The Duchess' Enchantment

Chapter 11

I'm back !!!

Sorry for the late update, I've been out of ideas lately. I had wrote this chapter a while back, although never got around to posting it. I feel like the new character your about to meet is very... dark..which is sort of an understatement. I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this  chapter or not and so I thought for a bit and did it anyway. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!

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The young prince had been rather moody of lately. Perhaps it was his growing restlessness of seeing his beloved again and claiming her for himself or perhaps it was his growing frustration with his stupid brother and unfortunately monarch finding some reasons to delay their visit. Perhaps it was his intended's rather moronic caretaker and uncle, who still was arranging the details of their nuptials or perhaps it was that the said caretaker was incredibly incompetant, that no one predicted that he would keep his title- which was handed to him by chance, not by deserving- especially as he proved his incompetency through his ailing Duchy's affairs. Frankly even the lady of the Duchy - the uncle's niece was more capable than her inept caretaker at handling the affairs and she was a woman! A woman! The prince felt embarrassed on his intended's behalf, being stuck with such a blundering and ridiculous man for a guardian. A guardian! He had decided that the lady of Goslar- soon to be his wife, needed rescuing from her 'guardian' and she, like all women, would swoon over his heroic tendencies and praise his name to others. She is a damsel in distress, he mused. But coming to the matter at hand, he would ensure that once they were wedded, she would not need to deal with any affairs of the Duchy- that work must be incredibly tiring and difficult for a woman. No, he would ensure that she would be performing the necessary roles of a woman of her station- hosting parties and guests and providing him joy with more heirs than he could count.

It had been quite some time since he had last seen her, witnessed her captivating exotic beauty. No, she was not a conventional woman, nor was she a conventional Sallerian citizen. Annalise's family were quite known to have love marriages, and were known to travel quite often. He supposed that that's where she got her unique looks from. No, If one looked at her they would not be able to tell which kingdom or nation she belonged to, simply because her background was of a diverse range, spanning several generations, although they were based mainly in Goslar, the family's Duchy, which had been in their care for generations. He supposed that that's how they became such a hub of trade, for every ship that sailed by their side of the continent always stopped over at Goslar to trade. But the current Duke, a bastard born, had ill-managed his duchy's resources and finances, so that everyone could see that Goslar was declining. Anyone could see that trading with Goslar would not offer them any benefits, purely because of their ill-advised and moronic Lord Branstein, who could not even manage his own reputation. It was well-known that his wife had come from a declining family, and that marrying a bastard born noble would be the only way to save her family from ruin. It was also well-known that if it hadn't been for the late Duke, Annalise's father, that Lord Branstein would have been thrown out to the streets, as Branstein wasn't even a close relative of the Goslar family. No, their closest common ancestor lived 6 generations ago. Then, there was the fact that Branstein's wife had had an affair that resulted in her pregnancy that never completed and her death. Ivon had a sneaking suspicion that Branstein had had something to do with that. That man was easily the jealous sort. No, he also had a suspicion that the late Duke's, his wife's and young son's demise were not accidents but planned out events. Only Annalise survived while her parents and brother died.

But enough dwelling. He was ready to claim a prize. He was ready to claim a bride. Annalise would be rescued from her inept oncle's clutches. The duchy would be brought back to its former glory and improved, bettered by him. And he'd have many heirs that would roam around their palace, while he ruled in all his glory. He wondered if he should rule all of Salleria, instead of just one duchy. Because he could rule the duchy, although his title as a prince would require him to conduct princely affairs, as such, most people would expect him and his bride to be consumed with the duties of royal family members. That's certainly what her inept oncle would expect, so he could continue ruling Goslar in his niece's stead.

He did agree with one thing though; That women were not made to think,rule; They were made to obey, submit. And that is exactly how his wife should be, once he relieved her of the burden of making decisions and running a duchy. He could only imagine how traumatising it would be for her, as a woman, who was not designed to do the work men do. It was an abomination.

Currently, he was lounging on one of the chairs overlooking the royal garden, exclusive only to those with immediate royal blood, sipping black tea, while he awaited for a special someone. In the meanwhile he was entertaining himself with thoughts of his future with his wife, and looking forward to living together. Of course, he knew that the said woman disliked him greatly, but liking someone wasn't usually considered a great deal in marriage. Marriage among the upper classes were used to forge political and strategic alliances, one which did not require a couple to like each other. Of course, the fact that he had a crown on his head did not hurt either. No woman would be stupid enough to decline the hand of a member of the royal family.

He would leave soon. At least he'd wanted to. The sad truth was that his dim-wit of a brother needed and trusted him far too much than he ought to. There were even whispers of The Sallerian King's incompetence and talk of rebellion. That would never happen on Ivon's watch and he knew that. He knew there was rising unrest among the peasants and poverty, disease, all the things he did not care to know about. Peasants were made to serve the nobles and that was that.

The Prince looked over at the view he was observing. A young maid, yes that was it, she did have a good, shapely figure. He suddenly felt very enamoured by a desire. It had been a few days since he had last done this and he was aching for more.

"You-maid," He called. "Come here."

The serving girl was so startled that she nearly dropped the plate of breakfast that she was carrying. She hesitated, but the prince sensed it and immediately told her to hurry up. She had found her voice and declared.

"Highness," She said respectfully, bowing her head.

When he asked why she was so hesitating, she hesitated before replying, "This is her Majesty's breakfast. I must hurry to deliver it to her before she awakes.

The maid prayed that the prince would leave her alone after her reply, for it was a valid excuse to deny his company. Not that she would have a choice as a maid for the company she kept. But the prince's eyes suddenly became more animalistic, and she now understood the game he was playing at. No, her face became visibly pale and her posture rigid. The other females talked about his thirst, his hunger. They said that their experience with him was painful and that he never chose the same maid twice. She did not want to end up as his next.

She ducked her head and hurried to deliver the food that the queen requested, and surprisingly, the prince allowed it. But she had not known that she had awoken the beast- one which would make her pay the price. She had not noticed the growing hunger in his eyes.

End of Chapter

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What do we think? And how will he fit into this story? Be ready for a major villan!