Chapter 29: 'Severed his ties?'

No, it couldn't be. Alexander turned to the side and looked blankly at nowhere. One piece of information turned to another, then another, and another; he could barely keep up. All the tangled relationships were more than his mind could grasp.

If Vance Thomson was actually Vance Salwyn, brother of Priscilla's mother, the emperor of Pradour's lover who died giving birth to Amelia's mother, that makes the advisor the duchess' grandfather. And if Priscilla's father was the emperor of Pradour, that makes the late duchess of Osmea a princess—which, in turn, makes Amelia a member of Pradour's royal family. And not only that, but she's also a direct descendant of the only duchy in the empire. If Vance were to take that title back, his being unwed, his sole heir would be Amelia.

What if what happened to her thus far—the incident seven years ago and the recent poisoning—had something to do with her connection to Pradour? It wouldn't be too hard to find and gather information about her now that she has taken the position of a duchess. She's a public person now, unlike before.

The young duke's brows were about to collide as he continued to talk to himself in his mind, saying, 'Did the late duke and duchess knew that this kind of thing would happen? That's why her first appearance to the public was on her tenth birthday?'

Speechless.

Alexander sat on his seat with a bewildered look. Then, all of a sudden, rage built up inside him. The tension of the truth was too much. He was cracking his knuckles discreetly for no apparent reason.

"Does the advisor have plans of returning to Pradour to aid his family?" Alexander managed to ask. "And Emperor Augustine, there's no way that he didn't know. Amelia's mother was technically sent to him as a gift, she—"

"The emperor loves the empress," Vernon cut his question short. He shifted from his seat, trying to straighten his clothes, before he continued, "That's why Priscilla was married to Nathaniel. It was…" he stopped to bring his wandering gaze back to the young duke, "the two were each other's first love, and the emperor wanted his friend to be happy, so he blessed their union." The duke finished off with a heavy sigh and laid his gaze on his empty glass, both his hands intertwined together, as he leaned back on the back of the settee. "Pradour got what they wanted by sending their youngest princess, establishing a Friendship and Peace Treaty, and that was just it. They didn't care much about their princess after that. And I don't think Vance would go back to Pradour, having severed his ties to his family."

"Severed his ties?"

"Yes. Vance was what people called a legend back there, conquering states and regions. Winning battles for his former emperor. He's the youngest and only son of the late grand duke and an heir to the title. But he left it all to follow his sister's daughter, whom he raised much like his own. His sister was once a mistress, he didn't want his only niece to suffer the same fate."

"But Priscilla was a princess, and Vance is an heir to the grand duchy. It's impossible to hide their titles."

"I already told you, Clement. Pradour doesn't think highly of their women. Its emperor has numerous mistresses and a lot of offspring to spare. Priscilla was the youngest and the only granddaughter of the Grand Duke; even their emperor won't be so hasty as to send the princess just anywhere, especially with a man like Vance around." Vernon exhaled sharply and stood up. He took his glass with him and went behind the young duke again. "Knowing this, Vance promised to conquer the emperor's enemies in return for not publicly announcing Priscilla as a princess. Moreover, his sister died of childbirth which made all the hiding easier."

"And the emperor?"

"Oh, he knew too. We—myself, Nathaniel, and Augustine—were close friends. We're all about the same age. We were practically schooled and trained together."

"Then…" Alexander was cut short when a series of knocks took both dukes' attention.

"Permission to enter, Father," said a man behind the door. And as the glass stopper of his liquor popped open, Vernon gave his approval. "Drinking so early again." Alexander watched as Elias Mulford, the duke's eldest and heir to his title, walked past the threshold. "Duke Clement," he said, surprised, and stood in attention to bow at the young duke.

"Greetings, Sir Mulford," Alexander stood up to receive the knight's respect.

"Ah, yes. Greetings to you too, Duke Clement. I just got back from patrolling the northern mountains and didn't know that you have a visitor, Father. I apologize if I interrupted something important."

"It's okay. We're done talking anyway, ain't we, Clement?"

"Yes… we are." The Duke of Thuenia flashed a curt smile, "Then, I will see you at your birthday again, Duke Mulford."

"Aren't you staying in the palace? You're more than welcome here."

"Thank you, but I have to meet with my sister. My secretary rented a manor near the town square in advance, so we will be staying there."

"Well then, I'll have Piers look for you and have you escorted. I'm sure he'll entertain you quite well."

Alexander agreed and bowed his head before he left. He wanted to ask the duke about one more thing, but the thought was blown away by the sudden interruption. Thinking about what it was also made his already confused mind even more so. He thought he'd organize what he learned first, and then maybe he'd remember it along the way.

Also, it was already time for lunch. Alexander's even more famished now that he's exhausted his mind, thinking.

**********

The afternoon came, and the two ladies sat patiently on a divan at one of the clothing stores that Ayland brought them into while the young prince chatted with the owner, who glanced at them from time to time.

Looking around, the style of clothes didn't differ from what she preferred. No wonder Ayland only recommended the store out of the others that they saw along the way.

"She'll take you to the next room for the fittings, then I'll bring you both to a nearby pastry shop for something to eat," Ayland said, gesturing to the door next to them.

Amelia and Arabella only settled on three dresses each. One for them to change into later, and the other for meeting the duke tomorrow; the other one as an extra. The clothes they brought with them have already been washed so there's no need to buy more.

By the time they were done, the ladies thanked the young prince for shouldering their expenses, and the duchess promised to send him some fascinating floras from her greenhouse as thanks. When they got out, Ancel, who was waiting outside, came up to them. The ones they bought would be sent to the prince's mansion later where the other knights were left to rest since Amelia wanted as little attention as possible. Even Ayland only has Gregory with him when he's out, but they also left his secretary to tend to the kitchen staff for a small feast Ayland insisted on having later in the evening.

Looking around the different shops and exchanging greetings with the townspeople, Dirmond was a lovely town with its own unique charm. The wooden rooftops and shingle walls matched the autumn mountain behind them making the town seem magical. The cobbled street also added even more charm. People knew each other, and though it's a small town, the shops were thriving in recent years since Ayland chose to live there. The youngest prince's famously known for his research, so people from all over came to meet with him—and more people meant more business.

At the pastry shop that the young prince mentioned, the scent of freshly brewed tea welcomed them as soon as the door opened. A short young lady greeted the prince, probably younger than the duchess by a few years, who stopped what she was doing to tend to them.

"I think she likes you," Amelia teased, but Ayland shrugged his shoulders only to tell her that the shopkeeper was friendly because he's the person who taught her about plants and flowers meant for tea brewing and how to prepare it.

Amelia pouted at failing to make the prince blush, but they had a wonderful time at the shop, nonetheless. When they were about to leave, the same shopkeeper came up to them and gave Ayland a box of pastries to share with his household. The prince thanked her then they were out of the shop a minute later.

After a filling time, Amelia and the others walked back to the mansion, which took them just roughly ten minutes. Once they were home, Sir Lewis, resting at one corner of the courtyard, stood up and quickly approached them. He fished something out of his pocket and showed it to the duchess.

"Oh, it seems like Uncle and the others are leaving Osmea tomorrow morning." The duchess turned to the assassin siblings and then to Ayland.

"It would take them at least two days to get here. Why don't you spend the rest of your visit at the palace, Lia? There's a lot more to see there than here." The prince behind her suggested after calling over a maidservant to take the box of pastries from Ancel.

"Uhm… I think I'll stay here with you, Brother Ayland." Amelia flashed a broad smile at the prince, "I'd meet with the duke tomorrow, then come back here. I'd like to train too, and your place is simply perfect."

"I don't think you'd gain anything or even be entertained with the men I have."

"Oh, don't worry. Ancel and the others would suffice. Oh, what about Sir Lewis training your men? Wouldn't that be great?" Amelia sounded more excited than ever, "I'll teach them a little as well," she said, linking her arms with the prince as they head inside the mansion, "and we'll have a sort of mock match. Consider payment for our stay? What do you think?"

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