Their heeled steps echoed throughout the hollow halls of the Ironheart's estate, trailing behind a rather excitable, brown-haired, short man. When Cinder and Beth arrived at the mansion, this man was already waiting for them at the main gate. He later introduced himself as Peterson, the secretary of Archduke Kris and his lordship's only best friend; he quoted wholeheartedly. He walked like a man on cloud nine, where with every step Cinder took, she felt like she would twist her heels from turning around and running out of the house into the unknown, never to be seen again or puke her lungs out. Whatever comes first. Beth remained unphased; she was enjoying the sights of vast wealth.
"When Kris told me to help him find a person, I thought it was for business, so I'd rather take my time pretending I had other work to do," Peterson said.
She had been so occupied in her thoughts that she nearly forgot that this man was giving an entire speech. In her defense, she turned out very quickly when Peterson tried to explain the rather ungodly long history of the Ironheart family history. Now, she was trapped in a conversation that she had no knowledge of happening had Beth not edged her by her side.
"Oh," she hastily replied.
"How interesting," Beth clasped her hands.
"But to find out it was a woman? To the gods, I thought I heard wrong or was dreaming. But no, he wanted to see you. You are the first woman I have seen inside these halls that wasn't his sister or the maids," Peterson explained.
"Oh, truly? I reckon he probably had other women here that you weren't here for," Cinder chuckled.
"Of course, a powerful man like himself could have a little affair," Beth said.
However, it wasn't an unlikely story. As long as Cinder remembers, she had never heard of the duke taking a lover, man, or woman. In her previous life, he never married, nor was he rumored to be engaged to anyone. And not like he could hide it in secret, for he was one of the most powerful men, and those powerful didn't have to look long for lovers since every family in the entire country would be willing to send in their daughters to seduce the duke. So, it is even more bizarre that Kris would suggest a marriage to a woman he met at a ball once.
"Not possible," Peterson said. They soon stopped at a large, dark wooden door. "I know that man like the back of my hand; he wouldn't let anyone inside this house unless they were essential to him.”
“Sorry if this sounds rude, but how would that stop him from not telling you if he had a woman?” Cinder crossed her arms as Beth nodded along with this question.
Peterson smiled as he knocked on the door, “Because despite his appearance…He is quite a softy for me and a dear friend. I would be the first to know if he had a woman.” His green eyes glanced at Cinder. He continued, “He values my advice regarding romance as I’m happily married. And I think he doesn’t…mhm.”
“He doesn’t?” Beth raised her eyebrow.
Peterson shook his head, “Forgive me, I rambled too much.” Before Cinder could protest, Peterson had opened the door. He invited them to go in. Seeing Cinder come this far, she took a deep breath and ventured in with Beth.
The room was unexpected. Usually, offices for nobles were quite massive to accommodate very little, honestly. Most nobles left most of the work to their second hands; the room is more a comfort than a practical use. But not this one; it was relatively small. The room was a nice light blue color with white trimming. Three bookcases lined the left side of the room, while the right side was nothing but large floor-length windows with a fireplace between them. In front of the fireplace were two cozy couches facing each other with a decorative table between them. A lovely green rug underneath all of it. Two desks were in the room. One desk was near the right side of the door; it was messy but clearly used with love. The last one was in clear view of the front door; papers were on it, all neatly organized in piles. Rather large piles. Sitting on said desk lies the Grand Duke of it all, Kris.
His piercing golden eyes were firmly set onto a piece of paper in his hands before reaching up to two at the door. He places the paper down and stands up, taking a bow to Cinder. “Lady Cinder and Lady Beth, welcome,” he said.
“Oh, thanks,” Cinder said. Beth edged her side again. Cinder shot her a glare before cursting to Kris. “I mean, I’m delighted you have invited me inside your beloved house,” She smiled.
“It’s a royal honor,” Beth added.
Kris raised his hand, “You can drop the formalities; I’m the one requesting a rather big offer at such an inconvenient time. I deeply apologize for that and hope I don’t waste your time.”
She remembered when that letter arrived at the house; it had caused chaos. It was in disarray; Mary and Olivia were on the side of Cinder destroying the letter and never in the sights of the grand duke, which Cinder had leaned towards for a moment. Clyde remained neutral about the situation, asking if Kris was a miserable man and if this was how Mary and Olivia reacted to him. He was not as Cinder remarked to Clyde; he was far from it. To call this man a pathetic scum would be saying an angel was a devil. However, a marriage proposal from Kris was no joke, and avoiding it would eat Cinder alive inside. Ultimately, Beth pushed her towards at least hearing Kris out before making any harsh decisions.
"You never know if you don't take the jump," Beth remarks as they sit in Cinder's room one late night. They were sitting on her bed, a plate of cookies between them along with the letter laid out.
"Listen, it is not like I want to humiliate Kris; he is not an unreliable person, but I don't think I could bear trusting him with everything," Cinder said as she took a bite of a cookie.
"Of course, what we hide is no small bear, but it isn't so overbearing."
"I don't know what you mean."
"What I'm trying to say is that for all his achievements, he is no god. He can't overlook your personal being; thus, as long as you keep him at a good length, would he be able to seek more than he has already seen?"
"I don't want to lie to my former general, Beth."
"Nor do you want to tell him anything. Cinder, my dear, I'm not saying to lie. I'm saying there is no way for him to figure it out."
"Even Estell?"
Beth smiled as she placed her hand onto Cinder's, "Even Estell, though you bring up a good point; we need to see how Estell would feel about this."
Cinder brushed her hair aside as she looked down at their hands. As Ironheart, a valuable asset to the country and the second wing of the imperial family, they always mingled closely with the family. So, Kris had seen Estell when she was inside the palace, as Estell recounts. The young lady said they only interacted two times face to face. Still, it's a risk if Kris figures out Estell's identity. Then again, she thought, it had been ten years since Estell ran away, and Cinder and Kris had been at war for most of it. War changes you, including your memory; he could have forgotten what she looks like. As long as Estell retains her distance, Kris would be none the wiser, only if Estell even consents to this arrangement, which she has yet to offer words.
"If Estell says no, then I will decline his offer," Cinder said.
"You truly have no hope for love…" Beth sighed.
Ignoring her, Cinder said, “I can write him a letter saying that I need to speak with him face to face.”
“And do what?”
Cinder smirked, “See if he is willing to settle for my many terms.”
It was better said than done as Cinder sat on the couches before the Grand Duke with a cup of tea. Peterson stood behind the sofa where Kris sat, arm chock-full of paper, as Beth stood behind Cinder. Kris poured tea in a cup for Cinder, which Cinder gratefully took from his hand. She sipped, and a nice tangy flavor danced around her mouth. Kris poured another and lifted it towards Beth.
“Oh, my sister doesn’t drink tea,” Cinder said.
“Oh, my apologies,” Kris said before placing the tea beside him.
“No reason to apologize. You’re rather a genius host already.”
“From what I’m asking, I better be begging on my knees,” Kris sighed.
Well, that statement was a hit to the face. The Grand Duke said he was better off begging on his knees for her; gods, this is a situation only fit for that silly romance story, Nightingale. Speaking of Nightingale, her mind flashes back to Estell, who later asks for a chat after they come home from that of the duke. She chuckled, “Grand Duke Kris, I have yet to respond to that proposal.” She can’t forget what she is here for, figuring out what he truly wants and what she can get out of it.
Kris nodded and raised his hand over to the side. Peterson instantly handed him a stack of paper. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I have issues with overspeaking and wasting time… apology-don’t mind my words much,” he said. He laid the paper between them; it was a contract!
Cinder sighed in relief. During all of this, she had made the wrong assumption! She assumed the Grand Duke was asking for a marriage proposal because she foolishly thought he might have fallen for her quickly. What a thought! She needed to limit Estell’s recounting the numerous tales of the countless romances she saw on paper. She started laughing. Kris looked at her, puzzled, as Beth and Peterson looked at her in shock. The thought was so funny she felt tears coming out of her eyes.
She repositioned herself to speak, “Gods forgive my outburst, but it seemed I came to a foolish thought.”
“Did I misspoke again?” Kris asked.
She shook her head, still giddy. “No, sir. I’m over here wondering if you are asking to marry me cause you fell in love with me!”
“Oh.” He said shyly. His right thumb finger rubbing the inside palm of his left hand is a habit Cinder knows so well. She saw it first when, one night at the camps, a bunch of young soldiers were laughing up a storm over their sexual affairs in innuendos. The poor general got dragged into it when they asked him if he ever got handy with the women selling trades; he didn’t know what ‘handy’ meant and presumed they were asking if he fought a woman, to which he immediately lectured the soldiers never to place hands on women. He blushed in embarrassment and rubbed his hands when Cinder pulled him over to explain what ‘handy’ meant. He apologized for his lack of knowledge of slang, which Cinder waved away. It was the same here, though he wasn’t turning red as a tomato. He makes up with his little gestures, where he lacks facial expression.
“Now I’m apologizing for making you uncomfortable, my lord,” Cinder said with a smile.
“Not at all. Given how hasty I was sending that letter, it’s reasonable to assume it was an act of passion. But to clear the air, I’m asking for a contractual marriage.” Kris had her the papers, and she started sifting through them. “It’s not a complete contract, as I wanted to see if you have any objections to the terms I listed; we can change them to benefit both of us.”
“How thorough of you.”
“All marriages should be equal, even between strangers.”
The terms on that paper were reasonable and fair, nothing too arbitrary. The patrons on the paper agree to a marriage for one to two years. Once that grace period is over, if one of the patrons wishes to separate, they must bring up that to the other patron. When both come to an agreement, a timely divorce would be arranged. The more prominent patron, in this case, Kris, would also provide necessary financial compensation to the smaller patron, including that any purchases made under the Ironheart name by the smaller patron are theirs to claim. If one patron wishes to extend the contractual marriage after the grace period, they must have the full consent of the other patron. Once consented, they will have another one to two years grace period before another inquiry on the continuation of the marriage.
Moreover, the house can be divided between patrons on which area is theirs to use and only that of theirs to use. However, it is not required. The only division required is the patrons having separate rooms from each other, though they will be in front of each other in case they want to hold appearances by spending a night in one’s room when a visitor comes over. The staff is already debriefing on the nature of the relationship and swearing scenery. Families and friends can be aware of the nature of the relationship, but only sparsely due to the risk of outside gossip. Everyone else is to be deceived that this is a relationship of passion until divorce is initiated.
One thing that sticks out to Cinder is this term: The smaller patron does not need to be engrossed in the larger patron's family household. While the smaller patron benefits from being the Grand Duchess, the larger patron would handle any issue from the household.
"Sounds lonely to let yourself handle such matters alone, my lord," Cinder said.
Kris rubbed his hand as he sighed, "Does it? I know my family and legacy are quite famous, but we are far more, let's say, complicated. The last thing I want to do is discourage my partner from my mess."
"Still, sometimes you need someone to help you with that heavy weight. Even you could break from it; you're not a brick wall."
Kris's eyes met with Cinder, whose eyes were steeped in worry. He rubbed his hands again as the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. He looked away from her eyes and chuckled. "You will find that I'm pretty sturdy and stiff…but thank you," he said. "Nevertheless," he added, "it’s not a rule. It's entirely your choice in the matter."
"But, I get why you put it down 'cause I'm the same. You see, I have a unique arrangement with my family. So, I, too, would like to handle that alone on my end, especially since I have a sister who can't be left alone," Cinder and Beth glanced at each other. "So, I have terms as well."
Kris nodded and relaxed in his chair, "My ears are all open."
"First, concerning your staff, I don't need maids assigned to my rooms and bath. I handle most of the preparation myself with the help of my family. May I ask that my family move in with me?" Cinder glanced at Kris. While the house they resigned at was the Ironheart's primary residence, it seemed none other himself lived there. If he says n-
"Yes."
Cinder blink. "Really, no hesitation?"
Kris chuckled again as he took a sip of tea. "You might have guessed I live alone inside this enormous house. Like I said earlier, my family is complicated. My mother lives at a residence closer to the capital of Marbleland; my father resigned at a house in the Lunar district for work-related reasons. My sister also lives alone in an apartment here, and my brother doesn't stay in any place for too long. It would be unethical not to house your family when I have so many rooms to spare."
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