Eliza sighed happily as she settled into the sweetly scented bath. She had been delighted to find that the bathroom was modern as well. It was also quite luxurious. Eliza had been raised as a rich kid, but ever since she became an adult, she had been so busy working that there had been no time to enjoy such simple extravagances.
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. It was nice and quiet in here. The maids would probably leave her alone for a while, so she had a bit of time to sort things out in her head.
The newspaper had been quite helpful. Her wedding to the Duke of Durich had been the biggest headline. There had been a photo of the two of them that took up the front page. The beautiful woman she had become was Artizia Azulrain, daughter of Duke of Byzenkar. There was a wall of text with details of the wedding, but very little about the nature of the relationship between the couple.
It would be a big problem if it was not a political marriage. If the Duke and Artizia were close, she would have a hard time passing off as his new wife. There was only so much that could be chalked up to a hangover. Naturally, the press would bill the marriage as a genuine one, but Eliza knew she had to take all of it with a pinch of salt.
There were hints, of course. She was fairly confident that this was an arranged marriage, but she had to stay vigilant in case she was wrong.
More than that issue, however, there was a niggling feeling in the back of her mind – like a wisp of smoke that kept evading her when she tried to reach for it. Somehow, she knew that it was something important.
She spent so long trying to remember it that her fingers had become wrinkled from the bath water. A knock on the door, and the maid’s voice made her give up. Memory was funny like that. Perhaps it would come to her when she least expected it.
She got out of the bath and dressed quickly. Eliza had always been partial to pants, so was slightly disappointed that all the outfits the maid had picked out for her were dresses. It wasn’t a time to be fussy about such a thing. She chose one that had a simple cut and the least number of layers. A handful of the other dresses looked like she’d have to be sewn in. She nearly shuddered at the thought.
The older maid did her makeup and hair swiftly with an expert’s touch. Beth hovered nearby, her face a mixture of excitement and awe at the woman’s skill, occasionally helping as instructed.
When they were done, Eliza had trouble hiding her own amazement at the beauty that stared back at her in the mirror. The changes were subtle, but everything had somehow been enhanced. Was this woman a sorcerer?
“You look beautiful, Your Grace,” the older maid smiled in satisfaction.
Eliza turned her head from side to side, inspecting herself contentedly. “Do you think this will be enough for the Duke to forgive me for last night?”
“He’d probably forgive you for murder.” Beth giggled. Eliza grinned at her in the mirror. Her eyes flickered to the other maid’s reflection, half expecting her to rebuke the girl. Instead, she saw that the smile on her face had widened.
Eliza decided to wait in the sitting room for the Duke. She had a very vague idea of formal etiquette – there hadn’t been a need for any of that during her time. However, she had discovered something spectacular while she was pondering this. If she thought about how to greet someone and began the motion for it, her body instinctively fell into the right posture.
It seemed to be muscle memory that worked in the same way that her tongue did. The relief she felt was immeasurable. As long as she didn’t think about it too hard, her body should be able to react appropriately. If she forgot any steps, it could be attributed to the hangover.
Waiting in the sitting room would mean that she would have time to psyche herself up. It didn’t hurt that this was a good chance to browse the collection of books. If she stayed waiting idly in the bedroom, she might lose herself to anxiety.
The knock came almost exactly on the dot.
She had just opened a book that looked interesting and nearly forgot to call out, “Come in.”
As the door opened with a soft click, she put the book back, making sure to remember what the spine looked like so she could pick it up again later. Eliza put a smile on her face and turned to greet the newcomer. At the sight of the man, she nearly choked on her words.
Was this a world full of beautiful people? The photo in the newspaper hadn’t done him justice. In fact, they had done him a disservice by trying to capture something so glorious in 2D!
His dark hair and dark eyes stood out against his pale complexion. Wide golden eyes met his cool gaze and Eliza felt her heart begin to beat faster. She must have gaped at him for a long time before a strange thought abruptly popped into her mind; she would have paid a lot of money in her previous life to be half as good-looking as this man.
The bizarre thought broke the spell and she quickly dipped into a small curtsy. They were married after all. It should be alright to be a little less formal. “Good m—afternoon, Your Grace.”
The Duke was silent for a while. Eliza felt her anxiety heighten. Had she already messed things up?
Finally, he glanced away. “I believe we agreed to be less formal, Artizia.”
“Oh, yes. I… It slipped my mind.”
Silence fell. Eliza shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t typically shy around strangers. In fact, she had always enjoyed meeting new people. The unusual circumstance that she was in right now made it difficult for her to act carelessly, so she was waiting to take cues from the Duke. Unfortunately, it seemed like he was at a loss for what to say.
Had Artizia been the one to keep things flowing before? Or had they always been awkward around each other? It definitely didn’t seem like their marriage was for love. If the Duke didn’t know what to expect of Artizia, she could relax a little.
“Thank you for your help last night,” she said softly.
The Duke’s eyes darted back to her. “You remember what happened?”
“No,” she let out a small, embarrassed laugh. “But from what I’ve heard, it was quite… unbecoming. I apologise.”
Again, he said nothing for a stretch of time. Then, “It was not that bad. If it makes you feel better, most of our guests were not in a state to remember either.”
“That’s a relief. Did you happen to notice if my family was part of that crowd?”
There was finally a faint smile on the Duke’s face. “I believe your brother might have witnessed some of it, but your parents were quite merry when we left.”
Eliza sighed. “I suppose I will have to settle for that.” She moved forward with a gesture, “Where are my manners? Please, take a seat. Would you like a drink?”
The Duke shook his head lightly. “I only came to see how you were doing today. There is some business I must attend to before we leave.”
Leave? Where were they going? The realisation hit her immediately. Their honeymoon. When would that be? She needed to find out more information before then!
Swallowing the building panic, she replied with a smile, “Thank you. I’m feeling quite well, as you can see. I won’t keep you – we’ll have plenty of time to catch up soon.”
The Duke nodded but hesitated before turning to the door. It seemed like he had something else to say, but Eliza didn’t stop him from leaving. The longer he stayed, the higher the chance of her making a mistake. She didn’t know how much time she had left – she needed to be prepared.
Alexander shut the door behind him, a perplexed look finally breaking his façade.
Artizia seemed a little unusual today. Normally, she avoided looking at his face, but today she had openly stared at him. This was the first time he had been treated to the full force of her golden gaze and could finally understand why his friends had made such a big fuss. She was stunning, there was no denying that.
Alexander would have had to be made of stone to not feel anything when he looked at her – but until today she had seemed so reserved; almost like she was afraid of him. He let out a relieved sigh. His assistant had suggested that she was nervous about the wedding. Perhaps he had been right. This had been the longest conversation that they had shared.
She seemed quite calm and relaxed today, even though he could tell that she was suffering from her overindulgence last night. At the memory of her antics, he felt his lips curl up in amusement. Maybe the woman he married was not as timid as she appeared.
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