CHAPTER 64: THE LOVELY HERBERT MANSION

Under the dark purple sky fading into the night, a carriage rolled into Gloria City. Its wheels clattered over the cobblestone streets as it moved past the luxurious-looking houses with smoke coming out of their chimneys.

Gloria city was bigger and brighter than Veloria. The lanterns all around the roads emitted a warm glow.

There was also darkness in the city. Shadows stretched into the alleyway where certain unspoken deeds were being committed.

And like everywhere else, people of Gloria city liked to bask in the light while pretending the darkness did not exist.

Driving through the central street of the city, the carriage came to a stop in front of a lovely and massive mansion in the northern region of the city.

Although this mansion could not compare to other buildings in the city, it was still a sight to behold.

The driver Boris stepped down and opened the gates of his carriage. William stepped out from the inside first.

Then he lent a hand to his daughter, helping her out before repeating the same thing with Agnes.

"Thank you." The former nun thanked William as he passed a bag full of money to the driver. She turned to Boris and asked, "Can you guide me to the nearest Inn, a decent one hopefully?"

"Lady Inez, you are insulting me now." Before the driver could answer, William stepped into the conversation. "There is no way I can allow someone to go away from my gates at this hour."

"Yes, sister Inez." Tessa slipped on the pitiful mask of hers with practiced ease and attacked Agnes with her words and cuteness. "Can you stay with us, just for tonight?"

Now Agnes was troubled. Even though she had spent hours with both father and daughter, she did not feel comfortable staying in the same house as someone she barely knew.

"It is already about to be midnight." William glanced at the rising blue moon and said, "it is not safe for a lady such as yourself to travel at night. I will have one of my personal drivers escort you in the morning."

Seeing how the red-haired woman looked troubled by his offer, he decided to ease her mind.

Agnes thought for a second before agreeing with a slight bow, "I don’t have words to thank you."

"Nonsense, you are now a guest of the Herbert family." William waved his hand with a straight face, but Tessa lit up brighter than any of the lamps on the street.

William led the two ladies to the gate where the guards were waiting for them.

"Welcome home, master." Upon entering the mansion, a row of maids and butlers greeted them with grace and respect.

"Jarvis, Maya. This is lady Blackwell; she will be our guest for the time being." William nodded before introducing Agnes to the head butler and the head maid.

The two aides greeted her with the same respect, while William added, "Maya will take you to the guest room, and if you need anything, you can ask her. It does not matter if it is the middle of the night."

"Please, I would rather not trouble you with anything." Agnes forced a smile, clearly unused to such treatment.

"Can I come along?" Tessa asked cutely from behind, but William was not going to let her have her way this time.

"You have to freshen up, young lady." He turned to Maya and nodded. "Don’t let her leave until she is cleaned up and ready for dinner."

"This way, Lady Blackwell." Maya guided Agnes up the stairs while another young maid took a very reluctant Tessa away to her room.

William, who had yet to move, ordered Jarvis to complete a list of tasks, including "Also bring a dress for our guest; I don’t think she has a spare one."

***

"This is your room. Please feel free to ring the bell by your bed if you ever need anything." Maya opened the wooden doors to a very lavish room that was as spotless as it looked at first glance.

"Thank you, I will freshen up first."

As Agnes turned towards her, the maid pointed at one of the doors with a smile and said, "that door will lead you to the bathroom."

It was then she noticed the lack of luggage on Agnes and asked. "Would you like me to bring you a fresh set of clothes?"

Realization dawned on the former nun. Just as she was about to say something, someone arrived.

"I have a dress for you lady Blackwell." Jarvis was holding two things. One was a light black dress with laced frills and threaded embroidery, while the other was a nightgown for her to sleep in.

After a short silence, Agnes sighed with a smile, "Thank you, Jarvis. Please leave it on the bed."

Following her orders, the middle-aged butler placed the two items on the bed and left the room. Maya also followed soon after once she was done settling Agnes in the room.

"What a mess." Agnes groaned to herself before plopping down on the bed.

...

After an hour, Agnes stepped out of the room, now dressed in the beautiful black dress.

Once she climbed down the stairs, Maya was waiting there for her. She led her through the hallway into the dining hall, where William and Tessa were already waiting for her.

"Wow!" Tessa gasped when she turned around to see Agnes. "Does she look beautiful, daddy?"

Dressed in the raven-colored gown, her red hair and green eyes were brought out, especially in the cozy lighting of the room.

"Indeed, lady Blackwell is a stunning woman." The man also did not shy away from the comment upon seeing her.

"You two are too kind." Agnes smiled at their reaction but did not take it to heart.

As she took the seat at the table, the servants brought the dinner to the table and started serving.

Sitting there, Agnes noticed how the servants served an extra portion of food before taking the plate away.

As if seeing her curiosity, William spoke up, "This is for Tessa’s mother. She is ill and sadly could not join us."

"Ah, I hope she gets well soon." Agnes was surprised how hollow those words felt to her. ’Hope... there is no such thing in this world.’