The Duchesses

Chapter 8 : The Deal

A few weeks later, the Angelos Empire appears to be at peace. The sky was bluer than it had been, and the woods were greener than before. Children are running through the streets, and the vendors are doing well. The situation is different for the nobles. The Duchess Smith trial has put some of them on edge. They were hoping to crush Smith's arrogance. As a result, they were confident the Duchess of Light would be executed for the attempted assassination. As the tables turn, they have no choice but to beg Natalie's forgiveness. It is not like something they have not ever done before as a traitor anyway.

The Duchess of Light is well aware of who has betrayed the real Natalie in the past. Except for Lord Apollo, no one has ever been there for her. From the beginning to the end, he was always by her side. She also recalls Lord Apollo's execution for plotting to murder Countess Nicoli and Duchess Valimos. Rather than attempting to save himself, he defended Duchess Smith by accepting full responsibility for all of her crimes. That is the extent of Lord Apollo's devotion to the House of Smith. It also serves as a reminder to Natalie to always keep Apollo by her side.

The wind gently blows through Natalie's hair, making the radiant golden's hair flow like a wave. She inhales the fresh air, knowing that taking a break from the trial is necessary. Natalie would be gone right now if it weren't for the assistance of Countess Nicoli and Duchess Valimos. This will result in two outcomes: she will return as Aurora or be done for good. First, Aurora hopes to discover why she is reincarnated as Duchess Smith. Even when she was Aurora, life was a joke for her. The Duchess sighed deeply as she reached for the sword.

"I have not been hard on you for the training, Your Grace," Medea says as Natalie turns her head to find Medea dressed in her training garb.

It's a casual look, but Medea pulls it off effortlessly. She wears black pants and a plain white shirt with a purple ribbon on the collar to represent Valimos' House. On the other hand, Natalie is drawn to the small towel wrapped around the Duchess' neck. Her sweats are visible from her brow, and she looks refreshingly sexy. Natalie smacks her head as usual for even thinking about her instructor. The Duchess raised her eyebrows, perplexed by the reaction of the other Duchess.

"I'm just enjoying my thinking as a form of exercise. But I believe you are being too harsh on me," Natalie laughed lightly.

They both continue to spar for a while, and Natalie is exhausted. Medea does not seem tired enough but still fixes Natalie's posture and skills. The Duchess of Light almost regrets her proposal with Duchess Valimos as she thought she had made no progress in swordsmanship. She is afraid Medea will be fed up and stop teaching her. However, she does not know that Medea is impressed by her swordsmanship skills advance in a short amount of time. Natalie is indeed a fast learner. However, she does not know about it, as Medea is beyond her league, which frustrates her so much.

"I know she is skilled, but if I was in a fight with her. I would be dead in one move by her," Aurora sighs at this thought, but it doesn't stop her from continuing to swordsmanship.

As both stop training, Duchess Smith invites Duchess Valimos for a cup of tea. At first, Medea declines the offer politely, claiming she must make haste on something. Then, she changes her mind at the last minute as she remembers something important. Hera mentioned that Natalie knew they could change their body at the hunting competition. Furthermore, Natalie also helps 'Countess Hera' on killing the assassins unexpectedly. It is dangerous when such information gets into someone's hands, like the Duchess of Light.

"Duchess Medea?" Duchess Smith calls her, but the woman is deep in her thought.

Medea had been on her mind for so long that she had forgotten Natalie had been calling her. Finally, they arrived at the location and drank some tea. Natalie initiated some small talk, and their conversation was occasionally interrupted by a peaceful silence. That is until Duchess Valimos decided to address the elephant in the room when Natalie thanked her on the trial day.