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Aina felt better when two days had passed, contrary to what the medic had told her. The subtle ache that remained of what she had endured that night had finally gone, leaving her with some sort of peace. She looks outside the window, like she seems to be doing a lot these past few days.
Aina hears the sound of the trolley being pushed near the table. She had woken up late, something she had been surprised about. It was the first time she had ever slept that much. It must be the reason why she was feeling a bit sluggish, she knew her body was not used to sleeping so much. As a matter of fact, Aina got used to barely having any proper sleep. Whenever she enters the deep part of her slumber, she becomes plagued with nightmares…nightmares from memories that she does not wish to remember ever again. It was why her body learned to cope with having little to no sleep. Whenever she wakes up from night terrors, sleep becomes less and less enticing.
The maid placed the covered plate on her table, setting up the forks and knives and placing a napkin on Aina's lap before pulling the tin cover from the plate. Unlike what Aina was expecting, she wasn't served cold food, or any other soup like she had always been for the last three years. It was braised beef, something she hadn't eaten in a while.
She doesn't say anything, only taking her fork and taking a bite of the meat, savouring the taste as she does not know when she would be able to eat such a nice meal again.
"Do you like it, my lady?" Aina was pulled out from her mind when the maid beside her spoke. She looks at her and tilts her head, wondering what brought her to ask a question she had never asked before.
"Yes" Aina feels her face flushing at the sudden attention.
"I'm glad you like it, Lady Ciana" the maid showed a small smile and Aina felt even stranger.
"What is your name?" Aina found it in herself to finally ask.
"Allie, my name is Allie"
"Hm"
Aina nods as the ends of her lips rise. She continued to eat and wasn't able to see the subtle widening of the maid's eyes. It was the first time the maid had ever seen her lady smile, as well as the first time her lady had shown such a soft expression on her face. The first ever.
Aina remembers Allie to be the maid that replaced the last a little over a year ago. Aina never remembered any of the servants' names, excluding Thomas, who had been the one to raise her. Of course, that wasn't always the case. When Thomas was still head butler, Aina remembers playing with other servants, they used to adore her like she was their little sister or their own daughter. But those servants had already been replaced after what had happened when she was ten years old, and Aina never cared to befriend any servants anymore.
After 3 years had passed, Allie was the first person she had asked the name of again. She could only wonder how the maid had gotten the meat, when she knew full well the current head butler was purposefully serving her cold food because she was the bastard child of the Evrian and therefore, she wasn't deserving to be treated like a noble.
Aina supposed she needed to report such things to the Duke, but will he even listen to her? The last time they had spoken was months ago and it was during the Royal Ball where they all had to attend, without any exceptions.
She seldom attends any parties or balls. It was because whenever she did attend, she was nitpicked and scorned at by the other nobles.
Aina's hobbies consisted of spending the allowance the Duke gives her, playing with makeup, and sleeping most of the time. She knew it wasn't a wise way of living one's life. Life is short, and she knew, full well, more than anyone else, that she needed to live her life to the fullest. How does one live their life to the fullest, anyway? She thinks. Aina had long been constricted as far as she could remember.
She felt like a bird in a birdcage. But she knew she could leave anytime, go anywhere she wanted, and not have a single care in the world, or of what people will think of her.
Like a bird in an open cage. Aina wonders why she refused to leave.
"My lady, would you like to take a walk today?" Aina turns to her maid, looking away from the large window that overlooks the rose garden that belonged to her half-sister.
Aina was going to nod, but she was interrupted by the sound of the door to her room suddenly being opened. She looks to see who it could be who dared do such a disrespectful thing, only for it to be the head butler, James.
She shows a blank expression before looking away, refusing to even lay her eyes on the man. "What is it?" she asked in the same impertinent manner as how he opened the door to her room without so much as a knock.
"His grace calls for you, Lady Ciana" James had his hands on his back, his posture straight, and he had a condescending look on his face as he stared at her. Everything about him screamed rudeness and she knew James knows what he is doing.
Still, Aina was least worried about James at that moment.
The Duke called for her…what did he want?
Aina stands up. If the Duke decided to call for her, then it must be an important matter. "Let us go, then" she turns to Allie.
"You are dismissed for the day, Allie. It is not like I plan to go anywhere else" her maid bows her head and Aina hears a "Yes, my lady" when she turns her back from her.
Aina follows the head butler exiting the room, noting as well how he does not even wait for her nor does he follow her pace. If she remembers from her former etiquette lessons, a noble must never walk behind a servant. Surely, the head butler of the Evrian manor knows the custom?
She could laugh at his insolence. If Thomas knew what James was doing, he would rehire himself out of retirement. Now that would be a sight I would enjoy watching.
They arrived at the West wing, occasionally encountering some servants who seemed a bit surprised when they saw her but bowed and greeted her nonetheless. Aina looks around the West Wing, and how she hasn't bumped into any Evrian yet. They must be busy, then, is what she thinks.
James stopped in front of the door that led into the Duke's study, causing Aina to follow suit three steps behind him. The butler knocks on the door three times. "Your grace, I have brought Lady Ciana"
"Enter" the authoritative voice of the Duke echoed from inside. James looked back to her and tilted his head towards the door's direction to which Aina got the hint that he won't be opening the door for her. Truly a despicable person, the man is.
Aina does not spare him a glance, instead, she carefully opens the door, mindful of the sounds she would make. She immediately spots the Duke, his back straight as he keeps writing on the document on the table in front of him. Aina clutches her hands together out of nervousness as she waits for the Duke to acknowledge her presence like usual.
Saints, she already feels like throwing up from anxiety at that second.
She looks at the floor below her and peeks at the Duke through her dark set of lashes, silently observing.
Alixandre Evrian is one of the only two Dukes in Edaria, which would explain just how much power he has. Edaria is a country in the Western part of the continent, it is ruled by the Frederick family, although they are not the ones who founded the Kingdom. Edaria was founded by two families, the Evrians and the Fremonts. Upon building the country, the Evrians and the Fremonts were pitted against each other by the lower nobles, because the others felt one of them can only be the Emperor and what is a Kingdom without a ruler? The current Heads of the Evrians and Fremonts at that time decided that they would choose the Emperor themselves. In the end, after a series of challenges set by the two founders, they managed to find someone worthy in the form of a son of a mere Baron by the name Lartius Frederick who became the first Emperor of Edaria. With the two founders' support, Lartius Frederick became a magnificent Emperor whose name went down in history as the greatest Emperor of Edaria to have ever lived.
With an impressive history behind his name, Alixandre Evrian was born with everything a man could ever ask for. Good looks, power, wealth, and wisdom. He had the power to overtake even the Emperor, as well as the authority to choose which person could be the next Emperor. Not to mention he has a deep friendship with the Emperor himself.
Aina, however, does not know much about the current Head of the Fremonts, only that there were rumours of his legitimacy and that the previous Duchess had cheated on the former Duke. Still, none of the people who spread those rumours probably doesn't have the confidence to say those words to Duke Fremont's face.
She doesn't know how long she had been standing a few metres away from the Duke. It was a great thing that the Duke's study was overly large, so Aina won't have to suffer near the presence of the Duke. Only the sound of the Duke's fountain pen scratching the surface of parchment could be heard inside the study, her feet were starting to ache and she realised that it was a mistake to wear such high heeled shoes inside the manor.
Finally, after another minute of deafening silence, the Duke finally raises his head, and Aina was able to take a glance of his electric violet eyes which was previously hidden underneath the frames of his squared glasses before she immediately glanced away, unable to stand the pressure of his gaze. The Duke's stare had always felt like a punishment, like Aina was not worthy, like he deems her to be someone so insignificant in his life...and she loathes that fact.
The Duke clears his throat, she knows he wants her to look at him, but Aina turns her gaze from the large potted plant beside the polished desk to the golden embroidery detailed across the collars of the white shirt that he wore.
"I have called you here to – " the Duke stopped his words and Aina wasn't able to notice the frown forming on his forehead when he saw her standing stiffly in the middle of the large study.
"Why are you standing there?" he looks at her as if she was some sort of new specimen he hadn't seen before.
"Um..." Aina wasn't able to answer.
"Sit" he eyed the sofa set in front of his desk, and Aina uncomfortably did as he said, sitting down on the couch farthest from the Duke.
Another awkward silence filled the room. It was almost unbearable for Aina. The Duke gave another fake cough. "The Duke of Fremont sent me a letter" he started.
Aina tilts her head in confusion, wondering what she had to do with it. In fact, she had never even met the Duke of Fremont before. She doesn't even know what he looks like. It must've been obvious in her expression because the Duke proceeded to say, "In that letter, he asked for the hand in marriage of one of my daughters" she immediately caught the implication that the Duke of Fremont might have never specified who.
What...
"Lei is already about to be engaged to the Crown Prince..." the Duke stated and Aina dreaded what he was going to say next.
Oh no.
"So I figured that Duke Fremont might be talking about you" The Duke leaned back on his chair, crossing his legs in the process. "Ciana. Have you ever met him before?" Aina swallows at his question.
There was no doubt in her that she had never met Duke Fremont before in her life. "No" she says almost instantly. In a surge of confidence she asked, "what if he is asking about Leianna?"
"It would be impossible for him to not know about the upcoming engagement between my daughter and the Crown Prince" The Duke huffed with a chilling smile on his lips.
"Yet, he still dares to ask for my daughter's hand. If it weren't for the fact that he is Elvin's son, I would've destroyed him for his impertinence" his voice turns deeper as he reveals his irritation for the current Duke Fremont.
Aina picks the corners of her nails. It was quite obvious that Duke Fremont was asking for Leianna's hand. Leianna is, after all, the most sought woman in the Kingdom. She had beauty and grace that rivalled no other and she was the beloved daughter of Duke Evrian, his pride, and the apple of his eye. Coveting Leianna would be like coveting the most precious treasure of the Evrian Dukedom.
"I have never met him before. I don't even know what he looks like" Aina softly says, attempting to pull the dry skin from the corner of her nail as she fights the urge to remove the cracked skin using her teeth.
"I figured" The Duke stares at her, although Aina was too scared to look up to even notice his gaze being focused on the way she picked the dry skin off her fingers.
"I cannot reject his proposal, Ciana" Aina froze at the grimness in his voice. She finally looks up to where the Duke sat and he meets her eyes, now rid of the spectacles that hang around his neck attached to a golden chain. "I need a valid reason to reject his proposal. Although Lei is to be married, you are still eligible and Duke Fremont did not specify who he wanted to be married to in his letter, only that it must be an Evrian" she already knew what the Duke was trying to convey to her. And she shudders at the thought.
He wants me to marry Duke Fremont.
"Duke Fremont, although an illegitimate child, is still as influential as his predecessors. He is around your age, and if you were to marry him, it would prove to be a great asset for both the Evrians and the Fremonts"
A long awaited unification for both duchies. Now if only Aina was not involved in this, she would so joyously celebrate.
She swallows thickly. The bile threatening to come up from her stomach was now on the edge of her throat. She tries to prevent it as she doesn't even know if what will come out of her mouth would be digested food or blood.
"Marry him" the Duke finally said, and it was all Aina was able to hear.