Artizia shivered, though not from cold.
The final scene that she had been shown kept replaying in her mind. Were those the last moments of her life? Byzenkar in flames; the ducal castle destroyed; it wasn’t difficult to figure out that a war had broken out.
But when was that? And what had caused it? Who had they gone to war with? It was unlikely that it was the empire that had attacked, given that she was being helped by imperial soldiers in the vision.
A neighbouring country? Not many of the surrounding nations on the continent had the confidence nor power to take on the Empire in a war. And Byzenkar was in the northern tip of the continent – it seemed more plausible that the Eastern Empire had invaded. But why would they? Ortargon had had friendly relationships with nearly all surrounding nations for nearly a hundred years. Why would they want to start a war? Things were so peaceful now, when would—
“Your Grace!” Margaret’s voice loudly shook her out of her thoughts. She glanced up at the maid questioningly. “Please come in, it is late. And you must get ready for dinner. Your bath has been prepared.”
Artizia looked around her, surprised to see that the sky had darkened and the lights of Silby and its port had come on while she had been distracted. She frowned suddenly as the rest of Margaret’s words reached her.
“Dinner?”
“Yes, His Grace will be here in an hour.”
“What?” She looked up at the older woman, startled.
Margaret sighed. She had suspected that this might happen after seeing how distracted her mistress had been all day.
“You agreed to have dinner here with His Grace.” She gestured behind her where a servant was standing to attention. “The table will be set up while you get ready.”
Artizia stared at Margaret for a while, then rubbed her forehead with a sigh. “Fine. How many courses?”
“Five.”
Artizia grimaced slightly. She vaguely recalled the Duke visiting her earlier in the day, but had they really had a conversation? She couldn’t have been the one to suggest having a meal together, but it was even more bizarre to think that he had been the first to bring it up.
Try as she might, she couldn’t recall talking to the Duke during his visit. What had made him decide to propose having dinner together?
Artizia allowed Margaret to steer her into the bathroom. At least now that she had her memories back, she wouldn’t have to walk on eggshells around him. And she was rather looking forward to seeing that handsome face.
By the time she was done arguing with Margaret about her choice to wear something casual, the table on the balcony had been beautifully set.
A knock announced the arrival of the Duke seconds before the minute hand landed on the hour. Artizia exchanged a glance with Margaret, who gestured for her to open the door herself. She made a face but strode across the room anyway.
When her eyes found the Duke’s, she forgot her irritation. Perhaps this would turn out to be a good night after all. He was dressed just as casually as she was; likely having come straight from his office.
“Good evening,” she smiled at him, forgoing the usual short curtsy. There really was no point being stiff around him now that she didn’t have to worry about saying something that would get her in trouble.
If he noticed her laidback attitude, he didn’t comment on it. His answering smile had her heart doing strange fluttery things in her chest. She had been so wound up about making a mistake this past week that she hadn’t allowed herself to fully appreciate the stunning face that she had married.
Margaret cleared her throat loudly, snapping Artizia out of her train of thought. She realised then that she had been blocking the way, staring at him. Hastily, she moved to the side, making room for him.
“How are you feeling?” He asked as he entered the room and continued straight to the balcony doors.
“Much better, thank you for asking.” Artizia followed his lead, faintly amused at how he was getting straight down to business. She hadn’t considered it before, but it was possible that Theo had nagged the Duke into asking for this. Had he threatened to lock the Duke out of his office? Judging by what she had seen so far of their relationship, it was plausible.
The balcony had been transformed while she was getting ready. Strings of light had been put up, casting a warm glow on the white and gold tableware. A glass of wine appeared like magic as soon as she settled into her seat. Likewise, the first plate of food was placed delicately in front of her.
She heard the faint click of the door closing and knew that they were now alone.
The Duke met her eyes with an enigmatic smile. “Do you like the view from up here?”
“Yes, it’s beautiful.” She replied, a little surprised at his tone.
“How are your chambers?”
“They are comfortable.” Was she imagining things or was he in a good mood? She took a sip of wine and inspected the food before her. The Duke was still watching her with a strange look. It was rather unnerving to see him act any way but polite and distant. She suspected that something had transpired during their brief encounter earlier in the day – of all times to not pay attention!
“The doctor told me that you were feeling quite sore after you woke up,” he said as he began to eat. “Has it been getting better?”
“It’s hard to say,” she said drily. “I haven’t been moving very much today.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
Artizia nodded and took a sip of her drink. Silence fell between them. This time, though, she didn’t feel so tense.
The rest of the first course passed with simple chatter.
Artizia sat back with a quiet exhale as the second dish was placed before her, a hand idly playing with the stem of her wine glass. “How has progress been on that proposal you were reviewing?”
“Not great. The long-term profits are barely worth the investment.” The Duke, too, sat back with a dissatisfied look. Oh? He must have been quite keen.
“It is not surprising since it is a research facility. Profitability is difficult to quantify,” she said. “I’m more surprised by the fact that they are looking for private investors rather than going to the crown. Did they say why?”
“Apparently they were turned down. It’s expected, with a proposal like this.”
Artizia hummed thoughtfully. She had skimmed the document when the Duke had shown it to her on their drive here. The accounting was a bit of a mess – perhaps done by an amateur.
“Is it a new company?”
“Yes, and that’s the other thing,” he said with a light frown. “They are banking their future profits entirely on the works of two people. It’s too much of a risk.”
“Have you met them?”
The Duke shook his head. “There’s no point.”
“Well, you’ve surely got many other interesting proposals to go through,” she said with a small smile. “It must be why you’ve been working so hard all this time.”
His expression froze momentarily, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing when his eyes darted to the glass door, something like panic in them.
She raised her glass to her lips to cover the grin. “I am truly grateful that you’re taking the time out of your day to have dinner with me like this. After all, it’s only been a few days since the wedding…”
The Duke contemplated her for a long time. Then, “So you are upset.”
She tilted her head slightly, blinking innocently. “About what?”
He put down his cutlery, mouth open to say something but she beat him to the punch.
“If you are talking about the fact that you’ve been working nonstop since we got married, it isn’t anger that I feel, Your Grace,” she sighed, putting on her best impression of a concerned newlywed. “I’m merely worried since you are pushing yourself so hard… while it’s admirable, you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew.”
The furrow between his brows reappeared. Was she implying that he was incompetent? There was an unassuming smile on her face that unnerved him. Having been friends with Leo for so many years, Alexander had developed a keen sense for telling when he was being ridiculed. Artizia’s approach was subtler than her brother’s, but the siblings shared a habit of acting more innocent the more mischievous they were being.
Before he could think of a suitable response, there was a knock on the glass door and the next course was rolled in. He had missed his chance to retort, and the fact irked him. The gentle smile on Artizia’s face while the plates before them were swapped only made him feel more annoyed. The longer he looked at her, the smugger she seemed to get. He took a long sip of wine, suddenly feeling like he needed the fortification.
“Thank you for your concern,” he said at last. Picking up his cutlery again after the servers withdrew, he went on, mimicking her tone, “But you should focus on your own wellbeing first – your constitution must be quite delicate if you feel faint after a relatively short car ride,” here, he shot her the small, pleasant smile she often used. “The trip to Durich will be much more strenuous. You should rest well and prepare for it.”
Artizia’s expression had hardened slightly as he spoke, though the smile stayed on her face. He had heard stories of her from her brother over the years. That, coupled with the two times he had felt how firm her body was when he had picked her up, made it obvious to him that she took pride in her fitness. It had been a guess – but it seemed like his words had pricked her as intended.
Alexander lifted his glass to his lips, taking a delighted sip over his petty victory. It was his first, but it wouldn’t be his last.
There were two more courses to go.
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