Cassia woke with feelings of regret and confusion over what the events of the night prior had led to, unsure if those feelings were being forced by the contract or if she truly was falling for Jeric. Her mind raced as the world came into focus.
Her morning followed the same routine it had since she arrived: help in the kitchen in the mornings, language and etiquette before lunch, followed by some type of manual labor in the evening. This was meant to help with character growth. Tonight, she found herself in the lower quadrant of the palace, helping one of the maids who had made the first few weeks bearable.
"Hey Jess, how do you feel about the situation I'm in?" Cassia said as she handed over a formal gown with a wine stain on the midsection. "Here, see if you can get this out."
Taking the clothing, Jess applied the palace detergent to the stain and began scrubbing. "I can't really have any say in it, can I? As far as I can see, Jeric is a weak man—"
"Hey! Be careful what you say. Some days, I swear I can feel the Madam's eyes beating down on me... even when I'm alone in my locked room," she said, letting out a soft chuckle before looking over both shoulders. "You know what I mean, Jess... do I explore the idea that I really might be falling for him for real... or that something else is happening?"
"I'm only saying that if he needed a wife, why did he slap you with some weird contract... instead of just introducing himself? It's like he was afraid to talk to a real woman."
Leaning in toward Cassia and pulling her close, Jess said, "Feel however you want, he is a great man... he wouldn't be the duke if he wasn't." Jess turned away and scouted the area, looking for anybody else who could be on the level before finishing. "Truly, Cassia, follow how you feel without thinking about that contract if you want to find out how you feel."
Creeaakkk... BAM!
The door down the hall opened and closed just as quickly, the head maid on a warpath in their direction.
"Shit... I knew talking when we were supposed to be working was dangerous, Jess... what if she did hear you?" Cassia said as she buried her head in a pile of clean clothes, pretending to fold them. "Madam... what, uh, brings you all the way down here?"
"I wish to speak to you privately and directly. Please follow me to the hall," Madam Flurret announced. "It is about your training to become the duchess."
Cassia handed Jess the rest of her stack and followed closely behind the Madam, impatiently awaiting whatever she had to say. Midway to the door, she tried to ask a question, only to be met with a cold shushing sound followed by a light flick to her forehead. She rubbed the spot as they finished the walk.
"Cassia, over the course of your training, you have shown high levels of understanding." Moving to stand next to her in the hall, she pulled her face up toward her own. "You will make an excellent duchess... that is, if you continue to excel."
Snapping her tongue and moving herself away from Cassia, she continued. "Just because I am praising you now does not mean you can give up... no, it only means you will be expected to accomplish more. Starting tomorrow, you will begin economics and geopolitics classes. You will be taught the history of the land and how to manage it."
"Why can't I see the duke now—"
"You will be allowed to see the duke when you are seen as good enough. Right now, you stand only minutely higher than you did months ago..." "A pretty idiot, your wit will be tested as well. You need to be as sharp as you are attractive."
"Finish your duties in there with Jess and head to bed. Tomorrow starts a new challenge... I don't intend on taking it easy on you," Madam Flurret said before leaving.
Cassia returned to her friend more confused than she was before. "Jess... why me? That old bag said they're teaching me the country's geopolitics." "She did say I was exceeding expectations, however... so I must be doing something right."
"You've grown a great deal since your arrival... do you not see it?" Jess said as she moved the last pile of clothes in between where they had sat. "You're clearly a beauty, you've gone from talking like a country bumpkin to speaking with grace... you would have to be blind to think you hadn't changed."
"That just leaves how I feel toward Jeric then... my heart races anytime I think about him," Cassia said, beginning to grab at her hair as she rambled on. "He is truly great though, isn't he? Well... let's finish this up so we can both rest for tomorrow."
The two of them finished sorting and cleaning the laundry, walking together until they split, Cassia going one way and Jess going to her quarters a little further into the palace. She washed before lying in bed, running interactions she had had with Duke Jeric over and over in her head. Every instance set her mind ablaze and made her heart flutter.
In the morning, she found herself following a new maid. She had been told it was an escort for her new duties. Cassia followed without being told twice, the decision she had come to last night fresh in her mind.
"So we're headed to where exactly?" Cassia asked as she looked around, noticing the area was familiar. "Who's teaching this... class?"
"The Madam was right... you do talk a lot," the maid said, letting out a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Please refrain from asking questions... this path has been chosen for you, therefore..." Letting out a breath and taking a larger one in, she finished, "Talking stands to help no one. Be quiet and watch."
The maid then led her to the conference room where she had seen Jeric previously; the room was empty. She escorted her to a secluded section of the area and handed her the materials she needed to take notes.
"Please do not draw attention to yourself... you are not yet officially meant to be in here, but the Madam feels you need to see it to understand the gravity of your situation—"
"Holy shit, there he is..."
The duke and his men had entered the room, walking in a large huddle toward the center of it. His gaze flicked up, landing on Cassia's, breaking free moments later as Chancellor Tomas Verin slapped him with a stack of papers, pulling his attention away.
Cassia watched as he talked to his subjects and how every person in the room shared the same look of admiration as he spoke. Then their eyes met again, and he stumbled on his words before pulling his attention toward the stack of papers. He finished the meeting with a smaller gathering where his closest and most trusted were asked to stay.
"You need to leave before they can proceed," the maid said as she grabbed Cassia and helped her out of her chair. "I hope you understood at least a little of what they spoke about..."
As they made their way, her mind raced, thinking of the hungry look in Jeric's eyes when they had met the first time and the softness the second glance held.