章 11: Chapter Eleven
Despite my fears, it only took an hour to get through security and another hour to meet the Grand Duke. We were made to wait in a small windowless sitting room where various officials stopped by and attempted to weasel the Goddess' message out of me. I was expecting a strip search prior to being lead to a reception hall, but the door opened and the Grand Duke himself abruptly appeared.
I knew it was him because Rafe slid out of his seat and knelt with his head bowed—the same position he'd used when praying. I awkwardly followed suit.
The Grand Duke was an overweight, balding bureaucrat dressed with ruffles in his sleeves. He had a ceremonial sword strapped to his side. It knew it wasn't a sword meant to be used because I doubted he could have pulled it from the scabbard. The damn thing was too long.
Because of his foppish way of dressing, I expected snobbery to pour out of his mouth. I didn't expect him to say, "My apologies for the wait. I would have been here sooner, but my daughter's peacock shat on Viscount Berlain's coat and I had to keep the poor thing from being turned into dinner. Rafe, you arrogant ass, get up off the floor. Sit, sit. Tell me, why has it taken the Great Goddess to get you here for a visit? Surely you could have come by sooner."
My gaze flew to Rafe as we reclaimed our seats. "You two know each other?"
"Of course!" the Grand Duke exclaimed as he threw himself onto the coach across from us. "We used to be in the same party together. Yes, those were the days. Rafe with his sword and me backing him up with my hammer. Sometimes, I really regret accepting that first knighthood. It was all down hill from there. Why, look at me! I swear I'm aging five years for ever month I'm Grand Duke. I'm practically an old dotard."
"You're a hundred times better than the man you replaced," Rafe replied.
"Yes, well, let's not speak of that monster."
"Wait, wait, wait," I interrupted, grinning at Rafe. "You used to be an Adventurer?"
Rafe rolled his eyes.
"S-Rank," the Grand Duke offered. "Both of us were. It used to be me, Rafe, A-Rank Melanie Morcus, S-Rank Triant Gold, and Rafe's father, A-Rank Killum Durham. Of course, after Killum's rebirth, Rafe hung up his sword—understandably—and Adventuring wasn't the same for the rest of us. Our party broke up. The others went off to join other Guilds and I found myself killing time by accepting invitations sent by noble Ladies to exclusive parties. As you can see, that ended up with me married to four lovely women, father of two, and eventually being named Grand Duke of Alisfar. All said, I suppose I don't think I have too much to complain about. Rafe, on the other hand—I was surprised to hear you're still working as a Dismantler. I thought you would have eventually picked up the sword again."
"I will," he replied, startling me.
The Grand Duke smiled like it was the best thing he'd ever heard. "Well! This calls for a celebration. Let me—"
"The message from the Goddess," Rafe reminded him before he could get too far out of his seat.
The Grand Duke flopped back down with a grunt. "You're such a bore. Alright. Let's get it over with. What disaster is looming this time?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "Persephone said to tell you the message has been received and the gold airship is coming. She said you'd understand."
Rafe cursed and the Grand Duke sighed in relief.
"Really?" Rafe asked. "That's what she said?"
"What does it mean?" I asked.
"It means a member of the Royalty is on their way here," Rafe said. "More than likely, they'll have an entire armada with them."
"Thank the Heavens," the Grand Duke said. "I've been sending messages for years, trying to get support from the capital, but my calls kept getting intercepted and I have no idea if any of my written correspondences ever made it."
The Grand Duke noticed the confusion plain on my face and explained, "Things in Alisfar are not as they should be. When I first took office at the King's command, this castle was a den of wonders. The previous Grand Dukes had been hoarding treasures and artifacts and even knowledge for generations, keeping it from the people for their own fiendish purposes. I've been doing what I can to spread knowledge about some of the treasures we've uncovered, but there are so many things I don't know the purpose of. When I took over, it was done rather forcefully and so many of the castle's servants fled. It was decided we wouldn't chase after them once we saw the horrors in the catacombs, but it means there was no one left to offer explanations. And, naturally, I can't give to the people what I don't understand myself. For all I know, I could be handing them a plague."
"You've still done well," Rafe said calmly. "I live in the outer ring, so I know. The number of homeless has gone down to practically zero, everyone can sleep at night with full bellies, and the morale at the Guild is the highest I've ever seen. You've lowered taxes, made Healers available free to the public, and completely turned around the reputation of the peacekeepers, who were once feared as monsters in human form. You've even opened schools to commoners and made it so children can learn freely with no barrier of status between them. Life now is very different than it was ten years ago."
The more Rafe spoke, the higher my opinion of the Grand Duke rose.
"If things were that bad, why didn't the Gods step in sooner?" I asked.
"They did," the Grand Duke said with a sharp gleam in his eye. "They sent me. They probably sent others before me, but I was the first to actually succeed in overthrowing the previous Grand Duke. A lot of it is thanks to Rafe and his father. When I was reborn in Alisfar, they took me in and helped me get on my feet, teaching me everything I needed to know about surviving the hellhole this place had been. They also put me in contact with the right people who eventually nominated me to be knighted by the King himself. It was the only time I've ever spoken with his Majesty and I seized the chance with both hands, filling his ears with all that this town had become. He immediately sent out his personal Intelligence and, the moment they returned, I was made Grand Duke and told to clean house. Unfortunately, all the King's men disappeared once the situation here was stable. If some had stuck around, maybe I could have done more than I have."
"You were reborn," I said. "It sounds like it's shame on them for not verifying the breadth of your knowledge before leaving you to deal with everything."
He bobbed his head in agreement. "I was only in the Capital for a single day, but I saw many mind-boggling things. If I could somehow bring even a quarter of those things to Alisfar, the people would be better for it. Unfortunately, I can only spend so many hours a day researching in the library and the day-to-day minutiae of running a town the size of Alisfar can't be underestimated. I do have people tasked with helping me, but it's difficult when the researchers themselves have no knowledge of the subject they're researching. It's like telling a weaver to mix a healing potion. The results are often horrific."
He was clearly overwhelmed. I felt bad for him and wanted to help him, but I didn't know what else I could do other than what I was already doing.
"No, don't give me those sad eyes, Lord Russo," the Grand Duke said with a tired smile. "I've already heard of your fantastic work with the Guild's kitchens and I don't have any wish to change what you're already doing. I really like how you're going slow and steady, giving people a chance to adjust to your way of cooking. If I had any request at all, it's that you introduce more general concepts like gravy. The chefs here at the castle are already experimenting with different types, using beef drippings instead of chicken and wine instead of milk. Not all of the experiments are a success, but you've sparked their imagination. It's been a very long time since anyone has been so excited around here. The number of chefs poking around in the Library has gone up drastically."
"I was under the impression the nobility already had sauces," I replied.
He snorted rudely. "If you call sauce the result of pouring beer over beef while it's cooking and pouring the drippings back on the meat when it's served, then yes. I had real sauce during my visit to the capital and it was nothing like what the nobles in Alisfar have on their plates. They have no idea." His gaze grew distant. "Raspberry vinaigrette. I'll never forget the taste for as long as I live."
"Oh," I said in surprise. "You must have had a salad."
"You've heard of it!" the Grand Duke exclaimed in glee.
I nodded. "I was thinking about introducing salads at the Guild once I get my hands on the right kinds of vinegar to make vinaigrette. I can probably make several kinds and it won't make a whole lot of extra work for the kitchen staff. Vinaigrette can be bottled, so it's just a matter of preparing it ahead of time and dousing it on a plate of mixed, raw vegetables when the order comes in."
"I look forward to stamping that recipe card," he replied with a laugh.
The door creaked open and his laughter faded when he saw an official hovering in the opening, an apologetic look on his face.
The Grand Duke sighed. "Time's up, my friends. Please let me know if I can do anything to aid you in your cooking endeavors, Lord Russo. Rafe—it better not be another ten years before I see your ugly mug again. Next time, give me some warning and I'll introduce you to the family."
Leaving required us to pass through a maze of hallways. I didn't think I'd ever have found my way out alone, but we had a servant to guide us. The uniformed man remained tight-lipped and silent for the entire trip, which I thought was wise. No matter how much I might have enjoyed a tour, it was better for the Grand Duke if strangers weren't shown landmarks to find their way around.
The Guide ushered us out through the same gate we came in—I could see the Lady of Justice statue nearby—and onto a black lacquered carriage waiting outside to take us home. Royal carriages were apparently allowed inside the temple ring and I was relieved to see it. The new shoes Iris had bought me fit well, but they were as stiff as hell and my feet were already aching. I didn't want to imagine the pain I would have been in if we'd had to walk all the way home.
The interior was luxurious and the seat padding was plush. There were no springs poking me this time and the steady trot of horse-hooves rang through the air with a quality I hadn't heard from our original carriage mount. It was the closest thing I'd heard to music since coming to this world.
"That was interesting," I commented as the carriage took off with both of us inside.
"I try not to trade on my family's connection with the Grand Duke," Rafe replied from his seat across from me.
"That's not the interesting part. You, as an Adventurer—I never would have guessed you had that kind of past. I'm trying to imagine you dressed as a reckless young warrior, but I can't. You come off as way too mature for that kind of thing. I was under the impression you'd been a dismantler your whole life, especially since you're already the Chief of the Dismantling Division and you can't be older than thirty-five."
"I'm thirty-one," he said with a smirk. "And you've only encountered layman Adventurers so far. The experienced Adventurers, especially those who only come out when the dungeon closes, are a lot different. They're less interested in their reputation and way more interested in getting the job done."
That made sense. It was always different when pros were involved.
"You're thinking of going back to it?" I asked, remembering his response to the Grand Duke. "You told the Grand Duke you were going to pick up your sword again."
Rafe nodded solemnly. "I can't ignore Ganymede's guidance. He said if I wanted to be the best possible husband for you and mentor for Jason, I'd need to reclaim my old mantle and enter the dungeon again. I intend to resign as Chief as soon as we get back. Belfry is skilled and more than capable of taking my place."
I didn't know how I felt about that. On one hand, he was making this huge life change because of me, even though there was no guarantee I'd ever accept his proposal. On the other hand, the part of me still quivering like gelatin after seeing Jason's status was relieved. Knowing there was an S-Rank in the house, I wouldn't have to be afraid of Jason's incredible power running out of control.
"Will you be happy working as an Adventurer?" I asked.
A cocky smirk rose on Rafe's face and, for a second, I saw the kind of Adventurer he must have been before he hung up his sword. "It's only work if you're not having fun," he replied. "I do admit I'm curious how the dungeon has changed after all these years. And I was thinking of picking up my sword again anyway. I need to do something to discourage all your other suitors."
I scoffed. "What other suitors? If you're talking about those guys at the Guild who dressed up to see me, you can't count them. I don't know any of their names."
"It doesn't matter," he said, his eyes turning dark. "They look at you and they want you. That alone is enough to make me want to slaughter them all."
I coughed, my cheeks heating at his possessiveness. While I couldn't say this was love, it made me happy to feel so wanted. I'd never experienced anything like it in my prior relationships.
"You like that," Rafe said, sounding as if he'd just discovered something important.
"I'm not used to it," I replied.
"But you like it," he pushed.
"I believe I told you before that confidence is sexy."
"It's more than that," he argued, leaning forward in his seat. "Do you find me more attractive when I'm bold?"
My cheeks grew hotter and his eyes lit up. It felt like he could see straight through me.
"I'm going to kiss you now." He didn't ask this time. He slid out of his seat, kneeling in the carriage aisle, and reached up to cup my face. I didn't pull away. The hungry look in his eyes pulled me in. Our lips met. His kiss was gentler than I expected, yet I could feel the burn of passion hovering close by. It was a slow burn at the edge of an inferno. I could sense the inferno was there, but he was holding it back for my sake.
His restraint made my heart skip a beat.
This is what it felt like to be treasured.
I shivered as he pulled away. I didn't remember closing my eyes and I was afraid of opening them—afraid the kiss would turn out to be a dream.
I felt his warm breath on my face, then he kissed me again. Deeper, harder. Compared to some of my experiences on Earth, it would have still been considered tame, yet the intimacy I felt tore through my body and left me light-headed. It promised more—so much more, I didn't know if I could handle it. This wasn't the kiss of a man who wanted to fuck and flee. This was a kiss promising me the world.
My eyes burned with sudden tears. One must have leaked out, because Rafe pulled away and wiped my cheek with his thumb. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
I shook my head, pressing my cheek against his palm. "I'm happy," I said. "It sounds cliché, but I didn't think it was possible to be so happy."
He didn't say anything at first. He nudged me over and squeezed onto the bench seat next to me, arranging me so I was hugged up against his side. I let him do what he wanted. I didn't have the will to fight after that kiss.
He wrapped his arms around me and cuddled me for the longest time. Afterglow, I realized. We hadn't even undressed, yet we were basking in the afterglow of our intimate embrace.
Eventually, Rafe broke the silence. "You make me happy, too. I'm doing my best to honor the ways of your homeland, but it is difficult to restrain myself when my heart is telling me to make you mine."
"Patience," I said, laying my hand on his chest. "There's still many things we don't know about each other. Look at how much I learned about you today."
"You speak as if I might learn something about you capable of changing the way I feel. No such thing exists."
I wasn't going to get a better opening. We still had plenty of time left before our carriage ride ended. It didn't matter I'd decided only yesterday to remain silent about my origins. Persephone had advised me to tell him and I didn't think a Goddess would knowingly lead me astray.
Taking the leap of faith, I said, "You can care about someone and still be capable of hurting them. For instance, if I told you my homeland can't be reached because it exists beyond the stars, you might think me insane and send for Healers to fix my madness."
Rafe's arm tightened around me. He was silent for a long minute and I held my breath as I awaited his response. Finally, his embrace relaxed and he said, "For you to have come from the among the stars, the Gods themselves must have had a hand in sending you to me. I will have to think of an appropriate offering for such a magnificent gift."
My jaw tightened and I grew irritated. I didn't know why. "How can you believe me so easily?" I asked in a clipped voice.
"Do you not wish me to believe you?"
"I didn't say that—"
"You have no reason to lie to me."
My irritation spiked even more. "You can't know that."
"Why are you getting angry?" he asked.
"I'm not angry," I snarled, pulling away from him. I crossed my arms over my chest. "I just don't understand how you can respond like that. It's normal to be suspicious when someone makes an outrageous claim. When you accept it so easily, if feels like I'm being patronized. I can't trust that kind of response."
"I see. Would it make you feel better if I doubted your integrity and treated you as if you were a man without honor?"
Crap. Now Rafe's voice was clipped and unhappy. I wasn't willing to back down, though. "It'd feel more genuine," I replied. "This is serious, you know. I'm not from this world. If people found out Persephone brought me here, it'd be a big deal. I wouldn't be able to live peacefully and neither will you, if you're connected with me."
"What do you mean?"
The simple question made me calm down and I realized why I was making such a fuss. As sweet as Rafe's words might be, the realist in me viewed it as romantic drivel. It wasn't enough to build a life on. I needed something more concrete—an actual conversation where he made it clear he understood the potential consequences of being with me and accepted them.
"I'm told people like me—people from another world—have appeared in the past. Those who weren't able to keep their origins a secret ran into trouble. I wasn't given many details, but I can imagine the reaction if the public learns the Gods themselves had a hand in bringing me here. There are some who'd try to worship me like an idol and others who might want to use me. There might even be some who would want to kill me. I wouldn't be able to live the normal, quiet life I want. Therefore, neither would you."
"And that would be enough to scare away a suitor in your homeland?"
Rafe's question startled me. I turned to look at him, only to find him staring at me with an intense gleam in his eyes.
"What?" I asked.
"I hear what you're saying, but I also hear what you're not saying. You believe such a threat is enough to scare me away. Is that what the men of your homeland would do? Would they abandon you the moment the Gods sent a trial to test the strength of your love? I am no coward to run because of might-be's. No matter what our future holds, I have faith my feelings for you are strong enough to overcome any challenges."
I flushed red, recognizing I'd made a critical mistake by expecting the men of this world to think like someone on Earth would. This was a world where men fought dragons and monsters. Spiritually, they were made of sterner stuff.
"It's okay if you're afraid," Rafe continued mercilessly. "I can tell your trust has been broken in the past and I don't expect you to place your faith in me when I've done nothing to show you I'm capable of protecting you. But, if you could come to lean on me, even a little, I will prove myself worthy of your love."
My throat grew tight, making it difficult to respond. This man seemed to know everything I'd ever wanted to hear—and actually voiced it! I could see in his eyes he was hoping for some kind of acknowledgment. He needed to know it was possible—that I wasn't just leading him on.
"You're already worthy, Rafe," I croaked. "It's me. I don't understand how you can feel so strongly in such a short period of time. It's like you took one look at me and made up your mind. I'm scared you'll realize I'm not worthy of such affection and your heart will waver in the future. I need time to build up the confidence to believe you won't change your mind."
If he was disappointed in my response, he didn't show it. He smiled at me and nodded. "My heart already belongs to you. I can wait as long as you need."
He reached out and pulled me against him again, acting as if it was natural for us to be cuddled together. It should have been awkward. We were both largish men, yet he tucked me against him like I was half his size. I thought the difference in our body types might have been what made it work. His broad chest was so hard and strong where I, admittedly, was soft in comparison. It wasn't that I was fat or lacked muscles. My muscles simply lacked the same quality as his.
I relaxed against Rafe, listening to the calming beat of his heart and the chiming rhythm of the carriage mounts' trot. The sound, the steady movement of the carriage, and the comfortable warmth of Rafe's body slowly lulled me into a doze.
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