After the party, news about the crown prince getting married to the first daughter of Duke Thompson spread throughout the royal city. This surprised everyone. After all, the entire noble circle understood that the king would most likely allow the prince to marry daughters from the most powerful households to maintain the kingdom's stability. Duke Thompson was not particularly influential in the royal council, and it was even stranger that the crown prince was marrying the daughter of a mistress.
"I don't believe it! The crown prince's marriage partner has to be the second daughter of the family. Are you sure your daughter didn't make a mistake?" a noble lady asked in disbelief. She was good friends with Duchess Anita. The Duke allowed the Duchess to rule the household as she pleased, so if there was a marriage proposal from the royal family, it would definitely be for Elizabeth.
"What mistake could my daughter have made? Both daughters of Duke Thompson's household were present. My daughter said the announcement was made by a lady-in-waiting by the Queen's side. There is definitely no mistake," the woman who brought the news said firmly.
"But the first daughter of Duke Thompson's household is said to be without talent," the noble lady responded, still finding the news hard to believe. How could the crown prince be engaged to such a woman?
"You can't trust baseless gossip. I heard she is quite knowledgeable," her friend argued.
"Knowledgeable? I'm sure this is the royal family's doing. I saw that girl once when the Duchess held a party. She is not presentable, I tell you," the first woman insisted.
"Well, I have never seen her before, but my daughter met her at a birthday banquet today and said she was very knowledgeable about flowers. Her musical skills were also excellent," the second woman replied. This lady's daughter had gone home praising Anastasia as the most refine lady she had met. "I am going to look for a perfect opportunity to become friends with her," her daughter had declared.
The first lady still had her doubts, but she could not continue to argue. News gradually spread among the noble circles of the kingdom.
Duchess Anita's chamber
When Duchess Anita heard about what had happened at the party, she was furious. Her plans with Leah had failed because she could not attend the party. She had planned to send Leah along with Anastasia and Elizabeth, so she could find an opportunity to poison Anastasia's tea. That way, Anastasia would fall ill in front of everyone. However, she had not expected Lady Magdalene to be willing to serve Anastasia personally, leaving her with no choice but to switch Elizabeth's companion to Lala. After all, sending her personal maid with Elizabeth would have been inappropriate. Moreover, with Lady Magdalene serving Anastasia, there was no opportunity to poison her.
"Mother, what should I do now? Soon, the whole kingdom will know that Anastasia is the one marrying the crown prince," Elizabeth asked, tears streaming down her face. She could not accept the fact that she had failed to embarrass Anastasia.
If Anastasia had made a fool of herself at the party today, it would have been a small comfort. The royal family would definitely not welcome her. But now, with her unexpected luck, Elizabeth feared that all the negative rumors about Anastasia would turn out to be baseless gossip.
"Why is she so lucky?" Elizabeth frowned. In her heart, she did not believe Anastasia was truly knowledgeable. It just so happened that she knew the rare flower Miss Augusta had planted, and perhaps the tune she played at the party was the only one she knew. Everything was just luck.
"Don't worry. Mother is here. This marriage can only be yours," Duchess Anita comforted her daughter. Then, she turned to Leah.
"Instruct the kitchen," Duchess Anita ordered. She would never allow the daughter of a mistress climb all over her.
Leah bowed in response and left the room.
"Good morning, Your Highness," Duke Albert greeted, waiting outside the crown prince's courtyard the next morning. Content orıginally comes from novel_fіre.net
"Duke Albert, you're up so early?" Prince Edward was surprised to see him. He had hoped to go out in disguise and gather some evidence, as he was in the east to help his father investigate the hidden mine.
"Your Highness mentioned yesterday that you wanted to visit the war-affected area, so I thought it necessary to come and be your guide," Duke Albert said. He did not trust the servants to do a good job so he decided to go himself.
"Thank you," Prince Edward smiled. Although he was the crown prince, he understood that a dragon could not easily defeat a local snake. Unless absolutely necessary, he could not afford to make enemies with the eastern nobles.
"What time does Your Highness plan to depart? It will take at least four hours on horseback to reach the outskirts of the city and another hour to get to the farmers' settlement. If we take a carriage, it may take even longer," Duke Albert explained.
"Let's set out in half an hour," Prince Edward decided.
Duke Albert bowed and left to make preparations.
"Your Highness, what do you plan to do?" Walter, the prince's knight, asked.
"Select two of our most trusted men who are smart enough to blend into the inns and marketplaces to gather information," Prince Edward instructed.
"I will accompany you to the settlements. Although the war has ended, we can't take any chances," Walter said.
"What is there to be afraid of? Those old men wouldn't dare harm me," Prince Edward said confidently.
"I know, but it would be suspicious if you went without me. I have been by your side since we arrived yesterday. My sudden absence would be noticeable," Walter pointed out.
"You have a point. Although those old men wouldn't dare touch me, no one can prevent accidents," Prince Edward admitted after some thought.
Half an hour later, the prince joined Duke Albert. He brought only two of his most trusted aides, allowing the Duke to arrange the guards who would accompany them. This shows his trust towards the Duke. In reality if anything should happen to the prince on this Journey Duke Albert would be held responsible.
"Your Highness, would you like to visit the refugee camp first?" Duke Albert asked as they mounted their horses. He was hoping to buy more time to clear out any evidence from the mine.
"Yes, let me meet the survivors and comfort them," Prince Edward replied.
The information they had received in the capital was incomplete. They only knew that the mine existed and that it was near the settlement that had been destroyed. He hoped to meet these people and perhaps gather more information from them.