The carriage rolled through one of the towns within the territory of House Dreyos. A mob had already formed along the sides of the road, which Elira spotted from a couple of hundred feet away. Lily, facing away from the town, knew nothing about it.
"U-um... Could you close the shades?" Elira asked as the carriage drew closer to the village.
"Hm? Why?" Lily asked, despite every maid knowing that their master's word is absolute. The carriage entered the town.
"There are some people there..." Elira muttered in almost a whisper.
"Sorry? What did you say, Mis-" A tomato smacked against the window. "Oh my!"
"Please close the shades!"
"Yes, Miss Elira!"
Lily rushed to close the shades, managing to cover them up. She could only imagine what the driver and knight were experiencing at the head of the carriage.
Elira shrank into the corner, her hands trembling slightly as she tilted her head down, but the pelting tomatoes still shook the carriage with each vibration being felt in her spine. From outside, chants could be heard that went along the lines of 'Send her back!', 'DEMON!', 'Protect the Young Master!', 'MURDERER!', and some others.
Lily took notice of Elira trembling, wanting to comfort her, but letting her own biases get in the way as she turned her head, avoiding the sight of Elira's body.
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By the time the carriage rode into the estate, it was a mess. The horses, somehow, managed not to panic and run out in a mess by some miracle. If anything, they were just a little frazzled and began to run faster.
The carriage was painted red, as was the knight, whose armor no longer shone with its silver glow, and the driver, who would likely need to buy new clothes.
Elira stepped out of the carriage with Lily as they made their way into the estate. There was no formal greeting, just their quiet entry.
"Um... is there anything I should do before I go to my room?" Elira asked.
"Well... first, we'll need to unpack your luggage and get it into your room."
"Luggage?"
"Yes, luggage."
"I didn't bring luggage, though."
"It was provided to us by the Duke of Veylen."
"Oh. I see. Is that it?"
"No... You'll also need to go on a tour with the butler. He'll teach you about the important locations and history of the family. Then you are expected to eat dinner, and then you will return to your quarters."
"Ok... Well, where might I find the butler?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming. I wasn't aware that the lady would be coming so early," a voice echoed from the stairs.
A slender old man came walking down the steps. He had light gray hair with gray eyes to match, and a long, curvy white mustache with no accompanying facial hair.
His movements were gentle and gave off the impression of a grandpa who likes to spoil his grandchildren. His pale, wrinkled skin curved upwards all around his face, resembling multiple little smileys, while his eyebrows were in the shape of frowns.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lady-"
"Yes, I very much know who you are. Please then, follow me. I will teach you about the estate and our history." He let out a long sigh as Elira nervously followed him while Lily went back outside to retrieve the luggage.
Over 3 hours had passed before the tour had finally ended. Dinner was in roughly 30-45 minutes, so for now, Elira and the butler, whom she learned was named Barand, were sitting down at a bench.
"Madam Elira, if you don't mind me asking, have you met your husband yet after the wedding?"
"No, not yet, I'm afraid. I think dinner will be the first time since then."
"Ah, I see. I heard you had some trouble on the road? Well, I saw the aftermath of it as well. Are you alright?"
"I-how am I? uhh... yeah. I'm alright. Thank you for asking." Elira was not used to this kind of small talk, having spent more than half of her life so far in a prison cell of a room.
"I must say, Mistress, you were a very good listener. A much better one than most noble ladies. If you don't mind me asking, what was your favorite part about the estate and House Dreyos's history?"
"Oh... I really liked the garden. I don't get to see stuff like that most of the time. I also really liked seeing the portraits of the previous Dukes. Many looked like my husband. Well, they are related. As for being a good listener... I'm used to it. I've had to get used to it.
Barand raised his eyebrow for a moment, but decided not to press the topic, and instead decided to switch it.
"Will you be wearing that to dinner? I'm afraid that won't be acceptable. Please come with me to your room; it should be set up by now. We can have you wear one of the dresses you brought." Barand stood up, walking over to the back entrance of the estate and letting Elira in.
"Please let Lily know to come to the young lady's room," He told a nearby maid.
Once on the upper floor, Barand led Elira to her room, which was situated at the end of the hallway, in the opposite direction from everyone else in the family's rooms.
"For now, you will be sleeping in a separate room from the young master, except tonight, should the master show up in the first place," Barand said as he opened the door.
Inside was one of the most beautiful and one of the only rooms Elira had ever seen.
The room was unlike anything Elira had ever seen, with walls of soft beige trimmed with silver, tall windows draped in layers of pale gold and pink colored silk, and a plush bed dressed in tan bedsheets embroidered with faint roses.
A chandelier hung from the roof and scattered light across the wood floor, while velvet chaises were laid around a small coffee table, and a delicately carved vanity added touches of quiet elegance.
The air smelled faintly of lavender, as though even the room itself had been cared for more tenderly than she ever had. Elira's gaze lingered on everything in the room.
To her, the beauty felt like a cruel reminder of how out of place she truly was. Standing there, she almost wished the room were bare stone or cold wood like her previous room, for this room's warmth only deepened the chill in her chest.
After a couple of minutes of exploring the room and its connected bathroom, Lily arrived while Elira held the dress she had selected from the luggage. It was a plain dress she had never seen before, but Barand said it was fine to wear before he had left.
"Could you help me wear this, Lily?"
"Of course, Madam."