Chapter 13 - The Duke and the Duchess

  Katherine Evenhart:

  We had just finished dinner, and after all that time, I reunited with my old friends again. Sitting at that table and ughing with them stirred up a plicated mix of emotions inside me. Years ago, we were younger and more reckless; we'd head into battles after staying up all night, telling stories and drinking. We'd storm into bandit and gang hideouts through the front door, killing everyone... those were truly crazy times. We did those things, but the group was rger than the ohered at that table today. I had Ethan, and Margaery had Erich. There were others, even some of their parents who would join our adventures.

  Today, only a few of us remain after that war on the frontier. It was tough for all of us, as we regretted letting the royal army and their anders lead the formation. Because of that, we were scattered and weakened... At the time, Margaery and I had to leave the war due to our pregnancies a our husbands behind.

  To this day, we still harbes against those from the Royal Capital. We had our victory aed the Human Empire and the Theocracy, but the cost was much higher than we could have imagined. We lost our loved ones, and in the end, while everyone else celebrated, we returned home with a simple 'thank you for your service.' I couldn't bear that situation after losing my husband and the others I trusted with my life in battle and shared stories with by the campfire, so I decided to run far away.

  Now, the ghosts of my past have e back to haunt me.

  By being divided and depressed, we gave strength to an enemy within our nds. The rebellious son of the te Marquis is trying to cim authority over House Evenhart uhe pretehat if he marries into the family, he restore the territory's prosperity. Worse, he ied his father's territory and trols a small part of the underworld that has grown in these nds. When the war came, we all had to go to the front lines, and slowly this evil grew in ardens. Wheurned, we were exhausted and everyone o deal with their own grief. Many families were lost, and most lost their parents and siblings. We didn't have time to deal with small bandits hiding in mountain hideouts when we had a bigger problem to solve. Margaery ied the title of Duchess because of her daughter and had to act with an iron fist to prove to everyohat the Duchy would withstand the loss... I just chose to run far away.

  Now, we o think about our steps, or we could have a war within our territory. The st thing we want is a battle that will only harm us further.

  What will be left if our armies fight each other? Nothing... the few who survive will have no meo protect our nds and will be vulnerable to anyone.

  I put Nathan to bed while trying to think about what I must do. Margaery called me for a private versation in her room, and it made me nervous. I stopped at her door and knocked a few times.

  "e in..." her low voice sounded from the other side.

  Nathan Evenhart:

  It was my first night in that pce. I was a bit nervous about sleeping alone in an unfamiliar enviro. I was more anxious about sleeping in that protected room than I was sleeping out in the open in the carriage. There was a stant feeling of being watched, and I couldn't expin what it was. I uood that the people there wouldn't harm me, and that gradually eased my nerves.

  During my time as a General, humaionships were simpler and less plicated. Just one order and people would obey without question. I didn’t o expin anything... but here, it seems that humaions work together. If it were up to me, I would have already resolved this problem by killing all my oppos and hanging their heads on stakes so no one would dare challenge me again... those were simpler times.

  I sat on the bed, sighing and thinking about what awaited me in the ing days. I felt defenseless being a child, uo protect myself or those I loved.

  The little red hawk was sleeping inside my coat, which was hanging on a nearby piece of furniture.

  This guy sleep anywhere... I guess he trusts his ability to escape or attack his oppos.

  I y back down on the bed.

  But if I were him, I’d sleep aoo after being ed up with those infernal s for so long.

  I covered myself again and started thinking about a training regimen that would suit and adapt to this body. A soldier's diet is the most important part, so I would then this body so it grows strong ahy.

  I don’t o worry about getting protein from meat; my family has money, so I eat as much as I want. Plus, they have their own training regimen that they said I’ll follow to bee a ‘Legacy of Evenhart’ or something like that.

  My aunt and my mother said I would learn what it means to be a Legacy through the monk Sifu and that I would learn a bit about our family’s truth from him.

  I’m more ied in the fact that there’s an Asian monk here. I thought this world only had the European standard for humans. This ti has diversity, but it’s in the races. We have humans, demi-humans, elves, and high elves. Not to mention that demi-humans don’t have the same appearahey are diversified with characteristics of other animals reted to their tribe. And what about Sifu? Are there other types of humans in the Human Empire or only Asians?

  They mentioned he was saved by my grandfather when he was a young monk... I’m curious about his story.

  While lost in my thoughts, someone knocked on my door.

  Knock! Knock!

  I quickly got up to try and identify who was oher side.

  “ I e in? We haven’t met yet,” said a child's voice from the other side.

  Who is it?

  I look at my coat ahe little hawk sleeping in the pocket.

  “e in…” I respond to the child’s voice.

  As soon as I speak, the door opens, and I see a little girl holding a mp. She enters slowly and closes the door. The little girl must be my age.

  I don’t know how to read just observe her.

  “I’m your cousin... my name is Chloe,” she says, sitting on the edge of the bed after pg the mp on a table.

  ht... I had fotten about her for a moment.

  “o meet you, I’m Nathan,” I say, sitting on the bed.

  We look at each other, and an awkward silence fills the air.

  “I didn’t see you at dionight,” I say, trying to start a versation.

  The little girl just sits there, looking at the mp, not saying anything.

  “I haven’t been very cheerful these st few days…” she says, g her hands together.

  Okay, now what? I’m not very good with kids.

  I quickly realized that she might be talking about her situation. My aunt isn’t the Duchess; it’s my cousin. Aunt Margaery only took over because Chloe is still too young. This internal dispute is based on the perception that they are weak and unworthy of leading the duchy.

  At least, that’s the excuse that Nikous Wolves is using to try and vihe lesser nobles who want to take advantage of the chaos caused by the war and the power vacuum in my family. To do this, they e a marriage with this little girl. She already uands that everything revolves around her.

  “I’m sorry, Nathan… it’s all my fault,” she says, looking at me and g.

  “Your fault? But why? You didn’t do anything wrong,” I tried tue, but I think I ended up making things worse.

  Chloe looked away to hide her tears.

  I definitely don’t know how to deal with kids.

  “I dragged you and your mother into this mess. My mom was going to try to iate a fake ‘e’... until we could get stronger, and I would never marry wheime came, but I ended up making things worse. I was immature and refused in front of the leader of the Wolves family... I didn’t know my mom had a pn. I ruined everything…”

  Oh! So they were going to wait until they could regain strength and then refuse? I’m gd my family thought of that, but she really fucked up if she made a se... even these lesser nobles have pride.

  “After what I did... I made things even worse. I’m sorry... it’s all my fault.”

  Chloe started g.

  Even so, she’s just a child and shouldn’t be w about these things. This is adult stuff; she o be a kid and enjoy herself. You only live once... I was lucky to get a sed d be a child again. I don’t want to waste my sed ce, and I don’t wao lose her opportunity either.

  I sighed internally.

  “You’re only five years old... you shouldn’t be involved in noble disputes. You should be eating dirt and stealing sweets...” I said, patting her back.

  She looked at me.

  “Eating dirt?” she asked, fused.

  “I don’t know what that means, but that’s what my mom says to me. I just prefer the part about stealing sweets…”

  “I think I also prefer the sweets part…”

  In the end, I stayed there soling my cousin until she felt less guilty. After she calmed down, I guided her out of the room.

  I said goodbye to her and closed the door.

  Whew! That tired me out.

  “Who would have thought you know how to treat a woman well,” Athena said, sitting on my bed.

  “Fuck… you again.”

  Katherine Evenhart:

  We had been talking for a while as Margaery served me several gsses of wine. We reminisced about old stories from our time in this mansion... eveimes we stole sweets, despite not being children, and bmed it on Sifu.

  “Deep down, I think they k was us,” I said.

  “But still, everyone bmed him. It was hirious seeing Sifu pissed off,” she ughed.

  Margaery was sitting on the bed. It had been a long time since I saw her genuinely smiling like that.

  I sighed because part of me o ask why she called me here and what her step was.

  “Margie, I know you didn’t call me here to reminisce. What’s your pn?”

  As soon as I asked, she took a deep breath, and her gentle face turned serious, transf bato our queen.

  “What do you think? I’m going to solve this situation. I’m going to take a step that will ge everything,” she said, pg the wine gss oable.

  “What are you going to do?”

  Margaery walked towards me and sat in the armchair o me.

  “I will resolve it with a marriage.”

  “Marriage?” I asked, fused.

  I didn’t uand… wasn’t she against the idea of marrying off her daughter?

  “I don’t uand, Margie. Marriage? Marry who?”

  She looked at me seriously.

  “I think you kly who I’m talking about and with whom...” she looked at me and gave a small smile.

  It ’t be!

  “You ’t be talking about what I’m thinking, Margie. What exactly do you io do?”

  I o hear it from her mouth.

  “I just signed a dot a little before you came in. I aowledged the authenticity of Nathan Evenhart’s existend even said I did a magical geic test to prove his lineage... the dot of his existence will be sent along with another dot.”

  “What other dot, Margaery?” I asked, growing angry.

  “A betrothal dot. The royal capital will receive the hat my dear Chloe and your dear Nathan are ehey will marry and bee the future of House Evenhart,” she said, smiling at me.

  “gratutions, Katie. ractically sisters now,” she cpped.

  “Sisters? Sisters my ass, Margie!” I shouted, standing up in anger.

  She just sighed, looked at her nails, and remained silent.

  “You’re using my son as a bargaining chip! You’re trying to shut up the opposition with this!”

  “I’m saving this family!” she shouted back.

  “Saving how? By marrying off my child!?”

  “Engaging! He will be ehe marriage is only when they are adults...”

  I tried to calm down and focus, trying to find some way out, but there was no way out. Margaery wasn’t bluffing to make a move. The moment she made it official a an official notice to the royal capital, there was n back. Bag out of su e was not an option, no different from her rejeg the Wolves' proposal ter. Nathan is a superior noble, and so is her daughter… a superior noble ot be rejected on e is official. her he nor she back out of this marriage.

  “You’ve trapped me!” I accused.

  “I haven’t trapped you in anything; I’m saving us from one!” she shot back.

  Margaery stood and walked towards me.

  “Katie, deep down you know this is the best option. Do you know why I’m sure you’ll accept this? I haven’t evehe dot yet. I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll leave it up to you to decide, but you’ll reach the same clusion as me. Do you know why, Katie?”

  “WHY!?” I asked angrily.

  “Because you’re a mother! Because you love your son and want to protect him. That’s why it won’t just be me making this decision; it’ll be us together,” she said, holding my arms.

  “There has to be another way. I ’t make this decision for Nathan!”

  Margaery sighed.

  “Do you think I haven’t thought of other ways? Listen to me, Katie! Our children are seen as treasures to be plundered. After what happened, only they are left! My daughter and your son are seen as meat for the vultures! Our weakness has drawn the wolf to our children. I’m taking this step for our own good.”

  She sat ba the armchair, returning to her queenly demeanor.

  “I am the head of the Evenhart family, and I must protect the st of the Evenharts. You are my only family left. Our two children are defenseless against those outside our House. You’re pining about this arranged marriage? What do you think you’d have to do to keep Nathan alive? My 5-year-old daughter would have to marry a 37-year-old man… and hope Nathan could secure an arranged marriage if it came to that. Because as soon as the Wolves took over the Evenharts, they’d kill him and you. The Wolves already want to kill him now to try and seize power… imagine what they’d do ohey have power?”

  I sat on the bed, trying to accept the reality.

  “Our children are defenseless, but together rotect our heirs. They are our future, Katie. Let’s make this official together, protect our family, and stay united. Remember the motto of our House: Family united and enemies dead.”

  Margaery looked at me, seeking some response.

  “I ’t decide his future like this.”

  “It’s this or we’ll be separated and quered. Once we let the foxes into our henhouse, they’ll take our chicks away. Where is the famous Head-Cutter I knew? Where’s that brave aless woman I need so much right now?”

  I sighed, trying to accept the reality, not knowing how to break this to my son.

  “What do I do, Margaery? I ’t handle making this choice.”

  “I ’t either, but I won’t be doing this alohis is the best option for our children. We’ll unite and strehe Evenharts in an unpreted union. The legay husband and your husband will live on in these children. They’ll be our King and Queen… our Duke and Duchess. Accept my proposal, Katie… I need you. I ’t do this alone. I don’t want to lose anyone else. Let me ad save our family.”

  She offered me a gss of wine, and I took it.

  “And how will we tell them?” I asked.

  “We’ll tell them at the right time. We’ll just let them grow up together… it’ll be the best option for them. We don’t o fory kind of retionship for now. Your son is handsome, and my daughter is beautiful… we were young once; we know what happehem naturally grow close to each other.”

  I dowhe gss of wine in one go.

  “I’m not a good mother...” I murmured to myself.

  “A good mother protects her child, and you’re proteg Nathan. Cheer up, Katie. You’re not sending him away from you. You’re marrying him to a beautiful girl you’ll know so well she’ll be like your daughter… and I’ll do the same. I’ll marry my daughter to someone I’ll see growing up and make sure he bees a good man.”

  I sighed.

  “I miss when you were just the Witch of Torture…”

  “Those were simpler times, I agree… but look at the bright side. We have no i other than proteg our children. Would you marry your son to someone who only cares about their Duame? We’re all family here, thinking about the good of everyone.”

  She got up, grabbed a bottle of wine, and filled my gss. I tried to stop her, but she insisted.

  “A toast to our prind princess,” she said.

  I took a deep breath.

  “A toast to the Evenharts…” I said.

  Nathan, five me, but this was the only way.