Operation: Avoid the Crown Prince

7 | An Awkward Dinner

By the time we got back, the sun's already starting to set. Thankfully, I managed to get home before the duke's imposed curfew or else he'd probably never let me leave again.

The moment I entered the manor, I can see the joyous expression on every servant's faces as they bustled about with their daily responsibilities. Ah, my older brothers must've arrived already. Too bad they arrived earlier than me; I would've loved to welcome them home.

Now, what to do next... Obviously, I can't just seek them out with a pretty smile and say "Welcome home, onii-chan!", that would set them off. Tch, I missed a good opportunity to portray Anastasia's change in demeanor. No matter, there's plenty more chances in the next days.

"Where is mother?"

I asked a passing maid. She stiffened and hurriedly answered.

"The duchess is in the embroidery room, Miss."

Embroidering? Hmm, if I didn't know better, I'd think she's purposely avoiding the two Young Lords of House Kyanos. I suppose I should check in on her, see how she's doing now that Kail and Zedrif are back. I hope she has no secret animosity or whatever against the two boys since it'll only make my side mission of fixing this family a lot harder.

* * *

The embroidery room. Seriously, why do these nobles need so many rooms? There's a tea room, a waiting room (for the guests), the hall (for hosting events), a study room, there's two dining rooms-one for the masters of the house and a smaller one where the servants eat, a whole lot of guestrooms, and there's actually a painting room! There are a lot more different rooms but I can't remember them all at the moment so let's not get into that.

Anyway, true to what the maid said, I found my mother inside the embroidery room. In one of her hand, she delicately held a round frame used to keep the cloth in place and in the other was a needle connected to a lilac thread. Oh, so she really was embroidering. I thought that was just an excuse.

"Mother."

I greeted her politely as I walked over to her direction, carefully trying to keep the elegant stride I remember being taught in those etiquette lessons Anastasia hated so much. The duchess' green eyes immediately found mine and a warm smile settled on her lips.

"Darling, what a surprise! And here I thought you said you'd never go near anything related to embroidery."

There was a hint of teasing in her tone but my posture instinctively stiffened. Crap, did Anastasia say something like that back then? Quick, find an excuse!

"I merely wanted to see you."

Her eyes sparkled in delight as she handed over the frame and the needle to the maid behind her in favor of coaxing me into a hug. I didn't want to incur her suspicion so I swallowed the awkward feeling and let her wrap her arms around me. I didn't say anything when she pulled me onto her lap and proceeded on stroking my hair like she's petting a cat. Be thankful that you're my mother or else I would've never let you touch my beautiful hair. Hmm, Duchess Kyanos seems like a loving mother so I probably don't have to keep my guard up against her.

"Have you seen Kail and Zedrif, mother?"

It was subtle but I was sure I saw her smile stiffen. She held me out in front of her, staring at me with green eyes filled with discomfort.

"I did. They're both so tall now. They grow up so fast."

Anastasia never noticed it before since she isn't very sensitive with these situations but I can. Ophelia Kyanos von Selka is very uneasy about the topic of the duke's older sons. Hmm... I wonder why? I can't sense malice or anything negative but she's very uncomfortable. Or is it fear I sense?