The Duchesses

Chapter 16 : A Monarchy Date with Duchess Valimos

Marquess Hector arrives at the Valimos manor, possibly to visit Medea since she will be spending the evening with Princess Isis. He enters the estate through the front door, alerting the servants to his presence. As soon as he steps out of the carriage, the butler serves him.

"Welcome to the Valimos, my Lord," the butler greets him as he walks into the manor.

The manor is spacious, with few furnishings. Hera is speaking the truth when she says the Duchess sold everything in the estate. Because he only enters the Duchess' room through the window, he never notices the central area. Nevertheless, the house appears polished, clean, and quiet. Just how Medea likes it.

"Would you wait for Her Grace here, my Lord?" one of the servants asks the Marquess when he is in deep thought.

"No, I'll come to Her Grace instead," he dismisses her before taking a walk to the training area.

When he arrives, the Duchess is still practising her swordsmanship. She hasn't held a sword in a long time and needs to swing it to blow off some steam. Medea last held it during the hunting competition. Regrettably, since the assassination occurred so quickly, she could not catch anything. Technically, Medea almost captures it, then blacks out as she prepares to hunt the animal, only to discover Hera had switched her body with hers.

The rest of the plot is already known.

Medea is dressed in her usual swordsmanship attire, which she also uses to teach the Duchess of Light. Making it that way is simple, and she won't have to worry about what to wear. Thus, she ordered several of the same outfits for her practice.

Medea's face is drenched in sweat, quickly moving down her jaw and neck. Hector is always mesmerised by her beautiful form as she swings her sword at the dummy. The Duchess has run herself into exhaustion and is holding tightly to her blades. Keira, the Duchess's favourite maid, comes over to wipe away her sweat.

"Thank you," the Duchess said while gently taking Keira's handkerchief, wiping away sweat to cool her body.

The Marquess sits and waits for the Duchess. Duchess Medea shifts her gaze to her right, where she sees a loyal figure sitting on the bench, constantly by her side. She smiles at the Marquess and motions for him to come closer. The Marquess nods and moves his feet towards Duchess Valimos.

"What brings you here, Hector?" the Duchess question as she returns Keira's handkerchief.

"I'm just paying you a visit before you meet with Princess Isis," Marquess Hector explained as Medea raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, everything is fine," the Duchess replies monotonously.

To be honest, the Marquess worries that the Duchess will be chosen as Princess Isis's bride. Medea will most likely consider this as being Empress of another Empire will make her ascension to the throne much easier. She does not need to join forces with anyone else to fight Ares for the throne. Despite having fewer armies, lands, and worth than the Angelos Empire, the Crassore Empire is still a force to be reckoned with.

With their magicians, the Crassore Empire made up for all their shortcomings against the Angelos Empire. The magicians will always be their front line in battle, healing the wounded, erecting a barrier against the enemies, and, most importantly, increasing the number of attacks with their magical spells. If Medea becomes Empress with Princess Isis, the Crassore's territory will expand faster than anyone expected.

"It isn't impossible for Lady Medea to accept it, right?" Hector's mind constantly thinks about it.

Many people would have assumed that when the Angelos Empire was still at war, the strategies used to attack and defend the territories came from former Duke Valimos. It turns out that Medea has been consulting with him all along. Only the former Duke and Duchess Valimos and Marquess Hector know this. The Emperor lavished praise on her father, but the jerk never mentioned his daughter's contribution to the war. Also, he was committing multiple crimes at the time.