Accusation

When Barbara turned to leave, her teacup fell, and the hot tea spilt on the table, falling over Aurora's arm who yelled and held her hand.

"Lady Aurora, what happened?"

"Did you burn your hands?"

"Call the physician."

The women stood up, shouting anxiously, checking on Aurora. They swarmed around her like bees around flowers. Soon after, two maids rushed and took Aurora to see the physician.

Barbara stood in her place, looked at the table and wondered how the cup fell. She put it far from the table's border so how did it fall? She glanced at the tablecloths and frowned.

"Lady Barbara, why are you standing, doing nothing? Did Lady Aurora mean nothing to you? Or are you silent because you caused the cup to fall on her?"

Barbara snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the woman shouting in her face. Cynthia Fulore, a mere baron's daughter, dared to raise her voice at her. In the past, she had always pestered Barbara to be her friend to gain more benefits and secure a steady foothold in the noble society.

"Are you accusing me, Cynthia? You know, if you told such facts then you have evidence showing that I was the one who did it," she responded with a low and cold tone, making Cynthia shiver and lower her face.

"The cup was yours, beside you were sitting beside her. You acted as if you were going but in reality, you dropped the cup to fall on Lady Aurora instead," Louisa said, shielding herself with Hailey. Since they were friend, she was using her as a backing.

In high society, status held more importance than anything else. You were judged based on your status, not your worth, so it was common to have pests at every party waiting for their prey to use it as a stepping stone for their uses.

She, as the Marquis' daughter, and Hailey, the Duke's daughter, were the noblest young ladies in the kingdom. They were raised to be the epitome of success and elegance but were opposites.

Hailey was friendly and cheerful, while she was strict and firm. Their way of thinking differed like the sky and the earth. Hailey saw life as a rosy bubble full of smiles, while she thought that life was like a battleground: if you let your guard down, you would lose. Hailey was more open-minded about befriending girls from lower social statuses, but Barbara never did because her mother never allowed her to. To gain her mother's love, she never did.

Upon seeing Hailey standing quietly beside Louisa, Barbara raised an eyebrow. This was yet another reason why she didn't want to be close to anyone of lower status. Often, those who behaved like that were insincere and adept at deception. They would come under the guise of helping but would end up believing they were the ones in control.

Barbara swapped her gaze at the seven women standing up. All of them looked at her suspiciously. "I see," she murmured. "Since you told everyone I am the one who dropped the cup. Did you see me do it?"

Louisa's face paled. "I–I—as soon as you stood up, the cup fell, so …." she stuttered.

"So, you didn't see me. Did anyone of you see me?" she asked, sweeping her gaze on the ladies one by one, but neither of them made a sound. They lowered their heads and stood silently.

"The cup was yours, you…" Louisa yelled, not wanting to give up.

Barbara walked closer to her. She raised the cup beside her that belonged to Louisa and dropped it. Louisa shrank back and let out a sharp yell. The other women stood with astonishment.

"The cup is yours so you are the one who dropped it and it drenched my dress," she said, showing her wet dress.

"I am not, it's you—"

Barbara approached and whispered, "Won't you stop? You are making yourself a joke." Turning around, she took a few steps and then halted. "I will never forget this humiliation," she stated, staring at Hailey, whose face turned ashen. After that, she raised her head and headed inside.

She went to the room where Aurora was and went in. Seeing the physician bandaging her hand, she took a seat and waited silently.

Barbara studied Aurora who sat without uttering a word. She didn't seem like someone who was injured. She let the physician bandage her hand without moving or flinching.

"I am done. Change the bandage frequently and don't let it exposed to water," he said, taking his belongings and leaving the room.

"Let's go," Barbara said, standing up. Aurora nodded and followed her. "You are quite brave. If any of the women outside were burnt, they would wail for days and never move from their bed for a month," she commented.

Noticing that Aurora wasn't following her, she turned around to see her standing opening her mouth in astonishment as if she didn't believe that she would talk to her.

"Why are you standing still, let's go," she ordered and Aurora ran to her side.

The journey back home was no more different from the way to the duke's house. When they arrived at their house, her mother came rushing.

"You finally come back! I was really anxious," she stated, studying them. When she looked at the bandage on Aurora's hands, she trembled. "What happened? What was wrong with your hand?" she examined her daughter's hand and asked anxiously.

"Mother, it was an accident. The tea was spilt on me—"

"How did that happen? Why don't you avoid it? You aren't young, why are you careless? It hadn't been a few days since you sprained your ankle. Why are you hurt again? What if you encounter something more dangerous? What shall I do then?" her mother spoke with a worried tone.

"Mother, it is a small injury—"

"No, it is not! Look at your hand. I will call the physician to check on you," she interrupted, dragging Aurora inside.

"Mother, I already treated her at the Duke's mansion."

"I will do that again for reassurance."

The mother-daughter duo walked away, and Barbara stood watching their interaction. Her heart pricked when her mother didn't seem to notice her. She stayed rooted to her place, hoping that maybe her mother would remember that she was there and look for her. She didn't want to be asked about her well-being; she wanted a stare. One stare.

However, in reality, she was holding this much hope to search for a reason to stay in this place, where every corner reminded her that she didn't belong there.

Barbara placed her hand on her chest as her heart thumped, feeling hopeful as her mother arrived at the door. She smiled as her mother stopped, but her hope was crushed when her mother entered and closed the door. She stood for a long time, her legs trembling from pain and the pain in her chest feeling endless.

'You have to accept that. You are not your mother's daughter anymore,' she kept repeating to convince herself. The sooner she realized the new place she held in her parent's heart, the better for her. Dragging her heavy body inside her room, she dropped herself on the floor. Her green dress lifted, showing small red places on her feet.