Blind The World

CHAPTER ONE

Chapter one

"Are you going to keep your promise?" Lady Caroline asked Alicia as they both prepared Lady Caroline's world-famous cookies to welcome her guests.

"I don't know" Alicia blurted. "Why do I need to go to Saintfields? I am fine right here with you!" she continued, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the promise she had made to her dying mother.

"She promised your father that the moment you turned twenty, you were going to move back there," Lady Caroline explained.

"Well, I'm twenty-one now, and she had no plans to keep it in the first place. Why should I?" Alicia stated, expressing her discomfort. "I have my whole life planned here, with the best of friends and everything I could ask for."

"So, why would I choose to go where I have no one?" Alicia asked her aunt. It made no sense to her. Why would she have to go back after over 10 years?

"You have responsibilities there, that's why," Lady Caroline explained. "If anything happens to the Duke of Saintfields, you will have to step up and become a Duchess."

"And who says I want to become the duchess?" Alicia stubbornly protested.

"That's the tradition, and if not, the whole county would be passed down to another bloodline," Lady Caroline tried to explain to her stubborn niece.

"And what's so wrong with the title getting passed to another family?" Alicia asked her aunt, frustration evident in her voice.

"Don't say that, Alicia! That would be the end of relevance for your whole progeny. All your father sacrificed to protect you and your mother would be wasted. Don't ever say that, Alicia," her aunt scolded.

"What sacrifice? He divorced my mother and forced her to leave," Alicia stated. She wasn't sure exactly what happened between her parents but she had heard rumors.

"Is that what your mother told you?" Lady Caroline questioned before shifting her thoughts to a servant who walked past the kitchen door towards the second guest wing of the mansion. "Hey! Are those blue sheets?" Lady Caroline scolded the servant.

"I told you I wanted everything to be snow white," Lady Caroline said, standing up from her chair. "Why can't you just do exactly as you are told?" Lady Caroline further scolded.

"Alicia! Can we talk about this later, please?" Lady Caroline excused herself as she followed the servant to supervise their work in the second guest wing.

A few hours passed, and the anticipated guests started trickling in for the event. Lady Caroline's gaze scanned the room, but Alicia was nowhere to be found. Concern etched across her face, she resolved to investigate and headed towards Alicia's room. Just as she approached the door, the faint sound of commotion reached her ears, indicating that Alicia was indeed present in her room.

”Alicia, my guests are here," Lady Caroline said, barging into Alicia's room. "You aren’t dressed yet!” Lady Caroline said as soon as she noticed Alicia wearing a plain yellow short dress with a scarf on her head. “Hurry up and get dressed. You look like a servant.”

“Get dressed? Am I supposed to be dressed? Alicia asked and Lady Caroline gave her an annoyed stare. "Aunt, I am not in the mood to welcome guests”, Alicia said, picking up the book she was reading and trying to continue where she left off.

“These are not just ordinary guests, these are the crown prince and Marquees, the son of the Duke of Veeradawall. You have no idea what an honor it is that they chose our home to pass the night,” Lady Caroline said, the excitement in her voice wasn't hidden.

"The son of the Duke of Veeradawall comes into his own county and decides to spend the night here? What happened to the various estates owned by his father just some blocks away?" Alicia stated, her eyes still fixated on the book, trying to recover the line she was on before her aunt interrupted her.

"They want to keep their travel as discreet as possible," Lady Caroline tried explaining. "I don't have time for this, Alicia. Get dressed and hurry down; it would be nice if we could all have dinner together!" Lady Caroline said, walking out of the room and into the corridor.

Alicia thought to herself, "And so what if the prince and the marquess are here," as she put down her book.

She rolled her eyes and sluggishly got off the sofa before she walked towards her wardrobe. There, she picked up a v-necked silky burgundy gown with lacy sleeves. It was her most casual gown, although it was still elegant. She slipped into it, looking into the mirror and noticing how perfectly the material rested on her body, showing her perfectly curved hourglass figure.

The v-neck was higher than most, not exposing her cleavage. She tied her hair into a bun and applied light makeup, thinking, "This way, Aunt Caroline would get off my back," as she checked herself out in the mirror.

Meanwhile, Maxwell and Liam sat in the dining room, bored by Lady Caroline's chatter, as she tried to entertain them but failed miserably.

"You know! My niece, Alicia of Saintfields, is here," Lady Caroline said, attempting to change the topic and hoping it would pass off as more interesting.

"Lady Alicia of Saintfields?" Maxwell asked, curious about the title, while Liam ate his food quietly.

"I'm not sure I've heard that name before; such a unique one, I must say," Maxwell added, proudly claiming to know all the ladies in the entire kingdom.

"She is the daughter of the Duke of Saintfields," Lady Caroline added, feeling a bit proud of the title Alicia's Father held.

"I've heard of the Duke's daughter and wife, but we all thought they had died or something!" Maxwell said, sounding genuinely interested in the gossip.

"She did lose her mother recently, but the Duke's daughter is very much alive!" Lady Caroline clarified with a smile playing on her lips. "She is coming down soon!" she added, hoping Alicia wouldn't disappoint her.

"If I could excuse myself?" Prince Liam asked, not bothered about their conversation and hoping to avoid meeting another lady who talks as much as Lady Caroline.

William never considered himself a people person; he despised having to listen to long talk or be in the midst of the crowd. That sometimes made him wonder if he was cut out to be king after his father. He loved the freedom he got when he rode his horse up the mountain alone, forgetting about titles and responsibilities.

"I'm afraid I have a lot of letters to write if you don't mind!" Prince Liam said as he rose to his feet. "Lady Caroline, thank you for the meal!" he said as he curtsied, walking away almost immediately.