After a long journey of four hours, I finally arrived at the capital. I arrived at the manor, and it was huge. Around twenty knights were outside the manor at the front gate. A middle-aged man, dressed as a butler, stood waiting. He welcomed me with a bow.
"Welcome, Lady Lily Gremory, to the Duke household. I am the head butler of this manor, Sebastan. I've been serving them for two decades now."
"It's an honour to be here, Sir Sebastan," I replied, trying to hide my awe.
Sebastan ordered some maids to carry my luggage and said, "Follow me, I'll show you to your room. You should be very tired after travelling for four hours."
"No, I'm fine," I replied, though my body begged to differ. It was my first time travelling so long.
As I entered my room, Sebastan said, "The master isn't home; he's at the imperial palace." With that, he left.
Two maids came in, and I went to bathe. After my bath, they helped me get dressed. Then, Sebastan came with tea and some snacks.
"Now, I've some work to do. If you need something, you can ask the two maids. Their names are Joy and Lary," he said before leaving.
I asked the maids, "How long have you been working here?"
Lary replied, "We've been working here for two years, my lady."
After they left, I drank the tea and ate the sweets – they were delicious. I lay down, thinking, "I'm not getting married to a normal noble. I'm getting married to a Duke's only son, and that means he'll become the future Duke. I heard they have at least two or three wives and concubines. I can't expect to be loved by the Duke's son, too."
Lost in thought, I fell asleep.
I woke up in the evening when Sebastan came to me. "Get ready, my lady. The young master will be arriving shortly."
I was already in a nice dress, but Sebastan said, "Get ready." Did that mean it wasn't enough? I changed into the most expensive dress I had.
Thirty minutes passed, and Sebastan came again. "The young master has arrived. He wishes to see you. Follow me to his room."
I followed him, wondering what the Duke's only son would be like. I entered his room and saw a very handsome man with white hair and blue eyes, like a gem. He was sitting on his sofa, wine in his hand. He looked at me with a smirk and said in a mocking tone, "So, she's my fiancée."