Chapter 66: Reason for concern
A few days later, I found myself in Duke Dickens’ study — a place that always evoked a special feeling in me. Here, the air seemed to be saturated with time: the smell of old books and dust soaked into the bindings mingled with the tart aroma of tobacco smoke left over from his morning pipe.
The study looked impressive and almost intimidating: heavy bookcases reaching up to the ceiling, a massive dark wood desk with elegant carvings around the edges, bundles of letters and documents neatly stacked in piles. In the center of it all sat Duke William Dickens himself, a man whose presence was impossible to ignore.
His figure, clad in an elegant dark blue frock coat with gold buttons, seemed even more imposing thanks to the rays of the morning sun streaming through the heavy velvet curtains. These rays gilded his scarlet locks, adding to his grandeur.
I settled down opposite him in a comfortable armchair with a high back, holding a cup of hot tea in my hands. Its steam gently warmed my palms, and the light aroma of mint helped me stay calm.
"Lady Weinstein, you’ve already heard the news, haven’t you?" the duke said after a short pause. His voice was even, habitually restrained, but I caught a barely noticeable note of anxiety. He tried to hide it behind a mask of calm, but my experienced ear caught what his eyes had revealed much earlier — concern.
"Of course," I replied calmly, keeping my eyes fixed on his face. "You are not the only one, Your Highness, who is following events in the empire."
He sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temples wearily.
At that moment, as usual, we were discussing some work issues that had accumulated recently. However, during the conversation, we also moved on to discussing the latest events in the empire, and I saw the tension in the man’s eyes grow.
"Do you think everything will really be all right?" he asked cautiously, his fingers, which had been motionless until then, drumming nervously on the table.
I took a sip of tea, allowing myself a short pause.
"Why not?" I said slowly, feeling the slight warmth of the drink. The tea was hot, with a hint of mint. "In the end, if that really turns out to be the case, it will mean that all our efforts over the last few years will have been in vain."
"Yes, perhaps you are right," the man sighed again.
I could see him struggling with himself at that moment: William Dickens had always been a man of duty, but in this case, duty was intertwined with his own personal experiences.
The conversation at that moment was about a special decree issued by the emperor not long ago, which directly affected our "joint" business with the duke. This business consisted of secretly hiding Angela’s existence until she came of age, disguising the girl as the daughter of an ordinary baron.
Of course, our motives for doing so were completely different.
William Dickens agreed to this only because he firmly believed that in this way he was protecting the princess of this empire from enemies who might be waiting for her in the imperial palace. As for me... I think the reason for that was already quite clear.
But in any case, in the process of carrying out this task, the duke and I worked together like two cogs in a single mechanism.
The emperor of the Eidelman Empire had been searching for his lost daughter for the past thirteen years.
Ever since Angela disappeared as a baby, he had been tirelessly sending soldiers throughout the empire, leaving no stone unturned in his search for her. And despite the fact that no leads had been found during that time, he still hadn’t given up.
Thus, not long ago, the emperor issued a decree according to which a special group of soldiers from the royal guard would have to conduct a thorough search throughout the empire. If they suspected the presence of a girl who fit this description, they would have the right to break into any house with the appropriate warrant.
It was a bold move, but also a risky one — it could provoke discontent among the aristocracy, but the emperor was willing to do anything to find his daughter.
First and foremost, of course, girls aged thirteen with the appropriate physical characteristics were suspected.
Based on this, the soldiers would probably check all girls with blonde hair and green eyes.
It must be that in the original game, the emperor also conducted similar searches. However, because the main character lived in a remote village on the outskirts of the empire, the search simply did not reach there.
But now Angela lived in the capital itself, which, according to the duke, could cause us some problems.
Ultimately, William Dickens was concerned that the royal soldiers would be able to find Angela.
I could, of course, share his concern to some extent, were it not for the fact that I had prepared for such a turn of events in advance.
In official documents, I had indicated Angela’s false age, which meant that she was now actually eleven years old, not thirteen.
In addition, over the past three years, I had also spread rumors that Baron Bastier’s daughter was seriously ill and that her father was caring for her. That was why they did not attend any social events.
Enoch himself, of course, knew nothing about all this.
Thus, I had not the slightest concern that the royal guards might actually visit their home. After all, the girl simply did not fit the necessary characteristics.
So, after I told the duke in detail about all the work that had been done, about the precautions that had been taken to protect Angela, William Dickens finally leaned back slightly in his chair and sighed heavily.
This sigh conveyed a sense of relief, but at the same time, a tension that did not leave him until the very end.
Meanwhile...
"Your Grace, did you sleep poorly last night?"
"Is it that obvious?" the man smiled, rubbing his cheek as if trying to wipe away the traces of fatigue.
During our conversation, I couldn’t help but notice how different the duke looked today. And it seemed to me that, unlike his usual impeccable appearance, this time he had noticeable circles under his eyes and pale skin. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept for the last few days.
"Well, you must have reasons to worry that are keeping you awake at night."
"Of course I do," William smiled grimly, his eyes darkening. "My only son is at war right now. How can I not worry? He’s just a boy. I think about him every night, imagining him fighting in the mud and blood, risking his life."
I smiled.
"I think you can stop worrying about that, and your son will be fine. War is just a temporary trial. He will return a hero, just like you did in your time."
Duke Dickens couldn’t help but smile, his blue eyes focused intently on me.
"Lady Weinstein, you talk about it as if you already know how it will end," he remarked.
I raised my teacup to my lips and smiled mysteriously, without looking away.
"Who knows? Maybe I do know something," I replied.
The duke looked at me, and I noticed a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
At that moment, there was a slight pause in the room.
"I often think about him at night," William continued quietly after the pause, "about how he takes risks, about what might happen. Every thought takes me back to the day I first held him in my arms. And now... to see him there, far from home..."
He cleared his throat, holding back his emotions. "Sometimes it’s unbearable."
I nodded, understanding his feelings.
"You are strong, Your Highness," I said calmly, "and your concerns make you no less a strong father. But you mustn’t worry too much. You have to believe that he can get through this."
The duke looked at me intently, and his gaze conveyed a gratitude that did not need to be put into words. I felt that my tone and my words somehow reassured him, giving him a sense of support and confidence that even the strongest people sometimes lack.
"Thank you, Lady Weinstein," he said quietly, almost in a whisper. "Sometimes it’s enough just to hear it."
His words sounded simple, without unnecessary emotion, but they conveyed a rare sincerity. I just nodded, not wanting to break the delicate silence that had settled between us.
We sat in the office for a while longer. I took another sip of hot tea, allowing myself to put all other thoughts aside for a moment and simply focus on my surroundings.
Yes, sometimes I really needed to take a break like this, and, strange as it may seem, I felt this calmness in Duke Dickens’ office. The soft sunlight playing on my face at that moment made me smile.