“Shall I wake her?”
“No, that’s all right.”
Back at the stables after just a day, Alexandro was left speechless by the sight of the slave girl asleep at this time of the day. While others were hard at work and just starting to retire for supper, this girl was deep in slumber. He did not wish to deal with such a lazy slave.
Even though he had given her a chance, he was not happy with her at all. He had returned to the stables because he could not trust a slave with the treatment of a sick animal, and was deeply suspicious of her claims that she knew the cause of Howl’s illness.
However, the source of his worry was comfortably sleeping, laid upon a stack of hay. He was tempted to wake and interrogate her but abandoned the thought. Embarrassed, the guard offered, “She’s usually very manageable…”
But at present, all four of her limbs were languidly stretched out. Alexandro marveled at the guts of the girl, passed out in the stables frequented by men after making a bold promise to the Archduke.
Despite his suspicions, Howl did seem much healthier than he had the previous day. The nosebleed, which had been continuing for days, had disappeared without a trace. He appeared cheerful, too.
He seems to be doing better. Alexandro felt no need to grill the slave, and decided to wait and see for another few days. She seemed to be delivering on her promise.
He left the stables without regrets. With the tournament only three days away, he had no time to waste.
He wasn’t going to be participating in combat himself, not that it would have been a problem for him. Even though he didn’t like to admit, he took after his father, who had been an exceptional knight and the Grand Master of the order himself. The Archduke had the physique, strength, and technique – a genius swordsman adept at wielding the weapon with his either hand.
I am exhausted. He was having the worst time with his father. Unbeknownst to Aaron, the Archduke had made it clear to Duncan that he had no wish to marry. Not only was he not interested in women, but he also refused to be used as a pawn in an arranged marriage.
He was familiar with arranged marriages – he was the product of one.
The marriage between Duncan Graham and Alexandro’s mother, Sophia McCowell, was a celebrated union between the two most powerful families in the empire. Duncan was a bold, ambitious man. The couple, in their prenuptial contract, agreed to produce only one, male heir–this was Alexandro Graham. The contract appeared successful. Duncan had acquired, through his association with the powerful ducal house of McCowell, power, military strength, and wealth that came close to those of the emperor. He aimed to take over the throne.
“Ha…”
The problem was that Sophia McCowell had the same idea. She aspired to be the first ruling empress, to be forever remembered in history.
Alexandro had no memory of being cuddled by his mother, or holding her hand. To her, he was only a tool for her success, and later an obstacle. She despised her husband and son for getting in the way of her dreams.
He had to endure his mother’s bitter screams countless times. In the end she was discovered while attempting to murder her husband, and Duncan, reluctant to turn his wife’s family against him, spared her life, imprisoning her in the dungeon. When Duncan tried to kill the emperor and replace him, she escaped the prison and, holding her own son hostage, threatened Duncan.
Alexandro was eleven years old. What happened in the mansion that night could never be erased from his mind.
The first time he held his mother’s hand and was in her arms, his mother spewed hatred while aiming a blade at his neck. She screamed that the previous thirteen years, spent with a man that she did not love and a child she did not want, had been nothing but pain.
Having spent a year in the dungeon harboring venom towards her husband and son, Sophia was half insane. The elegant, aristocratic lady was mad with greed. Duncan seized her, and to save his son from his own mother’s hands, he ended her life in front of Alexandro. Duncan threw her body out of the palace.
Alexandro remembered her death vividly. He could not forget what had happened, no matter how much he wanted to. He joined the order of knighthood immediately after the incident and began wandering the battlefields.
Duncan felt complex emotions towards Alexandro. How shocked the little boy must have been. This was the reason why Duncan had chosen not to become the emperor after all, and why he had left Graham Mansion.
The two did not meet or talk often, but Duncan felt guilt and pity for his son, and wanted to give him as much as possible.
Alexandro did not resent or blame his father for what had happened. Having spent his entire life surrounded by greedy, snakelike aristocrats, he was tired of such feelings. Despite his gruff and cold exterior, the Archduke had matured admirably.
However, he occasionally wondered when he was a child: What if my parents were just ordinary people?
What if they wanted only a little, and were satisfied with their lot? He felt that it would have made him happy, regardless of his social status.
Of course, Alexandro did not have such thoughts as an adult. He understood that, without either of them or their greed, he would not have existed in the first place.
That useless daydream again. He chuckled at himself. While organizing his thoughts, he headed to the training facility. Training was the only way for him to work through complex emotions or self-pity. It was only a temporary escape, but it was one of the things that he knew best.
***
Duncan was reading through a report sent up for his review. Handling all of the emperor’s papers, his workload was vast. However, at present, he was prioritizing the matter closest to his heart.
‘His Grace only frequents the mansion and the training facility and sees only a small number of people each day. Although he maintains relationships with all commanders, the ones closest to him are…’ the report read.
Evan Cupihit – a name familiar to Duncan – was listed first and foremost. As the Deputy Grant Master, he had the highest probability of being intimate with Alexandro, both personally and professionally. Duncan read on.