Henrietta's Self-saving

Chapter 5

I stayed cooped up in the library and in my room for a few days, only going out to meet with my tutors. A strategic plan must be well-made, from the steps that must be taken to the deviating factors that may appear. A plan must have a series of alternative routes to accommodate the possible entry of a deviant.

But even after a week of careful planning, it was impossible to create a perfect survival plan, especially with my knowledge about this world. I may know the novel's flow, but there are a lot of blind spots the deeper I dig into it.

I possessed a character that is not only a cannon fodder who only had important scenes towards the end of the novel and only cares about social gatherings and offending everyone she meets. So, resources are pretty hard to obtain.

This is going to be complicated.

I stared at the flame swaying gently on the candelabra.

Henrietta has four tutors in total. A tutor in etiquette, arithmetic, history, and economics. But she never attended any of their lessons. The tutors seemed used to it too.

I heard from the maids that they would just stay for tea and leave without convincing Henrietta to attend the lesson. They were surprised when I suddenly appeared. The poised Countess Victoria almost choked on her tea when she saw me.

And as expected of a woman's education. Even the knowledge taught to girls is limited. Only four subjects and etiquette take up more time than the other three.

Every day, there would be three-hour etiquette lessons, mostly tea time, manners, and handicrafts— embroidery, to be specific. The other three subjects would only take up to two hours. And they don't even teach much.

I leaned on the chair and started massaging my temples. It's already been a week, and I haven't even made a good impression on the people working in the mansion. They are still wary of me, afraid I would throw tantrums at any given time. I often hear maids talking behind my back, but I somehow agree with them instead of getting angry. Henrietta is indeed obnoxious.

There were talks about her firing every maid who made trivial mistakes, even going as far as writing letters to make sure the maids she hated couldn't work for noble houses anymore.

Henrietta was also a spendthrift. She would empty boutiques she liked making sure other noble ladies wouldn't be able to wear what she wore. No wonder she had a whole room for a closet.

She also preferred custom-made jewelry to ready-made ones, which are cheaper. She would spend on trivial stuff to the point that she even forgets she had them.

Despite her penchant for squandering money, she never bought something for her maids, who had always been with her.

But the good thing is, these past days, there was constant chatter in the corridors about how the young lady had changed her diet, how she was not picky with food, how she started to become quiet and cooped up inside her room, and even her studies.

The most talked-about matter is how I didn't spend a single cent the moment I got here. Well, change is constant. The obnoxious young lady they know is long gone.

I smiled. There are still speculations behind my actions, but it's already a good start. This pace is also not bad. Changing their impression of me is the first step in gaining allies.

I averted my gaze towards the papers on the table. Now, to officially start this plan, I have to get that person on my side.

I slept peacefully that night. I woke up in a good mood and allowed Giselle and the other maids to serve me as they pleased. I even ignored that the tea was bitter and how the bathwater earlier was cold. The room was still gloomy as if I was the only one radiating enthusiastic energy.