Chapter 2: The Fiancee
The sound of breaking glass from outside woke Meredith up. She wanted to ignore it but she could hear people murmuring from outside of her room.
Too early for gossip.
She shook her head and calmly stood. Meredith, in her white silk nightgown, walked toward her vanity mirror. She met her own black orbs in the reflection of the mirror, her long black hair was also a bit messy from the sleep.
Meredith's attention turned to the person who entered her chamber. Her nanny, Caroline, walked with her head down. Meredith squinted her eyes but they widened suddenly as she looked at her nanny even more.
"Good morning, My Lady," Caroline greeted, forcing a smile and looking away when her lady stared at her intently. Her lady's gaze was on her left cheek and she couldn't help but flinch when her lady tried to touch it.
Meredith's fist clenched. Her eyes still did not leave the swollen cheeks of her nanny. "Where is my father?"
"The Duke is in the dining hall, Lady Meredith."
Without a second thought, Meredith marched out of her room and went to where her father was. She halted and took a deep breath at the sight of her father, the Duke, wobbling around the dining hall with a bottle in his hand. Meredith just watched her father in his drunken state for a moment. Her body trembled knowing that her father was the reason for her nanny's swollen cheeks.
The Duke stopped moving when he felt Meredith's presence. He grinned. Meredith has been an obedient daughter to him. He knows that the youngest daughter of his would bring more fortune to him and Von Trapp's household and he was right about it. However, after what happened at the banquet, after all the gossip going around in town, he got nervous.
"Lady Meredith!" Caroline gasped.
Everyone in the room looked away. Meanwhile, Meredith was expecting it already. She gritted her teeth and ignored the burning pain on her cheek. At least, she also got what her nanny received from her father early in the morning.
The Duke looked down at her. "You are the fiancee of the Crown Prince of El Famia, Meredith. But why does Prince Damian keep on inviting that lady from the house of Marquess Solomon? Why are you unbothered about it when everyone is now talking about the probability of your engagement failing?"
Meredith shut her eyes at the sound of his father shouting in front of her. She took another deep breath before she opened her eyes and faced the Duke.
"Why don't you sit down first, Father?"
Duke Von Trapp glared but did what his daughter told him. He almost tripped but Meredith was fast to catch his arms and carefully guided him to sit.
This is what he couldn't understand with his daughter. Meredith was so calm that he sometimes got intimidated by his own daughter. But he knows that she won't fight back, especially when he holds her nanny as his hostage. After all, the Lady of the House of Duke Von Trapp has a soft spot for her nanny. Caroline was the second nanny she had in the house. Of course, if she disobeyed him, she would experience losing another person she treasured. Just like how she lost Caroline's mother, the first nanny of Lady Meredith.
Although Meredith was capable, she was still powerless when it came to his father.
Meredith curtsied. "I will talk to Damian about it, Father. Don't worry."
When the Duke didn't reply, she took it as a sign and left the drunken Duke.
*****
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Queen of Mean
Fantasy"Everyone branded her as wicked, so she became one." ~~~~ Meredith Von Trapp is the only daughter in the house of Duke Von Trapp. She knows that she is meant to be a member of the Imperial family and that she is to be the future Crown Princess of th...
