6 The sudden battle

Cosette fief, one of our grand dukedom's greatest fiefs and one of the most bountiful lands bestowed to us by the emperor himself. The one and only fief that should be thriving but instead fails and fails all the time, prompting me to ask if the present leader is the sole source of the problem. An intriguing case that piqued my interest. The math on the reports was also illogical, and to make matters worse, the vassal lord had mistakenly created an alias account.

I couldn't clearly fathom what was going on at the time but my gut told me to investigate. Cosette after all was also my mother's first gift from my father and I wouldn't want anything to happen to it.

I wandered alone in the garden, pondering what to do next. I pleaded my thoughts for any kind of notion that would assist my father and the current predicament, but it was all in vain. After all, what else could I possibly do? I was a lady, and the regulations specified that only males should be knowledgeable. I was perplexed as to why my father had subjected me to such a humiliating test at his office. I was wondering when he'd quit.

"Lady Eliana…"

I turned to face the person from behind me. How could I fail to know his deep voice, which usually made me blush?

"Lord Heinley, what a surprise…oh my, what brings you here? Don't tell me you were following behind me all this time."

"I truly apologize for my rudeness, my lady,"

He gently bowed then straightened up to face me. He was so handsome and I just had to have him as soon as possible.

"It's quite alright. I am just bothered I failed to notice your presence all this time, I apologize."

"You were deep in thought, so how could I bother you?"

"You could have just made your presence noticeable then, I would have stopped and listened to you, Lord Heinley. My word, I feel like I have made a mistake. Why didn't you tap my shoulder instead?"

"Because you looked so beautiful deep in contemplation. How could I miss capturing such a moment and appreciating Your Highness' exquisiteness? I apologize once more for my rudeness."

His remark had me dumbfounded for a split second, and the way he collected himself made it difficult to see him as someone's bastard child. He was a true gentleman who deserved some type of recognition. Heinley locked his gaze on me, and I hoped he didn't see my hard-to-control flush.

He stood there smiling at me like he was studying me. Was he interested in me as well? or was I imagining things?

"Lord Heinley, if I may ask, is there anything you'd wish to discuss with me?"

"Oh yes, pardon me, my lady. I wished to inquire about the reports I made. You seemed to have noticed something all of us who were present in His Grace's study were unaware of. How did you manage to do so?"

"I just assumed there was indeed a problem with the reports. Are you surprised a woman is also knowledgeable in accounting, Lord Heinley?"

"I wouldn't dare. I'm just impressed that you are not only beautiful but knowledgeable as well. I wish all the women in the empire were as talented as you are."

"I'm not talented at all, Lord Heinley. I just took some few lessons from my father and that's all."

"Well, His Grace must be one proud father because seeking knowledge is also a talent, my lady."

His expression had changed when he said that. He was seriously complimenting me and he didn't dare to judge me as the others do. I knew from the beginning he was one odd character and maybe that's why I wanted to have him by my side as my spouse.

"Do you perhaps have any plans tomorrow?"

His eyes widened as if he didn't believe what I had just asked. He smiled happily before replying,

"I don't think if I do… would you perhaps wish to spend the day with me tomorrow, my lady?"

"Be extra careful with your words, Lord Heinley. One may think we're courting if you're overheard. I just wanted to invite you for some afternoon tea and maybe learn some basic accounting skills from you."

I tried to act calm as I spoke but my face sold me out. If blushes were fire, my entire face would have already been burnt. He smiled at me as he moved closer to me and held my hand.

"I'd be happy to court you, my lady. It pains me to say this, but I don't need your mind's consent alone. If you don't mind, I'd want to take your heart."

He bent down and kissed my hand before leaving, saying,

"I shall see you tomorrow in the afternoon then, my lady. Have a splendid day."

I was dumbfounded as I watched him go away. He was interested in me and wanted to court me. Was my charm working so effectively and so quickly? I was overjoyed when I succeeded in making my spouse prospect like me.

I turned to leave but ended up bumping into someone. I looked up at the tall figure and saw the man whom I had bumped into previously. He looked grumpy as usual and kept looking down at me.

"It's you!"

***********************

"Your Grace, why are you doing all this to the young lady?"

"I just thought it would be interesting to test her out a little bit."

"I'm just worried that the young lady won't be able to handle the situation."

"Do not underestimate her. She is my daughter after all."

I walked into my father's study with the strange man behind me. I was furious that I forgot to knock and entered the room.

"Papa, who is this man?"

I angrily inquired as I pointed at the stranger standing before us.

"So, this is your daughter, old man. No wonder she behaves like this."

He then turned to look at me adding,

"Don't you know it's rude to point at people? Do you wish to lose your finger?"

My father sat in his chair holding on to a document, completely ignoring us. Sanders ignored us as well.

"I can point whomever I want and you are no exception. You bumped into me and left me lying on the ground and didn't even bother to help me up. Why should I not point my finger at you? I―"

I was about to complete my sentence when I was startled by a loud thud on the table. I turned to face my father, who was enraged as he rose from his seat.

"Sanders, get me my sword!"

"As you command, Your Grace."

Sanders bowed and left us in the room. The atmosphere had changed and I sensed like someone was going to get hurt.

"How dare you hurt my daughter? Do you have a death wish?"

"How dare you talk to me like this you old man. Do you think I'm scared of you?"

"Then what are you doing here if you're not? Do you want me to teach you the rules again?

Sanders came back in the study and passed the sword to my father. The men looked like they were ready to tear each other up.

"Let us go to the training grounds. It seems I need to teach you some manners."

"No, Papa. you're going to get hurt. You don't need to fight this unruly person. Please stop all this."

Sanders just smiled as he carried a tray of refreshments to the grounds. I watched how the two men fought each other aggressively and from the sounds of the metal, I could sense that my father was so furious.

After a few minutes, the stranger collapsed to the ground, and my father emerged triumphant from their fight. I couldn't believe I was expecting him to lose or perhaps get wounded. I hurried up to him, concerned, to see whether he was hurt, but he appeared to be okay.

"Are you alright Eli? My poor Eli. I hope you are not hurting anywhere."

My father asked me with both hands on my cheeks. He was anxious and still upset, but I was just relieved that he was all right. He immediately turned around and yelled at the strange man,

"I don't have all day, child. I'm going back to my study, so stop lying down on the ground and follow me immediately. I need to speak with you about something else."

I walked hand in hand with him to his study as Sanders followed behind. My father was so strong, no wonder even the emperor respected him. I had no idea he had such a side.

"Eli, please take a seat. There is something I wish to let you know."

I took my seat and paid close attention to my father. His tone piqued my interest and made me want to know what he wanted to tell me.

"What is it, Papa?"

"I have decided to send you to Cosette fief. I trust that you have gone through the reports and already know what the situation is. I just know that you can solve the problem as the new lady of the fief."

"Is this a test?"

"This is not a test. I can only assign you since I am confident you will clearly solve the difficulties there. So please don't disappoint me."