Desmond and Stephano’s conversation took a much less serious turn as they drank and decided that more serious talks could be put off until more advisors were nearby. It would be irresponsible for the King to heed only the word of one duke when there were plenty of duchies, counties, and outskirts regions to consider when making decisions regarding battle.
However, after Desmond admitted he wasn’t fond of the capital, a whole new topic of conversation opened. The more Stephano drank, the more irritable he beca.
King Stephano knew that people were unfair towards the duke. While he lived in his palace for months to heal, Stephano punished staff who rely looked at Desmond the wrong way.
By the ti Desmond left the palace, almost all of the staff had changed because Stephano refused to employ people who cared so much about soone’s external appearance despite what he had done for their kingdom.
This precedent was passed along and, even if servants found Desmond’s sight unpalatable, they wouldn’t reveal anything through their expression. No one would even ntion how they truly felt for others in case the King caught wind of it.
After all, for commoners, working for the Royal Family was the most profitable job. Even if they were called servants and maids, they had lavish lives compared to other commoners. If Stephano ever fired staff, the place would soon be filled.
Even further than that, only the maids he trusted the most were allowed in his bed chambers and guest rooms. He refused for his paranoia to worsen. Only those who proved to keep Royal Family secrets and work with their head down and obediently could remain near him.
He couldn’t have people knowing how he truly was.
Stephano sat up straighter when Desmond reminded him that he despised Coeurvalle and his pale red eyebrows lowered.
"Who looked at you the wrong way?" he asked. "I swear to punish whoever made your ti here miserable."
A light chuckle fell from Desmond’s lips and he shook his head.
"Will you hunt down every person who looks at the wrong way?" he asked. "Their fear of hasn’t affected more than usual. I live constantly knowing that there are people out there who are sick to their stomachs at the sight of . As long as one of those people isn’t Leonor, I hardly care."
Stephano beca more serious and angry enough that his face seed to turn a bit red, though that could be in part due to the alcohol. His skin was pale even compared to Desmond’s. He was truly the result of soone who spent most of their life hidden away indoors.
"Who was it, Desmond?" Stephano repeated his request.
"No one of your staff, Your Majesty," Desmond taunted.
"You’re ant to treat like a friend and not the King," Stephano reminded, turning away for another sip of his alcohol, realizing that Desmond was getting amused at his mood.
"That’s quite difficult when my friend is the King," Desmond shot back with a light laugh. "You don’t have to get angry on my behalf."
"It’s simply unfair, that’s why I’m irritated," Stephano seethed.
He soon finished off his glass and pushed it aside. He decided the dark liquid was making his mood worse rather than making it lighter. It always did the sa to his father and he should have considered that.
At least he wasn’t volatile enough to abuse the staff or find a woman to bed. Those were a few traits he didn’t inherit.
"Unfairness isn’t sothing that applies to ," Desmond quipped. "It especially doesn’t apply to nobles. I look forward to the way people perceive as I attend etings in this place."
"I will have word spread that I am not in a good mood and will reprimand anyone who dares look down on the person who put an end to the war," Stephano swore. "I owe you my entire reign thus far."
Desmond finished off his glass as well.
"Let’s talk about sothing far less serious," Desmond insisted. "I would like my first night in Coeurvalle to be lighthearted since we have gotten past the topic of war. I know that peace won’t last."
Stephano crafted sothing to say and, by the looks of his devious expression, Desmond knew he wasn’t going to like it. He decided to speak first.
"What about the throne next to yours that looks alarmingly empty?" the duke asked. "When can we expect the spot to be filled?"
Desmond was smiling but Stephano thought he sounded just like all of his other advisors.
It was why he had to be secretive in his private life and had maids that revealed nothing even when people sought information. He would pay them more than anyone else could for his secrets.
The biggest secret was the lack of personal life he had. His father coining him a womanizer was far from the truth. He refused to be around anyone and those he did place at his side seed insistent on hiding themselves away–particularly Quinn who only ca to see him in broad daylight and didn’t ever return to the quarters given to him.
"You’re going to make sick with talk of that," Stephano said. "You mustn’t worry, your grace. A Queen will appear when Leonor appears with a pregnant belly."
Stephano knew Desmond’s secret and the duke thought the young monarch looked particularly wolfish in that mont.
"Your insistence on playing with fire will make you look like one day," Desmond uttered. "Cherish your face while you still have it."
Stephano finally lightened up enough to laugh.
"Speaking of your face, how much of my magic is still left inside of you?" he asked.
Desmond leaned into the desk in front of him, resting his arms on it, knowing what was coming next.
The king reached forward and his hand glowed golden in front of Desmond’s forehead.
Stephano had long since morized the magical formula that was needed to make Desmond’s eyes green. Since he couldn’t simply use his mana with what was faintly inside of the duke because it would turn his natural eye color orange, he had to go about creating a formula that would appear green in Desmond.
"You’re walking around on the verge of revealing a red eye to everyone," Stephano uttered, realizing there wasn’t much mana left within him. "You really aren’t careful at all."
"Yet you were the one who was asking to be a diplomat between countries," Desmond joked. "The Eirenguardians likely wouldn’t believe if I appeared before them with a green eye anyway. Perhaps that will be our trick in the future if they cross the border and beco unruly. They won’t kill one of their own."
"I want you to talk to them, not be a sacrifice to them," Stephano said. "Leonor would kill if sothing else ever happened to you. They may see you as soone who went against your own blood."
"That’s sothing I’ve considered," Desmond admitted. "That’s why I’m unsure if my words would matter to them at all."
Stephano was finished restoring the mana in Desmond’s body.
Inherently, mana was a naturally occurring force in the world. Even sothing as ager as a rock had mana in it. It was mana users who had open pathways in their bodies to manipulate and absorb the mana from the world around them.
That’s why, unless soone depleted themself enough to die, they would slowly restore themselves by sleeping or eating sothing. Even familiars could go out in nature and grow larger by being around living things like plants or trees.
Stephano overrode Desmond’s natural mana path and, while Stephano’s magic wasn’t usable to him, it remained inside of him as if he had open mana pathways.
Desmond pulled away as soon as Stephano did. It always felt strange because his eye and forehead felt tingly and hot. If he had less self-control he might try to tap his forehead, worrying that there was a fire burning on him.
Desmond’s eye glowed for a few monts before his body adjusted to the new mana and it beca the green it always was.
"Now we ought to eat sothing," Desmond said. "The alcohol is heavy in my stomach and it isn’t helping that you’ve put mana inside of . I feel strange."
The duke and king left the study so that they could eat sothing light before Stephano brought Desmond around the palace and showed him a few things that had changed since his last visit there.
A couple of hours later, Stephano and Desmond’s paths crossed with Quinn and Leonor and they decided that, because all of them had such light lunches, they would be able to go to dinner together.
As the group sat down in one of the intricate dining halls of the palace, they ate halibut steaks and wild rice as well as a few varieties of roasted vegetables and fluffy rolls. There was all sorts of wine offered and even dessert.
However, as Leonor began to eat a chocolate dessert, Desmond began speaking and she paused.
"I suppose we ought to leave the palace soon so that we arrive at our capital ho at a reasonable hour," Desmond said.
However, Stephano’s fork slid from his hand and onto his plate with a quiet clank. He had a pleased smirk on his face and the ducal couple’s stomachs dropped.
"What did you do?" Desmond asked.
"I took the liberty of sending soone to intercept your n and maids," Stephano explained. "The Queen’s Palace which is normally devoid of anyone has been given to you as your guest quarters while you remain in the capital. It’s the least I can do for interrupting your winterization trip."
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