The Duchess' Enchantment

Chapter 8

"You may enter, " Lord Branstein spoke, his powerful voice echoing through the vast room.

He sat in front of the mahogany desk, carefully poring over several sheets of paper, scowling.

Annalise timidly entered, taking in the scene. The room was furnished with emerald and gold wallpaper. Gold and amethyst coloured velvet armchairs with exotic red and silver persian rugs underneath them. Everything in the room was so outrageously ostentatious that it hurt her eyes to look at them.

"You summoned me?" Annalise asked, hoping she didn't sound too nervous.

His eyes flicked with annoyance, which showed on his displeased face.

"You summoned me your grace, is how you address me, you insolent girl," he snapped.

However, Annalise was unfazed as she replied sweetly, "The title of your grace is bestowed upon Dukes and Duchesses, not regents my dear Oncle. You should know your place."

He scowled at her, while she smiled back sweetly, as she reminded him of his place. However much they disliked each other and however much incompetant and ill equipped he was to run a Duchy, he was placed as her guardian, to rule until her marriage, when a male could take over her Duchy. The stupid law prohibited females from ruling in their own right, purely due to their gender and position as inferior to men in society. The law ensured that only males would be able to rule in their own right, or in case of marrying, to rule their wife's land and subjects.

He continued scowling at her. She needed to rile him to get more information as he would never willingly share the more important parts of whatever he had planned.

"You'd do better to curb that sharp tongue of yours," he voiced, "For it will not do well to behave so dastardly in front of important guests."

"I will behave however I like oncle," Annalise retorted, fixing her feline gaze upon him to make him flinch with the intensity she projected.

However, his discomfort only lasted momentarily for staring right back saying, " Your incompetant parents raised you too leniently. If you talked back like that I would be sure to punish you, and I assure you, you would not like it."

Annalise held his gaze. "What is it you have summoned me for dear Oncle? It is unlike you to command my presence."

He eventually forfeited, returning to arrange the pieces of paper from his desk and replying, " It is the start of the season, as you are well aware. The King requested to visit the duchy and see how prosperous it is."

"Ahh the King. So are you to turn into one of his and his brother's mindless puppets now? I never expected that of you." Annalise said, smirking.

Lord Branstein flared, "You-"

"Forgive me, Your Grace," she said mocking him by exaggerating a curtsey, "I have never seen the king give any interest to you. It is usually my father or me, whom he listens to." Annalise pursed her lips for a moment before continuing, "But then again you are not the presiding Duke, nor do you have any power over the duchy. You are merely a figurehead. An empty title that no one recognises"

"Watch your tongue! I will be glad when the prince is done with you." He added distastefully.

Annalise's smile froze. "The Prince!? What does he have to do with anything?"

At this Lord Branstein's smile grew. "The prince is attending the ball alongside his brother, the king. It is also where the nobles will be presenting their unmarried daughters and sons to be introduced to society."

Interesting development. Annalise thought. The first ball of the matchmaking season is usually at the palace, where the royal family resides. She wondered why it had changed.

Lord Branstein noticed Annalise's silence. He had only meant to reveal that they would have guests for trading opportunities and the ball that would be held in honour of them, however untrue that was. He had not meant to reveal the royal family's visit or the beginning of the season. She most certainly would not behave if she learnt that they were not attending because of business, but rather to arrange marriage to her.

"Well then, I am sure the prince and king would enjoy some brain stimulating conversation for once." Annalise muttered, not pleased with their visit.

"What was that, you insolent girl?"

"I said" Annalise emphasised, "That the royal family might enjoy a brain stimulating conversation for once, considering the two brothers are so useless in holding any conversation concerning trade, business or well, anything!"

"Don't speak as if you're smart enough to have an opinion, girl! Your job in society is to produce heirs, not deal with finance or the runnings of a country! Don't behave as if you possess any intelligence for that!" He yelled, his rage evident over his face.

"And I suppose that is why you have asked me here? To be demure, polite and simper my way into the prince's heart so you could benefit?"

"YE-- what!? Where did you get that idea?"

Annalise pushed her lips together firmly to refrain from laughing at Lord Branstein's expression of utter shock and panic.

"Why dear oncle, I would have thought you'd expect that of me. Well it seems I am wrong" She replied merrily. Oh taunting him was entertaining.
"Well if that is all, I must be going. Surely I wouldn't want to put your precious time to waste."

Annalise turned to leave the room, her shoulders shaking from the expression on Lord Branstein's face. She knew she would come back here soon, privately, to learn of the papers' contents, which might lead her to further conclusions of her oncle's plan.

"You have not been dismissed!" Lord Branstein yelled.

Annalise turned, facing her uncle and spoke rather camly, for someone who was just shaking with laughter. "I wasn't aware that I would be needing to be dismissed by someone of a lower rank, your lordship. I am sure you could benefit from reducing your delusions of your rank and importance."

Lord Branstein was fuming. How dare his ungrateful niece speak that way to him! him, who she belongs to! He would find a way to punish her indeed, but she was clever, more than he could give her credit for of course. Women and clever simply did not go together. So rather he believed her to be foolish, for exerting her intelligence onto men. For what use does a man have for a clever wife?

Annalise didn't bother to curtsey as a woman would normally be expected to submit, as she confidently strolled out of his room, leaving him furious in his wake.