Harper originally thought it would take Mavis at least some time to hire a qualified nanny for her. But
she was surprised at the
sight of Mary. She couldn't imagine what it took for Mavis to invite Mary. Although she wasn't a maid in
the Imperial Palace
anymore, she had served the emperor's late mother for more than thirty years. Therefore, she was an
experienced nanny. Even
the empress had to show due respect to her.
"Pleasure to meet you, Nanny Mary." Harper bowed to her politely. She really respected those who had
outstanding abilities.
"My Lady, it has been a long time since I last saw you. You don't look well," Mary said with a smile,
which brought a sense of
relief to Harper.
"I heard from Grandma that she would find a nanny for me, but I didn't expect that it was you. To be
honest, I'm a little flattered,"
Harper said with a smile. "I am not a talented girl, so please do your best to instruct me. Don't hesitate
to let me know if I make
any mistake."
When Mary saw Harper behave so polite and eager to learn, a gleam of doubt came into her eyes. The
last time she saw Harper,
she told her it was no good to be too overbearing. At that time, Harper just snorted and left arrogantly.
But now, the girl in front of
her looked completely different, as if she had changed into another person.
"My Lady, you have changed a lot." Mary was quite relieved. If Harper was still as arrogant as before,
she wouldn't teach her
even if Matthew ordered her to do so. But it was a good thing that Harper seemed willing to change her
arrogant behavior.
"I have already died once, so I ought to change myself. I want learn the imperial etiquette as I don't
want to be a rude lady
anymore. Please help me, Nanny Mary," said Harper in a humble tone.
"Well, you only have a month. I have to remind you first that what you can learn in this short period
totally depends on your own."
Mary was very pleased to see the change in Harper. Now that Mavis had offered her many benefits,
she was also supposed to
give the best instruction to Harper. Besides, Matthew wanted her to see if Harper could be useful. She
couldn't afford to be soft-
hearted to Harper in the following month.
A month passed quickly and the day of Harper's departure finally came. Mavis looked at Harper, who
was standing near the
carriage quietly. Although she just quietly stood there, the passersby couldn't help paying attention to
her. Having Mary instruct
Harper kept the worry from Mavis' heart. The experienced nanny would not hold back in teaching
Harper. Under her great
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇttutelage, Mavis was sure her granddaughter would learn a lot.
"Grandma, let me help you." Mavis went into the carriage with the help of Harper. Her every move and
smile exuded a charm
that no one dared to criticize. Even Mavis was impressed by her.
"Harper, sit with me." Mavis stopped Harper and asked her to take the same carriage with her. To be
honest, she only wanted to
know if Mary would even consider taking Harper under her wing. But to her great surprise, Mary only
thought for a moment and
agreed to her proposal. Mary had once served the emperor's late mother. After the dowager empress
passed away, the emperor
allowed Mary to retire from court life comfortably. Even at present, all the servants in the imperial
palace would show due respect
to her.
"Yes, Grandma." Harper agreed to her request and sat quietly beside her. The more Mavis looked at
her, the more satisfied she
was. She had high hopes for Harper and she believed that many men would fall for her. Surely, Mary
would know the best way to
cultivate a girl's etiquette and manners. After all, Mary had stayed in the Imperial Palace for decades
now. "I once thought that you would soon give up under Mary's strict guidance, but you finally proved
yourself. Good girl!" Mavis complimented Harper on her great performance sincerely. While saying that,
she held Harper's hands slightly. She knew how strict Mary was, but she never heard Harper complain.
And Mary had never said anything against Harper. Maybe Mary had a soft spot for Harper. 'If I send
Harper to the Imperial Palace, she will surely be selected as an imperial concubine and become a good
helper to my daughter, ' Mavis thought. "I know how difficult it was to pull strings just to have Nanny
Mary take me under her wing. I could only study hard to repay your kindness. And by the way, I haven't
thanked you yet, Grandma!" Harper was about to kneel down before Mavis, but the latter stopped her.
"I know you are a filial girl. We are coming home now, and you shall not fight with your father and Sue.
Is that clear?" Mavis said in a grave tone. "Your father doesn't like anyone to contradict him. Keep your
head down and obey whatever he has to say." "I understand," replied Harper. "That's great. Then I am
relieved," Mavis said with a smile. Although she didn't get along well with Charles because of Harper,
he was his only living son. Besides, she couldn't live in the country house all the time. So she returned
home when Charles sent servants to pick her up. At the gate of Chu Clan mansion, Felicia was
unhappy to see that Mavis was coming back. Her presence only meant Harper was in tow. Thinking of
her punishment caused by Harper, Felicia became furious again.
"Felicia, when you meet your sister later, remember to apologize to her," Sue said in a soft tone. She
knew what kind of person Harper was. She intended to make Charles dislike Harper forever. If all went
well, he would disown Harper and even when Mavis would be unable to protect her. "Yes, Mother,"
Felicia reluctantly agreed. Behind her stood Yvonne Chu, daughter of Carrie, one of Charles'
concubines. Yvonne Chu remained silent all the time. She knew exactly just how cruel and heartless
Sue was. She was going to be old enough to
marry soon. And if Sue randomly assigned a wedding for her, she would have to accept her fate
without complaint.
When Mavis' carriage appeared at the entrance, Charles stepped forward immediately. "Mother, you
are back at last."
The carriage door opened as Harper helped Mavis out of the carriage. She wore a green dress, looking
elegant and lovely. At
first sight, Charles didn't recognize his daughter.
Harper helped Mavis get out of the carriage, and then bowed to Charles and Sue. "I wish you good
health, Father and Mother."
(TN:In ancient China, the children of a man's concubine also needed to call the man's legal wife
"Mother." Although Sue was
Charles' concubine on official records, Charles made her the hostess of the clan and the clan members
all treated her as
Charles' wife.)
Squinting his eyes, Charles looked at Harper from head to toe. Her daughter looked exactly like her
deceased mother, an
elegant and graceful woman. Emotions clogged at his throat, rendering him speechless.
"Charles, Harper is still bowing to you," reminded Sue. Sue was unhappy to see Charles speechless.
He didn't come to his
senses again until Sue pulled his sleeve. He then said, "Rise, Harper. And please walk slowly and
carefully, Mother. Let me help
you."
Mavis let Charles help her and together, they made their way into the mansion. Harper followed the pair
unhurriedly before
Felicia intercepted her. With a bow, Felicia started, "Harper, I'm so sorry. It was my fault you were
beaten the other day." "What are you talking about?" Harper asked, greatly confused at what Felicia
was saying. "The other day, you were wrongly accused of poisoning me. Father ordered to beat you up
before we found out who the real culprit was. We were wrong in accusing you. You can find it in your
heart to forgive me, right?" Felicia asked in an over-the-top way, her body language screaming
superiority and sarcasm despite her words asking for forgiveness. "I've already forgotten that thing,"
Harper said coldly, appearing calm and sober.
The expression on Felicia's face immediately changed. Harper's hand in hers felt like lead. She thought
Harper would shake her hand off. She planned to provoke her into a rage so Charles could see how
hopeless Harper was. But Harper didn't behave as
she and Sue had expected.
"Felicia," Mavis interrupted her. Charles remained calm, but Mavis was unhappy about Felicia's little
trick.
"Grandma." Felicia lowered her voice right away. She was a little afraid of Mavis.
"Let bygones be bygones. Harper is generous enough to forgive your fault, so don't cling to the past
anymore. After all, it was
you who made a mistake." Mavis' comment was harsh. Tears welled up in Felicia's eyes at what Mavis
said. Sue immediately
pulled her back. If Felicia cried on the day Mavis returned home, it would probably make her angrier.
"Felicia, don't be rude." It was rare for Charles to scold Felicia like this. She felt even more aggravated,
with tears rolling down
her face. In fear of being seen by others, Felicia lowered her head and sobbed quietly, as if she was
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmgreatly wronged.
Mavis was unhappy about Felicia's behavior. She hit the ground with her walking stick and said, "You're
not happy to see me
back, aren't you? Why are you sobbing the minute I step my foot back here? I am not dead yet!"
"Mother, don't be angry. Felicia is just a kid who needs strict guidance," Sue said to calm Mavis down
while Charles also put in a
good word for Felicia. Although Mavis was unhappy about it, she decided to save her son's face and
save the argument for later.
Holding Charles' hand, she then said, "You are the backbone of our clan, the prime minister of the
country. If people know that
your family holds grudge against each other, your future will be affected. Moreover, Felicia isn't a child
anymore. She is about to
come of age and has been engaged to His Highness. How can she be so ill-bred?" Mavis took a
disgusted look at Felicia,
thinking that this girl could do nothing but cry.
"Mother, don't be angry. I'll give her a strict talking-to later." Sue quickly pinched Felicia. Feeling a sharp
pain, Felicia cried even
harder.
Harper hurriedly offered her handkerchief to Felicia. "Felicia, don't cry. Look, your make-up is ruined by
your tears."
"Stop your crocodile tears!" Felicia pushed away Harper's hand and ran away, crying harder. Unable to
hold her back, Sue had to
ask the maids to follow Felicia. She could only hope that Felicia wouldn't be foolish enough to do
something stupid, or else Mavis
would have a worse impression of her.
Embarrassed, Charles tried to ignore the fiasco. He had always been proud of his eldest daughter
Hailey and fourth daughter
Felicia. But he didn't expect Felicia to act ridiculous today. Sue was also irritated. She had planned to
expose Harper today to
make Charles hate her forever. But now it was her own daughter who had fallen into the trap and left a
bad impression on
everyone present.
"Watch out your step, Mother," Harper reminded Sue, for she almost fell over when she kicked a stone.
Instead of thanking
Harper, Sue shook off her hands. Harper's newfound politeness made her have an extremely
uncomfortable feeling, like a swarm
of bugs crawling on her skin. Creepy and unnatural.
At the welcome banquet for Mavis, Sue had a bad time and lost her appetite. Among all the people,
only Harper enjoyed the
meal. She behaved so elegantly and beautifully, which even impressed Charles. And this unnerved
Sue even more. Charles
looked at Harper like he was solving a complicated problem, which was not good for Sue or her plans.
Sue had a strong feeling
that Harper would come to make trouble for all of them!