'By the way, Milly was here'

Amelia tilted her head to the side trying to internalize what Alexander meant with his statement, but he had his head down. He squeezed her hand a little, released it, and then squeezed it again.

"Wha-what are you talking about?" Amelia slightly croaked. "What do you mean?" she asked again but the duke wasn't hearing her. She leaned towards him to hear his answer, and when she tried to pull her hand, the duke only tightened his. "Alexander, tell me," her voice was pleading now.

The man in front of her just told him that he was there seven years ago, on her birthday with her father carrying her.

He knew her all along.

He knew how she looked. He was at her party, and clearly, he was probably there when the incident happened.

Finally, Amelia thought, someone who knew. Someone she could ask about what happened that night that even her advisor refused to tell her because he said it was all too painful for him.

All these years.

All these damn years that Amelia was kept in the shadows! Finally... There's someone who can shed some light and make her hope again.

Amelia's throat suddenly felt dry. She didn't know why, but her hands wouldn't stop trembling. Her guts rumbled and she tried hard to settle herself while Alexander remained with his head down.

"Look at me," she said in a whisper. Her hands cupped his face as she raised his head.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more, Cice." The duke forced a small smile and Amelia stared at his eyes.

From the moment she saw him at the Gathering, his eyes instantly drew her to him. She felt then as if there was a force sucking her into his space and she stared long at him.

Those bright golden-brown eyes, how could she forget such beautiful eyes looking back at her with cold hands and disheveled hair dripping with water from the rain that passed? He's—it suddenly struck Amelia.

"The boy in the cabin…" her voice was almost a whisper, "It's you," she said, and Alexander's eyes widened.

He let out a short chuckle. His smile appeared and disappeared from his face, and his hands started to shake as well.

The duke swallowed and dampened his lips. He took Amelia's hand again and lightly squeezed it before pulling her towards him for another embrace, but he sat by the window stupefied when the duchess, herself, pushed him away.

They both faced each other not saying anything until Amelia closed her eyes and pulled back her head. After a few deep breaths, she stood up and went towards her bed. Sitting by the edge of it, she laid back, her left hand on her stomach and the other over her head. She wanted to get rid of her dress, but the revelation would keep her awake until the next sunrise waves its hands.

"The door's open if you want to leave. Thank you for coming," she plainly said. She heard Alexander mutter something, but it didn't register in her mind.

Breathing fast at first, Amelia slowly controlled herself.

'The boy in the cabin,' she repeatedly said in her head. Rather than feel bad or sad about what just happened, she chuckled instead, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

She found it funny how she didn't know sooner.

How no one said anything sooner.

Bright golden-brown eyes were a dead giveaway. She should've known. Leti also asked her if she remembered something about seven years ago and she found it odd that she'd ask such. Vance also asked her. Elias also did.

Then there's Alexander.

Why would someone like Duke Alexander Clement take her as bride and not want any of what she could offer? Now she knew why. It's because he felt sorry that he wasn't able to do anything for her then.

He felt sorry that her family died.

He felt sorry that she was orphaned.

He was sorry that he wasn't able to help.

Pity.

That's what Amelia thought Alexander felt for her. And to redeem himself, he just needed to marry her and protect what he wasn't able to protect before.

Like a lost… thing.

The duchess inhaled deeply and held her breath before she let it out slowly.

How could she have not known about it? How could she not suspect a thing? How could the people around her not tell her anything?

Looking at the entrance to the next room, Amelia knew that she didn't hear the door open. She knew that the duke was still there, waiting, contemplating. But knowing the identity of the boy in the cabin doesn't change anything.

The identities of the mind behind the incident remained unknown. Her duchy still needed enough financial help to keep her people from starving, and the research and other projects running.

She needs Alexander. She needs his name and wealth and everything in between to get the one thing she wants the most—revenge. Now that she's certain Alexander is not marrying her for love, she'll take whatever there is left to her advantage.

Amelia closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths before she sat up and walked towards the adjoining room.

From the entrance, she saw Alexander's back towards her, with his head low and his elbows resting on his knees. He was tapping his foot rather fast, then he lifted his head and leaned back on the couch. Sighing deeply, he ran his palm across his face and whispered a curse.

"Duke Clement? " Amelia called and he was quick on his feet to stand up. "Lex…"

"Yes?" His hands were all over him; his hips, at the back, crossed, at his side, until he felt comfortable.

"I want our engagement to be made public," she said with a straight face and Alexander's eyes widened.

"Bu-but I haven't gotten the emperor's blessing yet."

"We'll force it out of him. I have a meeting with my council by the end of next week, and in the days between I want you to redouble the help you're already giving to Osmea. My people are happy about the increase of tourists that are coming, as well as the guilds that have started to take root in my duchy. I've only heard great outcomes so far, so I don't think it will be such a problem. They'd want to continue with how things currently are."

"And your council?"

"Only a few of them I can trust. And I don't need the opinions of others who don't see me fit to rule."

Alexander stared at her silently and Amelia started to rock from her stand. Did she come up too strong? Was she making unbelievable demands?

"And what if they asked you what made you decide to marry me?"

There was a short pause before Amelia answered, "We'll say that you were the one to keep me safe during the fire. I know how my people care and cherish me. They will feel thankful to you."

"But saving you doesn't hold a lot of grounds as to why the marriage needed to happen."

Amelia was suddenly backed to the wall. Alexander was right. She needed solid reasons as to why she's going to marry the duke.

"Let's just say… it was fate."

"Fate?" Alexander repeated and it sounded a lot more ridiculous than saying they were in love. After all, love wasn't needed for rulers like them.

"You know, fated to be with each other. Separated by seven—eight—years because of the incident and I lost my memory. But now that I know who you are, I've come to realize that I… uhm… I want to be with you." Amelia felt a shiver run up her spine.

Did she just say that? That romance novel kind of nonsense?

"And you want to be with me?" Alexander repeated.

"We want what's beneficial to us. We agreed on that a few months ago," she said with a heavy heart. But if Alexander's going to use her to fulfill some kind of hole in his manly ego because he failed to do much for her before, then she's going to go all out and make use of him too.

**********

Biting on his thumb, Alexander paced back and forth inside the advisor's office where he was asked to wait.

It was only an hour after dawn, but he couldn't just stay in his room any longer. Amelia just asked him the most brazen, sort of ridiculous, but could be a highly effective plan. And he's not wasting any time to tell it to Vance. The duchess seemed so sure about it that she might suddenly decide to announce it herself.

He must tell Vance immediately. Especially with the advisor's impending absence from her side soon.

"What's so important at this time of the day?" Alexander jolted and walked fast toward the advisor as soon as he closed the door behind him.

"Amelia wants to announce our engagement!" Alexander said between gritted teeth, and the advisor narrowed his eyes toward the anxious duke.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Vance calmly answered, opening a button on his shirt before he sat down behind his table. He pointed to the chair nearby and told the duke to sit down.

"It is, but she's being slightly irrational with her plan. She's decided to tell everyone at the coming council meeting next week!"

"Why do you say slightly?" Alexander stopped and paused for a second or two then he proceeded to tell him what had transpired between him and the duchess.

"You told her that you were there?" Vance repeated himself.

"I was… caught in the moment, so when she asked, I told her the truth—matter-of-factly, she was the one who told me. She cut me off before I could tell her anything."

"She remembered?" the advisor's eyes widened.

"A part of it, I suppose. Then she told me to get out of her room, but she came after me a few minutes after with her oh-so-big idea."

Vance leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he asked Alexander to take a seat and give him a minute or two to internalize things.

The duke did as he was told and sat, waiting for the advisor to make his decision. He looked around the office and saw only portraits of Amelia's family and then the duchess herself when she was younger. On the advisor's table, there was a framed painting of a young boy with what seemed to be a younger female sibling. Alexander saw it when he was by himself earlier.

The boy looked like Vance—though the eyes were softer than the ones that stared at him. And judging by their age, the younger one would be his sister, Amelia's grandmother. She doesn't have silver hair like the duchess.

"Amelia's schedule is packed today," the advisor sounded, looking at the ceiling. "She's coming down to the palace chapel later to sign some documents as the official duchess of Osmea. It should've been ceremonial, but she already did one a few years back; so, now she just needs a couple of witnesses. Then in the afternoon, she will have to sit through a portrait to commemorate her legal stature as Duchess. It will bore her to death and would want nothing more after." He muttered to himself.

"So, there's no way you're having the chance to talk to her?"

"How did she seem when you left?"

"I don't know. Ecstatic about her idea?"

Vance threw his head back dramatically, "That's not usually a good sign," he said.

Alexander shrugged his shoulders as an answer. What was he to say? He only came to tell the advisor about what Amelia told him and that she remembered him. He thought that when the time came, it would be emotional. But he was clearly way over his head.

When he saw Amelia shed a tear at the bonfire, he was moved. He learned before that she was not one to cry no matter what—something about her tears being locked up after the incident. He didn't understand that either. But when she suddenly cried in front of him, he almost didn't want to let her go.

If he could, he wanted to embrace her until she falls asleep. But, alas, she had other plans in mind.

Alexander let out a sigh himself. There was so much more he wanted to talk to Amelia, after all, they haven't seen each other in a long time, and based on the letter they'd been exchanging, it seemed like she wanted to see him too.

"By the way, Milly was here," Vance leaned on his table, his hands clasped on top of it.

"Who?"

"Milly. Millicent Rouwe—you know, Vernon's informant." The advisor answered with emphasis on the word, informant.

Alexander let out a chuckle. He didn't know the advisor could squeeze in a laugh in his conversation. And to call that woman 'Milly'? Even he couldn't mutter it himself.

"Don't tell me you've been enticed by this Milly lady to be so familiar with her."

"That's what Vernon calls her, so I just followed him."

"You've met with her again?"

"Of course," it was a no-brainer explanation, matter-of-factly, but Alexander wanted the conversation to be longer so he wouldn't be by himself. Because if he did, he'd only think about last night with the duchess. "If she's going to get close to Walton, then she should know everything about him. We needed to get her ready. Walton is a sly bastard."

Alexander bobbed his head. The last time he heard about the lady's little mission was from his sister before she left to sail out.

"She works fast," Alexander mentioned. "It hasn't even been that long since."

"Because she's that good," a smirk emerged from the advisor's face and Alexander shook his head in disbelief. Vance wasn't the type of person to be easily amazed by someone. He must meet Lady Rouwe and see for himself what the fuss was about.

After his rendezvous to the old advisor's office, Alexander came down to the duchess' private dining hall for some breakfast. The duke declined but Vance told him that if Amelia's planning what he said she was, then he better show up and start making good connections with the staff.

"You start from the bottom and work your way up," the advisor said.

At the hall, Christa's eyes widened, and she almost dropped her fork when she saw the duke following the old advisor. Amelia wasn't there, which was a disappointment, but he somewhat understood.

"G-g-good day to you, Duke Clement," Christa stuttered, and Laila let out a giggle. She then stood from her seat and bowed her head as a greeting. Arabella wasn't there, and Alexander thought that maybe she was with Amelia.

"I'd rather be called Alexander. Duke Clement sounded like my father," he kidded, and Christa blushed.

In the middle of their meal, Vance asked if Amelia had other plans for the morning since she didn't come down and Laila answered that she'd have a meal after since she was afraid that her dress might not fit her since it was a little tight.

"She's been traveling a lot lately, so she hasn't been at the training grounds much. That would explain some extra weight." Vance said while cutting a piece of meat before stabbing it with a fork in his mouth.

"Would you mind if the duchess gained some weight, Duke—uhm… Alexan—Duke Alexander?" Laila started confident but struggled to address the duke.

Alexander smiled, "No, I wouldn't mind," was his swift answer. "Having a little more meat than others doesn't harm anybody. It just proves that she's eating well, and the cook's good. Ain't that right, Vance?" The two ladies-in-waiting hid their smiles and just bobbed their heads in response. Vance approved of his answer and so Alexander forked his share of meat after pouring a certain amount of sauce on it.

Halfway through their meal, the dining hall door opened, and everybody's eyes fell on the lady assassin.

"Lia?" Vance asked.

"She's in her room, all dressed up and just waiting." Arabella eyed Alexander as she walked behind Christa to get into her seat. "And we have a guest so early." She said as if they both didn't arrive at the same time yesterday.

"Good day, Lady Arabella," Alexander sounded sarcastic, emphasizing the word 'Lady'.

Arabella flashed a forced smile and made a face. She didn't receive the duke's greeting and not knowing how the lady assassin tended to be with the duke, Christa pestered her to say something back, and when the lady assassin didn't, the new lady-in-waiting apologized on her behalf.

"It's all right, Lady Christa. Arabella and I are… friends, right?" the lady assassin only glared at him for a second before proceeding to eat her breakfast.