A Fitting Farewell

Along the center of the long wooden table adorned with a cream-colored tablecloth were meat dishes covered in rich sauces along with vegetables roasted and herbed. There was plenty of wine and a few bread assortments around as well. Leonor only found herself having bread and wine while they waited for the others to arrive. 

The feast wasn't extravagant but more than Leonor had seen on a table in years. She wasn't ever particularly starving but she was never quite full either. Most feasts were left for others and, even after debuting into society, her father ignored every invitation for her to socialize. 

Her lack of social skills made it even less reasonable that a Duke would choose her as a wife.

As Leonor contemplated, she saw a maid bow her head towards her in respect.

"Your grace, would you like something more to eat?" a servant asked her, holding a pitcher of wine in case anyone needed more.

"I'll wait for a moment," Leonor said. "The carriage ride unsettled my stomach." 

She felt the Duke's eyes on her and she had to force herself not to crumble.

The new Duchess didn't want to admit that occasionally feeling someone glance in her direction made it impossible to consume anything of substance. The Duke wasn't the only one with his eyes on her. She could feel a few of his men give her curious glances and she felt like she was on trial and being judged harshly.

Leonor felt brief respite when her family entered the doors and joined them for the feast. It wasn't that their presence comforted her, but her attention-seeking sister stole the eyes of everyone in the room. The new Duchess resisted turning her head to see if Duke Desmond also preferred that sort of woman. She knew it would further fracture her image of him if she saw his single eye looking in Anna's direction. 

Seeing that Leonor wasn't feeling all that well, a servant brought her a mild soup and she gratefully ate it with a sweet roll offered to her. She washed it all down with wine and, though she preferred light wine to the dark, she felt it was helping her calm down.

In less than an hour, they were done with the food and it was time to mingle before her family would leave. 

Leonor wished for time to slow down so she wouldn't have to face the evening without her family there. Even though her father wasn't kind to her, the Duke would hold back while he was there. Once Count Mikael left, his grace could do whatever he wanted. 

As Leonor stood in a doorway with the Duke, she folded her hands in front of her, trying to hide the trembling again.

Unexpectedly, the Duke leaned towards his wife but didn't touch her. In a quiet voice, he whispered, "I need to speak to my men. Please take your time saying goodbye to your family." 

Leonor met his eye and gave him a nervous smile. Her eyebrows raised in curiosity as he lingered but quickly turned away as if denying having any sort of thoughts. 

"There is no appropriate way to say goodbye to my wife's family," the Duke expressed. "Be well until we can see you again, my lord." 

"Just as there are no appropriate words to address my thankfulness for choosing my daughter," the Count responded. 

Their interaction was punctuated by a firm handshake. 

Anna stepped towards the Duke and curtsied, sure to show more of her chest than appropriate. Then she offered her hand but the Duke walked away after acknowledging her curtsy. 

Leonor's blue eyes followed the Duke, shocked that he would slight Anna. It was amusing that her sister couldn't say anything to someone with a higher status than their father. The peeved expression Anna wore only further solidified her irritation. 

Count Mikael turned to his eldest daughter and stepped towards her. He reached out a hand, causing her to flinch. When his hand met her shoulder, she was almost shocked it didn't come with any pain. 

"Don't disappoint me, daughter," the Count warned. "I don't know how much more you're willing to lose because of your unwillingness to fall in line." 

"Of course, father," Leonor uttered in response. 

The Count took his hand back and started towards the front door. 

The two sisters only glanced at one another before Anna shrugged and hurried after her father. 

And that was the last time she would see her family for an unknown time. 

For a moment, Leonor stood in limbo, wondering if she was leaving her last chance of comfort or if she was going forward to something better. Based on the day, it was impossible to tell what the future held for her. 

A maid politely interrupted Leonor's train of thought and guided her to one of the upper rooms in the mansion. It was the largest one in the entire house.

Leonor was happy to find a warm room waiting for her. It was finely decorated with golds and reds throughout. A tall four-poster bed carved from dark wood stood at the center of one of the walls and thick, red velvet curtains were drawn, hiding the storm from those inside. 

A few maids were already there, eager to help the new Duchess get into clothing for her wedding night. Even though she grew up with a maid, more than one felt excessive. Outside of Francia, the maids who worked for her father were untrustworthy. 

The Duke's maids removed her dress and bathed her in a large brass tub full of steaming water and rose petals. It smelled overly floral for Leonor but she considered that the Duke might like the smell of roses. 

The later it became, the more Leonor's nerves grew. When she was finally left to herself with a soft blue nightgown and a silk robe that hardly offered any warmth, she was shivering again. 

Leonor realized her few belongings had been brought in and she scrambled to find her mother's jewelry box. When the ornately carved wooden box was in her grasp, she opened it slowly as if she could damage the items inside. In another velvet pouch, she found the locket she had neglected all day. 

After settling back down in a soft chair by the room's large fireplace, she clasped the gold chain around her neck and held the locket in her hand. Slowly her palm became brighter as her light blue mana escaped and seeped into the locket. 

With her magic came tears as well. 

It was time to be honest with herself. Since no one else was there, she could finally think clearly without pressure.

Leonor wasn't so shallow to judge someone based entirely on their appearance. Up to that moment, he hadn't raised a hand to her. She couldn't confirm or deny whether or not he was as cruel as so many said.

The true reason for her resistance was because of someone else entirely.

Six years before, someone stole her young heart and made it impossible to love another. He promised her himself before her father sent him to war.