Chp.29: Naive
One of the paper that was partially peeking out of the file read - Stanton.
"Duke Stanton." He mumbled to himself as he proceeded to pick up the folder from the table. "What agreement is this about?" He thought for a couple of seconds.
He shuffled through those pages and found the subject of the agreement. "Railway line, near the Astana area in the south." The subject read.
"Hmm?" Duncan suddenly became intrested in the subject and walked towards his work table and sat down to read the agreement.
"Your majesty?" Hilton came again and knocked on the doors.
"Yes, come in Hilton." Duncan said.
Hilton walked inside with two male servants with him. "It's almost time for your dinner. We shall get you ready." Hilton said in a bright and happy tone.
"Yeah? Leave that, get me more papers on the railway works in Astana." Duncan ordered Hilton.
"But your majesty..." he was a little hesitant.
"What is the matter?" Duncan asked without even lifting his head from the position he was reading the papers in.
"Oh! No. It's nothing. I just felt that, dinner time was already ..." Hilton felt like he was getting caught in his own words.
"Damn, I better shutup and just do what he asks!" Hilton thinks to himself and bows to Duncan.
"I will go ahead and bring all the files related to the Astana Railway Works." He said. There was no point in hesitating anyways. After all Hilton knew it very well, that Duncan has the worst possible mood swings.
"Oh! Just a moment Hilton." Ducan stopped him as he was about to leave along with the two male servants he brought.
Hilton swiftly turned around and asked, "Yes, your majesty?"
"When it's the dinner time, please ask the queen to accompany me in my chambers it self." Duncan says.
Hilton looks at him for a moment. "Are you really Duncan?" His expressions were obvious, but since he had pledged he would never ask for any more stuff other than his duties demanded, he decided to adhere to his own oath. "I won't ask anything. This is for my own mental peace." Hilton nodded as he agreed to himself.
"If that is what your majesty desires, I will relay your orders." Hilton said bowing to Duncan once more.
Saying so he left the room. The room was once again silent, and Duncan had found himself something to keep himself engaged.
"Stanton sure is trying to become the jack of all trades huh?" Duncan thought to himself. He kept on shuffling through the pages, maybe he was just skimming through the words or just actually grabbing something, but he shuffled through them more two times.
Unknowingly as he was reading, he decided to open the second drawer to his table.
"I must underline this sentence, it seems to be important." He thought to himself as he actually reached for the pen in the drawer.
But he felt something like satin in his hands. Since he was distracted, he took out what seemed like a letter along with the pen.
"Hmm? What's this?" He thought to himself as he placed both the pen and the Railway Work's document down.
"Why have I never opened this letter?" He thought to himself.
He grapped for a seal opening knife from a little stand on this table itself and started to scrape the wax seal. It felt like it was a bit old.
"Who send this to me though?" He thought as he noticed that he didn't remember who was the sender of that letter.
"Your majesty, her majesty the queen is making her way inside." The guard standing outside Duncan's chambers announced.
Duncan, who was caught off guard suddenly became nervous and tossed the envelope behind him.
"Damn. What am I doing?" Very much questioning his own actions he cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Yes please let her in." He permitted.
The doors opened. He wanted to look behind to where the envelope actually fell but he saw her.
She walked in the room.
He instinctively got up as she bowed, "I wish a good evening to the King of Kuravos." Regina said.
Duncan made a way for himself and showed the way for the queen to sit on the couch.
Regina quickly understood what he was intending at and nodded. "Thank you your majesty." Regina said politely.
"It's fine. It's fine." Duncan said waving his hands abnormally in the air.
"Oh god, why am I waving my hands for no reason now. I better keep them down." He warned himself as he also went ahead and took a seat opposite to Regina's.
"Lady Rachel D'Azure..." he looked at the watch in his hand. Maybe calculating the time he would need to actually wind up the introductions before the dinner.
Regina on the other hand was sharp since she quickly noticed his actions. Those were the subtle signals she was trained to detect.
She decided to stay alert and focus.
"Yes, your majesty?" She asked him.
"I am sure you know the circumstances here." Duncan decided to directly jump to the point instead of beating around the bushes.
"Hmm?" Regina decided to stay neutral since it was very clear to predict what he was getting at.
Her mission was only one - ' TRY TO FIND THE SNAKES IN THE PALACE WHO WOULD BITE TO DEATH, AND ELIMINATE THEM' Basically create a clear ground for Rachel to switch peacefully into a castle that she would nicely rule the kingdom with the king. It was Count D'Azure's plan after all.
Thus it was very obvious that her first step as Regina would be gaining the trust and the faith of her own husband, the king of the Kuravos Empire.
"So, since the circumstances are like this, I wish to hold a very..." Duncan continued his sentence. With a voice that anyone could mistake as an apology, but Regina interrupted him, "Yes, a very grand ball." She said as she sprung up from her seat and said in a cheerful happy way.
"Huh?" Duncan was caught off guard with Regina's this action.
"Eww, this is so cringe. I am getting goosebumps, but I have to do it." Regina thought to herself.
"No, no my lady. I think you are gravely mistaken." Duncan tried to stop her blabbering without getting angry or panicked as usual.
But Regina had no option. She had to show her naive and non-chalant behavior since that was what Rachel was.
Or atleast what the society predicted she was. So now Regina had to maintain that image in front of everything.