Chapter 576 - The Misdeeds Against Lady Hilda
When Yvonne woke up from her short nap of mere two hours, it was already time for dinner.
Roselie had come over to wake and dress her up before they headed towards the dining hall where the rest of the family would be gathered.
As the little girl walked along, her thoughts went back to the dream that she had watched just earlier.
Her father had brought his complaints to the King and the Ruler too had promptly given the Crown Prince an apt punishment.
He was tasked with brushing up his manners by reading every book on etiquettes in the Royal Library.
He was also made to apologize to 'Yvonne' which he had done with much reluctance and insincerity.
However, 'Yvonne' had let the matter go after which they left the Throne Room and headed to the Rose Palace.
The little girl had watched the short interaction between the three girls and their Governess which had taken place during tea time at the garden.
As she thought back to the wish which Glennise Brodie had in the dream, the little girl sighed as nothing of that sort had taken place.
Yvonne knew of this as she had read the script and had knowledge of what would take place after this incident as well.
Just like the three girls had heard the news about the Prince's absurd actions of chasing after the Lady he had just met a few days ago, the Queen had learned the same.
This made her dissatisfied as the Lady from a Baron's family had brought such troubles to her beloved son.
Queen Zena thus visited her son during his punishment period to remind him that he was the Crown Prince and he needed to live up to the expectations placed on him.
As Prince Fritzen loved his mother, he agreed with her for appearance's sake yet inwardly, he was bent on getting closer to the Lady who in his mind was his savior from many years ago.
Appeased with his obedient attitude, Queen Zena let him carry on with the books that he needed to complete and went about her usual routine.
Prince Fritzen felt guilty for lying to his mother but decided that he would make it up to her by not neglecting his duties as the Crown Prince.
Thus, he began working harder during this punishment period to complete the books piled up in the Royal Library and also to live up to everyone's expectations.
If he could make sure that his parents were pleased with his performance then they would not hinder him from mingling with Lady Hilda whose thoughts were constantly on his mind.
They were viewing her through colored lenses and he wished to correct this by displaying that Lady Hilda was a good person despite her lower status.
While the Crown Prince got himself busy with the tasks at hand, the three best friends in the Palace had also done the same.
However, their tasks were a little different from what the Prince was accomplishing at that time.
'Glennise could not sit still and made her move.' Yvonne sighed as that was the beginning of the misery surrounding the three best friends.
The only daughter of Duke Brodie was threatened by the emergence of this young lady and not long after the Prince's punishment period had begun, she had started showing her dissatisfaction with Lady Hilda.
During tea parties which were privy only to the female members of the nobility, Glennise was the second in the hierarchy followed, right after Princess Felicia.
Therefore, the ladies who knew of the tender feelings Lady Glennise held for the Prince all supported her in targeting Lady Hilda who was not in a higher position.
'But those women just sought their own goals while using Glennise as a shield.' Yvonne shook her head as Glennise had never asked them to do any of the mean things they did to Hilda.
Glennise was completely capable of acting on her own and she also had the support of Princess Felicia and 'Yvonne' which was more than enough for her.
These other ladies who were eager to act on Lady Glennise's behalf had ulterior motives all along.
Being the Crown Princess was a sought-after position and title after all.
If they could wipe out Lady Hilda under the disguise of supporting Lady Glennise then the Crown Prince would do the rest for them.
This plan had somehow worked in their favor as soon after Prince Fritzen learned of the misdeeds being done to Hilda by the ladies working for Glennise, he began to hate her with all his heart.
Of course, Glennise had targeted Hilda in those tea parties and even made her repeatedly realize that she was not fit to stand by the Prince's side.
However, the acts of humiliating Hilda concealed in the form of teaching her some etiquettes were done by the other ladies with ill intentions.
Sadly, the entire blame began to fall on Glennise as she was in the spotlight and had not tried to conceal his distaste with the Baron's daughter.
Therefore, the moment the Prince's punishment ended, the first thing he did was to berate Glennise for her evil deeds.
No matter how much the poor lady tried to explain that while she had been mean, she had never done those atrocious deeds.
Pouring scalding tea on Lady Hilda's hands or dress on numerous occasions, tripping her to embarrass her, and making fun of her poor family circumstances were deeds that she had not committed.
These were all done by the other ladies but Prince Fritzen would not believe a word she said.
'Glennise then cries her eyes and continues while the Prince leaves without looking at her twice.' The little girl's thoughts came to an end just as her feet halted before the door of the dining hall.
While Yvonne felt that it was unfair that Glennise was condemned as the culprit for the things that she had not done, she could also not completely sympathize with her.
'After all, she did sit still and watch while everything was taking place right before her eyes.' She recalled a statement from the script.
{Even the warm and soothing tea could not melt the ice in her eyes as Lady Glennise Brodie watched that unsightly woman being tormented by the other ladies attending the tea party she had organized.}
Since it was her tea party, she as the host should have ensured that everyone was comfortable yet Glennise sat still and did nothing while those ladies bullied Hilda.
As timid as she was, Hilda only cowered when she had no one to stand up for her because she could not do so herself.
The man who had caused this to happen, the Crown Prince who was also her biggest supporter had been missing for too long which had made these women so bold in their actions.
In the beginning, they praised her for catching the attention of the Prince but soon showed their true colors when the same prince was nowhere to be found.
'Yvonne' too had been present at these parties but she took on the role of a mere spectator, watching as things went on as though they did not concern her.
After all, she had learned her lesson the last time at the coming-of-age ceremony and did not have any desire to try and get herself involved with that person who had also watched in silence when the Prince had accused and humiliated her.
Therefore, all Hilda could do was remain silent and tolerate the ill-treatment she was experiencing at that tea party.
'Well, she received a generous reward for her tolerance.' Yvonne scoffed as the Prince's doting and protectiveness only intensified after his punishment ended and he learned of her sufferings while he was away.
'That other fool also joined in without hesitation.' She grit her teeth while thinking of the lines in the script which were dedicated to the Grand Duke's dedication to protecting Hilda whenever Fritzen wasn't around.
The two members of the Royal family had become Hilda's bodyguards, never letting anyone mess with her thanks to what had taken place when they had not been vigilant.
Shaking her head, she discarded all thoughts about the trio which would later stick to each other and prove that their bond could not be broken by mere schemes.
"Miss?" Roselie's voice interrupted her thoughts and the little girl looked up.
The maid pointed at the door, inquiring if she would like to enter now.
In response, Yvonne nodded as her belly was beginning to grumble.
Roselie did not waste any more time and after announcing her Miss's arrival, she pushed the door open for her.
Her wide smile which was meant to greet her family faded away when she noticed the gloomy aura as soon as she entered the room.
Her parents and brother occupied their usual places but their attention wasn't on her which was odd.
The people who would be eager to greet her every time she walked through these doors were right now, not even looking in her direction.
'Did something go wrong?' She wondered with a frown as she inched closer to the table.
Even after taking her seat, no one spoke a word to her which was baffling.
"Mama, Papa?" She called out before turning to another, "Big Brother?"
Shifting her gaze from one person to another, she tried to gain an answer for the sudden silent treatment but unfortunately found none.
'What did I do?' The little girl was bewildered at this sudden change in treatment as she continued to gaze at them with her wide, confused eyes.
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