Casual meeting in the kitchen

No one else seemed to be troubled by the fact that this duke was much younger than he was supposed to be. Despite his imposing bearing, he barely looked a bit older than Elena herself, how could he be older than the Marquis?

Were all the rumours false? Was this another child of the Grand-Duchess?

Magic?

It was highly likely he was a sorcerer, he was a man from Raeden after all, but this didn’t explain this appearance. She’d met some sorcerers before, and these people had an uncanny bond to nature that gave them the ability to summon rain or make the soil more productive, she’d even heard from some that could heal miraculously the most terrible wounds and illness, but they weren’t any less human. They aged and died, too.

Perhaps this wasn’t enough reason for her to feel troubled, but Elena felt a strong pull towards the mystery of this man, and at the same time an eerie suspicion that she wouldn’t really like to find out his secret.

“Your Grace, your room is ready. You are probably tired from the trip; if you’d like to rest our butler will show you the way there.” The Earl offered when the dinner time was over. 

Ladies and gentlemen had to part ways and enjoy the rest of the evening in separate rooms, so Elena made an effort to linger around and hear whatever she could of the conversation before being forced to leave.

“Thank you, lord Valverde. You are a very considerate host.” The duke’s crooked smile did not reflect any satisfaction, though. “However, it’s quite early. Marquis, I heard you are good at playing chess. I’d like to check if the rumors are true.”

“Elena, come here.” His mother called for her, so she could not satisfy her curiosity any longer.

The duke’s eyes found her one more time before she left the room.

“Yes, mother.”

Those emerald green eyes, she’d never seen them anywhere else other than in the mirror. In a weird way, because they did look nothing alike if it wasn’t for the color of eyes or hair, looking at him felt like looking at herself.

Did it mean something?

Tonight his arrival had granted her a bit more of time to avoid the Marquis and her father’s designs, so perhaps she wanted it to mean something, now that she was running out of time to be free.

***

Sleep avoided her that night, too.

Elena ultimately left her bedroom in the hours before dawn and went to the kitchen with the intention of boiling water for tea.

It was a weird habit for a young miss, because all servants were sleeping at the time so no one could do this task for her. However, Elena always found it more peaceful and comforting at those hours when she’d be alone, with no one bothering her.

“Isn’t it interesting that the young miss of the house does the servants’ work with her own hands?”

Elena jolted and her soul almost left her body when she heard that voice, right before the silhouette of the duke emerged from the dark.

“God…” Hands clutching her chest, she needed a moment to catch her breath. “Your Grace… how can you scare me like that?”

He gave her a puppy look that startled her because it did not suit his image at all. For the same reason, it made him look much more like his age… It even made him a bit cute.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to frighten you.” 

“Yes, it wasn’t…”

“I was just surprised to see you up at these hours.”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came down to make me some tea.” She explained, “Do you want some?”

“Yes, thank you.” He kept standing by the door, silently following her movements with his glance.

Elena knew her way around the kitchen, but for some reason her hands were trembling, her movements turned clumsy knowing that he was staring at her, and she struggled with lighting up the fire. 

“Do you need help?”

In a few strides, he was by her side and leaning on the stove.

“Your Grace, you do housework too?” She pretended to sound impressed, although there was a hint of mockery in her tone.

His answer was to blow fire from his mouth. Elena gasped. The charcoal was scorching hot, and even the water was close to boiling, making the stove completely unnecessary.

“How did you do that?” She asked, dropping the formalities “I’ve never seen that kind of magic.”

“Have you seen a lot of magic?”

She frowned and reluctantly shook her head. “But I’ve read quite a lot.”

“That’s not the same.” He smiled, “and this isn’t the kind of magic just anyone could do.”

Elena did not speak, instead poured the water into the teapot to continue brewing her tea.

Maybe she felt a bit envious, and this wasn’t something she could just say aloud. Yet he seemed to be reading her thoughts.

“You could learn, though.”

“You just said not anyone could do it.”

“I have the feeling you might have some affinity with magic.”

“That’s impossible.”

People from Vallas did not use magic. Besides, others would look at her with horror if she did. Elena was simply a curious creature who wanted to understand how things worked, she wasn’t a fool who ignored the rules of the society she lived in.

“And if I were to teach you?”

She turned to face him, lifting her chin to look at him in the eyes.

“And why would you do that?”

“Let’s say it’s part of my offer if you are willing to take it.” He took the cup of tea she was handing to him and gulped it at one go.

One wasn’t supposed to drink tea in that way, but who was she to teach manners to one of the highest ranking men in the empire? 

She raised an eyebrow. “An offer?”

“Marquis Doria has come with the intention of asking for your hand in marriage.” He lowered his voice and tilted his head. “Are you really thinking of accepting him?”

Elena’s grip on her cup tightened to the point her hands were burning. This was the reason why she couldn’t sleep that night and ended up meeting the duke, but why did he care? There was a limit to what she could do to intervene with her father’s decision unless a better prospect appeared in front of him.

Her eyes widened up.

“Why are you mentioning this?”

Earlier that evening, she wondered why he’d come to their manor. A plausible explanation was presented to her, and still, it was hard to believe it.

“I already told you. I want to offer you a better deal.” His eyes were gleaming under the dim lights of the room, and he moved closer to her, to the point she could feel his breath on her cheeks. She shivered.  “You don’t have to marry that old man. Instead, isn’t it better to come with me and learn to use your magic?”

“My magic…” That one was funny. She gave a step backward. “Your Grace, I’m a woman of the south, I don’t possess any kind of magic and I don’t know what makes you think I do.”

“I guess we can put it to test right now.”

He seized her free hand, but his touch was softer than what Elena could have imagined. She got distracted by this, and only when he was drawing it closer to his mouth, it became clear what he intended to do.

‘He’s crazy. You are going to die here. Run!’

She knew she had to listen to her instinct, and she would have done so if she was capable of moving.

Fire.

All she could see was fire, making her heart pulsate crazily in her chest, but she could not move or escape it.

‘The doors are locked.’

Elena closed her eyes as he breathed out fire again, and the cup she was holding in the other hand fell to the floor, breaking into pieces. 

The duke was a madman, no doubt about that.

Her hand… surprisingly, it did not hurt yet, but she was too afraid to even look at it. “You… we have to call the doctors… my hand…” 

“Do you really need a doctor? I don’t think so?” He spoke calmly, gesturing for her to take another look at her hand. “This confirms my theory.”

Contrary to her expectations, it was unblemished. The fire that should have burned her skin and flesh did nothing to her at all.