章 283: Renna Poinset

The moment I heard her real title slip past those luscious lips that glistened beneath the suns rays was the moment that I blanched, unsure of exactly how I was meant to proceed seeing as her rank was so high.

The Duchess smirked at me before dismounting from her horse, the ease of the action further emphasized by her curvy frame as she dropped onto the grass beside me, those sky blue eyes searching my veil.

"Hiding your face behind a piece of fabric does little if you give away your emotions with your body, Miss Astra."

Amusement danced in those beautiful eyes, and I felt my heart skip a beat as she began to walk towards the cluster of tents, her hips sashaying side to side tantalizingly, all while her horse trotted calmly beside her.

Snapping out of my stupor, I nodded to myself and moved forwards, quickly catching up with her as I gestured towards the open pavilion we had set up for her arrival, with Kalia bringing the pot of tea over.

"The office said that you were purchasing land large enough for a family. Does that mean she's your daughter?"

Duchess Renna Poinset took a seat on one of the cushions, brushing out her dress and lifting up the teacup in front of her to observe the dark gold liquid inside, all while those sharp eyes pinned me to my own cushion as I sat opposite her.

"Y-Yes, that was Kalia, my third daughter. Over there is Camara and Aethisia, my first and second daughter respectively... my fourth is just there with my Catkin wife Sari, while the fifth is inside the carriage, resting."

She raised a brow as she glanced at everyone inside the clearing, observing each of the members of my family before turning back towards me, a small smile on her lips.

"A rather... fertile - and desirable - woman, aren't you? Three separate wives, to which you have a child each? You certainly do need the land."

I smiled wryly before taking a sip from the tea, my heart rate still rather high as I observed the Duchess in front of me, who was looking down over the Potaam.

"Miss Astra, you are a very lucky woman. Cherish the life that you've brought into the world. Not everyone has the chance or ability to do so..."

Slight melancholy made her normally bright eyes dark as she stared at the river, before she turned and took another sip of her tea, staring straight at me.

"Well, as I am sure Miss Trabyia informed you, the Queen has asked me to interview you and understand what it is that you plan on utilizing the land for. She is rather... sensitive regarding that forest, but she has no idea what to do with the land beside it, hence the reason it is for sale. Our Queen decided to leave it up to fate, something that Goddess Dryatra herself has seconded as well."

Drumming her fingers on the table, she continued to observe me before letting out a low sigh, adding "Personally, I place little faith in fate. If you don't work for it with your own hands, with your own wit, there is no chance that the things you want will become yours. Too many variables to warrant 'leaving it to fate', but she is the Queen."

I took a sip of my tea once more, waiting for her to continue on as I mentally reviewed everything that has transpired so far, unable to help myself as I tried to understand more about this woman and what was happening.

"Well, fate aside, I do have a job to do, and I take my job very seriously, Miss Astra. So..."

Raising a hand, the Duchess smiled at me as displayed an intricate gathering of runes on her palm, which flashed and created a dome of tightly woven mana around us, sealing me inside the pavilion with her.

The air itself was flooded with a sickly sweet scent that was kept inside by the clear dome of mana around us, and as I activated {Mana Sense} I blanched further, realizing just how powerful this woman was.

Each thread was interwoven with a multitude of others, making a complex shell that would take minutes to deconstruct - even with force - to even a small degree, all while the Duchess herself was a brilliant shinning collection of mana that almost blinded me.

She had more mana inside herself than I had ever seen in one place, and after deactivating my skill, I saw her smile widen as she glanced towards the others, who had retrieved their weapons.

"Pardon me, but I do believe this to be a necessity for my job. All it is is a concoction of my own making to make getting to the truth... easier. Far easier. So, we can talk 'civilly', or I can take more... drastic measures. The choice is yours, Miss Astra."

I blinked a few times as I felt my chest begin to warm up and constrict a bit, my mind hazing over slightly as I inhaled more of the fumes inside the dome.

"Is that... all this is..?"

Hearing my slightly labored breathing, the Duchess nodded as she traced her finger over the edge of her teacup, her sky blue eyes locked to my veil as she answered "I swear it on our Patron Goddess Dyratra that it is only something to make you speak the truth, and that I have no ill intentions towards you nor your family."

After we heard her oath, and I waved them back, I took another deep breath before staring at the Duchess in front of me, her confident, assured and regal air still around her despite being surrounded by multiple slightly aggravated women.

"Good. Now, again, I do apologize for my actions, but I leave nothing to fate, nor to chance. I do what I need for my Queen and my Goddess, even if it earns me the ire of others. So then, Miss Astra, I do believe we have a few things we need to discuss, and I intend on having a complete picture of everything by the time I leave, alright?"