Marianne couldn't hide the flicker of disgust that crossed her face as she stood before the woman who had 'stolen' her place in the dukedom.
Her gaze swept over the chamber, taking in the soft drapes, the hearth, the generous space. Why had the Duke given her such comfortable quarters? He was such a good man… too good, and this woman certainly didn't deserve to be called his wife.
"I see… so this is where you get to stay now," Marianne murmured, a delicate smile curving her pink-tinted lips as her eyes darted about, all sweetness on the outside. "It's lovely, really. But it means the Duke and I can enjoy more… private moments together. And you won't be there to get in our way, so I suppose I'm quite satisfied with how things turned out."
"Oh," Lilian blinked, unbothered.
"In that case, I am glad as well," she replied, matching Marianne's smile with her own calm, polite and entirely empty demeanor. "The comfort of my chamber is more than enough."
She said nothing more. She didn't need to. Her disinterest alone was its own quiet dismissal.
Marianne's smile flickered, revealing the faintest crack in her composure. Lilian's lack of reaction was never the victory she sought. Determined, she stepped deeper into the room, her fingertips brushing over the embroidered bedsheet as though appraising something she believed should belong only to her.
"You know," she continued, her voice light, almost shy, "Caelan and I.. we've always had a connection. Since we were children. He confides in me. He's at ease with me. I understand him in a way you simply.. can't. Not ever, Lady Lilian."
But Lilian watched her with an unchanged expression, as if she were listening to someone complain about the weather.
Marianne took the silence as encouragement.
"In truth," she lowered her lashes demurely– "he comes to me often." Her voice softened into a whisper, dripping with a fabricated intimacy. "You'll never be able to imagine how devoted he is when we're alone. Of course, you wouldn't."
Lilian blinked once.
Then twice.
She brushed a bit of lint off her sleeve, more interested in that than in Marianne's declaration. "If that is what you choose to believe, then I hope it brings you comfort."
Marianne's smile tightened. "Believe? My dear, I don't need to believe anything. The Duke's affection speaks for itself."
"I'm sure it does," Lilian said mildly, "though I can't imagine why you'd go through the trouble of explaining it to me." She looked toward the door, politely and pointedly. "I was in the middle of finishing off my work when you barged in. Was there something else you needed?"
Marianne faltered, the smooth rhythm of her confidence stuttering for the first time. She was starting to understand what Lady Constance had truly meant.
"No," she said, too quickly. And immediately tried to recover, whilst clearing her throat and attempting another gentle smile. "I only thought it best to remind you of your place, so you don't get any funny ideas."
Lilian nodded once, clearly done with the conversation. "Thank you. And now that you've established it… will you be leaving?"
For the first time, the sweetness cracked in Marianne's eyes, though her lips struggled to maintain the curve.
"I'll… return another time," she managed.
"I'm sure you will," Lilian dipped her head in a polite dismissal. "Do see yourself out."
Marianne was at a loss for words. She had come here to assert dominance just as Lady Constance instructed, but nothing was unfolding the way she had imagined it to be. Her plan was slipping, and she had to do something about it quickly before her rival gained the upper hand.
Her frown deepened as Lilian turned her back to her, and that's when a desperate idea struck her.
Lilian had barely taken two steps when a hand clamped at her wrist. Before she could react, Marianne yanked Lilian's arm upward and struck her own cheek with it, the sharp sound snapping through the chamber like a whip.
Lilian's eyes widened a fraction.
Marianne let out a breathy gasp, her eyes instantly filling with tears. She stumbled backward in a dramatic stagger, trembling, as though struck by a beast, before letting herself fall to the carpet in a collapse that was far too graceful to be real.
"A– ah! How could you—!" She whimpered, clutching her cheek as fat, perfectly timed tears spilled over. "Lady Lilian… please, don't hit me again."
Lilian closed her eyes for one slow, very long second, her fingers curling into fists at her side.
Of course.
Of course something like this was going to happen.
As if summoned by fate, or more accurately, by rehearsal, the door burst open. Marianne's maids rushed inside, already wearing expressions of horrified outrage, as though they'd been standing just outside, waiting for their cue. Lilian's maids followed quickly behind them upon hearing Marianne's piercing scream.
"My Lady!" One of Marianne's maids cried, dropping to her side. "What happened?"
"She… she slapped me," Marianne sniffed, her voice trembling prettily as she looked up at them with wet lashes. "I was only trying to speak to her, and she suddenly turned violent—"
"That's a lie," was all Lilian said in response to that. A statement of fact with no attempt to plead her case.
But still, she knew how it looked. She knew how it always looked.
"How dare you!" one of Marianne's maids snapped at her "Lady Marianne kindly came to greet you, and you assaulted her?"
"You need to mind your tone when addressing the new Lady," Elise cut in sharply. "Your Lady being hurt does not give you the license to forget your place. She can still order you out of her chamber if she so wishes."
Linda stood by Elise's words, nodding her head in agreement.
"Y-yes, I don't think the new Lady is capable of hitting anyone."
"Are you accusing Lady Marianne of lying?" The hostile maid challenged hotly, and Linda didn't know how else to reply. However, she still stood by what she said. There wasn't any visible handprint on Lady Marianne's face to correlate with her words, so how can they blindly believe her just because she said so?
"If I had slapped her," Lilian said evenly, "she wouldn't be conscious enough to cry about it. I'm just saying."
Marianne hiccuped dramatically, flinching at her words. "D-do you hear that? Do you hear how vicious she sounds? And now she's threatening me. The Duke must hear of this– he must!"
"Feel free to him," Lilian replied, to everyone's shock. "I'm innocent, so I have nothing to be afraid of. But if you're going to frame me, at least make the scene more believable."
A small gasp rippled through the room.
Marianne's maids helped her to her feet. "You'll regret this," one hissed.
"I already regret letting you in," Lilian said without missing a beat.
Marianne's expression crumpled, both anger and humiliation warring together. She shot Lilian a promising look before she fled the chamber with her entourage trailing behind her.
Silence settled for a heartbeat, and Lilian glanced worriedly at her Lady.
"My Lady, what are you going to do?"
*************
In Lady Constance's solar chamber, she was busy reviewing a stack of invitation cards when Marianne stormed in, tears streaming down her face, and her voice trembling.
The sight startled Constance.
"Marianne?"
She rose from her seat immediately, crossing the room to approach the crying girl. "What– what happened?"
"Aunt," Marianne threw herself into Constance's embrace, her sobs shaking just enough to seem genuine. "I– I went to see that other woman. I tried to be kind to her, but instead she struck me! I only wished to know her better, but she did this to me instead."
She pulled back to reveal her reddened cheek to Constance, and the woman's face hardened into ice at the sight.
"You are saying that ugly duckling did this to you?"
"Yes," Marianne whispered, her hands trembling in perfect, dainty distress. "For no reason at all… she pushed me to the ground, Aunt. You can ask my maids, they all saw what she did to me. I'm lucky I wasn't more badly hurt… you were right about her. She is no good at all."
Constance's jaw clenched with barely contained fury. "This is unacceptable. This is exactly what I warned Caelan about. But he never listens. That wild, untrained girl is already growing wings– how dare she even lay her hands on you!"
Without further questioning, and without verifying anything, she stepped out of her solar, her steps ringing sharply against the floor, with Marianne behind her.
"Bring Lilian to the courtyard," she ordered one of her guards. "Now."