Chapter 7 - 7: Arriving At The School
Upon arriving at the gates of Windsor School for Nobles, their carriage was halted to a stop.
"Let us go down the carriage first, the guards need to check it before entering." Leonard explained.
"Good afternoon Lord Maxwell and welcome back. Please wait for a moment as we check your carriage." The captain of the guards said as he bowed his head.
"Alright Sir Pierre, by the way, may I introduce you to my sister, Serena."
"Good afternoon lady Maxwell, it is a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to Windsor, I hope that you will have a pleasant time here in school." Pierre said as he bowed and smiled at Serena.
"Thank you, kind Sir. I do hope so too." Serena curtsied and replied.
While waiting for the guards to finish checking, Serena observed the school's surroundings. The road they passed through must be the main street as it led straight to the huge gates of their school. From where she was standing, she can see that there were also side streets with shops that looked like the cobbled streets of York. There were some young nobles walking and some in groups shopping. She noted that there were a lot of guards surrounding the area. The school and its perimeter must be the most guarded place in the whole kingdom as it is where children of royalties and nobles from all over the empire congregate.
Not long after, Leonard called her attention to re-enter their carriage. Sitting in front of her, he started the conversation.
"Do you want to go out later?" Leonard asked, he saw her curious eyes earlier.
"Can we?"
"The gates of the school will close at 9 in the evening today. It is still 2 in the afternoon now, so we still have time after you settle in."
"Alright. Are we allowed to go out of the school every day?"
Leonard shook his head. "No, we are only allowed to go out on weekends. Tomorrow, there will be an assembly in the morning to officially start the school year."
Serena nodded as she looked out of the window. The school ground was huge with perfectly manicured lawns.
"Here is the school dormitory for ladies." Leonard said as their carriage stopped in front of a castle like building. "I will need to leave you here as the school dormitory for men is on the other side. What time should I come back to fetch you?"
"You can come back after 3 hours. I'm a little tired from our long journey."
"Alright. Do you wish to walk around the school before we go out later?"
"If time allows." Serena replied as she smiled at him.
Leonard nodded as he went down the carriage again to help her. Serena blushed as she held his hand.
'What a gentleman' she said in her mind for the nth time.
Welcoming her outside is Beatrice (her maid).
"Please help your lady settle in." Leonard instructed Beatrice, then he faced Serena saying "I'll see you later." Before he left.
"M'lady, I already got your key card and prepared your room. Thankfully, you don't need to share with another noble lady like the others." Beatrice chattered as they entered.
Serena silently looked around the lobby as they were greeted with a curtsy by a lady in her 40's.
"Good afternoon Lady Maxwell, I am Nora, the head receptionist of the ladies' dormitory. Shall I walk you to your room as I explain the house rules?"
"Thank you, Madame Nora. That would be most helpful." Serena replied.
"Please follow me."
The dormitory was rectangular in shape with an open courtyard in the middle. As they walked the hall beside the courtyard, they came across young ladies who stared at Serena. Whenever she met the eyes of other ladies, they were friendly enough to smile at her. Serena knows reciprocity so she always smiled back.
"First of, curfew time is at 10 in the evening. We have a monitoring team that checks at 9 in the evening to ensure that you are in your room. Thus, if you return after 9 pm, you need to notify the receptionist in charge to avoid causing unnecessary alarm. Second, guests and visitors, except for immediate family members, are only allowed in the lobby and in the courtyard here on our right. Third, smoking is not allowed within the premises. The rooms are equipped with sensitive smoke detectors and alarms. Lastly, any major acts of misconduct, such as use of illegal drugs, will immediately lead to expulsion."
After climbing a flight of stairs, they arrived at room number 218. Beatrice tapped the keycard on the keyless doorknob.
"If you lose your key, you may request a copy at the reception at an additional cost. That is all, thank you very much and welcome to Windsor School for Nobles." Nora finished as she made a curtsy and smiled at Serena.
'Do I need to give her tip or something? It feels like she's a bellboy in a hotel...' Serena thought as she looked at Beatrice.
Beatrice taking the hint took out a small pouch and handed it to Nora. Nora smiled wider as she took in the weight of the pouch. "Thank you again" she said as she left.
"Where did you get that?" Serena asked as they entered the room. 'so she was indeed expecting a tip! Do I have cash here in my bag? Haven't thought of that earlier as Leonard only handed a card in the restaurant.'
"Duchess Celine handed it to me yesterday, I still have about 2 pouches here and about twenty in my luggage. She instructed me to give it to those you wish to reward..."
"Have you given out a lot since you arrived?" Serena continued as she looked around. The room turned out to look like a grand suite in a hotel. It has its own living room with a sala set, a dining room with a six seater dining table, and a modern looking kitchen with an island counter.
"From when we arrived, I gave out two. They were the ones who helped carry our luggage. I apologize for not informing you ahead, m'lady"
"Oh... it's alright." Serena replied as she opened the door that led to her bedroom.
"I already stored your dresses in the wardrobe, also, I already gave out your measurement to the school seamstress for your uniform. They told me to pick it up on Friday."
'So we do have school uniform.' Serena thought as she walked around the bedroom. It was smaller than her room in the ducal house but did not lose to its charm. There was a bathroom inside the room which has a bathtub. To the right of the bed is a big window overlooking the school's lawn with its curtain open.
"m'lady, do you wish me to help you change your clothes to be more comfortable before the Lord picks you up?"
Serena nodded as Beatrice picked a chemise for her change into. Beatrice then proceeded to close the curtain before helping Serena change.
"Thank you, Beatrice. I will just take a short nap. Please wake me up after an hour." Serena instructed.
"Yes m'lady, I will be in my room located behind the kitchen if ever you need me." Beatrice said as bowed then left the room.
Serena looked around the room one more time before she laid herself on the bed. While trying to get some sleep, she thought of the novel in comparison to what she is experiencing now.
Rianne (granddaughter of Serena) did not really talk about the school in detail. She focused more on the blooming love between the ML and FL rather than the daily life of the villainess. However, she was sure that some fine details has already changed since she arrived. First, although it was not mentioned if Serena had lunch with Leonard going to school, she was sure that Serena's first conversation with the SML, Charlton, in the novel was on one of the school parties where she poured red wine on the female lead. It was a memorable scene that's why she actually remembers it in detail.
Serena was being escorted by Geoffrey at a dinner party held in honor of the school's founding. It was not mentioned how she was dressed, but it was said that Emily was wearing a white dress making her look like an angel. Geoffrey saw that she was being escorted by Charlton, and with his jealousy, he left Serena without an escort after they entered the ball.
At that time, Emily was trying to walk away from Geoffrey because she knew that what they were doing was wrong. She found out that he is the crown prince after his opening speech during the school assembly. However, fate seems to be putting the two of them together. They joined the same clubs, then, being top female student of her batch after the preliminary exam, she also became their year's female representative joining the student council where Geoffrey was the President. At first, she was already ready to forgive him, but what hurt her more is that Geoffrey pretended not to know her in front of the other members of the council. After that meeting, she was so angry with him that since then, she has been avoiding him.
When Charlton went to get some drinks, Geoffrey cornered Emily and led her to one of the balconies. Serena on the other hand was following Geoffrey with her eyes. Her eyes widened as she saw him pull Emily's hand, she then went to follow them.
When she arrived and took a peek, she only heard Emily confessing her love for Geoffrey and then saw them hugging. She was so angry that all she saw was red.
At this point, Serena was already feeling low. She was envious of Emily for being the school flower while she was labeled as the blond bimbo behind her back. She did not understand why things turned out the way they did, but her consolation is that she will one day be queen, and everyone will have to bow to her. With this, she invested all her love and hope on Geoffrey.
She now understands the importance of one's position in society. She is the only biological daughter of a duke, but she knows that she, as a woman, can not inherit the dukedom. So to ensure her position, securing her marriage with the crown prince is a must. She did not care anymore if Geoffrey does not or will not love her in the future. What is important is to first get rid of whatever is blocking her way towards the Queen's seat. Thus, this scene began her blackening.
Serena wanted to confront the two, but she doesn't want to lose Geoffrey. So she decided to lead Emily's escort to them instead.
Charlton was holding two wine glasses while looking for Emily when Serena approached him. He has seen Serena a couple of times, but it never ceased to amaze him how beautiful she was. However, he knows that she was the forbidden fruit so he kept his distance. He never even talked to her before.
"Good evening Lord Daniel, I know we haven't been introduced yet, but I am Serena Lilianne Maxwell, the fiancé of your friend, crown prince Geoffrey, and the sister of Leonard."
"Good evening Lady Maxwell, it is a pleasure to meet you. What may I do for you?" Charlton asked surprised and confused on why she's talking to him.
"Will you please help me find my fiancé? I can't seem to find him..."
Seeing that Emily is not around, he nodded his head. Not wanting to look like an idiot walking while holding two glasses of wine, he handed one to Serena.
"Alright. Please have one."
Serena received the half filled glass with a smile as she led him towards the balcony. However, before she can make Charlton catch the cheating pair red handed, Emily already entered the hall. Geoffrey on the other hand was nowhere to be seen.
Serena was so livid that when Emily came closer and made a curtsy, she couldn't think straight and directly poured the red wine on her head. The whole ballroom turned silent as she turned to look at Charlton.
"I hope you will have better taste in women someday. Thank you for your time, and for the glass of wine." Serena said as she curtsied and left the ball.
Charlton can only gape.
TBC