Chapter 4.2
The door to the drawing room creaked open, and the steady sound of Alessio's boots echoed through the silence. I stood by the window, my back to him, watching the estate's gardens. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting me in a soft glow, but there was nothing soft about the tension in the room.
"Lady Rossano," Alessio greeted, his voice a deep rumble. "You asked to speak with me."
I turned slowly, my expression carefully neutral. "That's right," I said, my tone crisp. "I want answers."
He didn't move closer, yet the weight of his presence filled the room. "Answers? To what exactly?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Everything. You expect me to go along with this marriage, but you haven't given me a single reason why I should trust you."
Alessio's lips quirked into a faint smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Trust is irrelevant. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, nothing more."
"Beneficial to you," I shot back, stepping forward. "You want to use me to avoid your obligations to the emperor and the royal family. But what do I get out of this? More chains, more control? A new cage to replace the one Dante has kept me in?"
Alessio raised a brow. "You think I'm offering you a cage? I'm offering you freedom, Rosie. Freedom from the Viscount and his demands. You'll be under my protection, free from any interference."
My heart pounded. I had expected this conversation to be difficult, but standing in front of Alessio, facing his cool, calculating gaze, was more challenging than I'd anticipated. And beyond the surface, a deeper fear gnawed at me—the expectations that would come with being his duchess. The duties, the endless judgment from the nobles, the restrictions. I had already spent enough of my life being molded to fit other people's ideals. I wasn't sure I could withstand the pressure of being someone I was not.
"I don't need your protection," I said, keeping my voice steady. "I need control over my own life. If I agree to this—" I paused, my voice hardening. "I need guarantees."
He tilted his head, intrigued. "Guarantees? What kind of guarantees?"
"I won't be treated like some piece of property. I decide how I live my life—where I go, what I do. No interference. No decisions about me without my say."
Alessio regarded me, his eyes darkening with thought. "You speak as though I intend to control you."
"Don't you?" I challenged. "This entire arrangement is about control. You, escaping the emperor's grasp. Me, escaping Dante's."
He moved closer, slowly, until the space between us was minimal. I felt the heat of his presence, yet I refused to back down. "I won't pretend it's not about control," he admitted quietly, his voice dangerously low. "But you are not some delicate flower to be handled with care. I know that much. And that's why I agreed to this marriage."
I blinked, taken aback by his sudden honesty. "Then give me that freedom. On paper. I want a contract—something binding."
Alessio's gaze sharpened. "You already signed a contract."
"Not the one I'm talking about," I replied quickly. "A new one, detailing my rights—my freedom. I will not have you—or anyone—dictating my life."
There was a brief moment of silence, thick with tension, as he studied me. His eyes held a flicker of something I couldn't quite place, something that made my pulse quicken.
"Very well," he said finally. "You'll have your contract."
Surprise flashed through me, but I couldn't afford to let him see my relief. "And one more thing," I added. "The marriage can happen, but it will be in name only."
His brow furrowed, and for the first time, a crack appeared in his mask of calm indifference. "What are you suggesting?"
I met his gaze without flinching. "I won't be your wife in any real sense of the word. This is a business arrangement, nothing more. There will be no... expectations."
Alessio's eyes darkened as he considered my words. "No expectations," he repeated softly, as though testing the idea. He took a step closer, his gaze locked onto mine. "And what if I have expectations?"
My heart stuttered, but I held my ground. "Then you'll be disappointed."
A tense silence stretched between us, the air charged with the unsaid. I could see his hand twitch at his side as if he considered reaching out to me, but he didn't.
Alessio chuckled, though the sound was devoid of humor. "You're quite bold, Lady Rossano."
"And you're quite arrogant, Your Grace."
His eyes flashed, and for a brief moment, something wild and dangerous passed between us. But then, just as quickly, the moment was gone, replaced by a cold, measured distance.
"Very well," he said, his voice like steel. "We'll have a contract drawn up. Your freedom, your conditions. But remember this—" He leaned in, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "You may demand your terms, but in the end, you will still be my wife. And nothing will change that."
His words echoed in my mind like a threat. His wife. The title was heavy with expectations I wasn't ready for. Being a duchess meant living up to standards I despised, a life where I had no room to breathe.
My pulse quickened, but I forced my voice to remain calm. "Then I demand compensation."
Alessio's gaze flickered with confusion. "Compensation?" he repeated, incredulous.
I squared my shoulders. "If either of us breaks the terms of the contract, there will be compensation. A penalty for damages."
A slow, amused smile curved his lips. "Do you think you're in a position to make such demands?" His voice was low and taunting. "Given the situation you're in, do you think you're capable of paying a penalty should you break the contract?"
"You underestimate me a lot, don't you, Your Grace?" I snapped, my voice growing sharper. My self-esteem bristled at his dismissiveness. "The one breaking the terms will pay. You will pay with your honor—and you can demand compensation as well, as long as it's within my reach."
A silence settled over us, but it wasn't one of agreement. The tension in the air thickened, as if we were teetering on the edge of a much larger conflict. Alessio stared at me, his eyes gleaming with an intensity I had never seen before.
His smirk grew darker. "I'll keep that in mind. And remember, Rosie," he continued, his voice dropping dangerously low, "I can demand compensation as well."
Before I could respond, a knock echoed through the room. The butler entered, bowing deeply. "Your Grace, everything is prepared for the ceremony. We await your final approval."
Alessio nodded, his eyes still fixed on me. "It will proceed within the week. Make the final arrangements."
"As you wish, Your Grace," the butler said, before retreating from the room.
I watched him leave, tension coiling tighter in my chest. But before I could fully relax, Alessio's voice cut through my thoughts once again.
"Remember," he said quietly, his tone edged with warning, "if you try to break this contract, or if the emperor or anyone else finds out this marriage is a ruse, you will have to abide by my demands. If you run, if you fail to uphold your side of this arrangement, the penalty will be severe."
My heart pounded. His words felt like a trap tightening around me, but I refused to let him see my fear. I turned to face him with a calm exterior, even though my thoughts were in turmoil.
"I understand, Your Grace," I replied firmly. "And I won't break my word. Just ensure that you don't break yours."
My heart pounded as I processed his words, feeling the trap he was laying tighten around me. But I refused to let him see my fear. I forced myself to maintain a calm exterior, even though my thoughts were in turmoil.
"I understand, Your Grace," I replied, my voice steady. "And I won't break my word. Just ensure that you don't break yours."
For a moment, our gazes locked, and it felt as though we were engaged in a silent battle, both unwilling to give an inch.
As Alessio prepared to leave, he turned back to me, his expression shifting to one of cold determination. "The announcement ceremony is in two days, and the marriage will take place within the week. Prepare yourself well to be my wife, in and out of the estate."
He leaned closer, his breath brushing against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "Duchess Vittorio Cavelli," he whispered, his voice low and chilling.
I stiffened at the sound of my new title, realizing the weight of the expectations that came with it.
With a measured step back, Alessio turned to leave, but not before delivering his final blow. "Make yourself head-over-heels for me, or prepare to pretend to play a loving couple for the next three years," he continued, his tone unyielding. "No soul besides us should sense our agreement, or you'll have to pay heavily."
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me in a suffocating silence. The weight of his words hung in the air, a potent reminder of the precariousness of my situation.
I was now caught in a game of power, and the stakes were higher than I could have imagined. Alone in the quiet of the drawing room, my thoughts spiraled, each one a reminder of the world I had stepped into—a world where my freedom was contingent upon my ability to navigate Alessio's demands.
Leaving me standing by the window, his final words echoed in my mind, I realized that this agreement might be far more dangerous than I had anticipated.
End of Chapter 4.2
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End of Chapter 4