Chapter Thirty-Three – Alicia
God’s Gift
Something was wrong.
Ever since I’d left Kalon to prepare for the hunt, I’d had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach, like a caged animal trying to claw its way out.
I didn’t know where it’d come from. As far as I knew, nothing bad was destined to happen hereor at the autumn hunt, but that didn’t really mean a lot given how much had already changed.
If Lillia could appear five months before I expected her to, then something bad could happen here today.
Anything was now possible.
“Where is Lady Elisa today?” Sasha asked, focusing a little too intensely on the plate of biscuits in front of her.
“She’s a guest of Marquess Huntingham. Apparently, his second son took a liking to her at a party recently and requested that her family be able to share their tent,” Georgina replied. “I believe he’s only a year older than her.”
“I can’t see Count Sayle finding him a disagreeable match for her,” Vivi said, touching her fingertips together. “They’re a respectable family, and societally speaking, it’s quite fair.”
Right. Of course. Lady Elisa was their niece, so to marry the second son of a middle-of-the-road marquessate wasn’t a bad deal for her at all.
Would I ever get used to these marriage politics?
“Have you seen your family since you’ve been here, Allie?” Georgina asked me, motioning to her maid to pour more tea for her. “I was quite surprised to see Lady Sophia out and about, I must admit.”
“I’ve seen a few of them,” I replied. “I saw my father briefly after he met with Kalon to discuss business yesterday, and aside from an unfortunate run-in with Sophia earlier, I met Vincent by chance and saved him from the affections of some very enthusiastic young ladies.”
Vivi pressed her fingers to her lips. “Ivan’s tent was close to Vincent’s, and I did see him getting swarmed by handkerchiefs.”
“Really? He didn’t have any when I saw him.”
“Yes, I believe he rejected most of them, but he was quite flustered.”
Sasha laughed softly. “I can imagine. I know he’s your brother, Allie, but he is handsome and the heir to House Vermillion. Why wouldn’t young ladies be vying for his attention?”
“Goodness, Sasha, you’re not interested in him, are you?” I teased.
She sipped her tea. “I might have been if not for your stepmother and sister.”
A wise choice indeed.
“Speaking of brothers…” I looked from Sasha to Georgina. “Is there any progress between you and Lord Egan?”
Georgina blushed, and Sasha made a ‘yuck’ face.
Evidently there was.
“Don’t make that face, Sasha.” Georgina hugged her arm and leant in close, fluttering her eyelashes at her. “Wouldn’t it be so fun if we were sisters?”
“Yes, but must I hear about your dates with my brother? I think I might be allergic to it,” Sasha replied, patting Georgina’s head. “As long as you’re happy.”
Georgina beamed. “I am. Oh, and to answer your question, Allie—we’ve been on a few dates, but there’s nothing official yet. He did accept my handkerchief today, though.”
“Aw. Young love,” Vivi said, grinning. “How sweet. What about you, Sasha? Have you found anyone up to your standards yet?”
Sasha sniffed. “No, but I think Blair might be considering proposing to Allie’s knight.”
That was a fair assumption. Blair and Rina had been chatting by the curtains ever since I’d left them earlier today, and it’d taken Blair some real convincing to get Rina to sit with her, even though Rina had drawn the line at drinking tea with her.
Just as well.
I’d have been mighty offended if she’d done that before she’d shared a pot with me.
“Actually,” Sasha continued. “I’m thinking I might just forgo the whole marriage business and get a job.”
We all paused.
Not because it was a bad thing, but because that was something that was almost impossible in the empire.
I didn’t call them misogynistic bastards for nothing.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “My house always provides aides to the Imperial Family, so why couldn’t I pursue the same path? I’m just as intelligent as my brothers are, and I’ve assisted my father with many problems when he’s brought work home.”
“It’s not that,” Georgina said, fidgeting uncomfortably. “But none of the palace administration staff are women. Are you even eligible to apply for one of the positions?”
Sasha looked down into her teacup. “I don’t know.
But don’t you find it ridiculous? Why can’t I do a job I’m perfectly qualified for just because I’m of noble birth?
So few of us operate our own businesses, and even inheriting titles as women is so difficult.
Sometimes I think that, despite being much worse off financially, the commoners have far more freedom that we do.
If you venture into the lower part of town, the women there all run their own businesses, and they’re not all in fashion, either.
Goodness, some even work physical labour jobs. Why can they work but I can’t?”
She wasn’t exactly wrong. I couldn’t say I hadn’t found the change in society restrictive on me since waking up in this world, because I had. After all, in my past life, I’d lived in a world where men and women were largely equal and had the same rights.
Yet here, because women couldn’t become knights or palace officials or even become the head of their house without jumping through endless hoops, the empire was run by men, for men.
Unlike Stein.
It wasn’t a perfect society, and there was still a divide between the sexes, but women were far freer there.
Nobody dared argue that Viscountess Evsea wasn’t qualified to take on her role as head of her house, even though she’d assumed it right before giving birth, and there were female knights in almost every knightage across the land.
Women worked in government at both national and local levels. They operated businesses separate from their husbands regardless of their status, and they were free to inherit their father’s titles even if they had younger brothers, something that was simply impossible in the empire.
Yes, there were still manners of thinking that needed to change—like Sir Hayes with the choosing of my aide—but it was still far more progressive than the empire.
Huh. The choosing of my aide…
I wasn’t dense enough to ignore the fact I needed an aide from Stein. Having someone with knowledge of the land would be incredibly helpful, but if I were to stay there, I would need more than one aide.
But would Sasha be willing to move just for me? She and Blair had dreams that couldn’t be achieved in the empire but were perfectly within reach in the self-governing province that was Stein.
What if I could make them fall in love with Stein?
“You know,” I said, setting my teacup down on my saucer. “You should all come to visit me and stay at Stein Castle.”
They all turned to look at me, and even Blair jumped up from her conversation with Rina and joined us, gripping the edge of the table.
“Really?” she exclaimed. “Come to Stein?”
“Of course,” I replied. “Why not? Things are different there, and I believe there’ll be a summer festival in a few weeks. You should come then.”
Vivi paused. “All of us?”
I nodded. “Of course. I’ll find out when it’s happening and speak to Kalon, then send you invitations. Vivi, you could even bring Lord Ivan and he could spend time with the mages.”
Sasha and Blair’s eyes both twinkled.
I had them hooked.
“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea,” Georgina said. “I’ve always wanted to visit, and it’ll give me an opportunity to get more of that tea I love.”
“Oh, I can send you some.” I smiled. “It can be difficult to get hold of, but I’m sure if I ask Kalon, he’ll be able to get some without any problem.”
“Oh-ho, that’s right. You call him Kalon.” She rested her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands, smiling sweetly at me. “Aren’t you two getting along well?”
Blair pulled out a chair and sat down, adopting the same position as Georgina. “Yes, you looked quite cosy at the ball last night. Who would have thought the cold, cruel Beast of the Battlefield could look at someone so gently?”
My cheeks flamed. “Stop teasing me.”
“It is interesting,” Sasha said, tilting her head. “To think it’s not been long since you moved to Stein and you’re already so close. Did you know each other before the spring ball?”
“No, that was the first time we met, aside from formal greetings. I suppose it’s as simple as us being together and finding that we have some things in common.”
“Are you a secret warlord, Allie?” Blair asked. “What else could he possibly be interested in?”
Vivi reached over with her fan and tapped it against Blair’s shoulder. “Mind your words, Blair. For all the rumours about him, he’s still the Grand Duke of Stein and the First Prince of the Empire.”
“Ooh, has he won you over, too?” Georgina said with a grin. “Perhaps we’ve misjudged him all this time.”
I sipped my tea.
Mhm.
That was exactly what had happened, my friends.
Although I wasn’t entirely sure that I knew Kalon all that well either. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that what I knew about him was only skin deep. It was only what I’d learnt from the book and the rumours—none of what I knew about him had come from his own lips.
I’d deliberately drawn a line between us thinking that I would one day be leaving him, but now…
Well. Things were different now.
Even with all those things considered, I still felt as though I had a good grasp on who Kalon was.
Sure, he was a ruthless person on the battlefield and wouldn’t entertain betrayal within the walls of his castle, but I could apply that to any other noble in this empire.
Maybe he was possessive in a way that toed the line of toxic, but our time together had shown that I was, too.
The Kalon I’d come to know was thoughtful and kind. He uplifted his subordinates and forgave petty mistakes. He worked hard and was a lord revered by his people, and even those who didn’t like him had no choice but to respect him.