Another day has also come to an end, and Calista can feel the exhaustion seeping into her body.
"That's it for today," Beatrice's strict voice echoed throughout the spacious parlor, where only she and Calista were present.
Beatrice moved away from Calista and retrieved her hand from Calista's right hand and back. She was the one that trained Calista and also the one that stands as her dance partner.
To make it seem like she was a man, Beatrice was wearing high-waisted, tailored trousers paired with an elegant blouse featuring lace and ruffles, with her molten gold hair styled in a braided bun.
The tension in Calista's body slowly came off, and her body relaxed.
"Maintain your posture, Calista," Beatrice pointed up.
Calista's breath hitches as she stands straight with her chest out and butt out, which she subconsciously forgot to maintain as her body relaxes.
"It might be difficult to maintain at first, but you will get used to it with time, and it will be second nature."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Good."
Beatrice glances at Calista.
Although Calista cannot be called a genius and her progress is similar to that of others, what made her fascinating as a student is her determination and energy that she exudes as if she can do anything with hard work.
"I'm leaving," Beatrice said.
"Thank you, Your Grace."
As soon as Beatrice was out of the parlor, Calista stopped maintaining her posture and willingly fell to the ground and took a seat.
Calista doesn't have to worry about dirt clinging to her dress since the parlor is squeaky clean.
She heaves a sigh and snatches away the fabric of her dress that covered her legs, and then there appeared the slightly red skin of her feet.
Her feet were beyond exhausted and in pain from the four-inch heels she was wearing to compensate for the height disparity.
She winces in pain as she slowly takes off the heels from her feet and heaves a sigh of relief when her feet are finally free from the heels.
"Oh my ghad! That was exhausting," she mutters to herself as she lies down on the carpeted hardwood floor.
She stared at the chandelier hanging on the ceiling for a few minutes before she decided to sit up.
Calista stands on her feet and contemplates for a moment whether to walk barefoot towards her room or wear this tiring heel.
She was in a dilemma before groaning as she chose to wear the heels as she remembered Beatrice's advice in one of her lessons.
"As a member of the Vermilion family, you have a reputation to uphold. One wrong move and you will tarnish the family."
As the daughter of the duke, she needs to uphold her reputation. She can't just let herself be seen barefoot. It will tarnish her reputation more than it already is.
Calista knew she was a hot topic among the mouths of the servants. Once they saw her in that situation, they would surely scoff at her and point out her common background.
Aware of that, she painfully wore back the four-inch heels on her feet and suppressed her emotion as she walked towards the exit of the parlor and absentmindedly pushed the door.
Calista was confused when she felt something hard hit the door and a groan reach her ears.
With wide eyes, Calista looked behind the door and saw a girl with platinum blond hair with pastel pink undertones sitting on the floor.
It was the heroine. Lilian Vermilion.
"Oh my—are you okay?" She asked in concern and was about to crouch down to help her.
Lilian leans back, extending her legs slightly to push away from her.
Calista stopped her actions at her initial reaction, reluctant to give her help.
Calista smiled awkwardly, then reluctantly retrieved her extended hand.
"Do you need help?" Calista asked.
Lilian furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes at her.
"Ow," Calista realized that Lilian doesn't like her.
Should I walk away? Or do that after helping her?
She was in a dilemma of whether to help her or not. She wants to help her, but she doesn't want her to be uncomfortable, but she also can't just ignore someone when she clearly needs help.
While Calista was in deep thought, Lilian stood by herself, and with scrunched brows, pouty lips, and clenched fists, she shouted with a mix of frustration and anger.
"I hate you!"
Calista was taken aback at her sudden outburst and watched as Lilian turned her back on her and then sprinted away from her.
"Ouch."
She can feel a sting in her heart as she hears those words. She didn't know that dislike became hatred.
That would be bad. If I want to survive, I need to be in a good relationship with the heroine!
If that hatred is turned into a real thing, it's a red flag!
I need to fix this.
...
Meanwhile, on Lilian's side.
Lilian sprinted away from the spot she fell down, and someone witnessed it. She didn't look back at her new older sister and even spouted empty words and ran away in shame.
Embarrassing! Embarrassing!
She passed a couple of servants who were giving her a concerned and confused expression at her behavior, but she didn't give them a look and ran towards her room.
When she got there, she closed the door and immediately dove into her soft bed and buried her face in it and shouted in shame.
Without her knowing, a woman with dignified posture and slight wrinkles around her eyes walks into the room, goes to the bed, and sits on the edge of the bed.
Lilian felt a warm hand stroking down her hair and reluctantly lifted her face from the bed, her face still flushed.
"What's wrong, my princess?" A gentle tone reached Lilian's ears that immediately soothed her down.
"Nanny!"
Lilian sat up and went for a hug from her nanny.
"What's the matter?" Her nanny asked in a gentle tone as she stroked Lilian's hair while hugging her.
"I just did something embarrassing."
"What made it embarrassing?"
"I went to watch that new girl while she was practicing dancing with Mother, but then she saw me, and I got so scared I fell backward! I was so embarrassed when she saw me, so I... I said something rude," Lilian said, looking down shyly.
The nanny paused for a minute before speaking. "Sometimes when we are in an embarrassing situation, we tend to do things we don't mean, dear. Well, maybe she was just surprised to see you. Sometimes people do things without meaning to, especially when they're focused. But don't worry, I'm sure she didn't think much of it," the other person said with a subtle smile, trying to downplay the situation.
"You think so?" Lilian asked in concern.
"Of course. Take that aside, why did you spy on her? That's so unladylike," the nanny said in a disapproving tone.
"Spy?! I was not spying...I was just watching them...in secret," Lilian's voice slowly turned down as she spoke.
"Then what's that called?" The nanny raised her eyebrow at her.
"N-nothing!" Lilian dismisses the subject.
Her nanny heaves a sigh as she speaks, "Didn't the duchess tell you not to get close to her? You didn't follow her advice."
Lilian lowered her head in shame. "Why is that?"
The nanny gave a small smile. "You do know that a family is supposed to consist of a wife, a husband, and their children, right?"
"Yes, I learned it in class."
"That's right, but that new girl is not supposed to be here," the nanny said in a gentle tone.
Lilian tilted her head. "Why? I heard she's my older sister."
"Well, yes, she's your sister—that's what they claimed—but just as you learned from class, a family only consists of a wife, a husband, and the children who came from them. However, that new girl is not the duchess's daughter but a child from another woman. Do you get it?"
"I don't get it," Lilian grumbled.
The nanny's smile widened ever so slightly, her voice soothing yet edged with hidden intention. "It's simple, dear. She doesn't belong here like you do."