I Am Your Daughter!

Chapter 2

"In consideration for you and your mother, I will grant your request, Eveline."

"Thank you for your generosity and benevolence, your Majesty."

I bowed down to Emperor Ashtarus in gratitude. I soon left the throne room and the moment I stepped out through the large mahogany doors, my sky blue eyes made contact with my father's own blue eyes. He gaped in surprise at my presence in the royal palace, so early in the morning.

"The Emperor is ready to see you, Duke Shaw."

The attendant called out as I walked past my father, ignoring his look of confusion. I didn't want to be around once he finished with his meeting with the Emperor.

My father is about to be admonished by the Emperor regarding his absence from his position as the Duke for one and a half decade. Not only that, he will also be made aware that his future actions as the Duke of Chatia are now restricted, where he will no longer have full authority within his own dukedom.

He will then be told that he will not have the privilege of a nobility's vote within the Royal Court yet he is expected to attend the meetings although he has no say in the matters discussed until he can prove his mettle. A significant pay cut will also be expected among other things. Basically, he is to be seen but not heard.

I know all this because my father's punishment was the topic of my conversation with the Emperor. I had arrived very early in the morning to the palace in order to meet with the Emperor before my father even had a chance to appeal for forgiveness.

Unfortunately, having my father see me leave the throne room was not part of the plan. I hurried to leave the main palace before my father was dismissed from his audience with the Emperor. It would not be enjoyable to be around him after the Emperor was done with him.

As I contemplated going home immediately to the estate, Gina asked me a question.

"Would you like to visit the East Wing, milady?"

The East Wing of the palace was where the Royal Library was located. But rather than asking whether I wanted to visit the library directly, Gina stated the East Wing. That's because in the hallways towards the Royal Library, hundreds of portraits of notable Royal family members were hung for public viewing. Gina was basically asking if I wanted to go visit my mother's portrait.

"Do we have time for a detour?"

I asked her as I did have to return to the estate to further help Emily with her new duties.

"I'm sure Lady Emily won't mind."

She gave me a smile. It was a smile saying that I should not worry about my stepmother's feelings. It's what I've been doing for the past few days.

It seemed that the household servants had taken it upon themselves to effectively distance themselves from giving a warm welcome towards the mother and daughter. I sensed the cold treatment the servants were giving them. I noticed it from the moment the couple signed their names on the marriage registration.

I knew I should care. I knew it was wrong. But I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to call them out on it. So I ignored it.

I ignored it when I saw Angele wandering the estate in confusion because none of the servants would escort her to the dining room after leading her to a random location. I blamed Emily for being unable to properly organise her documents when I knew the servants had intentionally dropped her papers, scattering them, moments before they passed it to me.

The mother and daughter were either oblivious to the pranks of the servants or too timid to say anything. It irked me more because they were now masters of the house and yet they allowed the servants to treat them like so. And yet, I also tolerated my servants' behaviour. I didn't know if I should be ashamed of my servants or myself for letting this go on.

But I walked on towards the East Wing anyway.

Walking through the hallway, with the portraits of deceased Royal family members looking down on me, made me feel more aware of myself. Just because you were royalty, did not mean your portrait automatically receives a spot in these halls towards the library. Every single one of them had contributed something to the kingdom. Each one of them had earned the right to have their name in history.

I was not considered royalty because mother had given up her royal title for her marriage so I would never have a portrait hung but mother had earned her place in these hallways long before she married father. Mother loved bringing her students to this hallway, she loved talking about the greatness of her ancestors. She always wished that her students would gain inspiration from the history that she loved so much. It made me wonder that if I was considered royalty, would my actions and my behaviour ever allow my portrait to be hung here.

As we almost reached my mother's portrait, I could see two men standing and talking in front of her portrait from a distance. I couldn't help but smile to see their faces. I hadn't seen them since mother's funeral. Immediately, I hastened my steps and called out to my fiancée and our childhood friend.

"Dieter! Luca!"

"Eveline!"

His face lit up at the sight of me and he moved forward to embrace me. I left Gina behind as I ran up to him.

"I missed you Dieter!"

He held me in his arms and kissed the top of my head in greeting. I relaxed in his arms in comfort. Behind him, Luca smirked as he greeted me.

"What are you doing here, Eveline?"

"I had an audience with His Majesty."

"With father? I'm surprised he didn't mention it to me. I would have brought Dieter to you sooner if I had known."

"I did not give notice beforehand but His Majesty was gracious enough to grant me a meeting. What are you doing here though?"

I asked Dieter as I tucked a stray hair of his behind his ear. The two men looked at each other before Dieter looked at me with a conflicted smile.

"I was called here by His Majesty because of your father. I'm waiting for their meeting to end. I'm supposed to assist him with matters regarding the dukedom."

"Oh..."

My mood dipped down hearing his reply. Dieter Curnow was not only my fiancée but he used to be my mother's assistant. After he graduated from the academy two years ago, he immediately took the Government office exam and was placed under my mother's tutelage. She was grooming him to learn about governing a territory as he was soon to become the Duke through his marriage with me. Now that she's gone, he is the most experienced person within the Navarro Empire in how the Chatia dukedom operates. Which means that during the transition, Dieter will be working closely with my father.

"Well, since you're going to be meeting him later, I need to warn you that my meeting with the Emperor was regarding the restrictions that my father will face as punishment for his desertion."

Dieter's face paled.

"And he may have seen me leaving the throne room, moments before his own audience. So you can expect that not only will he be in a terrible mood, he will also be blaming me and by association, you."

His loving face warped towards exasperation as he broke his embrace. He shook his head troublingly and his brows furrowed.

My fiancée grunted in frustration especially as he saw one of the royal pageboys run up to him looking as if he just saw a ghost. The young page boy wheezed as he tried to catch his breath.

"Sir Curnow, *pant* Duke Shaw is *wheeze* Ermm... demanding your presence at the foyer. He *gulp* doesn't seem very happy, sir."

Luca laughed as more colour drained from Dieter's face. He glared at me and I could only shrug my shoulders in response.

"What a way to meet your future father-in-law, Dieter."