Chapter 290: Standing Out

It was Lady Monica. The woman was dressed in a navy gown and her lips were painted in the same red color Elise recalled similar to the one she uses when visiting White Mansion. The woman came to greet her with a smile, but Elise wasn't slow to not notice how the smile the lady had didn't reach her eyes.

"Yes," Elise said, she didn't think it was needed to tell the lady that she wasn't a maid any longer, "My name is Elise Scott, I hope you have a pleasant evening, Lady Monica," she greeted, at the time she also noted the four ladies standing behind Lady Monica. Two out of four were vampires and the rest were humans. 

"I do have a pleasant evening," before she saw her, added Lady Monica in her mind. She came running when she heard one of the Ball guests who told her the Lord arrived. Initially hearing Ian's name improved her mood to the clouds that fell and shattered when she heard that he had come with a red-haired lady. "I am hoping you are enjoying the Ball? I have heard that it is hard for peasa- I mean, commoners on their first time in attending a Ball."

Elise noted the jab the Lady tried to say, where she wanted to call her a peasant but hid the word with another one which was less offensive. But she knew that Lady Monica had slipped the word in purpose. "Thank you milady's worry, but I cannot say yet whether I am enjoying the Ball. After all, it hasn't started. But for me, I find that the Ball is manageable," she said politely.

"The Lord is a very generous person isn't he?" chimed the human woman who seemed to have been married by the golden ring on her left hand, "I say it as unusual for a Lord to bring a maid with him. I guess having a doll and dressing game isn't only popular to women but men?"

"Lord Ian loves new things maybe he had just acquired a new interest, like keeping a doll," The second human woman answered, their eyes now were mocking and Elise who had seen the gazed before felt that she was used to the gaze, not letting it offend or hurt her. "A living doll must be more amusing than the one we have at home. But then interest in dolls will die as time passes like how we all felt when were young. In the end, the doll will belong to the trash. It's pitiful, really."

"Ladies, I don't think we should speak about dolls and maids now, considering..." Lady Monica let her word hung for Elise to fill on her own with a smile that twisted with a light chuckle, "I hope you are not offended by their words, are you, Miss Scott?"

Elise could feel the attention they gained as more people becoming more curious about her and the talk Lady Monica had currently. She didn't mind the gazes, and this reminded Elise of the words Ian had told her before they entered the castle. It was truly like him to warn her about the future which would come to face her. 

"Of course I am not," Elise answered to see how the four ladies' smile except one widened at her meek words, thinking that they had succeeded to oppress a person who couldn't retort back to their condescending words. But this wasn't all Elise had to say, "I am not offended because I am not a doll. Only people who do not have sight would think I am one. Considering the ladies' kindness I am aware that you are complimenting that I look like a doll. Thank you."

For a moment the kind look on Lady Monica's face faltered which she managed to bring up a smile, "You have a smart mouth, do all maids have smart mouths like you do? I see that there are lessons that most maids have but you don't. It makes me wonder how the Lord would bring you here when there are better maids with better manners than you."

"Many people have smart mouths, milady, and it is not a bad thing to have. What matters is for the person to use their mouth. Whether they use them to speak for kindness, to belittle, or to protect themselves," Elise stated and she could feel the intensity of Lady Monica's eyes that build up as she continues to speak. To her, fights like this would never benefit anyone. At the end, when a fight breaks out it would hurt people. However, Elise had done it to defend herself which Ian let her do. It was time for her to stand by her point and stop the three ladies from voicing offensive remarks to stop them from repeating their words in the future. "And as for my manners, I believe I have the best manner others could offer because I can differ what to say or what not to say that could hurt other's feelings which I can tell now that most people lack."

Smiles of the human ladies and one of the vampire lady fell, their eyes that were laughing now turn to a frown as they looked at Elise— the human maid who had dared to retort to their words and even tried to teach them a lesson.

The vampire lady was the one who started, not pleased by how she had spoken, "I do think you do not understand what we meant by manners as you are clearly the one lacking now. Do you not have parents to teach you that you should know who you are speaking to before opening your mouth?"

Elise who had heard the words about her parents several times didn't lose her cool. The other woman who stood right beside Lady Monica then added, "We should forgive her. You are lucky Miss Scott because not all guests in this Ball are as kind as us who would forgive you after the words you said. You better take it as a lesson for the future and learn your place."

Elise pulled her smile sheepishly, she looked at the woman who was the same height as her, "I'm sorry, I was not aware that manners here are taught differently than the one I was taught with. I was told to respect people, which you say to be wrong, and that leads me to question the manners most people have here."

The ladies' expression twist with more anger at Elise's words. One was about to speak but she beat them into it, "Pardon me for asking, but do you ladies want to be my parents?"

"What?" Lady Monica's friend, Lady Tina gasped at her words looking at her as if she had lost it.

"Was I wrong?" Elise questioned, all this time she had spoken with a very soft tone that didn't change even after the people offended her by bringing up her parents. Elise wasn't angry, however, she couldn't stay silent either as the ladies had brought up her parents to the conversation, who she treasure deeply in her heart despite everything. Although her father had left her and her mother wasn't the best mother one could wish for, they had been the one who bring her to the world and this was more important that what comes after.

"Because from what I heard, everyone is very kind, wanting to teach me as a parent would. But I was about to refuse if that was the case because I don't see how my manners would improve if I am taught by people who could belittle others as soon as they greeted them."