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Chapter 103 - Aloof, Cruel And Cunning

?My Duchess is beautiful,? my Duke begins, but a single glare from me is enough to make him understand.

He starts changing clothes while I pretend not to be affected by the easy way he undresses in front of me. I look around uninterested, and I launch a secret glance or two. Just a few times, though.

?All the local lords will be present,? he mutters while fastening the buttons of the shirt. ?They\'re all curious to meet the Lady.?

?Thank you for reminding me how important this is,? I reply.

Alexander has been trying to make me anxious for the whole day. Still, I\'m not a baby girl afraid to meet some new people.

It won\'t be the first time that a crowd openly stares at me. At least, here, I have a little advantage.

?Aren\'t you nervous, my Duchess??

?What do I have to be nervous about?? I ask.

When the Duke shrugs, I walk to him and help him with the waistcoat.

?In the capital, I was a war prisoner that was gifted to a general as a prize,? I start while smoothing his clothes. ?But here, I am your wife first of all. It\'s different.?

When I look at him, I can finally see the expression I was trying to trigger. His lips are slightly opened, as if surprised, and his eyes look at me with an excessive amount of contentedness.

?Am I wrong, perhaps?? I inquire, pretending to misunderstand his reaction.

?No, no! You\'re right,? he stutters. Before he can grab me, and I can tell he\'s already planning to, I step away and walk to the chimney.

?Do get ready, then,? I whisper.

At least, we\'re not required to meet the guests at the door. Alexander sits on his place at the central table. I sit at his side and pretend to be sipping wine from a metal cup. Actually, it\'s water. No one can see it, though.

I mean, I never said I was drinking wine, so I\'m not even lying, technically.

The nobles that arrive come greet us first. Then, they group on the sides and talk with each other. They\'re mostly couples, but from time to time a family might come in. Those with teenager children brought them along.

Most of the attendees are lower-tier nobles and local lords. They administer a small fief in the Kyre territory, and they respond to Alexander, directly or indirectly.

They don\'t even take part in the social season in the capital.

They\'ve never met the Emperor, and they don\'t seem too curious about him.

Those that arrive later, though, are all counts and viscounts. I spot some familiar faces from the capital, and I just smile politely showing them that I\'ve recognised them.

The servants are walking in the hall with plates full of food and beverages. Everyone seems to be having fun, so I relax and steal a glance to my Duke.

The central table is starting to be filled as nobles arrive. Countess de Ruis sits in front of me, as always. Lady Lyana is somewhere, talking with a bunch of women her age.

Oh, maybe I\'ll be able to make some friends today!

I\'m not really that optimistic, but I might as well try.

The music is filling the hall, and some couples are dancing in the centre. Some of them are formed by two girls. Oh, I can try making a friend like that! Only if Alexander doesn\'t insist on having me by his side for the whole time.

However, my plans are disrupted when the first person that approaches us for a talk is one of my Duke\'s friends.

?My Lady, can I steal you for a dance?? he asks.

I don\'t even remember the name of this man. He\'s a bit older than my Duke, but his features are delicate, and his physique is slim. He doesn\'t look like a warrior, nor like a regular lazy lord.

I turn to Alexander, hoping he will say something and keep me by his side. I\'m not in the mood to dance with strangers, I\'d prefer to make new acquaintances among the noblewomen.

?I saw how marvellously you danced during the wedding, your grace,? he continues.

Oh, damn it! I can\'t even use the excuse that I don\'t know how to dance.

?It was so surprising. Your skills must be heavenly if you managed to make a stick like Lord Kyre move so graciously.?

What? My Duke isn\'t a stick! We mirrored each other\'s moves so perfectly, and his sense of the rhythm is perfect! Who dares to comment on his technique?

?I was just going to ask my husband to dance,? I whisper. ?I\'m glad you stepped forward, sir. We don\'t need to inconvenience Lord Kyre like this.?

I smile graciously, and the man in front of me replies with a smirk. Alexander, meanwhile, observes me curiously. I can tell he\'s holding back a grin.

He successfully deciphered my mind again!

I follow the man to the centre of the hall, still wondering who he is. If he\'s acquainted with Alexander, he should be someone important.

However, the fact that we weren\'t officially introduced means that he\'s considered a close friend of my Duke. Probably, everyone assumed I already knew who he was, so no one told me his name.

?How can I call you, sir??

?I am Count Wilhelm. My Lady can call me Jeffrey.?

Jeffrey Wilhelm. Never heard of him.

?We haven\'t been introduced,? I point out.

?Duke Kyre is a bit absent-minded when it comes to you, my Lady,? he murmurs while we stand in front of each other to start the dance.

I curtsey briefly; Count Wilhelm gives me a deep bow.

?Absent-minded is not a word that comes to my mind when I think of my husband,? I comment.

Well, he does get lost in his thoughts, from time to time.

However, it\'s unusual that something passes unnoticed by him. It did happen, a couple of times, but the circumstances were always odd.

When it was within my Duke\'s powers, he was there to help me. From keeping me warm at night to sensing that I\'m in some kind of danger. He was so focused, all those times, that it was almost frightening.

?You don\'t know him the way I do,? Count Wilhelm says.

We exchange positions during the dance, with a couple of well-calibrated steps. I end in the exact, same spot where he was a second ago, while he\'s a few inches to the right. Instead of turning to him, as any good companion would do, I continue to stare where he should have been. I pretend not to notice that he\'s in the wrong position and continue the choreography.

It\'s difficult to notice, at the beginning. Yet, from outside, our dance is now very uncoordinated. I flawlessly follow the music but purposely ignore how the Count is struggling to keep the cadence. When we turn left, he has to take a longer step and break the pace. When we turn right, his regular step is too long.

It\'s difficult to adjust, and I make it even harder.

?Can anyone as absent-minded as my husband really have the list of achievements everyone talks about?? I inquire, trying to distract him even further.

?Oh, that is true. There aren\'t more skilled strategists among the younger generation. And maybe just a couple if we consider those in retirement. Your husband indeed is exceptional, my Lady. Still, he\'s a bit... How can I put it? He can focus only on one thing when you\'re around.?

I feel my cheeks blush all of a sudden.

Focus only on me? That can\'t be possible.

?He noticed how you left the room, during your wedding banquet,? the Count continues. ?Immediately, he knew something was wrong.?

?That doesn\'t mean that I\'m the only worry among my husband\'s thoughts,? I reply.

Even though I guess I do occupy a large portion of Alexander\'s mind.

?I don\'t know how he treats his wife, but the Duke we others know is an aloof, cruel and cunning man.?

I can\'t imagine that. I mean, I can imagine cruel, but the rest...

He\'s kind to everyone, at least to his family and friends.

Sometimes, I find out he has been planning something naughty, like making me bathe with him or tempting me with roasted chicken. However, it can\'t be considered cunning.

He\'s patient and tolerant. A bit self-centred, at times. But his happy face when I give him all my attention is cute.

?When the scandal with George broke out, we all thought he was going to kill you,? Count Wilhelm breathes. ?But it turns out that my Lady is among the few people he will protect with every weapon in his hands.?

Is this man trying to scare me? Is he really my Duke\'s friend?

I turn to Alexander, wondering if he\'s really a wolf in sheep\'s clothing. He\'s staring at me from the side while talking with some knights.

He has a smile on his lips, and he doesn\'t seem bothered by what his friend is speaking with me about. He already knows that this Duchess won\'t run away because of a few old stories.

And even if he was aloof, cruel and cunning, it\'s not like I have a saying in it. We\'re already married, after all.