Quentin stepped forward until he was fully arrived before Arabelle's chamber. He tried to open the wooden door and saw Lady Helferich sitting in a chair before the dressing table.
She seemed to be wiping off the makeup on her face. Despite the makeup, her face looked naturally beautiful.
The direction of the dressing table mirror was directed towards the door of the chamber. When the door opened, Arabelle's gaze was immediately drawn to Quentin.
The man did not come wearing the usual noble shirt. Quentin was seen wearing a T-shirt and trousers with a black hooded coat.
"Did you just walk to enjoy the night on the city road?" asked Arabelle.
Quentin cleared his throat shortly. He stepped inside while closing the chamber door. With both hands, Quentin opened the black coat that had been covering his body, preventing someone from knowing his identity.
"Yeah. I went around to see what my people need," Quentin replied, hanging the black coat on a clothes hanger.
"Really? What exactly are you trying to find out?" asked Arabelle.
"You don't believe me?" asked Quentin, turning his head coldly to look at Arabelle.
Arabelle smiled, finished wiping the makeup off her face, and began to turn her body around. She stood up from the dressing table chair and walked closer to Quentin, looking at her husband intensely.
The woman narrowed her eyes, moving her face forward slightly so that Arabelle could smell the alcohol on Quentin's mouth and breath.
"I think the folk's need for alcohol is not lacking at the moment," Arabelle replied, squinting at Quentin sharply.
Quentin was silent. He looked at Arabelle intently as if the man was trying to intimidate the woman.
"There are many things I need to find out besides alcohol. You have nothing to do with this," Quentin replied firmly.
"Then what do you think I am?" asked Arabelle, curious.
The man before Arabelle remained silent. The man's right hand began to rise up, reaching forward and gently rubbing the cheek of Arabelle's face.
Arabelle did not resist, considering Quentin was her husband and the most powerful person in Helferich besides Lord Edgar.
If Arabelle tried to rebel, Quentin would likely not have hesitated to punish her, even though she was Lord Edgar's first daughter.
Quentin's eyes went below Arabelle's head, watching the well-shaped curves of Arabelle's body without wearing any underwear.
Quentin's hands snaked downward, trying to reach Arabelle's two breasts. Once again, Arabelle did not resist and instead closed her eyes, enjoying Quentin's touch.
"You must know I'm doing this purely to maintain the Helferich succession," Quentin replied.
"I know," Arabelle replied, relaxing her body to allow Quentin to easily take control of Arabelle.
The man opened the gown by pulling the straps behind Arabelle's back. Right after the straps opened, Arabelle's nightgown fell without a hitch.
Quentin was amazed at the sight of Arabelle's naked, sexy body. The man's fingers seemed to touch Arabelle's skin, feeling smooth and soft.
"You're good at caring for yourself, Arabelle," Quentin praised.
"I'm the daughter of Lord Edgar. If I can't take care of my body, no man will marry me," Arabelle stated.
Quentin's hand came up, touching Arabelle's cheek. The two couples kissed each other lovingly, closing their eyes and enjoying their intimate moments together at night.
Arabelle's hands also stretched forward, removing the clothes that Quentin was still wearing.
Now, in the middle of the desolate night, with the cold air piercing through the gaps in the castle walls, they embraced and buried themselves in sexual pleasure.
Moans were clearly heard from the chamber, and Arabelle did not hesitate to savor Quentin's touch.
Luckily for them, the walls of Arabelle's chamber were made of stone, enough to reduce the sound.
Although the two did not love each other, but as a married couple, they still had to do it to ensure the next Helferich succession.
The war might rage on, the Lords of the House might march at the head of their armies, and it was possible that they might die before their age.
Lord Edgar had anticipated that by ordering Arabelle and Quentin to do it right after he learned of Quentin's ambition to seize the throne of Athalaris.
Right next to Arabelle's chamber was Lady Marcella's chamber. Surprisingly, Lady Marcella was sitting while spreading her thighs. She sat on the floor while leaning against the chamber wall, faintly hearing the loud moans from Arabelle's chamber.
Her hands kept twitching to get her satisfaction while imagining Arabelle being satisfied by Quentin, her husband.
"So, they're doing it, huh?" sighed Marcella.
***
Avolire Castle.
Redfair.
"What was the reason you accepted Howard's request?" asked Sera.
She was sitting together with Caspian and his wife, Grace Lorelei. The two sat in a pavilion in the front garden of the castle, while being accompanied by two of Grace's personal servants.
"The Castlebourne forces are fighting to save Prince Alexander. We must support what Prince Edmund is doing while obeying Hildemar's wishes," Caspian explained.
"That's right. Saving him. But when will he return?" asked Sera, emphasizing.
"That's something I can't be sure of," Caspian replied.
"Your father is right, Sera. We must not act selfishly by abandoning the Reingard alliance just because of this problem," replied Grace.
Sera glanced forward to the right side, watching her mother support Caspian's words.
From the beginning, Grace had supported the decision to stay in the alliance by accepting Hildemar's offer. It wouldn't be strange if the woman was happy with Caspian's decision.
"I hope they can save Alexander quickly. A woman's age has a limit to marry according to tradition. Am I right, Father?" asked Sera.
Caspian was speechless, sighed, and then nodded his head. What his daughter said was true. The age limit for a noblewoman to marry was 27 years old.
If beyond that age, it wasn't easy for the noblewoman to get married unless she wanted to marry a noble from a lowly house.
"I'm sure Prince Edmund will be able to save Prince Alexander in the next few months," Caspian replied, speaking firmly.
The three of them were discussing Sera's future, whether about her marriage or something else. While Caspian was talking to Sera, a soldier came up to Caspian.
"My apologies, My Lord. You have a visitor," the soldier replied.
Caspian narrowed his eyes, looked behind the soldier, and saw two men dressed in formal royal attire standing and smiling at Caspian.
"Who are they?" asked Sera.
"Carl Hildemar and Fergus Bernward," Grace replied.
Sera's father nodded. He started to stand up and said goodbye to Sera and Grace. The man stepped away from the castle's front garden pavilion to meet his two visitors.
"Did they come to tell us about the planned attack on the White Coast?" Sera asked.
"It seems so. Howard can't promise Alexander's presence, so he'll do his part in the deal this time," Grace replied.
"If that's the case, is it possible for Father to accept Howard's request for him to take control of the coastal lands?" asked Sera.
Grace smiled, then chuckled at what Sera had said. Somehow, the two women had the same guess regarding Caspian's decision to accept Hildemar's request.
"You are indeed a smart woman, Sera. I'm amazed you can pay attention to the situation," Grace praised.
"That's not a great ability. I already knew about the agreement and saw the situation. The most likely reason why Father accepted Howard's request was the territory," Sera explained.
"You're right. Hildemar is currently recruiting soldiers to send to the White Coast. We will not participate in this war," Grace replied.
"That's really cunning. Hildemar seems to be in charge of everything, using all means to make his daughter the Queen of Athalaris," Sera complained.
"Politics is unpredictable, sweetheart. You must always be aware of the possibilities."
Exactly two days after Sera was escorted away by Caspian and Arnold, for some reason, Sera felt much more comfortable in Calden Castle.
In there, she didn't hear anything about the kingdom's politics. She was too busy playing and walking around with Marcella and Princess Mary.
She was reminded of the times when she wandered around the city with Marcella and Princess Mary, an activity she preferred rather than sitting with a cup of tea while listening to annoying political babble.
Grace watched as Sera seemed to be lost in thought while staring at the water fountain in the center of Avolire Castle's front garden.
"Is there something you are thinking about?" Grace asked.
"I was thinking, can we end all this conflict and live in peace together?"