Suzette kept her promise, still sitting on the bed with him wrapped around her, the butler entered a few times to check in on them and see if she needed anything. The butler was quite astonished--and ecstatic about her presence. Not only was his lord getting his first round of decent sleep in a long time but the future lady of the house also seemed like a good fit for him.

            In his dreams, Theodore remembered how they met the first time around, as he was in the meeting room patiently waiting, when he heard a loud thud outside. A bit alarmed, he went to the door and saw the young Suzette on the floor. He blinked a couple of times and asked her if she was alright. The fact he saw such an embarrassing display made her get up quickly, she nervously laughed and looked at him with those bright blue eyes.

            She dusted herself off and tried to erase what had just happened by walking inside as gracefully as possible, once they were both seated however, he noticed she had scraped her knees. After pointing it out, she tried hiding it with her yellow dress but watched him get up and pull some bandages and antiseptic out of his pocket. He couldn't hear it at the time but her heart was racing.

            To end the silence, Theodore joked, "Were you that excited to meet me that you fell?"

            She jerked slightly and with a blushed face that she tried covering confessed, "I've been...really looking forward to meeting you..."

            He stared at her for a moment, she was adorable, he never really found women attractive--not enough to marry or have a relationship with at least, he continued to joke, "I guess we can say you fell for me before first sight."

            "Th-that's!" Her face burned, she wished he hadn't seen such a disgraceful display, it was even worse because Beatrice continuously told her to be careful. She could feel Beatrice shaking her head even now, "I'm sorry...it was unsightly."

            At that point, the first aid was done and he sat back down, his face was smiling--not hardened in disgust or displeasure, "I was certainly surprised, but it'll be a moment that I won't forget."

            "No, please forget it!" She implored him.

            "You have...really cute reactions." He quietly replied, he wasn't sure if she had heard it or not, but the redness on her face didn't go away so he had assumed so, "Now then, I have some requirements for my future wife, if you have any disagreements don't be afraid to share them."

            He went on to mention formal gatherings they were both required to attend--as much as he would prefer not to go, as the emperor's distant relative he had no say in the matter, he could even picture the emperor's knights dragging him there if that was their last resort. He talked about the prospect of an heir, their yearly budgets and then went on to ask her likes and dislikes.

            She mentioned how she liked to read romance novels and pastries--in typical noble lady fashion and how some of her favorite novels are getting a play adaptation. Her dislikes included, unkempt hygiene, and the annual hunt festivals.

            "You dislike the hunting festivals?" He was surprised, normally the women compete to see who gets the most offerings, but it appeared she didn't want any at all.

            "Well, for a time, I had a pet rabbit when I was young and it unfortunately passed before I started attending the annual hunt one year...well, I was given an offering that looked just like my pet rabbit and I felt nauseous from it. I have disliked them ever since." She admitted, just thinking about the poor dead rabbit that was offered to her made her feel sick to her stomach again.

            So she loves rabbits, I'll have to remember that, He took a mental note and in the event that she attended one--as a duchess it would be a non-negotiable position, he'd make sure to offer her anything but, curious he asked, "Who was the offering from?"

            "Um, I don't recall his name but it was a noble that had no lady to receive his offerings yet, he gave it to me because I had none at the time...it was still at the start of the hunt, but most ladies had already received an offering by that point..." Admitting that made her feel embarrassed again. Theodore tried thinking back but it may have been before he started participating. Ladies can start attending at twelve, however to hunt, males need to wait until they are fourteen, due to the weight of not only the weapons but the game itself.

            I wonder if she'd like a bear, He thought to himself, he has hunted a few brown bears before, along with a few stags, some birds in mid-flight and some smaller creatures, like rabbits, "Is there anything you'd like to receive the next time you attend?"

            "Personally...I would prefer not be offered anything." She had a bitter smile, "It's just...pitiful, they survive in the harshness of the woods, just to lose their life to a mere game."

            "My lady, you know why those annual hunting games are in place right?" He asked her, he was a bit blindsided by her answer.

            "I know, it's to help keep their population down so they don't overpopulate and overrun the empire...but it's still pitiful to me." She responded again. He wanted to tell her that rabbits overpopulate the most but he refrained, he didn't want to imagine a world overrun by rabbits, or deer for that matter, in his territory it's been reported that deer and rabbits especially ruin the farmer's vegetable and fruit gardens. He has had to take his knights on a hunt every spring just to try and prevent that.

            "Is there anything you'd like to personally ask me?" Theodore asked, trying to move the conversation along.

            "Well, do you have any hobbies yourself?" She also went on to ask him about his favorite foods, and his opinions for certain things.

            "I'm too busy managing my territory to have a permanent hobby..." He admitted, he could say governing his territory is both his hobby and main job but he felt that wasn't the kind of answer she was looking for.   

            "If you ever had time, is there anything you'd like to do?" Suzette's question was joyful.   He was lost in thought trying to think about it, "Nothing in particular piques my interest, but who knows, there may be something out there in the future."

            Their conversation continued, talking about anything and everything, they didn't notice that sun repositioned to its mid-afternoon one. Conversing came quick and easily to them and they continued to discover new things about each other. By the time one of the maids knocked on the door to ask if they needed refreshments, they realized how late it was getting and while a bit disappointed they decided to end it there.

            "I'll write you a letter soon, please look forward to it." Duke Theodore told her, kissing her hand before he left.

            He slowly opened his eyes, and recalled that Suzette was here. At this point, she had fallen asleep, resting her head against the wooden headboard. He jolted up and carefully laid her down, she didn't wake up and continued dreaming. She looked so peaceful that he couldn't help but stroke her cheeks. A part of him still thought he was hallucinating everything earlier but he was glad that wasn't the case. She ended up sleeping for another hour, and woke up to him sitting next to her with paperwork in hand.

            "Ah, you're awake? I didn't wake you did I?" Theodore looked over at her, "Did you have pleasant dreams?"

            She sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning in the process, once her eyes adjusted, she looked over at him and snatched the paperwork from his hands, "You have a fever! Why are you working?"

            He laughed a bit and put one of her hands against his forehead, it was back at a normal temperature, "I'm okay now, my fever broke once I was finally able to get some sleep."

            She pouted her lips, a bit annoyed, "You should still be resting! Have you even eaten anything today either?"

            He looked away from her inadvertently, and so she already knew the answer. She felt annoyed all over again, she began to slightly crumple the papers that were still in her hand, she pulled the bell between the bed and the nightstand to which his butler summoned shortly thereafter.

            "He woke up and tried to work, since it appears he hasn't eaten anything, can you bring him up something that he can digest easily?"

            "I'm fine, really." Theodore reminded them. She glared at him, muttering, "Fine my foot!"

            Once the butler arrived with some food, Suzette watched him like a hawk and made sure he ate it all. The butler definitely liked this new dynamic brought on by her, and he was quite sad to see her depart back to her estate. His lord, however, took it even worse and all the energy he seemed to have bit the dust.