RedNovelChapter 553
---- 306.
DINNER WITH THE DUKE KATHERINE Night had already fallen.
| was drenched in water, covered in the dust from the road, and utterly exhaustedmore mentally than physically.
| stepped into a small sitting room, adorned with lavish furniture anda tea service table.
The décor was exquisite: paintings, heavy drapes, finely crafted hardwood furnitureeven the ceiling had intricate
detailing.
Everything was beautiful, but if you looked closely, certain details stood outthe cobwebs half-hidden in the
corners, the dust poorly wiped away.
When | opened the bedroom door, the stale, damp smell hit my nose, despite the clean sheets.
Whoever was in charge of cleaning this room did everything but clean properly.
At least they had left the fireplace burning in the cold room.
When | opened the enormous wooden wardrobe, | almost expected bats to cflying out like from a cave.
That thing hadnt taken a single breath of air in all this time.
Well, what a pathetic excuse for a Duchess you were, dear sister, | murmured with a sigh.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt| grabbed the simplest dress with the least musty smell, though towho had spent ten years in a cell smaller
than that closet, dressed in nothing but a filthy shiftit felt exquisite.
---- Alright, following this hallway, I should find the suits of armor...
ah, there they are.
Then the tapestry of the man on horseback and the staircase to the first floor." The layout played out in my
mind.
Ihad memorized it every day, so | arrived at the massive dining hall, large enough to accommodate about fifty
people.
It was imposing, and that never-ending table, set just for the two of us, looked desolate.
Madam, this way, a footman guidedto a chair placed almost in the middle of the table.
Here? | asked, instantly regretting it when he gavea look that screamed obviously.
This is where you always dine, Your Ladyship.
Is there a problem? he asked, and | glanced at the head of the table.
At the very least, | had assumed Id be seated beside the Duke, but | was placed more than five chairs away from
him.
No, this is fine, | replied, gathering the voluminous skirt of my turquoise dress and sitting with elegance.
Drawing from all the etiquette | had learned and refined, built upon the little | had known before.
Toccupied myself by examining the tablewarethe white porcelain decorated with blue flowers.
Tpassed; | slowly raised my head, watching for the Dukes arrival, the food, or anything at all...
My stomach churned worse than lice in a greasy scalp, and my ass had already gone numb from sitting so long.
---- When | stepped into the bathroom, it was the sas the bedroom barely cleaned after months of neglect.
And to think you betrayedfor this life of hypocrisy...
You were truly pathetic, Rossella, | scoffed while sinking into the so-called rose bath, which was more cold water
than anything else, inside the yellowed tub.
As the lady of the house, | should have had a maid or more trailing after me, attending to my every need, even
washing my...
feet if necessary, but there was no one.
Why did the servants dare to treatthis way? It was obviousthe Duke allowed it.
Still, for me, it was an advantage now.
Once | was dressed and drying my hair, a maid knocked on the door.
Cin, | called out, and | heard her walk from the antechamber to the open doorway.
Your Ladyship, dinner is ready, she informed me, and | nodded.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLady Lavinia requested to dine in her room.
Very well, | replied with a sigh.
The lady who arrived with mesee that she is well attended as part of my personal staff, | instructed, firm but not
harsh.
Yes, maam.
I will inform the housekeeper, she answered before leaving without much ceremony.
Irecalled what Rossella had toldabout her duties, one of which was dining with the Duke whenever he was at
the castle.
With little tto freshen up and my stomach growling from hunger, | headed toward the dining hall.
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