Rosie's Games

Chapter 37: Wine of the North

"A child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth. Seeing it transpired in front of me is quite... delightful," Duke Lucas answered as he looked at her.

She turned her head away and found a seat opposite him.

"I was reckless," she agreed.

"You were. But there is no need to think about the past, is there?"

She stared at him. In fact, she had every reason to think about the past. But she was not going to tell him that.

"Did you come here to tell me that?" she asked.

He smiled and elegantly lifted his teacup, drinking his tea.

"You look like a grouchy little cat," he smiled.

"It's in the dead of the night," she reasoned. "If you wanted to talk to me, then perhaps"

"Tomorrow, they will put security around this place and it would be harder for me to walk inside or for you to leave."

"That" That might just happen.

"I thought we could commemorate this night with some tea."

"Don't you have something stronger?" she asked.

His eyes narrowed in response. "And here I thought you dislike the bitter taste of my tea. It seems that you just wanted something stronger?" He lifted an eyebrow, smiling at her with amusement.

"I prefer wine."

"The North has some of the best wine in this continent."

"So I've heard." To combat the cold, the Northerners were able to create a new way to make their wine stronger and more potent.

This wine was only manufactured in the North and it came with healing properties that would soon make its own name in the other empires.

She had this kind of wine once in her past life. It was very spicy, yet she took a liking to the sweetness that comes along with it as it settled down on one's throat.

"If I didn't know any better I would have thought that you had tasted the wine before."

"I have never been to the North."

"I am well aware." The Duke smiled. Then he gestured his hand, a man appeared not far away from him, a bottle of wine was in his hand. "It's funny how timid you are on the outside but would demand something this strong in front of me."

"Stop making fun of me."

"I thought I was praising you."

She stared at the wine, its dark reddish hue coupled with the dimly lit ambiance inside her room perfectly complemented each other.

"The hunting event is coming," he said. "I hope you are ready."

"No women can join the hunting event."

"That might change now."

"What?"

"The Hunting Event is something that the Emperor does to entertain his visitors. I wouldn't be so surprised to hear some changes in the rules."

"Are you saying that they are going to allow women to join the competition?" she asked.

"Perhaps. The Emperor is a deep, deep man, even I cannot predict his thoughts."

That was a lie, she thought inwardly. In the near future, this man was going to spread his name and the name of his kingdom by playing with the Seven Empires. He knew exactly how to make them do what he wanted.

"Then I will have to prepare myself for the worse."

"What is the worst thing that happen?" he asked. "Letting you join the hunt is not going to be that difficult as you are perfectly capable of defending yourself."

She pursed her lips. That was not what she was worried about. In fact, she wasn't exactly worried about the Emperor or the Royal family right now. She was more inclined to worry about her own flesh and blood, the tiger of this empire, the Blessed Federico Lux.

The man was supposed to be her grandfather, but in front of Federico, there were only two kinds of things, the strong and the weak. To him, it was only natural for the strong to bully the weak. It was human nature.

Federico was known for his strict and brave nature. Even the Emperor respected his past bravery, but what many people didn't know was the man's ability to scheme. There was a reason why the Emperor chose him as his adviser.

She took a sip of the wine and savored the sweet and spicy aftertaste.

"Fret not, I will be there to protect you."

"You have done enough," she met his blue eyes.

"Are you refusing my offer?"

"No," she chuckled at that. "On the contrary, I would like to thank you for what you did. Taking the blame for what happened and knowingly making them your enemy is not going to be easy."

He smirked. "I am glad that you think that. I agree. What happened today opened a new door for you and I. In the near future, I can only hope that we cooperate to achieve our goals."

"Goals" she nodded. "Then, to a happy cooperation." She raised her glass and in response, he raised his teacup. A low clicking sound echoed inside the room and the two of them finished their drink in one go.

Seeing his empty cup, she got up.

"Now, if you could. I am quite exhausted."

"You used your Blessing without even thinking about the side effects."

She paused and looked at him. "I didn't know about the side effects," she lied. It would be rather weird for her to know about it when she just discovered her Blessing. Though the Duke wasn't asking about how she acquired it, she wanted to be more thorough in hiding her secrets.

"But I will be more careful from now on," she faked a smile and walked towards her bed. She then took off the topmost layer of her tiered dress. It was so heavy and it had started to take a toll on her body.

"You Are you perhaps trying to seduce me, my Lady?"

She stopped and looked in his direction. "As I said, I am quite exhausted. That was your cue to leave me alone."

"Ah" he chuckled once again. "In the near future, I would prefer it if you communicate your words properly. I may be a Duke, but I cannot read minds."

Her jaw dropped. Was it not a basic custom to leave after hearing those words? Seeing her slack-jawed appearance, the man got up and shook his head. Then he walked towards her, towering over her small frame.

"I take marriage quite seriously," he said as he neared her. "While it is a bit of an inconvenience, I am going to expect that you do the same, despite the fact that this marriage is nothing more but a beneficial business deal."