Chapter 2: Unfriendly Welcome II
"I'm truly sorry for their behavior. I'll let your maid through now," Jerome said, embarrassed by the behavior of his masters. Soleia followed him to the gates, where poor Lily was waiting with a frantic expression on her face.
"Princess! Are you alright?"
Jerome quickly stepped forward, wanting to help Lily with the trunk, but Soleia stopped him.
"It's alright, I can pull it along like this."
"You can... what?" Jerome asked, befuddled.
"Wheel it," Soleia said, as she pulled her trunk up vertically. She pointed to the bottom of the trunk, where there were apparently miniature wheels made of clay attached to the bottom, joined together by a wooden pole. "I made this because I got tired of doing nothing on the route here."
"How ingenious!" Jerome praised, his face beaming with delight. Perhaps this new duchess was just what the estate needed to thrive. As they made their way back, Jerome began to inform Soleia about the estate's multiple issues.
Long story short, they had no money. This territory was not considered important by the King, which meant that it didn't get any support from the royal family.
Multiple generations ago, it was considered a stronghold for Vramid, but in the eyes of the current ruling family, it was nothing more than a dumping ground for troublesome court members who made too much noise. As such, no one wanted to lend a helping hand to save the crumbling estate from ruin. Doing so might draw the ire of the current King!