Duke Dimitri of House Stallens

Ramier let out a deep breath as he stared at the piled paperwork at his desk. He never imagined that though, he did some tasks the day before he accompanied Ashley to the museum; it would still amount to all of this. He grimaced further when he realized how devastating it would be if they didn't finish the whole thing yesterday. Then it would probably give him two sleepless nights.

However, that doesn't change the fact that he wouldn't have time to sleep tonight either. A bitter laugh escaped from his lips as he stood up from his chair. He went to the window and glanced at the sky to clear his mind before getting back to his work.

The weather was perfect today. The sky was clear and no cloud could be seen in the sky. It was far from what they usually experience. The cold season which would go on for another twenty years. Only 8 months left before it turned back to winter. That would sound like a considerable amount of time but he knew days would pass by like sand in the hourglass. It was best to spend this entire year wisely and improve the whole kingdom's foundation. Though the kingdom still managed to flourish during the two decades of winter, there were still a lot of things that could be found and done in spring. Because only in winter could they feel the warmth of the sun...

He remembered that Ashley wasn't informed about anything regarding Prux. Speaking of Ashley...

He wondered what she was doing right now. After all, the weather was lovely today. She should at least go outside her. He was certain that she must be bored right now in her room because he himself would grow tedious if he was in her situation. He needed to tell her that she could go out of her room if she wanted to. It just slipped on his mind. He was preoccupied with the topic of her citizenship.

Immersed in his thoughts, he continued to stare at the window. However he was broken from his stupor when...

A knock at the door was heard, relaying that there was someone who wished to enter his private chamber. He didn't respond. It was because he knew who the person on the other side of the door was. That person would also come inside, regardless if he acknowledged him or not. And he was right...

*Click

Ramier turned to look at the door when it opened.

A pair of red eyes stared back at him.

"Dimitri.." he said nonchalantly.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." The man in an olive tunic greeted him back. His tied long auburn hair swayed as he bowed before Ramier.He clipped some of his hair to the back of his ear and gave a mocking smile to Ramier, showing his pearly white teeth and fangs.

(A/N: The fangs they have aren't the long ones they look like regular teeth but are a bit sharper... There would be an explanation for this in the ff. chapters.)

Ramier only sighed. There must be some catch as to why this person was here. He knew this day would be stressful but he didn't expect it to be worse, even having him visit his study.

The person who Ramier was referring to as annoying, was actually one of his most trusted companions and also the leader of the Aristocratic families, Duke Dimitri of House Stallens. Though he looked older than Ramier, they were friends ever since they were children. He was almost the same age as Ramier, only two decades younger.

"What brings you here in this..?" he raised his brows at his friend who scarcely visited him because he was as equally busy as him. "Do you need something?"

"*Gasp. Your words wound me every time. How hateful." he said sarcastically before speaking once again. "Why...Is it wrong to visit my friend?"

Dimitri only snorted when the other person present in the room didn't have anything to say. He took a seat in front of the desk. He crossed his legs comfortably and looked lazily at Ramier who was still staring at the azure sky.

Ramier didn't respond to his shameless remark. Seeing this , Dimitri shifted his attention elsewhere, only to see the mountain of documents on the desk.

He felt pity for a brief moment. Then, schadenfreude for his friend who seemed exhausted from his royal obligations. But that was that. He was the Emperor, what could one expect from that?

"So.. You're gonna finish that, aren't you?" he pointed at the paperwork when Ramier glanced back at him. Ramier sighed and sat back on his chair, grabbing the document nearest to him and read it carefully.

"That's why being an Emperor is hard.."Dimitri said with ridicule. Ramier only shot him a glare and continued to read the document. However, he stopped midway to ask his friend a question.

"What is the Duke of Stallens doing here in my office? Don't you have other matters to attend to?" he raised his brow and looked mockingly at him. "If I recall your pregnant wife is nearing her due date. You're expecting your second child anytime this month. Shouldn't you be anywhere else than this place?"

Dimitri only scoffed at his rude remark. "Hey! Don't involve my pregnant wife into this.. Besides, it is our second child so I don't have to worry much unlike the first time."

"Seriously Ramier, you have to settle down.... You're already 300 years old. You're not getting any younger. Look at me, I'm already expecting my second. Though you age slower than the rest of us, you need to consider building your own family and creating an heir." he advised Ramier who suddenly turned quiet.

He was right. He wasn't getting any younger. Though because his bloodline made him age slower, he still needed to secure an heir to the throne. It was known that it was especially hard to conceive for the Royal bloodline. If he didn't start now, it would take him decades or even another hundred years to procure an heir.

At the moment, there were no threats to the kingdom but how would he know in the future? If something happened to him and the throne would be left vacant, then who would succeed him and continue to protect and govern the kingdom? He couldn't let that happen because of irresponsibility.

He himself didn't know what was holding him back from marriage. He didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to wait for something... someone. He knew that he always wanted to gain something nonetheless he couldn't admit it himself.

Ramier's silence was deafening. Dimitri sensing the awkward atmosphere decided to change the topic. He cleared his throat before he spoke, snapping Ramier from his thoughts.

"So, I heard something interesting going on these past few days." he said then paused for a bit. He wanted to make it sound like he found out something interesting.

"News got out that the Legacy woke up a few days ago."