Cheryl opened her eyes again to find the seat next to her empty. She extended her hand to touch the crumpled sheet beside her. It was already cold outside. That is, her sleeping partner has been awake for quite some time.
The young lady leaned against the headboard of the bed. Even though the curtains were closed, Cheryl could see how bright it was outside through the small gap that was open.
Cheryl paused for a moment.
While staring at the thick curtain closing. Last night, she remembered, the curtains hung so high that the moonlight shone through the glass windows. Cheryl lacked the confidence to believe that Edgar was the one closing the curtains for her.
Cheryl got out of bed, removing the thick blanket that had been wrapped around her. The thin nightgown she was wearing was unkempt. When she stood up, her long hair swayed, causing the collar of her dress to drop, revealing white shoulders with ambiguous red markings.
Cheryl was unaware of this when a group of maids knocked on the door, requesting permission to enter.
The maids' faces turned bright red as soon as their master's wife appeared. Only one of the servants remained unaffected. She appeared to be the group's leader and had more experience than the others.
She began by bowing respectfully to Cheryl, who was quickly followed by the young maids behind her.
"Good day, My Lady. Let me introduce myself. Hello, my name is Beth. The Marquess has assigned me to take care of all your needs from now on "She stated.
Beth's voice was steady, neither high nor low. Her demeanour was perfect.
About 5 maids behind Beth introduced themselves as well. They introduced themselves as Mai, Judy, Mary, Lia, and Penn.
Cheryl listened but couldn't remember which one because the five girls looked so similar. They were both dressed in long black maid gowns and white aprons. Their hair was also styled in a single bun with a neat white cloth headband.
Actually, Beth's appearance is similar to the others', except that Beth exudes maturity and has a firm face.
Beth continued after the five girls introduced themselves, "My Lady, I'm glad you slept well. Do you want to take a shower first?"
Beth's question didn't surprise Cheryl. Cheryl had grown accustomed to this type of service during her time in this world, particularly in Eugene's small palace. So she didn't pause before nodding, "Yes, I'd like to take a shower."
Beth and the other maids quickly split up to prepare the new mistress' bath water.
Beth went to get a folding wall to use as a bathroom barrier. Meanwhile, Judy and Mary brought an empty bathtub into the bedroom and placed it on the floor.
Fortunately, the Marquess' room was quite large. So, even though there is a fairly large bathtub in the middle of the room, it does not make the space feel claustrophobic.
The other three maid girls were in charge of keeping the water clean. Beth immediately showed Cheryl some essential oils after they filled it with a 6:4 ratio of cold to hot water.
Cheryl is a shallow person who only knows that the red one smells like roses. Her slender finger pointed at the glass bottle containing the red liquid, ignoring the other colours.
"It's this one."
Beth, who had only wanted to introduce the name and benefits of each essential bath oil, was taken aback for a moment. She quickly removed the impolite expression from her face and went to work.
"All right, my Lady."
Beth's fingers were so quick that she poured essential oil and a few handfuls of rose petals into the water in under 10 seconds.
Meanwhile, Mai lit a few short round candles from Penn's hand. The round-faced maid girl placed an orange-flamed candle on the left and right sides of the bathtub.
The bath supplies are ready. The maids turned to face Cheryl with respectful smiles.
"My Lady, the bath water is ready," Beth said.
The Marchioness replied with a slightly stiff expression. Cheryl shed an imaginary sweat as she stared at the puff of rose-scented water accompanied by a sprinkling of rose petals, as well as the aromatic candle placed on the side of the tub.
Her little heart grumbled a little "I don't want to take a bath; I just want to take a bath. There is no need to make aromatherapy candles in this manner."
Cheryl couldn't bear to resist their efforts after another look at the enthusiastic faces of the maids, including Beth herself.
She reluctantly let them remove the nightgown she was wearing.
Each girl appeared to have divided her responsibilities. Judy and Mary rushed forward, ignoring the few red marks on the Marchioness's body, and assisted Cheryl into the bath.
Cheryl felt her muscles relax as soon as she stepped into the water. The essential oil's rose scent is light and not at all dizzying.
Judy, one of the servant girls, smiled brightly and spoke cheerfully.
"Let me and Mary assist you in cleaning your back, Marchioness." Judy first requested permission.
Cheryl gave Judy a brief glance. Judy's innocent smile reminded Cheryl of the daughter of her widowed aunt who lived next door. The girl shared Judy's innocent smile.
Cheryl nodded, "please," as if she had been away from the modern world for so long.
After hearing her master's permission, the quiet-looking Mary also came forward. Judy took the spot behind Cheryl first, leaving Mary to sit cross-legged by the tub, rubbing her hands and feet.
Cheryl became drowsy as the two girls moved, causing small ripples in the water.
After about 30 minutes, the two assisted Cheryl in getting out of the water.
Penn had presented her with a large towel shaped like a shirt. Penn quickly applied the towel to Cheryl's body, then took another towel to dry her master's hair.
Cheryl had previously sat in the chair provided by Lia.
Cheryl was so preoccupied with Penn brushing her hair that she was unaware when Judy and Mary removed the recently used bathtub. When she turned around, the tub had vanished, leaving only Lia to clean up some of the wet stains on the floor.
The young lady was taken aback.
"Has the tub... vanished?" She muttered something.
Marchioness mumbled, but Penn could clearly hear her at this close range.
Penn explained, "Judy and Mary have brought it, My Lady."
Cheryl was taken aback once more. "Isn't that tub full of water? How are two little girls supposed to carry such a heavy load?"
Penn felt a little awkward after hearing Cheryl's words.
"Actually, despite their short stature, they are both very strong."
Of course, Cheryl was sceptical. Cheryl was forced to believe it after seeing Penn's expression and the fact that she didn't appear to be joking.
Penn's hands quickly dried Cheryl's hair.
Then it was time for Cheryl to choose between two dresses and two sets of jewellery brought by Beth.
One light green dress with beige accents, and another red dress with intricate details.
Cheryl is a big fan of the colour green. But, because she was a newlywed, Cheryl felt compelled to wear a red gown. The reason for this is that red is a daring and seductive colour.
So, without thinking, she pointed to the bright red dress.
"As it turns out, my Lady and I have similar tastes. In addition, I believe the red dress is more attractive "Beth was beaming.
Cheryl was taken aback by Beth's sweet smile.
She previously thought Beth resembled Simon (the crown prince's servant), who was flat and disliked showing his true expression. Cheryl felt relieved in her heart after seeing her genuine smile like this.
"Fortunately, she is not a rigid individual. At the very least, I'll feel at ease hanging out with them in the future." Cheryl pondered.
Beth had done the dress, make-up, and hair for Cheryl, and her admiration had not faded. The final step is to attach the accessories.
The newlywed woman stood in front of a large makeup mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror. Because the dress was flashy, so was the hairdo, giving Cheryl the impression of a high-ranking aristocrat who was both graceful and arrogant.
Cheryl pulled away from Beth after she was satisfied with her appearance.
Cheryl sat at the dining table and noticed that there was only one set of cutlery. She didn't mind at first, and her hands didn't hesitate to pile this and that dish onto her plate.
However, she felt uneasy before scooping the food into her mouth.
She is a newlywed woman. A "less dutiful wife" would appear to be one who appears at the dinner table and eats alone without inquiring about her husband's well-being.
So, in order to avoid such jokes, Cheryl was forced to open her mouth and ask where Edgar was, despite her reservations.
"Why only prepare for me? What happened to the Marquess? Has he eaten anything?"
Beth, on the other hand, smiled as she watched the mistress put down the spoon. According to her, this newly married wife has a strong sense of devotion because she is unable to eat because her husband is unable to eat.
This pleases her. She was grateful that the Marquess had married such a thoughtful woman.
The warm smile raised the corners of Beth's mouth once more. She responded enthusiastically, "The Marquess entered the study early in the morning. He hasn't yet arrived in the dining room."
The Marquis had not yet arrived at the dining room, implying that he had not eaten. It wasn't morning any longer, it was around 10 or 11, almost noon. Cheryl was instantly unable to continue eating after realising she would make a poor impression as a wife if she did.
Her bright eyes focused on the delectable-looking meat on the plate and she felt bad for asking; there was no other option but to bring Edgar here so she could eat.
Cheryl braced herself and rose from her seat, saying, "Take me to the Marquess' study."
Beth took the lead as the mistress directed. On the way, all of the walls in the room and the passage he passed through were beautifully decorated. But Cheryl didn't have time to admire it all; her goal was more important. The sooner she arrived, the better; stopping to admire the view would only slow her down.
They arrived in front of a closed carved door. Cheryl recognised Edgar's study when she saw Beth standing sideways.
Cheryl reached for the doorknob. But before she could open it, Edgar's rage erupted from within the room.
Cheryl is a frail young woman. Her memories merged with the nightmare from that time when she heard that angry voice, causing her body to tremble.