Chapter 328: The Baron’s Estate
Rose didn’t catch up to the messenger as she walked towards the estate, but she was right behind him when they arrived. She was out of breath, and every breath let out a little puff of smoke.
The messenger walked right through the gates as the guards let him inside, not caring if Rose went after him or not. Rose frowned as she looked around. It had been a while since she was here.
The gate was the biggest in the whole of Edenville, even bigger than the main entrance. It was a shame to compare the two, as the main entrance gate was simply a wooden barricade.
"Get in!" one of the guards yelled as she was distracted.
Rose narrowed her gaze and looked forward to see the messenger standing on the other side with a scowl on his face. Rose didn’t care for their attitudes; she’d rather not be here.
She adjusted the coat before she stepped through the open gates, the gravel crunching underneath her boots. She winced, holding tight to the coat. She was here now; there was no overthinking it.
The baron’s estate was massive. It wasn’t as big as Lord Furtherfield’s estate, but it was certainly bigger than any other house in Edenville. The first thing she noticed was the horses running around in the snow.
She knew the baron had a lot of horses and that he was very particular about them. She frowned as she looked around—not much had changed. She could see the stables and the servants’ quarters at the other end. The servants’ quarters were separated from the main house.
There were also a few other buildings that Rose wasn’t sure what they stood for. She strained her neck as she tried to take it all in. There was a small garden right in front of the main building; it looked to be well-tended even in the snow.
"Move it!" the messenger’s voice rang out.
Rose looked ahead, and he was already standing at the main entrance. She frowned. Did he expect her to go through the main entrance? It was one thing to use the main gate, as that was the only gate in use, but not the main entrance into the house.
Even when she had sneaked in to ride horses at the back, she had only ever seen the back entrance being used. Rose was already suspicious, but now she was even more so.
She couldn’t begin to fathom what this was about. Even if it was about the crown prince, there was no reason for her to be ushered into the estate in this manner.
Rose walked towards him. The main entrance didn’t have guards in front of it; rather, they stood inside. They held the doors open as they waited for her to approach the entrance.
She swallowed as she walked through the space. She didn’t show too much interest as she walked into the main building. The house wasn’t as big as she had seen and didn’t have that many rooms either.
The door led to a hall that was ten times smaller than the castle’s. Rose didn’t even bother to look around. She simply wanted to know why she was here and leave as soon as she could.
"Rose," a voice called her a little too familiarly.
Rose kept her face neutral as she turned in the direction of the voice. The lady of the house was walking down the stairs with her maidservants behind her—about two of them.
"My lady," Rose said as she bent her knees. She grabbed the coat around the sides to stop it from touching the floor.
The messenger bowed. "Mi lady, I broug’t ’er as ye requested."
The baron’s wife! Rose exclaimed internally. She had been told it was the baron. Was this because she had refused her invitation last time?
"You are dismissed," the lady said as she got to the foot of the stairs.
The messenger bowed and walked away without saying another word but Rose didn’t miss that he glared at her as he passed. Rose didn’t care, she was more interested in why the lady called her.
Rose was no longer bent at the knees, but she kept her head down and her gaze to the ground. She heard footsteps approaching as she stood, and soon enough she could see the feet of the baron’s wife.
"I know you’re wondering why I called you here," she said softly as she stopped in front of Rose.
Rose didn’t speak at this—not that she was trying to be rude, rather she didn’t think she was supposed to speak yet.
"I am sorry about what happened to your mother," the lady continued. "I heard. Please accept my condolences—especially calling you out at such a delicate time."
Rose frowned, feeling the stiffness in her neck soften a little, but she was still defensive. "Thank you, my lady," she simply said. She knew there was no reason to say more; she would be told why she was here sooner or later.
Lady Eden smiled as she stared at Rose, who still wouldn’t look her in the face. "Come, join me for tea?" she asked. "I will tell you over tea why I asked for you."
Rose slowly lifted her head. Her suspicion was as clear as day on her face. She didn’t buy this act, not even a little bit. Still, she couldn’t refuse the Lady of Edenville; it would be rude.
"As my lady wishes," she said with another curtsy and walked after her.
Lady Eden led Rose further into the house. The floor was covered in carpets from one end to the other. Paintings filled the walls; she recognized the baron in at least five of them.
Suddenly, Lady Eden stopped in front of a room. Her maidservants quickly opened it. She stepped in first and looked toward Rose.
"Come," she softly urged.
Rose still had a hard time believing what was happening here, but it wasn’t like she had any control over the situation.
"Take her coat," she told the servants. "It’s awfully warm here," she said directly to Rose.
Rose didn’t fight this, as the lady was right. She was starting to feel a little too warm. The inside of the house made one forget it was snowing outside.