The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 40: poison to death

Chapter 40: poison to death

The next morning, Anastasia woke up early as usual. For the first time, she had no nightmares. She could still remember how Elizabeth had stared daggers at her all the way back from the party the previous day.

"My lady, why are you up so early in the morning?" Rosa asked with a smile. She had finally heard rumors last night that her lady would be getting married to the crown prince. She couldn’t wait to confirm the news. The previous day, everyone had only heard that a bride would be chosen from the Duke’s residence to marry the crown prince.

Rosa had thought that since her lady had arranged for Miss Magdalene to stay in her quarters, another lady would be sent to Elizabeth. All afternoon the previous day, after hearing the whispers, she had been thinking of ways to make the people from the palace favor her lady. Since there was an opportunity for her lady she hoped to help her seize it.

It was only after they returned from the party that she heard the bride was most likely her lady. But why hadn’t her lady shared such wonderful news with her? Could it be just a rumor? Rosa was desperate to find out.

"What do you mean? I wake up this early every day," Anastasia replied, looking at Rosa.

"That is true, my lady, but you don’t have to go to the stone mill or do any work these days. Why not rest? I heard that proper rest is good for a lady’s beauty," Rosa said.

"Where did you hear that?" Anastasia asked, wondering what Rosa spent her days thinking about.

"That’s not important. Anyway, you should rest more," Rosa insisted.

Anastasia laughed, seeing that Rosa was starting to nag like an old mother.

"I can’t sleep anymore. How are the two the Duchess sent yesterday?" Anastasia changed the topic.

"They’re both lazy and won’t get anything done unless they’re told," Rosa frowned. She had overheard them gossiping about her lady’s low status yesterday, which had made her very angry.

"What is it?" Anastasia could tell Rosa was hiding something from her.

"It’s nothing," Rosa shook her head. She didn’t want to say anything that would make Anastasia feel sad.

"Then I’ll go check on Mother’s garden," Anastasia said. She hadn’t had time to properly care for the flowers, and many of them had already died. She just hoped she could cultivate new ones now that she had the chance.

"My lady..." Rosa called as Anastasia began to walk away.

"What...?" Anastasia asked. She could tell that Rosa had something to say but was hesitant.

"Is it true?" Rosa didn’t know how best to ask her question. Usually, it wasn’t a servant’s place to inquire about their master’s affairs. Now that a lady-in-waiting from the queen’s court was in the courtyard, Rosa was afraid of behaving inappropriately and causing trouble for Anastasia.

"Is what true?" Anastasia raised her brows, wondering what Rosa was referring to.

"I... heard that the crown prince will be choosing a wife from this family," Rosa said cautiously. She didn’t dare say that some rumors claimed the bride was Anastasia. If the news was false, she didn’t want to raise her mistress’s hopes for nothing.

"Oh." It was only when Anastasia heard the question that she realized she hadn’t told Rosa about her engagement to the crown prince.

When Rosa saw her lady’s reaction, she lowered her head in disappointment. She knew there was no way the royal family would overlook the main wife’s daughter and choose the daughter of a mistress. Still, she had hoped that her lady had found favor in the eyes of God.

"Why do you look so downcast? You don’t want me to marry into the royal family?" Anastasia asked. She knew the news of her engagement had spread after the party yesterday.

Rosa thought her lady was sad about missing a chance to marry the prince so she thought of how to comfort her. "It’s not that... I just feel sorry..." Rosa suddenly paused. She felt as though she had misheard Anastasia. "My lady, do you mean to say you are the one marrying the crown prince?" Rosa asked, disbelief written all over her face.

"Yes," Anastasia said.

Rosa looked at her lady, unable to see any joy or happiness on her face. She wondered if Anastasia was lying to her.

"Are you lying to me, my lady?" she asked.

"Have I ever lied to you before?" Anastasia asked in return.

"No, my lady, it’s just that... you don’t look happy," Rosa said.

"What is there to be happy about? Although Father and the royal family have chosen me as the bride, do you think that Mother and her daughter will allow me to marry smoothly?" Anastasia asked. Elizabeth had tried to embarrass her at the party the previous day. She would be a fool to believe they would simply let her be.

Rosa remained silent. She had seen how even Leah could step all over her lady. Moreover, the Duke was not in residence. Rosa suddenly became afraid. What if they tried to kill her lady? Elizabeth had poisoned her lady before, making her sick whenever she was in a bad mood. What if this time, they decided to poison her to death?

Seeing her maid’s terrified face, Anastasia couldn’t help but chuckle.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked. Sometimes she wondered why Rosa would worry like an old mother.

"I’m thinking... we should set up a small kitchen in this courtyard. You definitely can’t eat the food from the main kitchen. What if they poison you to death?" Rosa said.

Anastasia suddenly recalled a flash from her dream. In her dream, after her father had informed her of her engagement, she had been overjoyed, and the news had spread throughout the residence that same evening. When the eunuch came to propose the marriage, she had received the gifts with joy and shown off in front of Elizabeth.

Then, Duchess Anita had taken the opportunity to arrange another courtyard for the lady-in-waiting from the queen’s court. Anastasia was not sure if that person was Magdalene or not. Starting from that day, she had started receiving the best food. She had thought her life had changed for the better. But later, she discovered that those meals were poisoned—not to kill her, but to destroy her womanhood. She had eventually become barren, and the royal physician had confirmed it.

Thinking about her tragic fate in her dream, Anastasia began to shiver.

"My lady! My lady, are you okay?" Rosa panicked when she saw Anastasia’s face turn pale.