Chapter Text
The days following that event were busier than you expected. You spent quite some time planning your wedding reception with Alcina ; you had to make a list of all the guests you planned on inviting, you also discussed the menu and you even argued a bit on the type of flowers you wanted to have. There wouldn't be a lot of people present to your wedding since you lived isolated from the rest of the world. Apart from your daughters, the other Lords and Mother Miranda, no one else could attend the ceremony. You also wanted to invite the Duke, for he had been a good business partner and a long-term friend to Alcina for so many years now. It wasn't a whole lot of people, but it was enough for you two ; there were the people that mattered the most, whatever Alcina could say about Karl.
The day of your wedding was getting closer and closer each day ; the Castle had entered the month of August knowing that by the end of the month, there will be one more member to this family. Alcina was gone for the day to see her sister whom she needed to make some adjustments to her dress. You were in charge of the Castle for the day and were more than happy to assume the role of the head of the House when your Lady was devoting herself to such important matters. One of the main tasks of the day was meeting the Duke for one of your weekly deliveries. All you had to do was to supervise the supplies' unloading and to verify everything with him. Well, that was what Alcina thought, at least. You had something else planned. Last time he came to the Castle, he had informed you that the engagement ring you had ordered for Alcina would be ready for today. Since she wasn't there, you could easily get your hands on it without ruining the surprise you had planned for her later that day. You also wanted to hand deliver to the Duke his invitation to your wedding.
As you walked down the stairs to step inside the Castle's Main Hall, you were informed by a girl that the Duke had already settled down in the business room he and Alcina met in. You thanked her and made your way there. As you pushed the door, you were welcomed by his warm voice and his joyful expression :
'The future Mrs Dimitrescu,' he smiled, 'it's always a pleasure meeting you here.'
'Hello, Duke. How are you today ?'
'Well, could I be anything else beside marvelous when meeting with not only most faithful customers, but also dear friends ?' he replied, 'Castle Dimitrescu is one of my favorite destinations. And you, how do you feel ?'
'I feel very good,' you chuckled, 'but also quite nervous.'
'A ceremony is always something nerve-wrecking to plan, but I have no doubt that it will be the greatest success this region has ever know.' he pulled out a cigar before he continued, 'Everyone in town is talking about it. It's not everyday that one of the Lords of the Valley gets married.'
He offered you a cigar but you declined politely, pulling out your own cigarettes instead. You lit both of your items and you both exhaled a faint stream of smoke before you talked :
'I wanted to give you this personally, Duke.'
You reached for an envelop tucked inside your jacket's pocket and handed it to him. He took it in between his large fingers before he cocked a brow :
'An official invitation ?'
'From the Lady and I,' you nodded, 'we would like nothing more than having you to the wedding as well as the dinner.'
'Me ? I'm just a simple merchant, you know.' he chuckled, 'You can't possibly invite me to sit beside Mother Miranda at your reception.'
'Come on, don't sell yourself short. You've been more than a business partner for years now. You knew Alcina long before I was even in her life.' you took a drag of your cigarette, 'She talks highly of you. She considers you as one of her closest friends.'
'Well, I...', for once he seemed at loss for words, 'It's a great honor to hold this place in your lives. I also consider the Lady as one of my dearest friends.'
'Does that mean you'll come ?' you asked with a raised brow.
He smiled and gave you a small nod :
'I will, trust and believe !'
You smiled back and thanked him warmly before he remembered the reason of this private meeting and went looking inside one of his bags. It was a nice black leather bag, and you knew he must be using it to store only the most precious of his merchandises. He pulled out a velvety square box and put it down on the table between the both of you. He pushed it towards you and you grabbed it before opening the lid slowly. You gasped a little when you discovered a large gold ring, custom-made for your fiancee. A large oval ruby was sitting among three diamonds, and inside the ring you could read the words “To Alcina : Eternal Love Begins With You”.
You blinked a few times before you remembered to breath. You looked at the Duke, dumbfounded, while he was wearing his cockiest smile :
'It's... It's simply perfect.' you finally said, 'How did you do that ?'
'Well, I'll have you know that finding a ruby of this size wasn't the easiest order of my existence, but here it is now.' he winked and chuckled slightly, 'I have my way with things. Your only job now is to make the Lady as happy as she's ever been.'
You blushed deeply and felt your lower lip tremble. It was real now, you were going to propose and to gave her this beautiful proof of your eternal devotion. You wiped a stray tear with your hand, and the Duke fumbled around to find you tissues. He handed you one and you thanked him with a giggle.
'I'm sorry, I'm just so happy.' you said.
'Do not be. I remember the day I brought your own ring to the Lady, and how nervous she was to even think about proposing to you.'
'Really ?' you asked, your brows raising in surprise.
'Of course !' he laughed, 'You should have seen her pacing back and forth in here, listing all the scenarios in which you'd reject her ! None of them made any logical sense, of course.'
He asked you for a bit of fire to have more of his cigar before he lowered his voice :
'The Lady and I had often talk about marriage. I wasn't surprised she decided to propose. Even though she always pretended she wasn't a woman to be tied down, that she had enough on her plate with her daughters, I knew deep down she wanted nothing more than someone who would call her theirs.'
Your heart clenched a bit at that words, but you were also deeply touched by the idea that you had been chosen for that. You just loved her so much, you'd call her yours every hour of the day if that's what she needed.
'What about you, Duke ?' you asked as you pulled another cigarette out of your pack, 'Do you ever have dreams of settling down ?'
He shrugged and looked away for a moment, his eyes wandering on a distant spot :
'I'm a traveling merchant. I can't settle down.'
'Come on, you're only working in this area. Isn't there anyone in the Village you have your eyes on ?'
'I've had a few men back in the days,' he sighed, 'but it's never good to get attached to people when you can't die, and they very much can, you see. I had a lover for a few years of my life, we lived not far from the mountains. He passed away about ten years ago.'
You brought your hand to your mouth upon hearing this unexpected confession. You stuttered for a few seconds before you found anything adequate to say :
'I didn't know, I... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been so curious.'
'Do not be, my friend.' he smiled warmly, 'He died of old age. We spent the happiest moments together, but he left when it was his time to go. I'm sure he's happy where he is ; I am grateful he didn't leave this world suffering to the hands of Mother Miranda.'
You nodded in understanding ; considering the number of lives she had ended in the name of her scientific research, anyone in the region should consider themselves lucky to have escaped such fate.
'How was he ?' you gently asked, 'If you don't mind me asking.'
'Absolutely not.' he replied with exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, 'I love to walk down memory lane with some company. His name was Andrei, and he used to be a sailor before he retired. I met him in the Village many moons ago, and since the day we first saw each other we just knew. We spent so many delightful moments together – he was the only man, including myself, allowed to step inside the Castle.'
'Really ?' you chuckled, 'Wow, you're privileged, you know that ?'
'I do, I do. The Lady appreciated him too, though she wasn't a fan of what she calls “men-things”, I believe.' he sighed and shook his head softly, 'He was a good man to me, and to everyone around. Maybe one day we'll meet again.'
'I'm sure you will.' you replied in a whisper.
The merchant smiled warmly, though a hint a melancholy still lingered on his features. He then reached for his pocket watch and checked it before announcing it was time for him to depart. You thanked him again for the ring and let him walk back to his carriage while you went to fetch his horses. They had been taking a bit of rest in the Castle's stables and were now ready to go. You waved him goodbye as his carriage slowly disappeared into the valley. As soon as he was out of sight, you ran into the Castle as quick as you could. You were determined to propose to Alcina tonight, and you had to be ready before her return.