Lysandra had woken up in her own bed the following morning. She didn't have any recollection of walking back to her room. She could remember reading Melcha's 'Midnight lake'. The book's plot was clearly heading towards a forbidden romance. A little later she must have fallen asleep in the chair. Lysandra remembered it being quite comfortable to sit in.
The moment Lysandra had opened her eyes that morning, she had found herself in her bed with the book next to her on her nightstand. A lingering smell of fresh pinewood surrounded her. The window stood open only slightly when Tara had walked in with breakfast. The maid gave her a bright smile stating how good it was that she was adjusting to the cold weather so quickly.
She wasn't.
It was cold as hell and Lysandra hated it. She had been cold all day and to top it all off, she had another dinner with the duke.
The man sitting across from her in the dining room certainly didn't warm her with his personality either. The cold was still nipping at her. She pushed around her food, Lysandra just wanted this dinner to be over with.
A piece of duck liver marinated in wine sauce laid on Lysandra's plate for yet another meal. Her stomach rumbled in disdain, looking over at the duke on the opposite side of the dining table. The man was devouring another platter of meat, mash and boiled eggs. It was a weird combination but what she wouldn't give to trade plates. He hadn't even bothered to greet her. The duke had sat down in another stuffy looking peacock outfit. His fashion choices were questionable.
Poking the piece of duck with her fork, Lysandra felt too uncomfortable to speak up. "There's been a letter from the emperor." The duke spoke, his voice sounded low and direct. "He wants us to have an engagement party. We will leave in three weeks to be there on time." His choice of words was distant. The man really had no interest in her at all. "From what I heard you're settling in well enough. You do not need to worry about running the duchy, it has been taken care of."
Lysandra put down her fork listening as he spoke. An engagement party at the capital?! It would mean all of high society would be there. "W– What do you mean an engagement party? I don't- I don't have anything to wear for such an occasion." Lysandra answered as her voice squeaked.
"Of course the emperor would do something like that. He needs an excuse to show me to the people, probably like a freakshow." The duke grumbled.
Well, at least the duke was aware that he was an actual freak. The man dressed like a dead peacock. If he'd wear an outfit like this to the party, it would mean the death of whatever remained of Lysandra's social status. The duke was about to open his mouth again to speak when the door flung open.
In the door opening stood Malik. "Oh—" He looked at each of them separately. "Well—seems I'm not interrupting anything from the looks you're giving me." He remarked before carrying on, not letting the duke get a word in. "I'm guessing you've heard the news, milady? Of the engagement party at the pompous palace of the emperor?" Lysandra only confirmed with a nod. Malik clapped his hands together. "Amazing! I've had the maids clean the dresses in the treasury for you to view." He then glared at the duke. "You were taking her there weren't you, your grace?" Malik clearly bit the last part to the man.
The duke swallowed thickly and coughed. "Erm—yes of course. That is if milady is done eating of course."
"What about dessert?" Malik turned towards Lysandra inspecting her plate. "What's in front of you is clearly still the main course. I'm sure something sweet will lighten milady's mood." Malik had a smile that looked kind, but clearly wasn't.
"I don't like sweets." The duke crossed his arms.
Lysandra tried to follow the conversation between the two men, the way his right hand man spoke towards the duke wasn't something she had expected. Was Malik trying to get himself killed? What if the duke would cut off his head like he had threatened to do so the other day. Anxiously she looked over at the duke who was still avoiding eye contact with her, even when he turned to face her. It was like the man's eyes looked right past her.
"Good thing I am asking her ladyship and not you—your grace." Malik mockingly bowed to the duke and then turned to Lysandra again. "We could also give you something better for a main course, you haven't eaten a bite, milady." Malik bowed to her too.
"YES!" Lysandra blurted out without thinking, she had eaten this disgusting piece of duck for her main course every evening since she had arrived. That had been a week, seven days of going to bed with an empty stomach eating dessert for appetiser.
Lysandra's cheeks burned realising she had blurted out yes so loudly, noticing both men stare at her in confusion. "I- Please, I would love to eat something else." She pushed her plate away, a tat embarrassed but at the same time afraid. Lysandra thought that if she complained that she hated the meal, that her own head would end up on a spike.
Malik had a smug grin on his face as he walked up to Lysandra to collect her plate. "Perhaps the same as the duke? It might look quite boring but I can promise you it will taste very well."
"Yes!" Lysandra didn't have to think twice about it. With a quick bow Malik was out of the dining room. With the right hand man gone Lysandra was alone with the duke again. Looking back at the duke didn't bode her well. He had a grim expression on his face. The man looked scary if anything. Within seconds he broke eye contact again, looking away. "I can take you to the vault to have a look later." Emphasising the I in the sentence made it clear that the duke likely didn't want Malik to join.
Anxiously grabbing onto the hem of her dress Lysandra gave the man a small smile that was clearly forced. Did she upset the man? He sounded more displeased than normal. She did need a dress, none of her dresses could be used for an engagement party. The only dress that would remotely live up to the empirical standards would have been her red dress she had worn to their first dinner. However, that was the dress she had worn last year to her birthday celebrations and later to an upcoming ball. People would take note of that, it would come off as poor manners. Not to mention it would look bad for her father's reputation.
"Oke." Lysandra answered hoping he wouldn't have her head.
It was moments later that Malik walked back into the dining room with a plate of dinner that was identical to the duke's plate. The only difference was the portion and the lack of the jerky. Malik put down the plate in front of Lysandra and laid out a set of new utensils. "I took the liberty to tell the staff to serve you the same food as the duke, if it's not to your taste let me or Tara know and we'll have the kitchen amend it." Tara hadn't been allowed inside the dining room during their set meetings, but Lysandra might tell her after if needed. She wasn't going to sit through another plate of duck liver.
The plate served contained meat, some potatoes, fried until crispy and some leafy greens to round everything out. Picking up the fork Lysandra noticed Malik walking back to the duke and leaning over to whisper something in his ear. With the duke's attention away from her, Lysandra could eat in peace. The meat was cooked perfectly, spiced generously, but nothing outrageous. The meal tasted as good as she had hoped. It was hearty, savoury and uncomplicated.
Trying her best to not be focused on the man in front of her, Lysandra enjoyed her meal, still unable to finish the platter as it was way too much. She looked up, noticing Malik had left the room, seeing the duke stare at her. Giving herself a moment. "So the vault? If it has dresses for the engagement party, can't Tara take me?" She questioned hoping her maid would be able to join her instead.
The duke got up from his chair on the other end of the table. With a daunting presence he walked over towards her. "Tara can't enter without my permission. There was permission to clean, not permission to pull anything from the vault." The duke left no real room for discussion. "Follow me." He gave her one more look before walking out of the dining room.
The man moved so fast it took Lysandra a moment to realise she needed to follow him, now. Quickly getting up from the table she walked after him, the man however walked with a speed unbothered by none. She had to pick up her pace to catch up. She had never really been close to him whilst standing, either one of them had always been sitting or she had seen him from afar. Her eyes lingering on the man's back up close, he really was a beast, no wonder the people in the capital deemed him a demon. The average man in the Empire was no were near as tall, not to mention his muscles were lined out at the back of his jacket.
As they walked across many hallways they seemed to get deeper and deeper into the estate. There was a spiral staircase leading downwards to a door. The duke turned the handle and opened the door to a seemingly non-descript room. The man reached beside him and one by one candles seemed to flicker on, on its own. Lysandra stepped back looking at the man and with the candle in his hand, how did he? Was she seeing things?! The duke turned to her as her eyes fell on the rows upon rows of clothing. All hanging neatly within the room. It was much larger than her bedroom, at least five times the size. All of the clothing seemed rather dark, but there were some exceptions.
"This is the vault." The duke spoke plainly. "You can pick a dress from here for the party." He stepped aside to make way for Lysandra. "Go look."