A Taste Of Seduction

One thing was unique about Anastasia, she would be welcomed wherever she went. She was five months old when her mother left home with her after finding out there was no cure for her illness, she left to stop the disease from spreading. It was arduous for her to leave her daughter in the hands of people that didn't love her. She absconded with her baby, and unfortunately, she died in the woods but the first miracle that ever happened in Anastasia's life was when someone found her in a dangerous woods with a gold bracelet laying next to her.

Names were carved on the bracelet in the Arabic language and no one knew the meaning of the words.

An average woman took her in after burying her mother. She raised Anastasia until she was five years old, desperately she needed money to treat her poor son so she had to exchange Anastasia for gemstones. Lady Elmira Le Gregory was married to a nobleman, she bought Anastasia from the old woman and raised her in her household. Despite that Anastasia had been a disaster in her children's lives, Elmira couldn't let go of her, the powerful auras that prompted people to love Anastasia had been helping Elmira in her business, Anastasia had no problem in negotiating with merchants, she could have it all with a blink of an eye. Among the people in the Arendal village, Anastasia had the rarest, prettiest eyes ever. Bright green eyes with brisk black, long curly dark hair that reached her knees, a beautiful voice that every person loved to listen to, and a perfect body every man desired for. Anastasia was an epitome of a goddess in human form. Although with her little title, she was a bit of a coquette.

After the last incident, Anastasia was grounded for two weeks for making a man commit suicide. A young nobleman who had been secretly crushing on her confessed his feelings to her, Anastasia had no intention of marrying anyone as she was enjoying her golden time. She rejected the man which later resulted in a suicidal incident.

Anastasia was blamed for toying with the poor man's affection, to stop the chaos in the village, Le Gregory grounded her for two weeks hoping the rumors in the village would have died down by then, and today marked her last day.

Harper was Graciela's betrothed, their family was coming over to Le Gregory's household for a proper introduction. Although both children hadn't met, tonight would be their first meeting and Graciela couldn't wait anymore. She had heard a lot about him and she was enthusiastic about it.

"Do you have to doll me up for tonight, Marcia?" Graciela stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She couldn't conceal the excitement in her voice and her younger sister, Marcia couldn't wait to see how happy her sister would be when she met her betrothed.

"You have to be the jewel tonight, Graciela. Look at the mirror–" She steered her face to the mirror with her hands when Graciela tilted her head to the other side. "You look beautiful, just like a princess."

"Unfortunately I'm not a princess." She chuckled, putting a hand on her tummy.

"So do I? Come on darling, you're the princess tonight."

"Only if that little wicked wench doesn't show up. I don't want to see her disgusting face tonight, I can't let her ruin my day again." She said utterly while twisting her face repugnantly.

"There's no way she's getting out of the room. She's grounded for two weeks, and to be honest, Anastasia is the only one that follows every order in this household. Relax, nothing is going to happen. It's your day." Marcia noticed her sister was panicking, she could cheer her up with a few motivational words and she hoped it would light up her heart.

Graciela locked her jewelry box and then kept it aside. She took a golden bracelet and hooked it around her wrist. She sighed loudly, feeling a tinge of nervousness. "I'm off to see my mother. She has to tell me how I should behave in front of Harper, I don't want to mess the night for both of us." She strutted to the door, yanked the door open then pivoted her head. "Aren't you coming with me?" She lifted a brow at her.

"I'll pass. I need to dress up for tonight." She shot her a wink, smiling brightly.

"Okay." Graciela left. She walked down the hallway to Elmira's room. As she expected every servant in the household to be busy, they were all engaging in interior decoration. Graciela swirled around, dancing rapturously. A servant that was coming out of Elmira's room bumped into her on the way and poured the ointment on her dress.

"Oh my goodness!" She screamed exasperatingly at the top of her voice and her eyes widened as if they were about to pluck out.

The servant fell on her knees expeditiously, she clasped her hands to beg for what she did. "I'm so sorry my lady. Please forgive me, my lady."

"You ruined my dress." Graciela lifted her face using her finger so she could see what she had done. "What should I do to you?" She snapped furiously. She was infuriated by her silence which resulted in a hard slap across the servant's face.

"I'm sorry my lady." She burst into tears with her head bowed.

"It was just an accident. Let her go, Graciela!" Anastasia interjected sternly. She wanted to walk away before but when Graciela slapped the servant it prompted her to interrupt.

"And who are you to tell me that?" She seethed infuriatingly. She pivoted her head at Anastasia who was standing behind them holding a garment.

"You weren't looking at where you're going. It was your fault that she spilled the ointment on your dress. Why get sulky over it?" Anastasia explained calmly. The servant stood up anxiously, she paced backward when she noticed Graciela was going to hit her.

"Anastasia!" She screamed ferociously.

Anastasia moistened her lower lip with her tongue and then grunted softly. "Stop screaming your lungs out when I'm right here in front of you." She gasped and rolled her eyes irritatedly.

"What!" She gasped. She bounced toward her and lifted her hand imperiously to hit Anastasia.

"What's happening here?" Elmira interrupted instantly as she stepped out of the room. It was their noises that made her come out of her room half-dressed up. She looked at the servant beside the door and her expensive ointment container laying on the floor.

"Oh Mother, they ruined my gown. Look at my dress, Mother!" Graciela said dramatically while faking her tears.

"That's bad. You can just go back to your room and change your dress." Elmira suggested, she shrugged her shoulders.

Graciela's head fell with disappointment, she expected her mother to side with her but Elmira wasn't the one that would get mad at Anastasia even if she was at fault. Graciela gnawed on her lower lip and clenched her fists tightly. "I don't have a new dress." She seethed, winking at Anastasia surly.

"That's ridiculous. Anastasia, the dress I bought as a gift the other time, do you still have it?" Anastasia nodded her head. "Give it to her. That's the price for siding with a lowlife servant." Elmira ordered and then returned to her room.

Graciela gasped, she widened bewilderedly. What her mother said sounded insulting to her title, she didn't know why she would tell Anastasia to give her a dress. A child she bought with her money!

Anastasia motioned to the container, she picked it up and faced Graciela. "I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier. I'll get the dress and bring it to your room."

Graciela gritted her teeth while looking at her furiously. "You can keep the so-called dress to yourself. Since you're nothing but a child my mother bought you with her money, I think you need the dress more than I do. As no one has ever bought you a gift before, keep the dress so you can wear it on your engagement day." She whispered to her while caressing her shoulder mockingly.

Anastasia's eyes became cold. She despised it when someone reminded her she was a child Elmira bought with her money. She took a deep breath to suppress her anger. After all, she couldn't do any, she was neither a servant nor a child in the household. She was just a woman with no title but had different roles in the house. "Okay." She gave a feeble response then walked toward the door, unlocked it, and entered.

Graciela looked at the servant that was shivering nervously beside the door. She huffed disgustingly and chuckled when an idea of how she could punish the servant popped into her mind. "Anyone out there?" She called out for the guards' attention. Two men approached her, she looked at the servant and smirked. "Take her away and beat her up until you ruin her body. I want to see bruises on her body." Graciela ordered.

"Yes, my lady." They bowed respectfully.

"I'm sorry." The servant fell to her knees, begging in tears.

"Blame Anastasia for that." She gestured to the guards and strutted away confidentially.

They gripped the servant with alacrity and dragged her away. Anastasia heard everything since she was still standing by the door, she shut the door closely before walking deep inside Elmira's bedroom.

"I'm still serving my punishment, my lady." Anastasia reminded her, she walked over to the bed and placed the garment on it.

"Isn't today the last day of your punishment?" She inquired. She donned her jacket and handed it to her.

"Yes, my lady."

"You should join maids in setting the dining table. I'll be outside very soon." Anastasia bowed a little before exiting the room. She was having a bad feeling which she couldn't decipher. She strolled down to the dining room, everything was ready. The maids were done with the preparation.

"Isn't Anastasia supposed to be in her room? I thought she was grounded from stepping out of her room after killing an innocent man. She has no shame at all." Maids murmured to themselves. Anastasia didn't bother to respond, she ignored them totally while heading out of the house. Today marked the last day of her punishment, nevertheless, she hadn't stepped out of her room since morning until Elmira sent for her.

Everyone in the household blamed her for what happened but Anastasia wasn't to blame. She couldn't force herself to love the man, the only things she regretted were the harsh words she said to him and how she toyed with the man's affection.

"That's ludicrous. I didn't kill him, he was just tired of living. Why am I even feeling this way as if I killed him? All of you should just go to hell." She murmured vaguely while heading to the lake outside the house. She sat at the lakefront and looked at her reflection in the water. The moon was so bright and the coldness she felt sent shivers down her spine. She was hearing someone's voice which prompted her to look to her left side. She saw two men standing not far away from where she was. She was curious but she couldn't stand to find out. She could tell they were having a dispute.

She looked away nonchalantly, took off her shoes, and dipped her feet inside the water.

"What if the woman doesn't want me? Father, I have a lot of love in me and I don't want to marry the wrong woman." Anastasia heard the young man telling his father.

"Harper, Gregory is my great friend, and please just do as I say. You're going to marry his daughter and that's final." His father walked away.

Harper ran his fingers through his hair frustratingly. He couldn't marry just any woman, he wasn't ready for marriage either. He looked vaguely around as if searching for something, his eyes caught someone sitting around the lakefront. He decided to walk over at least he could have his peace while his father chatted with Le Gregory.

He walked up to where Anastasia was, he stood behind her but Anastasia never moved. "Do you usually stare at your reflection in the water?" He queried ludicrously.

She laughed sneeringly. "That's ridiculous."

"I caught a lady near the lake staring at her reflection in the lake. Just curious." He shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

"That's a reflection of me, curious monkey."

"Curious monkey?" He grunted softly. He hadn't seen her face but her voice was pleasing to hear. It was her back that was facing him.

She rose and dusted her gown. "Aren't you?" She looked up at his face with an irritative smirk on her face. When their eyes met, Harper was lost in her dazzle. He was mesmerized by her alluring face, staring at her intently. She wasn't comfortable with his stare. "That's the creepiest way of staring at someone even if there's something on my face." She rolled her eyes insolently.

"Oh my! How do I compliment the most beautiful woman I ever met in my life?" He was overwhelmed. He moved closer with his gaze fixed on her.

She wrinkled her face perplexingly. "Huh? What's wrong with you?" Anastasia scoffed and attempted to walk away.

"Hey, wait up." Harper hurried to her side and held her hand. "Are you from this house?"

"Yes. So could you please let go of my hand?" She urged politely and he quickly let go of her hand. "Thank you." Anastasia walked away hurriedly but Harper's gaze was still fixed on her till she was out of his sight.

"I think I found her!" Harper exclaimed cheerfully. He returned inside, luckily he saw his father and Le Gregory walking alongside. He was able to catch up with them as they joined everyone in the dining room.

At first, Harper was confused, he looked around for Anastasia and all the faces weren't the ones he was searching for. "Are you looking for someone?" Elmira interrupted him.

He pulled himself together after assuring himself that Anastasia would show up since all the maids he had come across were wearing black and white uniforms, he was sure Anastasia wasn't one of them, and that put his mind at rest. "Of course, I'm not." He drew the chair back and sat beside his father.

Graciela exchanged looks with Marcia. She was already loving the luscious man. He was handsome, he had gray eyes and thick brown hair which was styled backward. "Alright, everyone. Let's cheer for our friendship. Graciela, I hope you'll show Harper around the house after dinner."

"Sure, Father." Graciela looked at Harper who seemed lost. Everyone raised their glasses except Harper that was lost in a state of confusion.

"Cheers!" They said in unison. Gregory looked at Harper. "What's the matter?"

"Father, I think there's a misunderstanding here." He enunciated vaguely. Everyone exclaimed bewilderedly.

"What do you mean by that?" Elmira enquired as she showed a keen interest in what he was saying.

He wavered because he wasn't sure of how he'd explain himself. "Someone isn't here. I mean a lady."

Elmira lifted her brow then her eyes caught the empty chair. Anastasia hadn't come to the dining room. "Are you talking about Anastasia?"

"Is she not supposed to be here?"

Graciela was getting pissed off, Marcia put a hand on her lap and gestured to her to sit back when she attempted to leave. "Of course, where's that little witch? She was supposed to be out of her room by now since she had served her punishment." Gregory scanned around for her.

"She's not part of the family. She's just a poor child my mother bought with her money. Why are you concerned, Harper?" Graciela said impatiently.

"Because I expected her to be my betrothed, not you." Harper blurted out.

"What!" Everyone exclaimed bewilderedly. Graciela gasped and widened her eyes surprisingly.

Today marked the last day he was supposed to return to the palace since he had rounded up his assessment in the small village their kingdom intended to dominate. He received the king's order to return to the kingdom to take over his duty which he had been neglecting ever since he was given an assignment. Prince Arthur peregrinates to Arendal village to explore more fascinating things, he had heard a lot about the village. Their unique resources enticed him and he'd loved to see for himself.

He'd been in the village for a couple of days. What he heard from Mohammed, his guard told him a lot about Arendal that it was a place for business and fun. He spent the whole day checking out different guest houses but none of it met up to his expectations. Since Arthur couldn't stay in any of the guest houses, he decided to wander around till he found the one that would win his heart over.

"It's dark, Arthur. Let me check around for a suitable guesthouse for you, I'll return as soon as I find one." Mohammed sheathed his sword, he looked around for a route. Arthur didn't bother to reply, he was warming his cold hands with the fire. "I'll be back soon." He left the riverside, heading back to the village.

After a while of waiting and Mohammed hadn't arrived he decided to look for him. He took his sword which was laying next to him on the ground. He started by walking through the woods as he successfully got out of the woods, he heard the sounds of fireworks exploding in the sky. "Mohammed doesn't tell me there's a festival tonight. Oh, I'm exhausted." He yawned sleepy, he kept on walking presumably following the sound of where the fireworks were coming from.

Arthur eventually arrived at the market. As he had predicted people were celebrating, he moved around in their midst. He walked up to a man's shop, a few people were standing in front of his shop murmuring noisily. Arthur made his way through until he eventually found himself standing right in front of the treasure box. "If you want any of this, you have to shoot an arrow. If it hits the eye, this gemstone will be yours." The man explained how he intended to distribute his treasures. There were some gemstones, a necklace, and knives in the box.

"That sounds exhilarating. Mh-mhmm, I'm going first."

The man pulled the curtain down. Everything came to their view, the arrow spot was quite far from where Arthur was but none of it mattered to him. The man handed a bow and an arrow to him. "If you lose I'm going to have your sword." He whispered threateningly.

"If I win I'm going to pick anything I want from the box."

"Sure." Arthur had set the arrow and the bow, he raised his hands purposely. He released a missile shot from the bow at his aim. People behind him never stopped murmuring that he'd lose. A little boy ran to the far distance to check out if the arrow he shot hit the right spot. He waved a flag, indicating that the arrow hit the head.

"Wow! He did it. Finally, someone is going home with one of your treasures, Theodore." A woman burst into mockery laughter.

"My compensation." Arthur extended his right to the man. He huffed disgustingly, he never expected that anyone could shoot from far and still hit the right spot. The bull's eyes were tiny yet he hit it, he was doing everything because it was fun.

"Alright, alright, you can pick anything you want." He gritted his teeth ferociously. The thought of losing a treasure pounded in his heart. Arthur scanned every treasure in the box, it was the shell necklaces that mesmerized him. He picked the necklaces, the two sets of shell necklaces seemed special and rare.

"Why would he choose an ordinary necklace? Just pick the three gemstones, they are worth a huge amount of money." Another man advised sagely.

"I'll pick this." He declared unconvincingly, staring at the necklaces in his palm with enthusiasm.

"Why the necklace? You can just pick the gemstones or this silver knife." It took the man by surprise to choose the necklace, it was the last thing he expected from him.

"I'm picking it because of its uniqueness. Thanks for this." He mumbled and pivoted to walk away then the man spoke.

"The necklaces are unique. They entail a love story of two different people that met in the cave."

"I'd have loved to listen to the story but it's late."

He never stopped staring at the shell pendants keenly while strolling down the market.

"I'm sorry. I'm coming through...hey, watch out!" A shoulder pushed her making her lose her balance, she opened her arms as she bumped into Arthur, both of them lost their balance and ended up on the ground while she was on top of his body. Their lips touched accidentally and their eyes popped open bewilderedly. They were in the same position for a few seconds, when she regained herself she leaped to her feet, she stared at her feet awkwardly while dusting her gown. Instead of apologizing she took to her heels when she heard the same voice shouting her name.

"Wait for me, Anastasia." Another lady showed up and ran after her.

Arthur looked vaguely around the crowd as if lost, he moved a finger to his lips completely surprised by what happened. It astounded him that she never waited to apologize for being reckless and clumsy. "What the hell just happened?" He gasped in disbelief.

"Finally found you. I know you'll be here, I will find you a guest house." Mohammed said from behind, he lifted a brow when noticed his state of confusion. "What's the matter, Arthur?"

"Ah! She kissed me and ran away without apologizing. Huh–this is insane." He gasped somberly.

"You kissed a lady?!" Puzzled, he enquired.

He huffed scandalously at his remark. "Shut up, you fool!" He crouched down to pick up his sword on the ground and he also scanned the ground for the necklaces but they were gone.

"You lost something?"

"The necklaces. Did she take the necklaces and run away?"

"I don't know what you're talking about but if it's something important the thief will still be around."

"I don't think I recognize her face. I only caught a glimpse of her face." He ran his fingers through his hair frustratingly.

"This is more serious than I thought."

"I'm going to kill her if I ever find her. Damn it! She's going to pay for stealing from me." He stomped away while Mohammed ran after him.

"WILL YOU STOP RUNNING AWAY AS IF YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE ELSE TO RUN TO, ANASTASIA?" Keira commanded abruptly. She was exhausted after running around after her, she stopped and put both hands on her knees while panting hard.

Anastasia relaxed her back against the wall as she was breathing through her mouth. "I'm not going back to the hell you call my home, Graciela will kill me tonight. I swear I didn't do anything. It's a misunderstanding."

"I knew you heard their conversation in the dining room but why didn't you step out of your hideout instead of running around like a thief?" Keira scoffed softly while looking at her with an incredulous smile.

"I was about to do that before that curious monkey spoke. Aish! This is driving me insane, I don't know him at all." She whimpered irksomely as she crouched down a little.

"You know what brings you bad luck? Your face, your body, sincerely you should hide your dazzling face if you don't want to get on the wrong side. Tonight it's over for Graciela, I'm pretty sure you heard what she betrothed said, he wants you and nothing is going to change his mind."

Anastasia ran her fingers through her hair and then buried her face in her palms while stifling the desire to curse out loud.

"But that's insane. He only showed up at the lake and I shut him out, I swear I didn't do anything. You trust me, don't you? Goodness, I wish I never stepped out of that room. Lady Elmira would kill me, Lord Gregory would lock me up in the darkroom again. Keira, I'm so scared." She felt queasy about the situation, she could barely think straight. Since the beginning of the month, she never escaped from getting into different troubles. There were some noblemen in the village that wanted her even though some of them would divorce their wives to marry her. She always got into trouble with Graciela, and Le Gregory had threatened to have her thrown out if she ever created another trouble. Anastasia became anxious, there was nothing she would tell everyone to convince them that she knew nothing about it.

Keira walked up to her and held her right hand. "Come on, let's go back. It's late, you don't want to keep my Lord waiting. I'm pretty sure if he listens to your explanation he'll change his mind and if he has come to a conclusion he'll have a second thought about it. We have to go now, I'm sick of staying outside in the cold winter." Keira released her hand and started walking, she halted halfway when she noticed Anastasia hadn't budged an inch from the spot.

"I'm not going with you." She purred.

A frown shrouded Keira's lips, she turned around and looked at her inimically. "Fine. If you want to spend the rest of the night here, go ahead. Some men are waiting for an opportunity to have you in their beds, I think tonight would be their lucky day. Alright, I'll be on my way. I hope you won't regret this." She started walking without turning back to look at her.

Anastasia tarried on the same spot for a minute while contemplating what Keira told her. She stood upright and made to leave but then she had a change of mind, she abruptly pivoted on a foot. "Hey, Keira. Wait for me!" She hollered while rushing over, she was able to catch up with her, and both of them walked alongside.

"I knew you were going to change your mind." Keira put an arm across her shoulder.

"Are you sure everything is going to be all right? I'm afraid of my Lord, I don't want him to lose his temper because of me."

"It's fine. Just take a deep breath, you'll be fine."

By the time they approached the entrance that led inside, Anastasia moved hesitantly. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before walking inside, Keira didn't go into the dining room with her. It was only her, she walked ponderously up to where everyone was.

"My lord, you sent it to me?" She bowed respectfully but it was also the only way to avoid Le Gregory's deadly eyes.

"Look at your left side, do you know the man sitting over there?" Le Gregory ordered sternly.

Anastasia hesitated in lifting her head, when she eventually did she found Harper looking at her admiringly. She shook her head vigorously in response.

"You don't?" Elmira demanded solemnly.

"Yes my Lord. Although he came to me when I was by the lake, we never had a chance to talk."

"I told you, my Lord, Anastasia would never do anything like that." Elmira stood up in her defense. She was trying to appeal to him with her eyes but Gregory ignored her completely as he had concluded.

"Harper, Graciela is the lady we choose for you. She's the one to be your bride, not Anastasia. Stop missing things."

Harper caught a glimpse of Graciela's face, she wasn't looking friendly at all then his eyes swung to Anastasia who was feeling a tinge of nervousness. "I heard you and if you won't take it personally, she's the woman I want. Nothing is going to change my mind." He said firmly.

What he said agitated his father, he hit his hand on the table as his eyes flared up. "Harper! Does this look like a joke to you?"

"You're the one forcing me to do this. I never wanted it in the first place, now that I'm trying to do what you want why are you complaining, father? I'm rejecting my betrothed." He said unconvincingly.

Graciela leaped up abruptly, tears overflowing the corners of her eyes. She looked at her mother briefly and when she noticed she wasn't going to do anything about it, she pushed the chair back with her leg and then ran out of the dining room woefully.

"Graciela!" Marcia hollered while running after her sister.

"Friend, I think you should leave with your son now. We're going to have this discussion some other time, I'm not comfortable anymore. Harper can't marry Anastasia, she's not the one we plan for you." Le Gregory tried not to sound rude toward his friend, he had successfully subsided the rage that was boiling him up, if Harper didn't leave on time he might lose his cool.

"But she's also your daughter–" Harper interrupted politely.

He looked at her and sighed out loud. "She's never my daughter!"

"I'm sorry for all the trouble, Le. I'll talk to my son and I'm pretty sure he'll come back to his senses very soon." His father gestured for him to stand up. He stood up reluctantly when his father led the way he followed. He never stopped looking at Anastasia, and although he was trying to communicate with didn't understand any of his gestures. When they were out of sight Anastasia fell to her knees and downcast her head ruefully.

"I'm sorry, my Lord." She apologized.

"You're always sorry. I think I've had enough of this! Elmira, I want her out of my household immediately." He declared unconvincingly.

Anastasia and Elmira looked up sharply.

"My Lord."

"It hasn't gotten to that. She's the victim here, if you're to blame someone it has to be Harper. My Lord, she can't leave the household because you and I know she has nowhere to go. I'm afraid you'll have to take back your word."

"How many lives do you want to see ruin, Ning? A man recently committed suicide because of her, and Graciela's betrothed rejected her because of her. It's always her. She should carry her bad luck elsewhere but not in my household. She has to leave now or you leave with her if that's what you want." He ordered firmly, he drew the chair back a little and walked out of the dining room ferociously.

Elmira was completely muddled, she was nearly speechless while looking at Anastasia. She tapped a finger on the table, it was the only sound that could be heard in the dining room. Anastasia bowed her head shamefully as her tears dripped down on the floor, she couldn't look at her. Whatever lord Gregory said was final and nobody could change his mind.

"Go back to your room now. Don't step out until I give an order, do you understand?" She shouted imperatively.

"Yes, my lady." Elmira stood up and left the dining room. She left a series of doors behind while heading toward their room. As she reached the door she didn't bother to notify him by knocking, she walked inside determinedly.

"My love." She called out as she dawdled toward the bed.

"Not tonight, Elmira." He was in the bed preparing himself to sleep, he drew the blanket to his body and rested his head on the pillow. His eyes were cold as before while frowning.

Elmira strolled causally to his side, she sat down closely to him on the bed and gazed at him steadily. "What if she's our daughter?" She started politely, she adjusted the pillow for him before returning to her previous position.

"Since she's not our daughter that is why she has to leave my house for good. I've tolerated her, it's time for her to find herself a new home. You bought her with your money and I want you to escort her out of my house." Elmira paused for a minute. Le Gregory was known for his austere command; she would have to think of a way to pacify his anger before telling him about her suggestion.

"Peace, my Lord. Peace. I bought her with my money but we raised her together, she became our responsibility ever since she steps into our household. She's also part of the family. We can't just throw her out like that. You know how much Anastasia has been a great help to my business, forget about her disaster, her lucky star is one of the most powerful stars I've ever seen. Please reconsider my Lord, let's give her another chance." Elmira ardently beseeched him to reconsider his order.

"Tomorrow's incident will be different. Who knows what she'd do tomorrow. You see how Graciela's betrothed flouted her. I can't sit back and watch her ruining my daughter's life." He huffed with exasperation.

"Then we have to wait and see."

"I'll not take back my word. In this house, my words are law!"

"Let's announce her marriage to your son."

He flustered his eyes at her. Elmira chuckled when she noticed his state of confusion. "What are you planning, Elmira?"

"We should have betrothed her to our son. Your son, Oscar, will be happy to have the most beautiful maiden I've ever seen as his wife."

"Why should I accede to this? Oscar isn't your son."

"He's the child your mistress had before running away. However, he's my son because I raised him. I know what's good for him. Please, my lord, give Anastasia another chance to be part of this family." She put a hand on his arm and implored him calmly.

He contemplated what Elmira said for a while, her suggestion abbreviated his anger. He sighed with exasperation and sat up in bed. "All right. I'm giving her another chance today, next time I'll not go back on my word after a final decision. What do you have to say to that?"

"I have no say in it, my love." A beautiful smile craved her lips. She looked at him affectionately and put a hand on his lap. "Thank you."

"Come to bed, let's sleep. It's late, I'll make the announcement tomorrow." She stood up, climbed up to the bed, and moved into his open arm.

Anastasia paced around her room restlessly. She went back and forth feeling anxious as she was waiting for someone to burst into her room and dragged her out. The necklaces which were attached to her dress accidentally dropped on the floor. Promptly Anastasia looked down, the necklaces seemed odd, she crouched down and picked the necklaces on the floor. She stared intently at it trying to recall where and when she had gotten the necklaces. "This isn't mine." She murmured to herself convincingly while checking out the necklaces.

Unanticipatedly the door was yanked open, Graciela burst inside with Marcia behind her trying to caution her to calm down. "Wait, Graciela." Marcia cautioned.

Anastasia abruptly looked toward the door. Graciela advanced toward her, she stood in front of her. "Graciela-"

She raised her hand and slapped her across the face. Marcia gasped bewilderingly, she never thought Graciela would slap Anastasia since everyone knew it wasn't her fault. "You tramp?" She raised her hand again, just about to slap her, Anastasia held her hand in the air.

"You can say whatever you want to me but I won't stand here doing nothing when you hit me," Anastasia said irksomely.

Graciela showed a maddening inability to control her rage. She snatched her hand away from Anastasia and pushed her to the floor. As she was about to bounce on her Marcia drew her back Prudently. "That's enough, Graciela. Mother won't support what you're doing right now."

Graciela burst into ridiculous laughter. She glared at her conspicuously, furrowed her brow, and took a pace toward Marcia. Marcia paced back fretfully. "Seriously? Is she your sister or am I?"

"Of course, I'm not supporting her. I just want you to calm down and let father sort it out himself. After all, she's going to leave this house tomorrow."

"How can you be this sure?"

"Whatever father says is final. You should go to your room now and think of a way to impress your betrothed tomorrow."

"Which betrothed? He flouted me right in front of this cocotte. Why can't you just die and leave us alone?" Graciela grabbed hold of Anastasia's hair and dragged her with it.

Anastasia struggled in her strong grip, all her attempts to free herself from Graciela's grip were futile. Graciela was strong while she was frail to fight back. She pulled her hair hard.

"Let go of me, you're hurting me please." Anastasia let the necklaces fall from her hand, she extended her hands to Graciela and tried to fight back.

"It's okay with both of you," Marcia screamed out but it fell on deaf earsarsInstead of letting go of her hair, she started hitting Anastasia with her tight fist. Keira, who heard the noise coming from Anastasia's room, rushed to inform Elmira in her room. Although Le Gregory was asleep, Elmira was completely awoken. She trudged to Anastasia. What Keira told her was true, she found Graciela bullying Anastasia while Marcia stood behind them doing nothing.

"Enough you both!" She commanded imperatively.

When Graciela heard her voice she froze on the spot. Marcia was completely stunned as she was, she turned around and found a brisk of danger in her gaze. Both of them paced back anxiously. "Mother," Graciela knew there was no way she could lie to her, Elmira saw the whole drama. Keira walked over and assisted Anastasia with her balance.

"Can someone tell me what's happening here?"

"Mother..."

"Didn't I tell you to exercise patiently if anything goes wrong?"

"I'm sorry mother." Graciela bowed her head ruefully. She saw the necklaces on the floor, she crouched down and picked the necklaces. "There's something Anastasia is hiding. I saw Harper giving her these necklaces by the lake, he whispered something to her but I didn't hear what he said. Mother, it was all her plan to ruin my life. I saw how she seduced him at the lake." Graciela extended her hand so Elmira could see the necklaces.

Anastasia gasped devastatingly. She was completely muddled as she fluttered her eyes at Graciela who framed a lie against her. Her throat constricted making it hard for her to utter a word at the moment. Elmira took the necklaces from her and checked them thoroughly. She pressed her finger on the shell with much pressure but it didn't break. She looked at Anastasia and lifted a question.

"Tell me what she said isn't true." Elmira snapped ferociously, making her flinch back stunningly. "Did you do it?"

Marcia glanced at Graciela who had a mischievous grin on her face. She knew instantly that what she said was nothing but a lie.

Anastasia shook her head vigorously, tears hovered in the corner of her eyes. She hadn't regained her voice. Elmira grabbed her hair and pivoted her head so she could look at her face. "Tell me what she said was a lie."

"Ah!" She breathed out slowly while staring straight into her eyes.

"Who owns these necklaces? You haven't stepped out of this room in a week. And I remember that I've always been the one getting you gifts so tell me when you get these necklaces. Have you been sleeping around like a tramp?" Elmira thought of something else. She didn't believe what Graciela said but it seemed so true, if Anastasia didn't get the necklaces from Harper there was a slight chance that a merchant must have gotten them for her.

"My lady." She uttered feebly.

"These are not ordinary necklaces. They're not made of gemstones but they're worthy enough to buy gemstones. Tell me where you get them now!"

"It's not mine. I don't know the person the necklaces belong to." The tears she had been sniffing back, preventing falling trickled down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"You don't know who owns these necklaces? How come it's in your room? How come you're with the necklaces? Have you started stealing?"

"I knew nothing about it. Believe me, I don't know how I get the necklaces. The shells were attached to my dress, when I got it inside I noticed I have two strange necklaces attached to my gown."

Elmira studied Anastasia for a while, her gaze was focusing on her as if she was anticipating something in a few seconds. "I'm still not convinced enough. You have to prove to me you haven't been sleeping around with some merchants during our trip."

Anastasia fell onto her knees abruptly. "Believe me, my lady. I'd never done anything like that."

"Mother, the necklaces belong to..."

"Graciela, I want not a sound out of you. All of you should get out of this room, right now."

"But mother–" Graciela whined.

"Don't make me repeat myself. Leave before I call a guard on you." Marcia took her by the arm and led her out of the room. Graciela threw a grimace at Anastasia before walking out. Elmira gestured to Keira to leave, she bowed a little before leaving.

She walked toward a chair in her room and sat down while looking at her. "I wish I'd never loved you as my daughter." Anastasia couldn't look at her eyes, she stared at her feet while weeping quietly. "I believe what you said." Anastasia sharply looked at her face.

"My lady?"

"I raised you, I know what you can do and what you can't.. but sometimes you're a different person again. You didn't get a hiccup when telling me that necklaces have nothing to do with you. If you're lying I usually see it in your eyes, moreover, you always have a hiccup when you lie. These are couple necklaces, Harper can't give you both if he intends to marry you, he'll give you one and wear one to secure his commitment to you. Anastasia, be honest with me, are you still a lady?" She looked at her calmly, slowly she nodded her head. "No man ever touched you?" She nodded again. Elmira released a sigh of relief.

"I'll always keep to my promise."

"You might not be my daughter but I'm always proud of you. Because of your powerful aura, I'm pretty sure you'll find a nobleman that will love you wholeheartedly. I don't want you to be useless and become a tramp. Only you can negotiate with merchants in a minute and get them to bow to your feet, you don't have to lower your dignity to gain their respect. I don't know how you usually do but you're special so I don't see any flaw in you. You've always been perfect and I want you to always be. I've discussed it with my Lord, when Oscar returns home both of you are getting married."

Anastasia was devastated. She looked at her abruptly and gasped. "Huh?"

"That's the only way you get to stay in this household. Become one of us officially and gain their respect. Moreover, I can't avoid you getting married to another man. I'm the reason you're still alive so it's your time to repay me for all the good things I have done for you."

Anastasia wasn't delighted with what she said. She nodded multiple times in agreement with what Elmira had said since she couldn't disapprove. Elmira was like her God in that she had to obey everything she demanded. "All right. I'll marry Oscar" She said eventually.