No one else seemed to be troubled by the fact that this duke was much younger than he was supposed to be. Despite his imposing bearing, he barely looked a bit older than Elena herself, how could he be older than the Marquis?
Were all the rumours false? Was this another child of the Grand-Duchess?
Magic?
It was highly likely he was a sorcerer, he was a man from Raeden after all, but this didn’t explain this appearance. She’d met some sorcerers before, and these people had an uncanny bond to nature that gave them the ability to summon rain or make the soil more productive, she’d even heard from some that could heal miraculously the most terrible wounds and illness, but they weren’t any less human. They aged and died, too.
Perhaps this wasn’t enough reason for her to feel troubled, but Elena felt a strong pull towards the mystery of this man, and at the same time an eerie suspicion that she wouldn’t really like to find out his secret.
“Your Grace, your room is ready. You are probably tired from the trip; if you’d like to rest our butler will show you the way there.” The Earl offered when the dinner time was over.
Ladies and gentlemen had to part ways and enjoy the rest of the evening in separate rooms, so Elena made an effort to linger around and hear whatever she could of the conversation before being forced to leave.
“Thank you, lord Valverde. You are a very considerate host.” The duke’s crooked smile did not reflect any satisfaction, though. “However, it’s quite early. Marquis, I heard you are good at playing chess. I’d like to check if the rumors are true.”
“Elena, come here.” His mother called for her, so she could not satisfy her curiosity any longer.
The duke’s eyes found her one more time before she left the room.
“Yes, mother.”
Those emerald green eyes, she’d never seen them anywhere else other than in the mirror. In a weird way, because they did look nothing alike if it wasn’t for the color of eyes or hair, looking at him felt like looking at herself.
Did it mean something?
Tonight his arrival had granted her a bit more of time to avoid the Marquis and her father’s designs, so perhaps she wanted it to mean something, now that she was running out of time to be free.
***
Sleep avoided her that night, too.
Elena ultimately left her bedroom in the hours before dawn and went to the kitchen with the intention of boiling water for tea.
It was a weird habit for a young miss, because all servants were sleeping at the time so no one could do this task for her. However, Elena always found it more peaceful and comforting at those hours when she’d be alone, with no one bothering her.
“Isn’t it interesting that the young miss of the house does the servants’ work with her own hands?”
Elena jolted and her soul almost left her body when she heard that voice, right before the silhouette of the duke emerged from the dark.
“God…” Hands clutching her chest, she needed a moment to catch her breath. “Your Grace… how can you scare me like that?”
He gave her a puppy look that startled her because it did not suit his image at all. For the same reason, it made him look much more like his age… It even made him a bit cute.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to frighten you.”
“Yes, it wasn’t…”
“I was just surprised to see you up at these hours.”
“I couldn’t sleep, so I came down to make me some tea.” She explained, “Do you want some?”
“Yes, thank you.” He kept standing by the door, silently following her movements with his glance.
Elena knew her way around the kitchen, but for some reason her hands were trembling, her movements turned clumsy knowing that he was staring at her, and she struggled with lighting up the fire.
“Do you need help?”
In a few strides, he was by her side and leaning on the stove.
“Your Grace, you do housework too?” She pretended to sound impressed, although there was a hint of mockery in her tone.
His answer was to blow fire from his mouth. Elena gasped. The charcoal was scorching hot, and even the water was close to boiling, making the stove completely unnecessary.
“How did you do that?” She asked, dropping the formalities “I’ve never seen that kind of magic.”
“Have you seen a lot of magic?”
She frowned and reluctantly shook her head. “But I’ve read quite a lot.”
“That’s not the same.” He smiled, “and this isn’t the kind of magic just anyone could do.”
Elena did not speak, instead poured the water into the teapot to continue brewing her tea.
Maybe she felt a bit envious, and this wasn’t something she could just say aloud. Yet he seemed to be reading her thoughts.
“You could learn, though.”
“You just said not anyone could do it.”
“I have the feeling you might have some affinity with magic.”
“That’s impossible.”
People from Vallas did not use magic. Besides, others would look at her with horror if she did. Elena was simply a curious creature who wanted to understand how things worked, she wasn’t a fool who ignored the rules of the society she lived in.
“And if I were to teach you?”
She turned to face him, lifting her chin to look at him in the eyes.
“And why would you do that?”
“Let’s say it’s part of my offer if you are willing to take it.” He took the cup of tea she was handing to him and gulped it at one go.
One wasn’t supposed to drink tea in that way, but who was she to teach manners to one of the highest ranking men in the empire?
She raised an eyebrow. “An offer?”
“Marquis Doria has come with the intention of asking for your hand in marriage.” He lowered his voice and tilted his head. “Are you really thinking of accepting him?”
Elena’s grip on her cup tightened to the point her hands were burning. This was the reason why she couldn’t sleep that night and ended up meeting the duke, but why did he care? There was a limit to what she could do to intervene with her father’s decision unless a better prospect appeared in front of him.
Her eyes widened up.
“Why are you mentioning this?”
Earlier that evening, she wondered why he’d come to their manor. A plausible explanation was presented to her, and still, it was hard to believe it.
“I already told you. I want to offer you a better deal.” His eyes were gleaming under the dim lights of the room, and he moved closer to her, to the point she could feel his breath on her cheeks. She shivered. “You don’t have to marry that old man. Instead, isn’t it better to come with me and learn to use your magic?”
“My magic…” That one was funny. She gave a step backward. “Your Grace, I’m a woman of the south, I don’t possess any kind of magic and I don’t know what makes you think I do.”
“I guess we can put it to test right now.”
He seized her free hand, but his touch was softer than what Elena could have imagined. She got distracted by this, and only when he was drawing it closer to his mouth, it became clear what he intended to do.
‘He’s crazy. You are going to die here. Run!’
She knew she had to listen to her instinct, and she would have done so if she was capable of moving.
Fire.
All she could see was fire, making her heart pulsate crazily in her chest, but she could not move or escape it.
‘The doors are locked.’
Elena closed her eyes as he breathed out fire again, and the cup she was holding in the other hand fell to the floor, breaking into pieces.
The duke was a madman, no doubt about that.
Her hand… surprisingly, it did not hurt yet, but she was too afraid to even look at it. “You… we have to call the doctors… my hand…”
“Do you really need a doctor? I don’t think so?” He spoke calmly, gesturing for her to take another look at her hand. “This confirms my theory.”
Contrary to her expectations, it was unblemished. The fire that should have burned her skin and flesh did nothing to her at all.
This man who was smiling at her with a satisfied expression as if he hadn’t just tried to maim her was definitely insane.“Just like I was saying, you will be able to use your magic if you are properly trained. Why would someone like you conform with being the Marchioness, staying at home or attending parties for him to show you off?”He was insane, but on the other hand, her hand was indeed intact, and she might be as insane as he was, because she found his words appealing. Training to use magic...Suddenly, Elena was able to see an alternative to that life. It was impossible to understand how she could even possess magic, only people from Raeden and some come from Eir had that ability. However, there was a chance to actually do all those things she&
A friend had kissed her hand once. She was fourteen then, and she liked him too, so the day he left she’d felt brave and gave it back to him with a peck on his cheek. Perhaps it was because those emotions had long faded away, but Elena did not think those demonstrations of affection had made her feel as agitated as she was feeling at that moment. The Duke greeted her by taking her hand to his lips, (they lingered on her fingers for longer than necessary, teasingly). Elena was sure he did not say good morning this way to every lady, it was his attempt to charm her, to test her. Did he want her to like him? His offer was good enough, but one thing he’d certainly not mentioned was affection. (Not that she expected it, because it’d be absurd for a noble to think about love when it came to marriage. Some were lucky to
“Like this?” “Yes, that looks very neat.” V, the first letter in the name of the country. It was also the first letter of her family name. One that would change very soon. Laila knew how to write her name, her grandfather had taught her once. Now Elena was teaching her to write their country’s name, and she was tracing the letters and repeating them aloud when the sound of horses’ hooves striking the ground outside got her attention. It was getting late, almost dinner time… “Wait, let’s see what is happening outside.” She stood up from her spot at the table and walked towards the window’s view, with the young girl following her tail. It wasn’t dark enough yet, so if they str
Flawless. “You learned to do these hairstyles so fast. Laila, you’re really capable.” “Miss, I needed to learn everything you need quickly, before we leave.” “I told you there’s no need to worry too much. I’m sure those tasks can be handed to the Duke’s servants.” Elena noted that she might have to ask Ivar about his estate and his vasals, to get a better grasp of what was waiting for her in the near future. “For you, learning to read and do maths is more important, that way others cannot fool you and you will be able to help me better.” Since Elena had chosen Laila as her person, the girl was the only one from the manor who’d go to the capital and later to the north with her. She’d sent a letter to Mariela too, offering the maid to continue working for her, but it w
Inside the carriage, she was as comfortable as someone could be after long hours of travel. But it was freezing outside, and she noticed just trying to look through the crying windows.Could this mean that they would see snow soon? A winter like this was rare, and she only remembered it happening once when she was still young. It was the day of her seventh birthday.That, too, was quickly approaching, and it was going to be the first birthday she spent away from her family.She thought about Milan, who had come several hours after the party was over. Apparently, sleep did not come easy for her little brother that night either. It was a very unusual thing, but Milan asked her if he could sleep there with her, and then made that remark. “It’s so cold in your room
For the past two hours, she avoided conversation pretending that she fell asleep again after they left the inn and got into the carriage. It was embarrassing to look at Ivar after he’d witnessed her breakdown in the middle of the night. And then the carriage stopped, and she knew there was no escape from facing him or the new world she was becoming part of from that day on. “We have arrived.” She had been in the Grand Duchess palace once, during her debut in society, but it had been at night, and that year she wasn’t exactly in the mood for socializing with people or admiring the beauty of the city. This time, however, she could appreciate the immaculate walls of the White Rose of Vallas, the most beautiful building in the city and the whole country, where kings had been living for centuries before the war.
The sense of not belonging was stronger at night, after Laila finished undoing her hair and left her to rest, Elena struggled to fall asleep for hours, her mind started replaying every single thing that happened during the day. What helped her in situations like this was making a nice cup of tea for herself, but how could she do that now? She was at a big palace and didn’t know her way around it yet.“Do you know that eye color you have it’s very rare? Only the people from the ancient era had those emerald eyes. It’s very interesting indeed.”That was what Miros, the second son, said right before Ivar told him to shut up. This family was definitely odd, were all the people from Raeden like that? (Although technically, the younger ones were from Vallas and Miros was only five years older than her, it was easier to attribute
The difference between letting her do as she pleased and standing by her side if she wanted revenge was like the distance between the earth and the skies, and something she had never expected from him, but he sounded sincere when he said those words. When it came to understanding Ivar, Elena thought she was barely scratching the surface. He didn’t trust her enough to tell her what he was looking for so desperately, or how exactly she would help him, but he extended his promise of protection to an offer of avenging her father’s actions towards her. Family, was this so important to him as to become his weak spot? He felt more real when he shared just that little piece of his life. He had a grandmother he’d lost to enemies, parents who left him too early, and an adoptive family he loved enough to go to war for them. Now, after learning just another outrageous thing her father had done to her, it was en