Chapter 11: Etiquette slap in the face

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Helena woke up from a nightmare and sat up suddenly. She instinctively grabbed her right arm, the knuckles turning white from the force.

Her arm was still there…

After calming her breathing and heart rate, Helena got out of bed and walked barefoot to the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and washed the sweat off her body. The cold water felt like the rain from the previous day.

After cleaning up, Helena put on the dress she had brought with her and took some time to think in her room. When she realized it was almost time for breakfast, she went downstairs to the dining room.

“Helena, you’re good at keeping time. It’s mealtime,” Theresia said with a smile as she walked up to her. “You don’t know where to have breakfast yet, do you? Come, let me show you the kitchen.”

Helena glanced at her and sat down at the table. She looked at the servant in charge of serving the food and asked, “What are you waiting for?”

The servant looked hesitant and glanced at Theresia, who had an ugly expression on her face. This was not what she had told him earlier.

At that moment, the Ingram couple and Caleb also came downstairs. The servant immediately served Helena a bowl of porridge and a plate of shrimp dumplings and steamed buns.

“Helena, you woke up early. Did you sleep well last night?” Vanessa asked with a smile.

“It was okay,” Helena replied as she began to eat after the elders had sat down.

“Hmph, she couldn’t even wait for the elders to arrive before asking the servant to serve her. Such an uncultured person,” Theresia muttered under her breath.

“Theresia,” Vanessa interjected. “Helena grew up in that kind of environment. It’s not her fault. As her sister, you should be more understanding. If Helena did something wrong, you could point it out politely. Why do you have to be so rude?”

After Vanessa finished speaking, she smiled at Helena and said, “Helena, my niece is outspoken. Don’t mind her.”

Helena smiled and said, “I am naturally not as elegant as Theresia.”

“Hmph,” Theresia huffed. She was the legitimate daughter of the York family, how could someone like Helena compare to her?

“I have never been exposed to etiquette and manners when I was young, and there is something I don’t understand. I hope Aunt can help me clarify,” Helena pretended to ponder as she spoke.

“Aunt, could you tell me which etiquette Theresia was following when she asked me to have breakfast in the kitchen?”

Theresia and Vanessa’s expressions changed as soon as Helena said this.

 In families of such status, the host and the servants usually had meals separately, with the hosts dining in the dining room while the servants ate in the kitchen.

Theresia’s actions were a clear violation of the York family’s hierarchy, which was something Caleb, among the older generation, was very particular about.

In her previous life, Helena was deceived by Theresia and went to the kitchen to have breakfast for a few months until Vanessa deliberately pointed out the mistake and scolded her.

 But she was too weak to do anything about it. This time, Helena didn’t give Theresia any face and intentionally brought it up at the dining table to see what Vanessa would say.

She wanted to see if Vanessa was still high and mighty as she was in her previous life.