Chapter 10

"May the glory of Alkaraz shine upon her highness!!"

"Welcome, your highness."

It seems they were expecting my visit.

"My goodness! What a hearty welcome, Duchess Gwen. It has been too long, my dear."

"It is the best that we could do on such a short notice, your highness. Shall we head inside?"

Neither my fiancé nor my brother is in sight, they must be busy preparing for the spring festival. Though I thought she was the one in charge of it. She had better not be working my Dimitriu to the bone again.

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"What did you just say?"

"H-her highness, Princess Emilia has just arrived and was escorted to the tearoom with her grace."

"You may leave."

Why is he fretting so much? He doesn't seem to be all that happy about her visit. 

"You leave too, Fati. I have some business to attend to."

"Yes, young master, I shall take my leave now."

How odd. It's as if he transformed into a whole different person in mere seconds.

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"How are things in the capital, your highness?"

"Well, rumors continue to spread faster than the wind, and the gossip never ceases. The usual." I casually replied as I sipped the tea.

"Ah! His majesty and Duke Kartier sent their regards." I added while placing the teacup in the saucer.

Truthfully, my father was the only one who sent his regard. As for Duke Kartier…the man is far too busy coddling his pregnant mistress to care about anyone else at the moment. I merely wanted to see her reaction.

What a murderous expression she's making. I felt chills running down my spine just now.

"I must say, duchess, this estate is as elegant as ever."

"Oh my, I am glad that her highness noticed. We recently redecorated the entire place." she responded with a smile.

"As always, your impeccable taste never ceases to amaze me, Duchess Gwen. Look at the details of these wallpapers. Good heavens! Is that…what I think it is?"

"Your highness has a good eye for rarities. This is indeed the sacred staff of Arambara. It was purchased during one of Golden Gavel's bidding events just last month." she said boastfully as she continued to sip her tea.

This staff is said to be an old relic that belonged to the most powerful Sant who has ever walked the face of the earth. My brother has been searching for this for years and yet it miraculously fell into the hands of none other than the woman he loathes the most. This must be why he is lingering here.

"Pardon the intrusion your highness, your grace. The young master is coming in."

Upon the maids' announcement, the man I had been dying to see walked into the tearoom. 

"Darling!" I exclaimed as I rushed towards him.

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"This place is as beautiful as ever. The fresh air of being surrounded by nature is astoundingly refreshing, to say the least."

"Princess, you should have told me in advance that you were coming. The household is in much disarray from trying to put together an abode for your stay."

"We have not seen each other for nearly two years, yet you do not seem the least bit happy to see me. I must say Dimitriu, I am rather disappointed."

He quickly clasped my hands in his, and with a heavy sigh, he apologized. In his eyes were traces of stress and worry. He bore dark circles underneath his eyes, which meant he had not been getting enough rest for God knows how long.

"The past few weeks have been rather stressful, what with the preparations for the spring festival and all."

Even his voice sounds tired.

"I am rather confused, darling. Isn't your mother supposed to be the one overseeing the whole affair of the spring festival? To my knowledge, your sole duty in this is to review and approve the ledgers in your father's stead."

"Correct. However, she decided to pass it on to me the moment my father left for the capital."

Oh, I see. Being the diligent filial son that he is, he would never say no to her for fear that it would somehow affect their relationship. Knowing that, she took advantage of his loyalty to coerce him into taking on the task.

"You trust me, don't you, darling?"

"Uuuhh…" he pondered with a confused expression on his face.

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"I believe we've ventured deep enough in this forest. We should start heading back if we want to make it before sunset."

Why again did I let her convince me to follow her? We've been walking for well over thirty minutes by now and there is nothing but trees in sight.

"Mind your steps Sir Nate, there is a bird's nest there. It appears to have fallen from this oak tree. Thankfully, the eggs are intact. Will you be able to put it back up?"

"Leave it to me."

What is it about her that is so intriguing? She picks fights with me every chance she gets and yet remains still as a rock in the face of abuse. She cares for any and everyone who shows even an ounce of kindness to her. And now her feelings are getting exploited by that scumbag right before my very eyes.

"Be careful Sir Nate."

"Done." I replied as I swiftly hopped down from the tree.

"Showoff!" she muttered, with her arms folded across her chest.

"Fati…"

A large black shadow was looming from behind her as she leisurely stared at me. 

"What's the matter? Why are you suddenly drawing your sword?"

"Stay quiet, and do not move."

From the silhouette alone, as well as its growling, I could tell it was a wild bear. If I move recklessly, she could end up getting hurt in the process of slaying it. I can't use my ability since I do not want to be discovered. What should I do? 

"Marcie? Marcie!!" she exclaimed suddenly.

She pounced on the grizzly bear as they collapsed together on the ground. It then wrapped its arms around her and began licking her face. 

Am I the only one who's confused here?

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"Sir Nate, this is my friend Marcie. We met in this forest not long ago. Marcie, this is Sir Nate."

Why am I being introduced to a bear?

"Say something Sir Nate. Don't be shy." whispered Fati as she nudged my arm.

What am I supposed to say to an animal who probably won't even understand a word I say?

"Uuuhh…nice to meet you, miss Marcie."

Upon my response, it let out a soft growl as it placed its paws over its eyes.

"Oh my, you think so too? You should see the young master of this estate; his looks are even more dazzling."

What in the world are they talking about? Wait…she can understand animals? What else is this girl hiding from me?

"Where is papa bear by the way? He's usually not far behind. What about your cubs? Are they alright?"

Is she acquainted with the whole bear family?

"Oh, he is watching them. Have you decided their names yet?"

The bear growled as it swung its head around. Fati's face was beaming throughout their conversation, which, in a way, made me feel strange. She's never made that face when we conversed. Granted that we fight more than we chatter, anyway.

After spending some time chatting with the bear, we parted ways and swiftly made it back to the estate. By that time, the sun had already completely set.

"Shhh! Someone is coming." she whispered.

A woman in her nightgown holding a lamp was suspiciously rushing towards the annex. Meanwhile, Fati seems to be enthralled with the sight she was beholding.

"Isn't that the mistress? What is she doing here at this hour?"she whispered.

It is an open secret that this annex is mostly used as a rendezvous spot for lovers residing in this estate. Maids and knights in love with one another often visit the place to share apassionate night together. However, apart from the maids, there is someone else who frequents the annex at night.

"Should we pry further? I want to see what she is doing."

As a friend, I know I should discourage her, as this could put her life in danger. However, knowing her, she will keep probinguntil her curiosity is satisfied. Either way, it would be better if I'm with her.

"Let us move closer. There is a broken window behind this bush. It will allow you to see more clearly." I whispered.

"Okay. Let us go!" 

We quietly scampered around until we arrived at the said window. In the midst of our exciting venture, we encountered a rather small and crucial problem. Fati's height was not allowing her to reach the window. Hence, I offered help. Without hesitation, she quickly proceeded to sit on my shoulder and rested her hand on my head as I slowly stood up. To my surprise, she was light as a feather.

We could hear moans and groans of pleasure right from where we were standing. They were making quite a commotion inside.

"Can you see?" I whispered.

Fati let out a loud gasp as she repeatedly hit my head.