Something she absolutely hated about this time period was their method of transportation. The carriage ride was not only b.u.mpy—seeing as they didn"t have proper grey roads—it was also making her nauseous and uncomfortable. And the time here with the carriage was much longer. What she estimated to be twenty four kilometers took about three hours. When they finally arrived, Xiao Yunhua noticed the large mansion that stood before them. It wasn"t as big as the Warrington one, but it was significantly big enough to showcase their authority as a n.o.ble clan.Others had already gotten there and the decorations were far and wide for the Roman young miss. Her eyes were wide with admiration but the d.u.c.h.ess gave her a stern look, immediately reminding her of her position. She cleared her throat and blinked away any hints of emotion, following the d.u.c.h.ess elegantly to the main entrance.
There were servants waiting by the main entrance, purposely stationed there to welcome the guests. Once they saw the carriage with the emblem of the Warrington Clan, they immediately scuttled around to inform the Countess that the d.u.c.h.ess had arrived. As the duo approached with a couple of servants behind them, the servants bowed and greeted them with the utmost respect. They had to show the d.u.c.h.ess respect because the Warrington"s authority was only below the royal family.
The fact that the d.u.c.h.ess had humbled herself to come to a mere Earl residence meant either she was being kind or had a purpose. And by the sneaks they shot the girl next to her, there definitely was a purpose. The servants wanted to a.s.sume that it was her daughter, but news of her decease had spread and it had been seven years. It could only mean an adopted daughter or a distant relative...but a distant relative wouldn"t latch onto the Warrington name so shamelessly. It could only mean a daughter, but there had been no news of adoption.
The servants weren"t direct with their stares, so they wouldn"t get caught. They did notice that the young girl was very delicate and looked fragile enough to break in a second. She wasn"t the most beautiful n.o.ble girl they had seen come to the party, but she was fair with her innocent aura. The lilacs enclasping her hair made her seem dainty and in need of protection, but even though they were servants, they knew that any n.o.ble daughter wasn"t in need of any protection. There was possibly another plot at hand.
The announcement of the d.u.c.h.ess and her guest was bellowed loud enough for the other guests to immediately come and try to socialize with the d.u.c.h.ess. Some noticed the girl next to her, but most did not. They couldn"t believe the d.u.c.h.ess had come here and they could see her. They had to get on her good side, including the Roman Countess that was shamelessly pretending to be good friends. The d.u.c.h.ess didn"t mind because she had another purpose for the moment. She glanced at Violetta, which caused the others to glance in her direction.
One of the n.o.bles smiled pleasantly in her direction, though Xiao Yunhua could sense how fake the smile was. It was like she walked into a compet.i.tion of who could outdo each other even though the star of the party, the young miss of the Roman Household, hadn"t even been in the spotlight since her "Mother" made an appearance. She didn"t dare to say both of them as it was obvious who they were trying to curry favor with.
For the n.o.bles, the d.u.c.h.ess had preferred to be in solitude to mourn for her daughter"s death the past couple of years, hence the opportunity to see her like this was too good to pa.s.s. They were astonished; however, to see another girl that looked to be her daughter"s age with her.
Finally, the curiosity couldn"t be contained any longer and the Countess turned to Xiao Yunhua and smiled gently. "And who may you be, dear?" Xiao Yunhua"s eyes turned to the d.u.c.h.ess who gave her a look of confirmation. With a proper curtsy, she introduced herself. "My name is Violetta Charlotte Warrington from the House of Warrington. It"s an honor to meet you Countess Roman."
The Countess smiled without revealing her teeth, her eyes a.s.sessing the girl before her. Her surname was from the Warrington Clan, meaning she couldn"t have been a distant relative. Maybe an adoptive daughter? No, she looked familiar to the Duke with her blonde hair and blue eyes. As a married woman, her instincts were much more astutely. She realized that despite being with the d.u.c.h.ess, the woman lacked any warmth in her eyes towards the young girl. Putting two and two together, her smile widened. It looked like she had some new gossip to share amongst her friends.
"The honor is all mine, dear. If...the d.u.c.h.ess doesn"t mind, then you may as well go to the garden with the other people of your age. Liliana should be there as well." Xiao Yunhua"s eyes briefly looked in the direction of the d.u.c.h.ess who inaudibly gave her an agreement, so she curtsied and left as she was escorted by a servant to the garden. The Countess looked at the interaction silently and mused to herself. It seemed like the girl was on a leash for the cold woman, no feelings of affection present.
Very interesting...
The Countess" violet-blue eyes turned to the d.u.c.h.ess, in which she shamelessly chatted with the woman like they were old friends seeing each other after a long time. Which was partially true, as the d.u.c.h.ess had been a friend before her marriage to the Duke of Warrington. Although the d.u.c.h.ess wasn"t as cold as she is now, unfortunately due to losing her daughter. It seemed like the replacement wasn"t helping the wounds on her heart.
The Countess tsked softly, her mind focusing on the conversation again. It was a shame that Vivienne had lost her life so soon and at such a young age. No one knew what happened as the incident had been kept with the utmost secrecy. It was like the Warrington Household had wanted to wrap things up without properly announcing what happened that fateful night that Vivienne was presumed dead.
For someone to be so bold and to attack a dukedom only below the royal family in terms of authority...well, it was possibly them.
But the incident was still a mystery to this day, despite all the gossip that had been shrouded around the event.