The Chronicle of Aurelia Aurelius

Chapter 33 The Rumor

            Arriving at the palace, I sensed something different than yesterday...I went inside the palace with the others behind me..Eyes were flying toward us; the servants, the guard, even the nobles were looking at us..While we were walking to the other hall, Flavia was waiting for me in same intersection of the hall, like yesterday. We approached her..

In front of her, Flavia said,

"My lady, I will keep staying while you are in the palace..."

I was surprised that the palace's servant still needed to accompany me in the palace, so I asked, "Is that necessary, Flavia? Or is your companion an order from the palace?"
"My lady is right; the order to stay beside you is still ongoing; even your maid and your guards are allowed to stay beside you, wherever you go in the palace...Still, the palace wants one servant to accompany you, my lady..."

I looked at Adel behind me, and she kept silent about this. I turned back to Flavia and said, "Well then, you may stay with me.."

We continued to walk to the other hall, Flavia was walking in front of us...

Arriving at the other hall, the first thing we felt in there was the heavy stare from the other nobles in the hall. While we were walking in the hall, I could hear some of them talking badly about me...

I went beside Flavia, and asked, "May you tell me, which peerage rank all the nobles are in here?"

"Most of them are count, and the highest peerage rank in here is marquis...if it's about peerage rank, I think my lady is the highest one in this hall..."

What!! I was the highest one in here; why could it be like that? How did the royal court not have a higher peerage rank than me?

In front of the Arch-Treasury door, the door was opened by Lady Hillaria and Lady Clara. After knowing the truth about them, I felt a little bit different about them, like I wanted to distance myself from them.

"Good morning, Lady Aurelia..." Lady Clara greeted me.

"Good morning, Lady Clara and Lady Hillaria..." I answered her greeting.

Lady Hillaria was looking at Adel; after that, Cassius, from the tip of the bottom until the tip of the top..

At once, Lady Clara lightly bumped Lady Hillaria's arm with her own arm, and I could hear a small tone from Lady Clara.

"Do what I tell you!!"

Lady Hillaria bowed at me and said,

"Lady Aurelia...I offer you my apology; may you forgive me after what I did yesterday to your guard..."

"I have told you, Lady Hillaria...Don't make this matter a feud or grow a grudge between us...I accept your apology, Lady Hillaria...May you stand up right now; it is quite embarrassing for a noble like you to do like this..."

I looked at Lady Clara and Lady Hillaria, and said,

"After what happened yesterday, let's not let our relationship stretch, grow a grudge between us...and not let our tea time be disturbed by this.....May we go inside, and do our best?"

Lady Hillaria and Lady Clara went back inside with me and the others. I went to Livio's desk. In front of it, Livio looked at us, and said,

"Why are there new faces here? And where is the other guard, who was with you yesterday?"