23 Too Much

"Are you done with your covert observations, Your Highness?" Duke Azriel's voice held a sly undertone, wearing an enigmatic smile that mirrored the depths of his eyes.

Embarrassed, Princess Dione abruptly turned away from him, her gaze now directed out the window, her hands finding refuge on the intricately carved desk. Her heart raced, a tempo matching the unspoken tension in the room.

The Duke's smirk deepened, a silent acknowledgment of her fleeting vulnerability. He realized she had not ventured here solely to steal a glimpse of him. He believed that such superficial pursuits were beneath her.

With her back to him and the window framing her figure, Dione's body relaxed as she sought to dispel the awkwardness. She cleared her throat and spoke evenly, "You don't appear unwell. In fact, you seem quite the opposite."

Azriel's voice carried a hint of jest as he replied, "Worried about me, were you? Is that why you went out of your way to visit? I had thought Princess Dione reserved her concerns for other men rather than her own husband."

A faint frown etched itself on Dione's face, her thoughts mired in the past. "Are you genuinely still upset about my refusal to let you punish Sir Caleb for a mistake born of my own naivety?"

Could he truly harbor such pettiness?

"Don't take it so seriously, Your Highness," Azriel interjected, his tone lightening. "Is it worth holding a grudge over such a trifling matter?" His words managed to alleviate her frown somewhat. "Furthermore, how did you come to the belief that I was unwell?"

Dione hesitated. Revealing that it was Azriel's own subordinate who had voiced concern was not an option. Instead, she chose silence, her doubts gnawing at her like an unsolved riddle. The Duke appeared quite healthy, not at all like a man on the brink of a severe illness. But the loyalty of Caleb to his master made the source of such information hard to disregard.

Could it be a miscommunication about the gravity of Azriel's condition? It was an implausible explanation, but it was the only one that seemed to make sense. After all, it was only natural to worry when one's lord had secluded himself within his chambers, shrouded in mystery and silence.

After a brief moment of silence, she could only come up with one excuse. "We were supposed to meet Saintess Naraina days ago. You've locked yourself in your chambers for days, ignoring even your subordinates, am I supposed to think you're fine?"

Behind her came Azriel's soft hum of acknowledgment. "There's an open letter on the desk. Read it."

Though her mind lingered in confusion, Dione did as she was told. 

Was this an attempt to change the topic at hand? But no, it shouldn't be. Though they had not interacted for long, the Duke had never come across as the type of man who would beat around the bush. Besides, he was the one in more of a rush to get a start on things, considering the timeline he had previously given her.

Her questions were answered almost instantly as she gingerly picked up the open letter from the desk. It was an invitation to an engagement party. More importantly their engagement party.

Engagement party….engagement party?!

"I take it from your stunned silence that you were unaware of this fact, Your Highness." Dione could nearly imagine the Duke with his arms folded over his chest, leaning against the wall with an amused expression on his face. And she'd be right. "I suppose that shouldn't be surprising considering your position in the palace. Even with me around, Valerie's pettiness knows no bounds."

"Valerie is behind this?"

"Would the Emperor stoop so low as to play such childish tricks on you?"

The answer was a resounding no. Emperor William was a man who would only strike when he knew his blow would be lethal, not resort to such petty tricks. Princess Valerie, on the other hand...there was nothing she considered beneath her.

Dione's eyes trailed down to the date. She could feel her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach. 

The date for the engagement party was tonight!

Her irritation quickly flared. "This is too much, I don't even have a dress! And since when did the Emperor look so favorably upon our union that he would even entertain the idea of an engagement party?" She crumpled the invitation in her hands, tossing it angrily at the window.

Her annoyance was very apparent. Before, she had hoped that by now she would have attained the Divine Contract from the Saintess and be halfway to the North. Instead, she would have to face another one of what she assumed to be Emperor William's many schemes.

She should have known that he would never let her go that easily. Tonight's ball was definitely a smokescreen for something more sinister at play, she just didn't know what it was.

It was as if everything was happening at once lately. From Princess Valerie's endless schemes to Ezra pushing her away and even to the Duke and his secret sickness that she still had not unveiled. And now this engagement party? It was beginning to become a bit much.

"Luckily, I am not a man without foresight." Azriel's presence came from behind her, his large hand taking place on her shoulder. "It is impossible for the future Duchess of Devland to embarrass herself at her own engagement party. Preparations have already been made for you, Your Highness. This is not a matter worth crying over."

Crying? When had she started crying?

"Since when…?" Dione carefully touched her face to find it slick with tears. That was strange. She had not even noticed when the tears began to drip down her cheeks, leaving evidence of her overwhelming frustration in its wake.

The Duke delicately turned her to face him, his thumb gliding over her cheeks and just under her eyes with gentleness she had not expected from him. "Dione," he spoke quietly as if he were afraid that he would run her off, "Will you allow me to hold you?"

Azriel stares down at her, his eyes clear and sincere, void of ulterior motives. His hand that rests on her shoulder and the one that's wiping her tears away both offer awkward warmth and comfort as if he has never done this sort of thing before in his life. Somehow, it's something she finds herself craving more of.

She nods.

Immediately, she is enveloped in the warmth of Azriel's large arms wrapping around her, her head nestled against his solid chest. It seems that she no longer acknowledges the fact that his chest is still bare without a shirt as she lets her tears flow once more, much more freely this time.

With Azriel, this man who was soon to become her husband, she felt comfortable enough to allow her emotions to overtake her. 

Though they had not interacted for long, he was one of the only people she had on her side that she was positive would not betray her. Part of her trust in him was due to the Divine Bond and the other was due to his protectiveness over her. 

Not only had he lent her his personal guard as soon as they entered this partnership of theirs but he had also even gone as far as disabling Marquess Neil who had attempted to assault her in the garden.

With Ezra holding her at arm's length, Duke Devland was the only man that Dione could rely on and show her vulnerable side to. Between the two of them, husband and wife, they could at least lower their guards.