Zara was losing a battle she had been fighting it for nearly an hour and she was losing badly.
"Lady Zara.".....
"Lady Zara."....
"LADY ZARA!"
Thunk!
Zara's forehead immediately collided with the desk.
"Oww!"
She sat upright and rubbed her forehead while her long golden hair bounced around her shoulders. A faint red mark had already appeared where she had struck the wood.
Across from her, Maria stood with her arms folded.
"Lady Zara, why are you dozing off? That is not becoming of a lady."
Zara rolled her eyes leaning against the chair.
"What?" PMaria narrowed her gaze.
"Nothing," Zara replied while pouting.
"You know this is your fault for falling asleep in the first place, right?"
Zara immediately pointed toward the board in front of her.
"Why would anyone need to learn what a bunch of old people did at Goddess knows how many old years ago?"
Maria placed her hands on her hips.
"Because—"
"History repeats itself, blah blah blah , prepare for the future blah blah blah , learn from the past, blah blah blah."
The moment she finished her words , Zara froze. Slowly, her porcelain hands covered her mouth .
Maria's face somehow became even more expressionless.
A feat Zara had previously believed impossible.
"I see."
Maria turned around.
"Perhaps I should inform your mother what you think about your lessons. I'm sure Lady Helia would be delighted to hear it."
Zara's eyes widened.
"M-Maria, wait!"
The maid continued walking. Without hesitation, Zara lunged forward and grabbed the hem of Maria's skirt.
Large blue eyes stared upward pleadingly.
"I'll be a good girl."
Maria stopped as she raised her brow .
"I doubt that."
"I'll be an excellent girl." Replied immediately by Zara
Maria looked down at the young noble clinging to her skirt.
Zara looked back with all the dignity and grace expected of a noble lady. Which was to say none at all currently.
For several seconds Maria remained silent , staring at Zara who was trying to be as pitiful as possible.
Eventually, Maria sighed shaking her head .
Zara immediately seized the opportunity.
Before Maria could change her mind, the young noblewoman threw her arms around her.
"Thank you, Maria! I knew you were the best personal maid in the world!"
Maria stiffened slightly. Unfortunately for her, Zara knew exactly where her weakness lay.
That was a close proximity contact and hugs were one of the effective ones in the arsenal .
Not that Maria would ever admit it. Zara hugged her again and again.
Each hug subtly pushed the maid closer toward the door.
"Lady zara "!!?
By the time Maria realized what was happening, she was already standing outside the room.
Meanwhile, Zara stood triumphantly inside.
Her hands rested on her hips as she puffed out her chest proudly.
"I have decided a very important decision!."
Maria felt goosebumps which was never a good sign .
"And that is i shall find you a suitable spouse worthy of you!"
"W-What?"
Zara nodded confidently as she continued.
"Someone handsome, reliable, hardworking, and capable of tolerating your personality."
"My personality is not—"
"I'll begin searching immediately."
"Lady Zara, I don't want—"
Thud !!
The door closed as Maria stared at the wooden door in silence and confused .
"Phewww, that settles it."
Zara stood in the middle of her room, a satisfied smile spread across her angelic face.
A difficult battle had been won. Maria had retreated and victory was hers to claim for now.
Her gaze drifted toward the study desk.
The sight alone cut her enthusiasm in half.
"Oh."
"I forgot about that."
After staring at the mess for several seconds, she nodded decisively.
"I'll have one of the maids clean it later."
With that problem solved, Zara strode to the window and pushed it open.
Cold sea air rushed in. The scent of salt filled her lungs.
"Ahhh…"
She stretched her arms wide open with her dress fluttering.
"Freedom."
For a moment she just stood there, letting the breeze move through her hair. Her gaze landed on the shore as the world seemed so much larger beyond the walls of her estate.
Her smile dimmed.
"I wonder when I'll get the chance to sail the seas."
Probably not anytime soon. She couldn't even visit the city without guards following her and that too an entire entourage since she was the daughter of a Duke .
"And Maria nags about everything I buy."
Zara folded her arms and shook her head sadly.
"Oh, am I so miserable that I can't even buy cheaper things without permission?"
She looked toward the ceiling.
"This is true poverty."
The declaration carried enough conviction to make any actual poor person like Percy faint on the spot.
Her gaze eventually wandered toward a certain drawer.
After a brief hesitation, she walked over and opened it. Inside rested the simple wooden box.
Compared to everything else in the room, she was mostly intrigued with this ordinary looking box the most .
During buying it Zara had argued that a key without its purpose was simply a useless ornament and that the box just came with key and not the other way around , Maria eventually agreed to her seemingly true logic . After considerable effort, she had won.
She carefully lifted out the box and the jeweled key as she wound it again a bit Slowly and deliberately.
Nothing had happened Just like before.
"Still broken."
Disappointed, she looked toward the large mirror nearby. Her reflection stared back. Golden hair with blue eyes and Pink lips as Jewelry that could feed several families for a year adorned her.
By every reasonable standard, she looked like a noble lady straight out of a fairy tale.
"Oh, look at you."
She pointed at her reflection.
"So miserable. Life just doesn't go your way in any direction."
At that exact moment—
*Click.*
The sound was faint but audible as Zara blinked and her eyes dropped to the box on the table. A few seconds later a male voice emerged from the wooden box.
*"Hello?"*
"Who might you be miss?"