"Again." Sabrina commanded.
Thalia whined, "Nanny!"
She was walking around in heels with seven books on her head for the past hour.
"You will not get a break until you get your posture right." Sabrina said sternly, sitting down.
Thalia hopefully turned to her mother instead, but the brunette shook her head.
"Her word is mine."
The Princess groaned. "This is torture!"
Celestia stabbed an apple slice on her plate, gesturing for Thalia to continue, when there was a knock at the door.
Clara came in, bowing, "Your Majesty, Dowager Duchess and Lady Montclair have arrived."
Celestia's eyes lit up subtly, but she masked it with her cool demeanor and rose.
"Very well. Guide them to my personal sitting room," she addressed the young lady, then turned to Thalia, "You may not follow me until the Countess dismisses you herself."
She grumbled, already having expected this, but didn't dare argue further. "...Yes, Mother."
She took a final glance at Sabrina, who nodded in affirmation, and left the room, accompanied by her Ladies in-waiting and Clara.
. . .
"Thea! It's been so long!" Celestia pulled the Duchess into a tight hug.
She laughed, patting her back. "I missed you as well, dear Empress."
"Oh do stop calling me that. I have enough people who do and I'm quite fed up." Celestia pulled away to glare at the woman, who only chuckled.
"Good afternoon, Your Imperial Majesty." Artemesia curtsied, making her presence known.
"Oh, Tia!" She smiled at the young noblewoman, "and it's Aunt Celestia to you, for the Lord's sake."
Artemesia chuckled. "As you wish, Aunt Celestia."
They sat down at the table, tea and snacks being served shortly.
"By the way, Thedosia, did Leander come to escort you?"
The Duchess nodded, "His Highness did. Although he went his way when we arrived, I think."
"Oh. I didn't see him, so I was almost beginning to think he ran away." She laughed, stirring her tea.
Artemesia smiled.
He wasn't the type to do that.
…was he?
No no, he has always been nice to you. Stop making assumptions.
But…if I judge him based on how he acts towards me, then my judgement would be flawed.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a low rumble.
She paused. Listened again.
It came from somewhere behind her. No, to the side.
She scanned the room, slow and deliberate, finding nothing amiss.
Only when her gaze returned to the doors did she falter, brow faintly creasing.
Something furry was hiding behind them.
"Tia? Is everything alright?" Celestia called out from one side of the round table.
"I heard a strange sound," she discreetly glanced around the door, squinting.
"May I go and examine?"
The Empress nodded, and she jumped from her seat.
The furry thing ran as soon as it heard Tia's chair scraping against the floor.
Clever little thing.
She walked out and saw another blur of motion turning around the corner.
"A…cat?" she scoffed, "what's a cat doing here?"
It was slow enough for Tia to see, but fast enough to escape her clutches.
"Wait for me!" She panted, running after it like a child. She followed it out to the courtyard, where it finally seemed to slow its pace.
Ducking through a few trees and bushes, it finally stopped, and so did Artemesia. She was bent over, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
"Skylar! …and-?"
. . .
A while earlier, Leander was slumped on his armchair, spiralling into thought.
Sunlight pooled in through his office's tall windows, the room drowned in a pale gold hue.
"Keep playing the refined lady act for a moment longer, and the consequences won't be pretty."
"If the setting of the marriage date is yours to decide, then its cancellation is ours."
"There's nothing special about you. I could have any other woman I wanted."
He straightened. "There was no way she couldn't have taken into account the Duke's temperament. Was she deliberately putting herself in danger's way? Or… was she expecting help?"
But when he recalled her shocked expression at his arrival, he couldn't bring himself to believe it was all orchestrated.
"Means she just likes to get herself in trouble." he leaned back, sighing.
His hands caught hold of a fountain pen, which he swung around while lost in thought.
"One thing is for sure, she was playing with their terrible tempers to her advantage." The blond hummed, tapping the pen on the table, "And… she would've cancelled the marriage even if I didn't agree to the alliance."
"I wonder… what would she have done, had I not accepted?" He stared at the wood, a small smile on his face, "I may need to be more careful than I thought."
"More importantly," he sat up straight again, "things are going to be messy. After all, my provocation to Blackridge was for all to see. I'm surprised Father hasn't stormed all over here already, scolding me for acting recklessly."
He threw his head back, his fingers tracing patterns of the distant ceiling, "Do I talk too much?"
Suddenly, he heard a soft meow.
Lee jumped, eyes lighting up. "Skylar?"
He glanced around the empty office. No cat in sight.
Suspicious, he walked over to the window and glimpsed outside. Surely enough, his beloved cat was resting in the Palace courtyard.
Specifically, on his favorite tree swing.
His lips curled, "Does she miss me?"
Overjoyed, he ran out of his office and into the courtyard.
Yet, as if insensitive to his elation, he was met by the sight of his cat running away once again,
He sighed, "If only she wasn't so hyperactive," and sat down on the swing himself.
. . .
"My Lady-" he leaned to get up, which was made impossible, since Skylar had made her way to his lap.
Artemesia stared, a mixture of emotions on her usually stoic face. Then, as if remembering herself, she quickly curtsied, "Your Highness."
Leander nodded in acknowledgement, studying her every move carefully.
This is the woman you loved. The one you're supposed to marry.
She stood there for a minute, awkward. Leander suddenly realized how terrible of a gentleman he was being. He quickly set Skylar down, who disapproved with a snarl, and got up from the swing.
"Have a seat, My Lady."
She blinked, slowly walking towards the swing. "Where… will His Highness sit?"
He smiled, and suddenly dropped to the grass, cross-legged. Skylar hastily jumped on top of him, afraid he might get up again.
Artemesia watched with fascination. He should be the one above her. Her sitting on the swing in his presence was inappropriate.
"If Your Highness prefers to sit on the ground," she gracefully gathered her skirts, and sat down beside him, "then I shall too."
Leander's eyes were darting around, catching every micro-expression. He hadn't expected a Lady of her caliber to just… plop to the dirt.
"You can always sit up there if you get uncomfortable, My Lady." He glanced at her.
Tia shook her head, "The same goes for you, Your Highness."
A few moments passed in silence, neither saying anything.
Suddenly, both decided to speak at once.
"We should-"
"May I-"
They paused. Leander smiled, "You can go first, My Lady."
She hesitated, but then caved, "I would like to ask you a question."
He nodded for her to continue. "Why is Your Highness residing in a Villa in the countryside?"
Leander froze. "Not… the question I was expecting." he laughed dryly.
"You can dismiss it if you are not comfortable."
"No, that's not the problem," his finger traced lazy circles on the resting cat's fur, "this information is… highly confidential."
Her eyes widened slightly, but she masked it quickly. "My apologies, I shouldn't have asked."
"No, no. It's alright. I was going to tell you either way." He paused, gathering his words.
"The truth is… Father is unwell, and I am close to succeeding the throne," he calmly elaborated, "I've settled there on his orders, to gather allies for my reign. But I do come back home every once in a while."
The brunette nodded as he spoke. "May I know what ails His Majesty?"
He shook his head firmly, "That, I can not tell you so soon."
Tia didn't mind. She knew this was a sensitive topic, so she didn't mind.
"What was Your Highness saying earlier?"
He paused, his lips slowly curling into a smirk.
"Hey, Tia?"
Artemesia flinched. Hard.
Leander noticed, and burst out laughing.
Artemesia covered her blushing face. "That… was unexpected."
He held back his mirth, choosing to lean in instead, his elbow propped on his thigh.
"Did you know, that most rumors which circulate as gossip in high society…" he began, his voice low, "sprout from the servants' annex?"
Tia frowned, but a moment later, she understood his words, her eyes widening in realization.
We're being watched.
"And… what am I supposed to do with this information?" she questioned, brow raised.
"Leander."
She blinked. "...Pardon?"
"Call me Leander, or Lee if you prefer."
She went still. Just where was he taking this conversation?
"I possibly couldn't-"
Suddenly, all the pieces clicked in place.
He wants to use the servants to spread rumors.
"I believe setting the stage before a play is necessary," he gave a knowing look. Not dry, but not humorous either.
The woman nodded, "Of course, Your-"
She paused.
A small smirk tugged at Leander's lips as he reminded her, "Lee."
She cleared her throat, a tint of pink on her cheeks, and repeated slowly, "...Leander."
A minute passed by. Nobody moved as she stared deep in his eyes, occasionally glancing at the mole.
Suddenly, there was a rustle of leaves and branches.
Artemesia jumped, the movement quick and fluid. But the intruders had caught the position they were in.
Thedosia's eyes were wide, her mouth covered with a fan, while Celestia's had a strange glint to them.
"Oh my," she murmured, trying to hide her smirk, "did we just walk into-"
"N-No, no!" Artemesia stiffened, waving her hands in front of her blushing face, "it's not what it looks like!"
Celestia glanced at Leander, who was just watching her, mildly amused.
"Oh? His expression suggests something else," she pointed to her son, who seemed to snap out of his trance.
He calmly got up, and smoothened out the front of his shirt. "She's right, Mother. No need to misunderstand."
The Empress raised a brow, unimpressed. "I raised you better than this."
He mirrored her expression, "I don't know what you're talking about."
She glanced between them, still doubtful, but decided to let it go. "You were out for a while, Tia, so we came to search for you."
Leander crossed his arms, "I don't think that's the-"
"Let's return to our tea, it's getting cold." She cut him off, guiding Thedosia back to the sitting room.
As if he knew the Duchess would glance back, he quickly grabbed Artemesia's hand, slow enough to seem polite.
Artemesia's eyes were fixed on the retreating back of her mother when she felt something soft on her hand.
She spun her head, and turned as red as a cherry.
"Y-your-!"
His lips were pressed on her knuckles.
As if on instinct, the Duchess did look over her shoulder, and was met with such a sight.
Impeccable timing on Leander's part.
He let her hand go before she combusted, and gave an honorary bow, "Until next time, My Lady."
He quickly ran away and disappeared into the vast Palace gardens. Artemesia was rooted to the spot.
He… he kissed my hand.
She involuntarily rubbed her knuckles, noticing how he lingered a moment too long.
His lips… were so soft.