Aleksander continued to pester Sydnee but he never once tried to visit the Duke's mansion. Some people speculated that Sydnee was hooking up with Aleksander, abolishing the norms of elite circle.
She raised her brow when she first heard the rumors about her inside the University, and it did not take long for her to know that Aleksander was the useless bastard of Tamarin house. People often laughed at her saying that the two of them matched with each other, one was a bastard of Tamarin and the other was the bitc* of Mondragon.
Sydnee's patience went out after hearing those new rumors. She decided to wait for Aleksander in the parking lot, that's why she was standing under the ginko tree not far away from the storage room. She was not sure where Aleksander's car was, but she learned from his friend that he was using a car.
"Young Lady, do you need something?" the maid standing beside her asked.
Sydnee shook her head and patiently waited for Aleksander. She already told the driver to fetch her at six in the evening, and she let him drive Catarina home first. She drew a breathe. She did not mind if he was late, but she hoped that she could talk to him.
Her eyes lit up when she noticed Aleksander walking towards the red sports car parked not far away from where she was standing. She smirked and walked closer to the young man.
Aleksander stopped when he noticed Sydnee and the later stood in front of him.
"Let's talk," Sydnee said then turned around and walked towards the back of the storage room. She just hoped that no one would notice them.
She stopped when she reach the bench at the back of the storage room and turned around to face Aleksander. She then drew a breathe. "Please stop pestering me."
Aleksander was silent before he said, "Pestering you?"
"Yes." She had met his eyes with determination. "Didn't you hear the rumors about us? They were laughing behind our backs and I don't want to taint the reputation of Duke Mondragon because of these rumors."
"Oh."
Sydnee's brows met and her lips twitched. "What do you mean with 'oh'?"
Aleksander nodded and then touched his invisible beard. "So you want to be a nice girl for a good prestige?" He smirked. "Since when you care about your reputation?"
"What?"
"You were a bullied girl in your highschool days. I'm surprised that after you gained foothold, your first concern was your reputation. Isn't that a bit... ironic, little lady?"
Sydnee gritted her teeth in annoyance. That is what she hated with Aleksander. He kept on reminding her of what she experienced in highchool, without a slight concern whether it hurt her or not.
"At least care about your reputation!" she spat.
Aleksander chuckled. "Why would I? Isn't it a bit boring to take care of a good reputation?" He grinned at her. "Isn't it amusing to have rumors about you?"
She signed. This guy was really hopeless. "What do you get in making your reputation bad, huh?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "The angry expression of my good father, I guess."
She went silent upon hearing his words. Then her forehead creased. "You're hopeless. Don't make your father angry or else he'll disown you eventually."
The grin on his lips were not affected by her words. Aleksander flicked her nose and laughed. "You were a commoner so you don't understand. Don't worry. If you feel agrieved, I'll come to your rescue, princess."
"Don't call me a princess!" she huffed and crossed her arms against her chest. "Now that we are clear about it, please don't pester me anymore. I want the rumors to stop."
"Clear about it?" Aleksander leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "In your dreams!" Then he stood straight, turned around, and walked away.
Sydnee was left huffing mad at his words. She clenched her fists and strode towards the gate. The maid was silent behind her. As she stood under the waiting shed, countless thoughts were running in her mind. No one enjoyed making his reputation bad, unless he did it out of provocation. But who was the one that he's provoking?
"Katliya," she called the maid behind her.
"Yes, Young Lady?"
"Let me know everything about Aleksander Tamarin. Don't let anyone know that I'm checking that guy's background."
"Understood."
Not long after, the familiar car stopped in front of her. Katliya, her confidante, opened the door for her. She hopped in. The driver drove the car back at the mansion.
When she arrived at the mansion, she saw countless dresses in the living room. There was also a woman in her mid-30s who were checking on the dresses. Catarina was sitting in a one-seater sofa in a behave manner. Sydnee raised her brow. It was rare for Catarina to behave as a prim and proper lady.
"Sister!" Catarina called when she entered the mansion.
Sydnee winced but she forced a smile on her lips. "Yes?" She knew that Catarina was putting an act because of the auntie, and she was used in acting anyway.
"The meeting ball is fast approaching . The auntie here is helping us to choose a dress that we'll wear in the ball. Please choose your dress!"
Meeting ball? Sydnee became silent as she looked at the colorful dresses present in the portable wardrobe. She looked at the auntie who smiled at her. She smiled back and walked closer to the dresses.
But her attention was in the dresses that's why she did not notice that Catarina strucked her foot forward when she was about to pass by her.
Sydnee stumbled forward and her face almost kissed the floor if she did not turn her head in the last minute.
"Young Lady!" Katliya yelled and helped her got back on her feet.
Sydnee smirked and patted Katliya's hand before she looked at Catarina who was looking away and simply drinking the tea.
"My dear sister, please don't let your leg block my way. It's improper for a young lady to act like a prankster. You don't want mother to reprimand you again," she said to Catarina before walking closer to the dresses.
The auntie who saw the scene knew that it was Catarina's intention. And she was amazed at how Sydnee handled the situation. An approving look appeared on her face.
Sydnee on the other hand was secretly observing the auntie's face. When she saw the approving look on the auntie's face, she knew that she had achieved her goal. She could not help but to smile brightly while choosing a dress.
It did not take her long to choose for a dress that suit her. After she and Catarina had their chosen dress, Lady Geneva led the auntie out of the mansion while she and Catarina was left sitting in the living room.
Catarina's face was dark and she glared at her. "Don't think that I don't know what you are doing!"
"What?" Sydnee raised her brow as she sipped tea from her cup. She smiled sweetly at Catarina behind the cup.
"You trash! You think I don't know that you deliberately stumbled in front of the auntie?"
"Oh." Sydnee put the cup back on the table and raised her eyes to Catarina. "It's not my fault that you block my way. Don't be ridiculous, sister."
Before Catarina could lash out again, Lady Geneva had entered the mansion. Sydnee greeted the Lady before going to her room.
THE meeting ball that Catarina mentioned was the annual gathering in the capital of the nobles across the kingdom. It's main purpose was to build more connections and to establish names for the young lords and ladies in each household.
It was the first time for Sydnee to attend such gathering. The duke specifically asked her to stand next to him during the gathering. She worried that she might made a mistake and tarnish the duke's reputation.
"Young lady, there is nothing to worry about," Katliya said while helping her putting on the corset. "The Duke is kind and has a good reputation. No one would look down on him during the event."
Sydnee bit her lips and slightly creased her forehead. "What about the information I asked of you?" she asked.
"Young Master Aleksander is the illegitimate son of Marquis Tamarin. Since he was young, he was a subject of ridicule in the capital. The other young masters often bullied young master Aleksander, and the Marquis sent the young master to study in Obando. Most of the people think that it is the Marquis' way to throw his illegitimate son away."
Sydnee went silent. Katliya's informat was from the duke's intelligence group so she was sure that the information was correct. Although she ordered Katliya not to let anyone knew of her order, Sydnee knew that Katliya was informing the duke. In the first place, Katliya was a high-ranking intelligence officer that the duke gave to her for protection and whom she could trust to run errand.
"He won't cause unnecessary trouble, wouldn't he?"
"If he cause troubles for you, Young Lady, you can always tell the duke."
"Nah." Sydnee shook her head. "It's just a trivial matter."