Eleanor’s invitation did indeed arrive at Northwatch Estate. Also, the celebration was tomorrow, but the invitation was delivered only today.
Clearly, there was no time to prepare a proper gift, so Carissa would have to choose something from the storeroom.
“Grand Princess Eleanor has always held a grudge against your family. When the late Madam Sinclair was still alive, Grand Princess Eleanor never invited her to any of her parties. Why has she invited you this time? Could it be that a crowd of gossipers is waiting for you?” said Lily, who was quite worried.
Carissa set the invitation aside. “That’s a certainty.”
She had heard about the past grievances between her parents and Eleanor. When she returned from Meadow Ridge after the deaths of her father and brothers, Carissa found out that Eleanor had sent her mother, Melanie, a “gift” that year.
Eleanor had specifically found someone to carve a miniature
sculpture. It was a small, intricately carved sculpture of a chastity belt that was maliciously inscribed with the word ‘Legacy’. It was a cruel gesture, implying that the women of the Duke of Northwatch’s family were expected to remain widows and not remarry.
The current invitation was probably a result of Carissa’s recent achievements and her status as the duke’s legitimate daughter. Marrying her could potentially elevate someone’s rank, which might tempt some ladies from declining noble houses.
Eleanor aimed to block her path completely, so that even if Carissa remarried, she could only wed a merchant or a commoner. Yet, how. could a merchant or commoner ever achieve nobility? Such a scenario would make the notion of inheriting a title laughable.
Lulu spoke up, “My lady, should we not go?”
Carissa took a seat, her gaze cold. “We will go.”
“Why should we go and be laughed at?”
Lulu was already angry just thinking about the situation. Hadn’t Carissa already endured enough humiliation?
Pearl and the others, who were only aware of the animosity between Carissa and Eleanor from Lulu’s account, agreed with Lulu’s advice.
L
They said, “She’s right, my lady. We shouldn go. If we do, we’ll have to bring a gift.”
To the maids, sending a gift was a considerable expense, especially since it had to be appropriate for a high-ranking princess, not some cheap trinket.
Carissa fanned herself casually and said, “We must face it sooner or later. Are we to hide in this residence for the rest of our lives? Besides, a host of official families and noble ladies have already visited us earlier.
“If they turn on me at Grand Princess Eleanor’s birthday celebration, I’ll know they were mere opportunists. Knowing what kind of people. they are, I can avoid them in the future. Consider this celebration as a mirror to reveal their true selves.”
Lulu was still concerned but nodded. “My lady, if they say anything unpleasant, please don’t take it to heart.”
Carissa smiled at her. “Silly girl, I don’t care about them. How can their words hurt me?”
Only those who cared could be hurt. Since Carissa didn’t care, their words would be like water rolling off glass.
Neither the two senior maids nor Frederick discouraged her from
going. They believed it was necessary, considering that Carissa would eventually marry into the royal family and would inevitably have to interact with these people.
“My lady, I’ll prepare the gift,” Lily said.
The storeroom was well-stocked with gold, silver, and jewels. Some were part of Carissa’s dowry, while others belonged to her mother and sisters-in-law. The Westhaven spies had only killed people but not plundered treasures.
Of course, the items from her mother and sisters-in-law could not be
given away, so they had to choose something else.
Since Carissa wasn’t close with Eleanor, the gift didn’t need to be extravagant. But given the number of guests, many of whom were from the royal family, it couldn’t be too insignificant. After all, Carissa was representing the Duke of Northwatch’s family.
After some deliberation, none of them could agree on anything, so the senior maids looked at Carissa with a hint of hesitation.
Carissa thought for a moment and came up with an idea-a gift that others might find invaluable but that she had in abundance.
It was the “scraps” from her senior, Kyle.
Kyle enjoyed painting and would often discard works he was dissatisfied with. Carissa thought some of these paintings were quite good, so she had stamped them with his seal and taken them all home. Naturally, the study had many of Kyle’s carefully crafted artworks and calligraphy, which Carissa would not consider giving to Eleanor. A discarded piece seemed most fitting.
She selected a painting of orchids. The scroll unfurled slowly, revealing a realistic depiction of an orchid plant from Meadow Ridge. The painting captured every branch, leaf, and blossom in
detail.
The reason Kyle was dissatisfied with this painting was that he had mistakenly depicted a fully bloomed flower instead of a bud. He felt that a realistic painting should accurately represent what was intended. And since this one did not, it was deemed worthless.
Kyle’s exacting standards had led him to discard this piece.
