Dante's Charm

All morning I had been chomping at the bit. For some reason I couldn't get Rose out of my head, and I realized that our connection was influencing me in some way. There was only one option in my mind and that was to keep her by my side. I came to the conclusion that it would be best if a statement was prepared in case rumors circulated in the estate. I was still going to be married, and if it looked like I was going to have an affair, it would reflect poorly on our household. It wouldn't be fair to Serena or her family, and I was planning on going through with the marriage for the sake of both of us. After formulating a plan I made my way to the office, and after my discussion with Renlf it seems as though he had the servants draw the curtains in the estate. So the trip was much easier. After arriving I made sure to go over a few documents while I waited for Rose and Renlf to arrive.

When the pair arrived it seems I slipped a little when I said, "My Rose, you've come." Renlf raised an eyebrow to this statement and Rose herself seemed to be stunned but I quickly covered it up by changing the subject.

"Renlf I will be taking Rose as my personal servant. If there are questions amongst the servants let them know that you are getting on in years and are seeking a successor for your retirement. I am aware that you are actually not going to retire this is just for the sake of appearances.," I said in my lordly tone.

"As you wish, your lordship.," Renlf replied.

"Also begin summoning the council to discuss matters at the border. You may take your leave as I have some things to discuss with Rose personally.," I said to which Renlf left the room and closed the door behind him.

Rose and I stood in the room without moving for a minute awkwardly before I broke the ice and said, "Please sit," while gesturing to the sofas in the room. I saw that Rose stumbled a bit as she reached the couch and then sat with a blush on her face. When I sat opposite her I could help but think that she was quite cute. Taking a moment I began to inspect the woman. She had the same blonde hair I remember and the same blue eyes. The differences in appearance came with her skin tone as it was much paler than I realized. I didn't notice before because I had lived in the far north for so long that most of the people here didn't get much sun. My own skin was the same shade and it appeared as though whatever change we went through caused slight, if not overall, physical alterations. Her irises had red streaks like mine which appeared more prominent the hungrier we were. I saw the sharp canines that she displayed when she awkwardly smiled. Of course when I saw those I couldn't help but think about the events that transpired the previous night.

After squashing the lust filled thoughts in my mind I asked, "Do you have any reservations about being my servant? I almost killed you as I'm sure you are aware."

Rose seemed to ponder the question for a moment and then immediately replied, "No, I actually…um how do I put this…I like you, my lord."

I found myself almost immediately saying, "I like you too Rose."

I knew how Rose felt about me. How could I not know through our connection, however, "I want you to know that despite this I will have to marry someone else. I have an obligation as a lord. If she and you can agree to it...I will take you as a consort. That is if you would mind the position.," I offered to her.

It wasn't strange for a noble man to gain multiple consorts as well as a wife in the Asheal empire. This was especially the case in the far north, as child mortality rates were high in the area. Despite this I didn't want any women I brought into my family to fight over power. It could get very bloody, very quickly, and I didn't know what the dynamics would be with our 'condition' being in the mix.

I saw the gears in Rose's head turning in her red stained blue eyes before she said, "I overheard some servant's discussing your marriage on my way here. I…I'm still in love with you despite that. I've liked you for a long time and it's not something that I can easily give up. So just know that whatever situation you find yourself in. I'm with you my lord."

I was happy that she chose to stick with me and I know that many women wouldn't have made the same decision.

"Please, when we are alone, call me Dante. In the meantime don't forget that you are to act as my personal servant, and not a lover.," I said with affection.

In response Rose just nodded her head and I said, "Good."

A few seconds later we began discussing our condition. Rose explained to me her experiences and I shared mine. After discussing it with Rose I came to several conclusions. The first and foremost was that we both needed a steady diet of blood. Whether or not we could subsist with the blood of animals was unknown. Second was that we could feed off one another. This was confirmed when I fed from Rose's wrist and felt that starved feeling go away. Third everything was enhanced including eyesight, which was why the sun caused so many issues, hearing, smell, and taste. This meant that trying to eat normal food became a challenge as we would just regurgitate based on smell alone not to mention the taste. Speed and strength were also enhanced. This seemed to occur with every meal, but I got the feeling that if we ate from the same source every time the effects would wear off. Basically we would see an increase in strength after the first few meals and then would level off. Lastly there could be more abilities that we didn't know of yet so we would have to try everything. The quickest way to find out would be to consult Alistair so that he could run a few tests.

By the time Rose and I finished our discussion it was around noon and I had other engagements that I needed to attend to. I had spent a little too much time

"Do you know where Alistair stays?," I asked Rose.

"Yes, would you like me to go get him?," Rose returned.

"Your grandfather asked him to compile what he knew about the dimensional rift as well as the dimensions they connect to. I need his report before the council can attend a meeting.," I said.

With the engagement as well as the issues with Rose's situation I hadn't been able to focus on the dimensional rift that had opened up in our territory. Right now the problem was still manageable as there were guard posts along the border, and no one lived there. If left unchecked I knew that we would eventually be overwhelmed by the creatures that poured through the rift.

The meeting that I was planning included all of the council members. The council positions included the marshal, chancellor, prime magister, intelligence officer, and steward. From what I knew this was the common make-up of councils in the empire, and every territory had a council. I received reports from the county's marshal from the border as they surveyed the situation. The chancellor was currently busy with domestic affairs in my territory's villages and the city close to the estate. Alistair held the position of prime magister, and since he was the only magister in the county it was a pretty empty title but still important. The intelligence officer's job involved protecting my estate from spies as well as gaining information from my enemies. The steward position was held by Renlf and facilitated the budget as well as any development of the territory. I would have to finalize an agreement with my future father-in-law and then speak with Renlf before the roads between territories could be built. Usually all of the council members would gather at the estate once a year to discuss issues in the territory as well as pay taxes to the king. I was exercising my power as regent in order to bring them to an emergency council meeting to fix the border crisis and perhaps manage to profit from it.

I opened the door for Rose to leave so that she could complete my request. When the doorway opened we were greeted by a wide eyed maid. I knew that if I let this maid go the rumors of, 'the master being alone with a maid in his office all morning,' would spread like wildfire. Rose had not officially taken her position yet.

I looked the starstruck maid directly in the eyes and said, "You saw nothing and you will say nothing."

This maid had likely been on her way to another part of the estate. I had heard her heartbeat down the hall earlier but had decided that she would move on. My attention to Rose was also made it so that I wasn't paying close attention.

I knew that this method was a long shot and hoped she would be afraid enough to not say anything because I was the regent and lord.

I received quite the surprise when she answered with a glazed look, "I saw nothing and I will not say anything."

"Huh?!," I half questioned and half exclaimed.

The maid seemed to be frozen stiff as though waiting for my next order. I circled around her but she still didn't move.

"Are you okay?," I asked, utterly stunned that the maid didn't react.

The maid answered my question in a monotone voice, "Yes, master."

"Hmm, will you do anything that I say or answer any question I ask," I wondered out loud.

To my surprise the maid answered in the same monotone, "Yes, master I will do anything and answer any questions."

I didn't know what to do by this point. I didn't expect to take complete control of a maid simply by staring into her eyes. I also was unaware of how I could release her, but I decided to experiment, "You will remember nothing of this encounter and return to your duties as normal."

I could see that there was a brief moment where the maid paused before turning to leave. I decided that this ability could be very useful in getting information out of Alistair. Though I was still unsure if I could use this ability on a magister and if it would have the same result. There was an opportunity with Alistair. I wouldn't even think of attempting to use this ability on another Magi. Alistair on the other hand didn't have the same mental defenses other Magisters' possessed. That was also one of the reasons that he became an alchemist.

I turned to look at Rose who had watched the entire encounter with appraising eyes.

"I won't tell you not to use these new abilities, but please be mindful of how and when you use them.," I said to Rose as she was leaving.

"I will keep that in mind, Master.," Rose said before leaving.

---

There were several items that I needed to complete today. The first was getting the important information about the dimensional rift for the council. Mostly this had been taken care of by Rose and Renlf. The second was to visit my brother and my fiance. If I remembered correctly then they would be making several snowmen in the courtyard by this point. Sure enough when I went to the courtyard of the estate several clouds had rolled in. When I arrived at the courtyard the two were making snowballs in several sizes and stacking them on top of one another.

As I approached the group I asked, "Is there room here for another set of hands?"

When my little brother Cecil heard my voice he ran over and dove head first into my gut. With my improved strength I didn't feel anything, but I decided to play along and gave an, "Oof!," when he landed.

"I'll take that as a yes.," I said with a light chuckle.

"Always," Cecil replied as I brought him into a hug.

After that bonding moment with my brother. I looked up and saw a beautiful smile from my beautiful fiance. I couldn't help but think, 'I'm such a lucky man!,' when I saw the sight. Next to my fiance Serena stood rows of orderly snowman soldiers as if they were preparing to march to war. Little wooden shields and swords that the soldiers of the estate would practice with had been stuck into the snow at their sides.

"Well it seems that the commander of this snow army is late for his lunch. Would you care to join us, Serena?," I asked in my fiance's direction.

"I do remember a certain young lord promising me a meal and further discussion due to last night's events. So I think that I will take you up on the offer.," Serena said to me coyly.

I hadn't forgotten the promises that I made her. So I brought the group out of the cold and into the warm estate.

After informing one of the servants that we would be taking a meal in the dining room we made our way there. One of the servants brought out a bottle of wine, without incident this time. While the servant was pouring a glass for Serena and I; we discussed what the group was doing today. Suddenly Serena said, "Dante I'm afraid that I must inform you of something our fathers have concocted."

"Oh what is it this time?," I asked with curiosity as I sipped the wine.

It seemed as though my taste towards wine hadn't changed with my transformation. This was something that I was glad about and it seemed as though the taste and the smell had not changed, as they were already strong when I was still human. Even so I would've had Alistair make something given that it was within the range of his abilities, and I didn't want to give up the little pleasures in life.

When Serena said the next sentence I almost spit up the wine in my mouth.

"It seems as though our wedding will take place two days from now.," Serena said with a slight blush.

"Only two days?," I asked after successfully swallowing the wine.

"I understand how you are feeling. I wasn't told until I was already on my way to meet you.," Serena said, still blushing at me.

"Are you okay with this? The wedding is likely to be very small on such short notice.," I asked with concern.

To have a wedding in only two days after engagement was strange in noble society. Usually our weddings were grand events that were celebrated by everyone in the territory. Even with a marriage between our two houses there was likely to be no announcement due to the political implications.

It was a fortunate thing that I came back alive from the border. If I hadn't come back. It was likely that Serena would've had a child groom in my brother with how ferociously our fathers were pushing this marriage. As my gaze shifted to my brother I realized that I wanted him to make his own choice. I didn't want him to be forced to marry and I wanted him to live a happy life.

"Is there any reason why our parents are so rushed?," I asked Serena and then chewed on a small piece of meat to keep appearances. The meat was still to my distaste unfortunately.

"I think that it has something to do with the borders. My father usually doesn't share with me the troubles of our territory. Though he did let on that several of the other noble houses in the area were preparing for war. Since the emperor is needed to name a duke, and hasn't had the time to name one, the nobles are preparing to gain the title by right of conquest.," Serena answered and then continued, "Likely our fathers want us to get married quickly so that our territories can become one entity, and we can better repel invaders."

I took in Serena's words and pondered the implications. The area that contained the dimensional rift stretched from our border to several other territories and was quite vast. This was likely because there were two dimensions that it was attached to. I had been caught in the crossfire when the two opened fully so it was also likely that that was where the two planes met. If my hypothesis was correct then some territories would be assaulted by the creatures of the underworld and some would be from the Abyss. The problem was that we would likely see both sides. If the residents of the two planes were hostile with one another it would save us some trouble. If not, and somehow the two sides united we would be destroyed. My territory didn't have enough manpower to fight such a scenario. If my territory, the Augustus County, united with the Zeakkur County then we might have a fighting chance. With the roads as they were, transportation of troops as well as supplies would be an issue. Not to mention that it was currently winter in the high north. All in all I knew why this marriage was being expedited, though that didn't mean the situation didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. If I was going to be married to Serena I wanted her to have the chance to get to know me. I also wished for my future bride to have the best wedding.

Changing the subject I asked, "Is there any word from your father on the road building proposal?"

"I've sent the fastest rider available with a letter explaining the basics, but I would like to speak with your magister about the specifics.," Serena requested.

"Sure, after this meal I should be able to make that happen.," I said with a satisfied smile.

My brother finished his meal and then was escorted to his lessons while Serena and I headed towards my office to meet with the Prime Magister of Augustus County.