LUCIA

Chapter 102 The founding party

"I'll take care of everything. Please Please don't worry and wait. It will not take long."

Anita asked David to never leave the break room. Then she packed up her clothes that she had taken off and left the break room. She spoke to the knights standing in front of the door.

"I'm going to escort the Duchess here on orders of the princess. The princess told me to tell you that she'll be having an important discussion with the Duchess, and so no one should come inside."

"Understood."

There was no one that saw the handmaid and thought it was weird for her to be carrying a dress under her arm. Sometimes, a noblewoman's dress would be dirtied with food and couldn't be worn as it was, so the dress would be urgently transported.

Anita walked along the hallway, looking around and avoiding people's eyes, then she threw the dress in a room that was used as a storage.

* * *

Anita approached Princess Katherine's handmaid.

"His Majesty is looking for the princess and wishes to speak with her privately. I was told it is very urgent. I have to quickly meet with Her Highness the Queen, so I will take my leave."

"I got it. But you, where are you from..."

The handmaid tried to identify the maid she had never seen before, but right after speaking, the maid turned away and disappeared with quick steps. Katherine's handmaid was offended by the attitude of the unfamiliar maid who only said what she wanted to say before leaving. But she couldn't ignore the message that the king was looking for Princess Katherine and urgently at that.

Anita hid in an inconspicuous place and watched Katherine. She confirmed the handmaid approaching Katherine to whisper the message, and Katherine leaving the hall afterwards.

She followed behind from a distance and watched until Katherine's carriage left for the Inner Palace, then she returned to the party hall.

This time, she approached the Duchess' maidservant.

"The princess says she has something to talk about with the Duchess in private. Please inform the Duchess that the princess is waiting for her in the break room."

Hearing what her maid whispered into her ear, Lucia broke away from the crowd of noblewomen. As she stepped out into the hallway leading to the princess' break room, a handmaid stood there, waiting for her.

Anita glanced at Roy, who was following behind the Duchess, and bowed her head.

"The princess stepped out for a moment due to an urgent matter. Is the order you were given correct?"(Lucia)

"Before the princess left to see His Majesty, she said that there was something she had to urgently tell the Duchess. She said it is related to the reason why His Majesty is looking for her."

Before Katherine left for the Inner Palace, she slightly hinted to Lucia that she was going to see the King. Seeing as the maid knew about that, Lucia believed the handmaid's words. Rather than growing suspicious, she grew worried and urgent. All sorts of thoughts filled her head, like the idea that maybe the King was calling the princess, because of news of her husband who was currently on the battlefield.

"Let's go."

Anita began to walk ahead of them. They walked along the desolate hallway, scarce with people. They were already quite a distance away from the boisterous clamoring of the party hall.

When they arrived at the break room, Anita looked at the knights with a smile in her eyes. They tried to make a solemn expression, but the corner of their lips twitched up and down in an attempt not to smile.