ᴡᴍᴍᴀᴘ: ℌ𝔢𝔯 𝔊𝔬𝔩𝔡𝔢𝔫 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔰

Raison d'être, the Sovereign : III

"Take this prisoner to the dungeons that you're moving her too, seal it up tightly- don't let any other person down there with her alone, unless it's logged. Let all the guards be outside all possible entryways and exit holes, including the main entrance. Nothing in or out, unless her highness agrees to it first."

He sweeps those golden eyes past Jennette's face and gestured for a guard to come closer to him. "Make sure you put tight restraints on her, do you understand me?" His calm voice was hardly threatening but the meaning was clear, and everyone wanted their beloved princess to be safe from the traitor.

"Of course, Duke Alpheus," the guard bowed low to Athanasia, "Your imperial highness." She acknowledged him with a wave of her hand and a small wavering smile on her pale face that they misinterpreted as fear and they rushed to remove Jennette from her presence. 

She lowered her hand when Duke Alpheus asked, "Your highness, are you alright? Should I call for Duke Robain to escort you to his majesty?"

She looked at him, really  looked at him. The silky silver hair, soft to the touch, the golden eyes with slight wrinkles around the edges. If only they had come from smiling too much, poor Duke he never really did smile in life. 

The way he stood, held power at his lips- but sunk down from his considerable height before her easily, with just a touch of her little pinky. Ijekiel really did look like his father. Their house has good genes didn't they?

She wanted to giggle, but the atmosphere wasn't exactly right for that, and so she smiled at him instead. The pale pink gloss upon her lips shimmering in the light. "Duke Alpheus-" 

Something in her tone made his legs wobble from the strength behind it, and in the next second he's facing the ground, one knee on the ground, his hand hung over it, and one hand upon his heart. "Yes, your imperial highness, Princess Athanasia?"

Unknowingly, his heartbeat stumbles before picking up the pace, and he wonders if his heart would leap right out of his chest and into her hand, just waiting for her to crush it with her mana. 

He trembles as he feels the heat of her palm moving closer over his head, and sucks in a breath when it finally lands upon his hair. "You did very well just then, Duke Alpheus..." Her voice tickled his ears and his heart missed a beat. "Thank you for protecting me."

He could hear her smile in her words as she asks, "Have you anything in mind?" He could only hope in his wildest dreams that she would proposition something as a reward for doing something that was expected of him as a vassal. 

He hesitates, and she pushes him for an answer, "Well, Duke?" Her fingers twirling a lock of silver hair between them before she taps his forehead. 

He says it in a rush, not waiting for his mind to catch up with his mouth. "I'd like to ask for honorary knighthood, your imperial highness." She could see his eyes dart away from the floor with that momentary request, and she doesn't hate that he was falling over himself, not in the slightest.

People that were useful to her, and were powerful on their own but helpless in front of her- well..she enjoyed the power trip. "Duke Alpheus- that's quite a request to make.." she hummed softly as she watched his discomfort grow, before settling it down with her following words.

"I think you did extremely well today, standing between me and Jennette, and even saying you didn't know her to push the final nail in.. I think you were the perfect companion today.. just like ...a knight." 

Her dignified smile graced him, as she pushed his hair away from his forehead. Her hand hovered in front of him, and he carefully, oh so carefully takes it in his, and brushes a kiss to the back of her hand. A pledge.