Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual -
Chapter 43: The Monsters Wife is a Witch.
Chapter 43: The Monsters Wife is a Witch.
3rd table
Baron’s Manse, Critic Arley.
There’s always only four people in a table of five and Lydia wondered why, it doesn’t seem like they don’t want the fifth person, it just doesn’t get occupied, like an unspoken ordinance. She positioned both her palms on her lap and waited for the following information.
"I took notice that an invitation was sent to that new thing for the lord" someone whispered because Theodore is a monster no one wants to talk about, and now this table is interesting, Lydia sat straighter waiting.
"What lord?" another asked with low interest
The first one scoffed "Lord Theodore, you dim lady" she pointed out, playing with her spoon.
The now curious lady didn’t bother with the low insult, she said instead "Oh, you know Isha is a friend of the family, tell us about the doll" She turned to Isha who sat prim in a grey gown, her words soft and almost kind. The table consisted of Isha, Abigail, the curious one and the news bringer.
"One thing I know is that she is a witch" Isha muttered surely, her eyes holding each one of them and managing to miss the presence of Lydia, perhaps because Lydia was always in dungarees back at home and never made her hair or face.
"I was at her house yesterday" Abigail announced eliciting gasps from the table and the one next to it, they were listening in too.
"The Lord’s Mansion?!" the lady who brought about the invitation asked stupidly.
"Keep your voice down Archibald we know how much you’ve wanted to be in her shoes" the gossip monger said.
"No need to shout, Megan" Lady Archibald pouted.
"What do you have for us?" a lady asked from the eavesdropping table
"She really is a witch, she has the lord eating out of her palm, I tell you" Abigail confirmed with unconcealed confidence in her opinion of Theodore, making Lydia pale.
"Surely you do not believe that do you?" Lydia asked with a frown, perhaps she felt conflicted.
"Oh dear God, what do we do? If someone who knows her admits to that why doubt it? She really must be a witch and has taken the beast." Lady Archibald will never attend anything Lydia organised, she will make sure of it.
"So if the gossip is from you and your friend then it is sure to be true but from any other person, you hold on to doubt?" Megan asked with a scoff
Lady Archibald went red "Shut up, you disres-" Abigail cut the lady off with a fact that beat all the rest "And oh, she would be fraying a red dress today, in her words ’I need to stand out’"
The whole crowd broke into a fit of laughter, their deftly palm and fingers travelling to cover their mouths.
"That means she’d be in attendance today, I wonder why she’s running late, presumably she believes too highly of herself already" Lady Archibald added with a distaste one should hold for an ungrateful pet.
Having heard enough, Lydia stood up and swiftly moved to another table, this one she observed looked sophisticated and only three seats were occupied and one seat was left meaning only four could take this table, the dynamics she didn’t understand yet, so she sighs as she steers for it.
"Dear." A woman called making Lydia raise her gaze from the seat she was about to take to meet the warm brown eyes that were on her ignoring every other one channelled to her, she waited for her words "Celine would show you to your table to avoid misunderstanding" the lady said softly.
She blinked "I see" Lydia said in a mumble, attempting to leave.
"Who are you?" The Lady questioned Lydia’s Identity as she could barely place her anywhere.
"Lydia" the Lord’s wife told simply, thinking of how the invisibility cloak finally came off.
The warm lady giggled "Oh spare me, are you a spinster?" She continued to ask.
"No, I’m the lord’s wife" she added with a practised smile
Another lady at the table scoffed "How arrogant, every married one of us is a lord’s wife" She pointed to Lydia with a frown like she was a disappointed mother.
"Lord Theodore I meant," Lydia told a little too loudly than she intended because suddenly the whole crowd went completely silent, a pin could drop and the whole of them would flinch at its collision with the floor.
Chairs screeched with complaints as some ladies stood up abruptly, heads turned and every single eye turned to Lydia, trained intently like they were trying to etch every single feature of her into their minds, the women who stood up were the ones who now remember seeing her sitting at their tables, all twelve of them paled with widened eyes looking at her.
This is the lady the Lord of Critic Arley laid eyes upon once and decided to take as his bride, he shook the muckrake and went against the Emperor.
This is the lady that the monster chose against the odds that the emperor created, the only lady that would go to the most hated individual of the empire with a smile on her face and not a word of objection, She is the enchantress that enchanted the monster.
The women who expected her to be ugly and shy glared at her with contempt, their gazes trailing from the top of her head to her feet where she strapped on dark red lacy heels, Theodore got for her yesterday. Above the heels her soft fabric gown adorned with crystals and lace flowers in an elegant grace flowed till her feet, the waist had a band that accentuated her hips, her breast and it had long sleeves that stopped at her wrist, and her shoulders were bare lest, for the necklace her dearest husband designed for her, her hair was immaculately made by Joyce, she made pretty and spotless, well until her husband ravished her lips earlier, in all the study their eyes made she looked gorgeous and that only infuriated them further.
The monster doesn’t deserve her and so does the witch!
Those who had thought she would come with red bowed their heads in misplaced shame and jealousy, they all became uncomfortable until Baroness Vera spoke to Lydia finally coming out of the small shock she had slipped in "Why? I didn’t think you would attend, take a seat please" Lady Vera Brighton pointed to the seat Lydia had been planning to take earlier. Lydia primly did with a smile no one at that table expected she’d still have on.
"Can everyone please take back their seat and feed the pregnant silence" the host advised after the prolonged silence became annoying and soon after mumbles ensued.
*************
The crowd had the second shock that day when the doors that had been closed as evening drew closer suddenly were banged open and an overly dressed Mira Statham pranced inside, her eyes drawn in a black shadow, her meek sister followed right behind. Mira with purposeful steps headed to the table for the higher caliber nobles but upon reaching she searched their faces until she met the one she was abashed to meet.
"Get up!" she said through gritted teeth
Lydia resisted a frown "I beg your pardon?" she demanded
"This should be my seat find somewhere fitting for such as yourself" Mira sneered waving her sister off.
Lydia shook her head, she was looking up at Mira from her seated position "Whatever are you talking about, Mira there are other seats in the hall" she pointed out.
"You think I am blind? Of course, they’re chairs but this table is for the higher calibers of nobles" She dragged the back of the seat slightly making Lydia stand up carefully to prevent being dragged to the floor by her irrational sister.
"Mira we don’t have to carry our issues to a public place, leave me be," Lydia told to her face, as they were standing toe to toe now.
"Who do you think you are to refuse to listen to me? I am the emperor’s betrothed!" Mira exclaimed earning grunts and muttered breaths from the others.
"I am the monster’s wife remember, with just a word I can destroy you and everything you hold dear to you!" Lydia taunted calmly but Mira was anything but calm.
Thwack!
The whole crowd gasped in shock and awe as Mira Statham daughter of the Marquis of Critic Arley landed a sudden slap on Lydia Theodore the lady of the said city. Lydia blinked, having never been hit before she felt the sharp stinging for a few seconds and just as suddenly as Mira slapped her she returned the slap with equal measures. This time the gasps erupted into mumbles as Mira reached for Lydia only to be held back immediately by Shi’Enz who had stood silent on the sidelines from the beginning of the altercation, she could’ve left for her seat but she missed Lydia and wished to see her even if they don’t talk. She tugged her elder sister away, who was still yapping about being dragged away instead of being left to deal with her sister.
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