, Susan hastily lowered her eyes.

The maid put a hand on Susan's back, and Susan then remembered that she should walk into the office and curtsy.

The maid stood at her side and curtsied. "Ma'am, this is the seamstress who passed the preliminary interview today."

Lady Weber did not say anything.

The room was suddenly surprisingly quiet. The air smelled faintly of bitter chrysanthemums. The court maid at her side's breathing was suddenly so light that it was almost inaudible.

Susan held back for a long time but finally quietly raised her eyes and looked at Lady Weber through her eyelashes.

Lady Weber maintained the same posture she had before Susan entered the room, not moving a muscle. A drop of ink dripped from the quill's tip, smudging the paper, and Lady Weber seemed not to notice that.

Susan was secretly surprised. The gaze lady Webb looked at her neither shocked, hateful, or fond. Susan could not tell what it was. She had never encountered such a situation in her simple first twenty years and had been in this world for only a month. She really hadn't grown much in this area either.

Susan couldn't help but straighten her dress hem and fix her slightly messy hair. She wondered if her appearance was too messy to let Queen's lady too angry to be speechless.

However, lady Weber still did not say a word.

Susan was getting impatient. She turned her head to look at the court maid who led the way. The court maid kept her head down and stood like a statue. It seemed impossible to get any hint from her.

She peeked at lady Weber again. At that moment, the sudden complicated expression that flashed across lady Weber's face made Susan's heart skip a beat.

"Ma'am, I ..." Susan tried to talk.

"Be quiet!" lady Weber stood up violently.

Susan was taken aback. The court maid beside her shivered and quickly took a few steps back, standing close to the wall.

"This is the court, not the countryside, so shut your mouth unless a lady commands you to answer." lady Weber walked around the table and came to Susan. She was a tall woman, a head taller than Susan. There was a sense of condescending oppression in the air when she stood in front of Susan.

Susan resisted the thought of stepping back and stood stiffly in place.

"Without my permission, you can only stay in the seamstress's room. You will not walk around in the court, and you will not talk to anyone."

What? Is this a seamstress or a prisoner?

"Yes, ma'am." Susan agreed carefully, eyes downcast.

The room was quiet again, and lady Weber stood silently before her.

She didn't know how long it took.

So long that Susan could not help but raise her eyes again to peek.

Lady Weber, however, at that moment, quickly turned around and walked toward her writing desk. Her cold, stern voice continued: "Take her to the seamstress's room, have Teresa arrange a bed for her, and teach her the rules. I don't want Her Majesty to meet a rude seamstress in her own court."

The maid quickly bowed and exited the room, tugging at Susan before leaving.

The door of the room closed behind Susan.

The maid breathed a great sigh of relief.

"I was scared to death."

Susan was a little taken aback by lady Weber's reaction. Why did she seem to dislike her?

"Lady Weber has always been so ..." Susan considered her choice of words, "easy-going ?"

The young maid burst out short laughter and gave Susan another white glance: "Well, you heard that, if no one asked you, don't open your mouth. This is the court. If you get into trouble, you could lose your life."

At that moment, a faint bell sounded out of the window. It sounded like a clock chiming from a clock tower.

The young maid jumped up. "Oh no, it's past lunchtime. Over there is the seamstress's room. You can go there by yourself. I'll come to you later. My name is Lily. Remember, do not to go to other places." Lili said as she ran. The last words had come from the end of the corridor.

Susan looked at the empty corridor in surprise and sighed softly after a long time: "lunch? Why don't you take me with you? I'm hungry too."