In the end, I couldn't tell him.
"I shall glue myself to you throughout the entire event, lest I cause you another inconvenience, your highness."
Fati, you fool! The timing was just perfect, as it was just the two of us. Who knows when a similar opportunity will present itself? I lost such a good chance.
"You seem rather troubled, lady Charlotte." spoke a familiar voice in the near distance.
"I must say, you look quite stunning in this gown my dear. The color red does suit you in more ways than one." She glanced at her brother, who let out a brief chortle in response, nearly choking on his gulp of wine.
"I present my sincere greetings to the honorable Lord and lady of the Kartier household. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance on such a blissful occasion." I curtsied elegantly.
Duke Dimitriu stared at me awkwardly before shifting his gaze to Nathan, as though to ask, 'Who might this woman be?' It appears that Duchess Emilia has yet to share the news with her husband.
"Have you been well, my dear?" questioned the duchess, concealing her face behind her fan.
"I have, Duchess Emilia. Thank you for your consideration…"
He's going to burn a hole in me with his intense gaze. I get that he's curious, but this is getting out of hand. It's making me feel uncomfortable.
"You seem to have taken quite a liking to my guest, duke Kartier." Nathan sneered before gulping down his entire glass of wine.
What is he saying in front of all these people? Strangely enough, the surrounding noblemen seem to be taking it as a joke. I know Nathan well enough to discern that he was not jesting. His playful smug suddenly turned into a frown the moment his gaze met the Duke's. Is it me, or do these two always seem to be in the mood to bicker? Even after being apart for five long years, their fighting spirit hasn't dwindled one bit.
"I can't help but admire such a rare and imposing beauty. You must be from Lithiar, my lady. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Might I have the honor of knowing your name?"
The entire banquet hall gaped at us while Duke Dimitriu extended his hand towards me with a graceful bow. In Ecchelon, this gesture is often used as a way to convey a man's interest to the woman he likes. By placing her palm into his, she grants him permission to court her, and the whole affair is sealed when the man kisses the back of the maiden's hand. He may not be familiar with this knowledge, which means he's just showing courtesy right now.
"My name is Charlotte, my lord."
Right when my palm was nearing the duke's hand, Nathan stepped in and grabbed my wrist, interrupting the duke's kiss midway. I hadn't realized he was paying attention to us since he seemed to be engrossed in his conversation with the noblemen crowding around him…
"What do you think you're doing in front of your wife, Duke Kartier?" Nathan scowled at the duke.
"P-pardon?" jolted the duke as he quickly retrieved his hand.
"Come, princess. Let us get some fresh air."
"Princess?" puzzled Dimitriu.
"I'm at a loss here, darling. Do enlighten me, since you seem to be familiar with the woman. Who is she?"
Oh, you.
"Please stop laughing at me, love. You are making me feel worse than I already do."
"I think it would be much more amusing if you find out on your own. By the way, shall I let you in on a secret knowledge I've picked up a long time ago?"
After whispering it into his ear, he became extremely flustered and clung to me with no regards for our surroundings.
"Darling, we are in public. You cannot so carelessly grab my waist in such an intimate manner."
Good heavens, my face is burning up.
"Oh my! It seems the flame is still burning brightly between the duke and the duchess."
"I'm so jealous."
"Release me, darling. People are staring." I chided as I awkwardly squirmed in his grasp.
"I swear on my mother's name, you are the only woman for me, Emilia." he whispered in my ear while clutching my waist.
This man…
"Do you enjoy putting me in a tight spot, your grace?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. Very much so at that."
Day after day I see more of my brother in him. It seems he's managed to rub off on my innocent Dimitriu.
~The Next Day
*Ecchelon's Royal Palace*
"My queen…"
"Hm?" she groaned sleepily.
"My father has been growing increasingly suspicious of our relationship as of late. Shall I do away with him?"
Among the young lads who frequent the queen's bedroom at nighttime, I am her favorite of all. How do I know? Well... the answer lies in the way she always clings to my bare body and sleeps comfortably in my arms until morning. Something she does only with me. I don't intend to compete with any of these fools, for I know exactly where I stand. I have the queen's heart in the palm of my hand.
"Get dressed and make yourself scarce, Gaurdin."
Even in her sleep, she sounds domineering. How thrilling!
"As for your father…his time will come soon enough."
I shall wait patiently until then.
"I bid you good day, my queen." I bowed and quietly exited the room.
Raulin is an indispensable chess piece I cannot discard as I please. I wouldn't have ascended the throne had it not been for his strength and unwavering loyalty. Whereas his son, Gaurdin, competent as he is, could never surpass his father's potential. He's a better adornment for my bedroom than anything else. My favorite toy, at best.
"Your royal highness, the temple priests have arrived and are awaiting in the throne room."
"You may enter, Raulin."
The door slowly creaked open, and Raulin strode in, surrounded by his usual imposing aura. He halted at the foot of the bed and bowed to greet his naked queen, who was just managing to get out of bed.
"Let the geezers wait. I'm sure they're here to inspect the royal treasury this time. They've been poking their nose where it does not belong recently." I yawned and stretched as I sat on the edge of the bed.
Last night was rather rough, I don't know what got into me. The boy indulged every single one of my whims without complaint. How does he have so much energy? Unlike his father here…
"My queen? Why do you gaze at me so?" he puzzled.
"Have you brought another portrait of him?"
*sigh* My legs are shaking, and my back is extremely sore. It took me a while to reach the sofa that was positioned just a few steps away from the bed. Raulin was staring at me without reacting to my struggle as usual. What's he upset about this time?
"I have not, your highness. However, I came bearing news from Alkaraz."
Her gaze perked up the moment she heard Alkaraz, for she knew I do not report news that isn't related to their crown prince. In fact, she strictly ordered it so. It seems she, too, couldn't escape his seductive snares like the rest of them. What do these women see in him, I wonder?
"Well? Are you going to make me wait all day, Raulin?" she scowled as she gracefully folded her arms and crossed her legs. The sun's reflection through the open window behind her garnished her dark hair as the morning breeze ruffled through them. Some would say she bears the semblance of an angel, but I know better than to compare a devil in the flesh with a divine creature.
"It appears the crown prince of Alkaraz has returned from the war, and a victory festival is being held in his honor."
She sprung off her seat with a wide grin on her face as she capered around in her nightgown, squealing loudly.
"Do you know what this means?" she panted while grabbing my hands.
"P-pardon?" I stared blankly in response.
"We're saved, Raulin! We're finally getting out of our hellish situation!" she exclaimed with her arms floating in the air as she resumed her strange dance.
"Listen well, Raulin. Here's the plan…"
Three years post her ascension to the throne, Ecchelon fell under what appears to be a curse. A country that was once referred to as God's personal abode has now turned into a death and disease-stricken land. Demonic beasts are prowling our borders at all hours of the day as the number of guards continues to diminish. The streets are littered with corpses and ailing citizens. Our fertile soil is no more because of the drought that befell us. Our mines finally ceased to produce a year ago; therefore, trading was placed under a temporary hold. We find ourselves having to sell the royal family heirlooms in order to maintain the palace staff, among other things. Even then, we are still destitute of resources, with much of our debts in delinquency. Had I known it would be this way, I would've never…
"Are you listening, Raulin?"
The queen is planning to hand over Ecchelon to Alkaraz while offering herself as a consort to the crown prince. Once she enters their palace, she will poison his father, the current emperor, and rule all of Alkaraz alongside her husband.
"Your royal highness, your scheme is as impeccable as ever. However, it was confirmed that his highness brought back a woman with him who also attended the ball as his partner."
The smile on her face instantly faded, and an ominous aura emerged in the room. She was seething with anger, her face bright red and her blue eyes gleaming with a murderous glare.
"Find out who she is, and report back to me as soon as possible." She spoke through her gritted teeth.
"As you wish, my queen." I bowed as I slowly retreated towards the door.
These geezers don't know what's coming to them.
~Moments Later
"I have many things to attend to today, so I suggest we cut this meeting short, Cardinal Elahem."
I thought ahead and had the ones we sold replaced with a replica. These gaffers were faithful subjects of my father, so I presumed they would come into this room at some point in time. However, their requests to visit this room have grown rather persistent in the past year. What are they scheming?
"Your royal highness, what is the meaning of this? How can this be?"
"Is that…"
I delegated the task of selling the items to Raulin, thus I never stepped foot into this dusty old treasure room until today. This pendant should have vanished like the rest of them, so why…why is it still here?
"I don't understand. This cannot be…No!"
An immense fear loomed over me like a giant beast, ready to devour me whole. I trembled in terror as I wheezed in panic while staring at the locket. There was a loud ring in my ears before my entire body became numb as I staggered and collapsed on the ground. The last thing I remember was the old geezers' faces screaming something I couldn't hear.