Chapter 77 Would-Be Duchess.

  Lenna’s chair slid out on its own as Isaac’s shadows did what his hands were supposed to, not that Lenna seemed to mind. She ever so gently, and with perfect spatial awareness, took her seat. She was incredibly mindful of the floating ribbons surrounding her and did not want to risk bumping them against something and misaligning her magnificent spectacle of dressmaking.

  Isaac was hardly aware of his own physical actions as he took the seat Lucius had just vacated. Almost all of his attention was on Lenna, her dress, and the shadows moving her chair for her. He, especially, did not want to be the reason for anything unfortunate happening to her dress.

  Once the duo were seated, and Lucius and his date were comfortably repositioned in the chairs closest to the window, the conversation and greetings could truly begin. “I was not expecting to see you until two past noon, and I had been informed that acquiring formal attire would be difficult for you both, considering your most recent excursion. I am beginning to wonder if Magus Shamesh was playing a prank on my poor heart.” Lucius joked and motioned for the barista to come and take their orders personally.

  “Oh, I assure you, he was not.” Isaac replied.

  “He made me sit through a dress fitting for most of last evening and then through the night.” Lenna told Lucius conspiratorially. “His fitting only took a few hours this morning.”

  “Ah, I see.” Lucius said with a nod. “Considering the rush job, I am surprised that there was a dressmaker in the city capable of equipping you with a dress that could even come close to your natural beauty. I had thought that there was not a dress in the world that would not detract from your elegance.”

  “Careful, Lucius.” Lenna warned him. “You had better spread those compliments before your date and my husband get jealous.”

  Lucius laughed. It came easy to him but it was also a diplomatic one that had likely hid the slightest hint of unease. He knew Isaac, he had been in the waiting room with him just before his wedding, but that also meant that he knew better than to press his luck. He knew that Isaac would never hurt him, not directly, if for no other reason than how close he was with Lucius’ parents. But Isaac was more than capable of taking any kind of revenge his heart desired. Lucius knew, in his head, that it was a ridiculous thought, but he had also seen how ruthless Isaac was and it gave him the chills. For Lucius, Isaac was like a devil that he and his family had signed a contract with but with an actual set of morals and a personality thrown in as an extra, while Lenna was his sword and most prized possession.

  The barista arrived just then to ask for their orders. She introduced herself but Isaac couldn’t be bothered to remember her name. She offered Isaac and Lenna menus but Isaac refused his. “Just give the two of us whatever the house special is, with water, for breakfast and then a chocolate dessert afterwards.” He told her. The barista looked like she wanted to question them about the price but then thought better of it just from seeing their attire. With a bow and assurance of their order arriving posthaste, she left and the table’s conversation picked up where it had left off.

  “Right you are, my Lady.” Lucius gave Lenna a bow and then turned to properly take in Isaac. “I do not believe that I have ever seen you look anything but perfect. Each strand of hair, each fold of fabric, it is as if reality itself will not let anyone see you from a bad angle. It brings a question, are you so handsome because the ‘darkness’ is tempting?”

  “Yes.” Isaac replied with such casualness that he caught Lucius off guard. “Though my hair and skin will forever be blemish free and my figure will always be striking,” Isaac arrogantly began in such a matter of fact tone that it was hard to argue with. “my gear can still be damaged, worn out, and even destroyed in some circumstances. Good on you for making the connection, you are the first to voice it directly to my face.”

  Lucius chuckled. “I thank you for the compliment.” He told Isaac and then turned towards his date. “Esmerelda Gnosis, if you see what I am going to say, and then I say it to you, will it be less impactful or more? Will it feel as though I am reading from a script that I cannot see or will it prove the truth of my words?”

  The words directed at the poor girl made her blush and shrink under the attention in equal measure. “If they are truly from the heart, their impact will be doubly so.” Esmerelda replied with a bow that was a bit more than was strictly courteous.

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  “Then allow me to say this:” Lucius began. “Your eyes have sucked me in from the moment I first witnessed them, though I have done my best to keep from being swayed. Your round face at times seems to be begging me to cup it. Your voice brings with it such stability and certainty that I feel as though any worries I might have can be brushed aside as long as you are with me.”

  Esmerelda’s attention truly locked onto Lucius the moment he began talking and her eyes started to glow ever so softly. A hidden magic had been cast and Isaac could feel the barest hint of it. “You lie, Lord Arbencroft.” She told him. “Though not entirely.” She seemed to have gotten a bit of her confidence and steel back as her back straightened a bit from where it had unconsciously hunched. “The only part of what was said that was true was the part about my eyes. But I have siblings with the same eyes. That hardly makes me special.”

  Isaac and Lenna shared a look that seemed to say: ‘These two seem like an entertaining pair. I wonder if Sera and Izen know about her?’

  “Your eyes have not only seen through me but heard as well.” Lucius praised her. “I would pity the man who would attempt anything underhanded towards you, if such a man could even be considered worthy of pitying.”

  “Does that mean that you, yourself, are not worthy of pity?” Esmerelda questioned her date. She had just jumped from her own script. She was being far more aggressive than she otherwise would have been. She knew the reason too, it was the Lady of Hellfire right next to her. For some reason, even being within a few feet for the woman was causing her fight or flight response to kick in. Without an actual threat to flee from, Esmerelda was mentally stuck in a ‘fight’ position.

  “Have I come towards you with untoward intentions, my lady?” Lucius asked his date with concern for his own safety and confusion in equal measure.

  “Indeed.” Esmerelda replied. “Have you, or have you not, taken me out for breakfast desserts only to attempt to frighten me off with endless ramblings of potential future troubles and responsibilities? Was that, or was it not, your true intention in inviting me on this date?”

  Lucius was stuck. She had him. There was no way of the current situation. She was not only right on the money but he was also boxed in by Isaac and Lenna. There were no tricks that could be used and no amount of his dazzling smile or playing dumb could get him out of their sights.

  “Regicide.” Isaac said with a grin. It was what one said when they won a game of Kingsmen and had succeeded in slaying the opponent’s king. “She has you by the throat, my young friend.”

  “Even if she did not, I doubt you would have let me leave after that.” Lucius conceded.

  “Correct.” Lenna chimed in.

  “Fine, Lady Gnosis, you are correct on all accounts.” Lucius confessed. “Though you must forgive me for my antics as far too many would-be duchesses have attempted to woo me with every manner of feminine charm, and even masculine charm on one occasion.” Isaac snorted a laugh and Lenna struggled to keep from doing the same at the final proclamation. “I cannot be too cautious.” Lucius went on. “If you had still insisted on a second date, and had proven that you were aware of all that I had said and not simply dismissed it out of hand, as it was the truth,-”

  “With minor embellishments.” Esmerelda cut him off.

  “-... yes, with minor embellishments, then I would have seriously taken a look at you through the lens of a future duchess first. It is the duty of all nobles, doubly so for those with cities to govern, and triply so for those with nobles under them, to look out for their subjects first, the crown second, their successors third, and their own happiness fourth.” Lucius continued. “As the only Arbencroft Heir, as the only option for succession, it is my duty to ensure that my Duchess is up to the task and is fully aware of what that entails.”

  The table was silent for long enough for the four of them to notice that the rest of the cafe was silent as well. “Well, I am glad to see that you are your parents’ child through and through, but you should relax a bit, Lucius. You are the only heir, yes, and you will continue to be, but your parents are not that old yet. You have time and if you find someone whom you truly love, then wed them. Other arrangements can be made for everything else. Some nobles have a dozen adjuncts who handle the things that your parents do because they are ill equipped to do those things and know it.” Lenna advised the young heir. “We know that you will be more than capable of stepping into your father’s shoes, you have proven that time and again, but your wife does not need to be held to a standard equal to your mother. Some heights cannot be reasonably lived up to.”

  Lucius was silent as he took in Lenna’s words and Esmerelda’s eyes had gone wide as she tried to take in everything that was being said at the same time. She was looking for truths and lies, yes, but every word that was spoken was also incredibly important as, if she chose to continue to chase after Lucius, it was all directly relevant to her future.

  “I apologize, Lucius, for putting you on the spot like this.” Esmerelda said with a bow towards her date. “It was not my intention to do so when we agreed on the time and place of this date. I had planned on slowly showing you that I was serious.”

  “Do you feel it?” Isaac asked Lucius and then nodded towards Lenna.

  “Feel what?” Lucius wondered and then closed his eyes to try and see what Isaac was talking about. It only took him a few seconds to realize what he meant. “Lady V’Nova’s aura, it, it puts me on edge for some reason.”

  Isaac nodded. “Yes. And your date has been sitting inches from her.”

  “But my aura is fully suppressed.” Lenna said with confusion obvious on her face.

  “It is, but you still feel like your aura. It is still you.” Isaac informed her. “It doesn’t take long to get used to, and it is hardly noticeable unless you are practically bumping shoulders with someone, but it is still there.”

  “You could have told me that before I sat next to the poor girl.” Lenna told Isaac with a flat look.

  “No.” Isaac told her. “Then it wouldn’t have been a very good test for Lucius’ would-be duchess.”

  most of what I have planned out for the future are just a bunch of fights with little notes like: "D&H vs Shamsha in Cavern Behind Safeharbor because of skeleton army invasion." and nothing more than that... Well, it has worked out alright so far, right?

  Amaranth Serentia V'Nova Wexler