‘Where ?is my room?’ Ariadne asked.

  A blonde Chatzi maid with green eyes approached her from the side; she appeared older than the rest.

  ‘Follow me, duchess.’ The maid got to the front.

  Compared to the town below, the mansion had high-quality construction. Her father had done the absolute best he could; all of this was done long before he went to Velvent; maybe this was his plan from the beginning.

  ‘You, in the front. What is your name?’ Ariadne inquired.

  ‘My name is Rita Agron, and I am the head maid at your disposal, your highness.’ She responded while opening the door to a room.

  ‘This appears to be the same as my room in the capital.’ The duchess looked around.

  ‘Everything that belonged to the Duchess in the capital arrived a few days ago,’ Rita said, opening the curtains.

  ‘You did well; call the peasant here; I need to speak with him.’ She looked at Eliza.

  Eliza left the room and remembered that Edmund had jumped on the wagon before going to the back of the mansion. There was no time for her to adapt to her new situation. The one thing she liked was that all the staff were Chatzi.

  ‘Well, Rita, I guess I should change my clothes.’ Ariadne turned to face Rita.

  The wagon stopped in front of a warehouse. Edmond thought that was not that bad; it was more significant than the one he lived in back in Velvent. A few moments later, some people approached him.

  ‘Do you need help? We can give you a hand to get this stuff out of the wagon.’ The man spoke.

  ‘Yes, thanks; I’m indebted to you.’ Edmund smiled.

  ‘By the way, my name is Alon Agron, and I am the guard's captain; we look after the safety of the town and the towns on this territory.’

  With black hair and brown eyes, the older A-Dam soldier pointed to the others, a mix of Shafran, A-Dam, and the younger Chatzi. Edmund felt welcomed as everyone helped him get his things out of the wagon. They had this air of camaraderie that was foreign to the young man.

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  ‘Ho, I'm Edmund and Ariadne’s slave.’ He smiled at the group.

  His words hit them hard. They couldn’t believe the duchess had a slave; it made them feel awkward. They felt sorry for the boy. Perhaps the duchess doesn’t care about the law, as if she is a tyrant or something; it makes them feel apprehensive.

  ‘No, look, this is not what you guys are thinking; I’m glad she took me from where I was; she is not bad.’ The young boy sat in a box.

  ‘No problem; it is not like we could help you, but if you need help, just ask me or the boys here.’ Alon gave the boy a pat on the back.

  As everyone continued to unload the wagon, Eliza approached and tapped Edmund on his shoulder. The guards' eyes were fixed on her like beasts on prey.

  ‘Edmund, the duchess is calling for you.’ She looked around.

  ‘Ah, no problem; with their help, I’m already finished.’ The young man pointed at the guards.

  ‘I’m sorry, my name is Eliza Foster, the duchess' maid. Now follow me, Edmund.’ The maid started to walk to the mansion.

  ‘Thank you, guys; I hope we can talk more next time.’ Edmund smiled at the guards.

  The boy took his tablet from a box and accompanied the maid to the mansion. The wagon driver looked at the young man’s back and spoke to the group of guards.

  ‘If I were you, I would open my eyes to this boy; he cut forty bandits on the way here like they were nothing, and some soldiers said that it was stuff from nightmares, ' a wagon driver said.

  ‘To me, we will have extra help in protecting this town.’ Alon smiled at the driver.

  The wagon was leaving, and everyone started to stare at Edmund in the distance as the sun set on the horizon.

  ‘Wait, his hair was white? But he looks normal to me.’ A young Chatzi suddenly spoke up.

  ‘I don’t know; should we give a damn? If he helps us, that's the only thing that matters.’ Alon puts his hand on the young Chatzi's shoulder.

  Ariadne was dressed in a white dress with golden ornaments all around, her hair tied in a ponytail. It was already night, and the lights from the candles didn’t help much. Edmund was sitting across the desk, and Eliza was serving them tea.

  ‘I can’t tell if being a duchess is good or bad for you.” Edmund drank from the cup.

  The tea was extremely hot. The young man almost dropped the cup and looked at Eliza, confused.

  ‘Wow, too hot, don't you think?’ He spoke.

  ‘The duchess likes it this way, so just drink it.’ The maid retorted.

  ‘Thank you, Eliza; it's just that I have never had tea.’ Edmund shrugged his shoulders.

  The maid clenched her fists and stared at Edmund before turning around and leaving the room.

  ‘As a duchess, I no longer have a claim to the throne, so my plans need to be adjusted. What can you do to help me right now? Speak your mind.’ Ariadne looked at the young boy with expectation.

  ‘I think we should give the people of your land light; look at this, it's trash." Edmund directed her attention to the candle on her desk.

  ‘Like the one you showed me when I was at your house? Good, if I’m good to them, they will see me as their rightful ruler.’ She tapped her chin.

  ‘We can start with this mansion and give light to the streets; look at these designs.’ Edmund gave her his tablet.

  ‘Interestingly, the commission will benefit the town's economy.’ Ariadne smiled, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the drawings on the tablet.

  The duchess used a bell to call for the head maid, who was waiting outside.

  ‘Rita, do you know the local artisans? We have work for them.’ The duchess looked at the head maid.

  ‘Yes, Your Highness, I am confident they will make you proud. ' She responded confidently.

  ‘I bet they are.’ Ariadne smiled.