Revenge of the Duchess

Chapter 45

Alone again on her wedding night. Luke can consummated the marriage in her past life, then left immediately for his own room.

Granted, this time it was different. Now she waited anxiously for news of her newly minted husband's safety.

Annabeth rubbed her wedding ring, slipped onto her fingers this morning. The plan was to hold a fake public wedding in the afternoon, advertising the place and time as much as possible to the nobility so the aristocracy faction would concentrate their attack on that time.

She knew that she would be in danger as soon as Percy left to fight in the rebellion. What had amazed her was that he had left about fifty of his knights in the Black Knight Order to guard her.

"Don't you need them to fight?" Annabeth had asked worriedly. "Surely you can't leave this many knights just to guard the mansion. They'll be needed at the castle or wherever you're fighting..."

Percy had gently kissed her forehead. "We have more than enough soldiers," he had reassured her. "Besides, it's harder to escape notice of prying eyes if we take too many troops.

Then he had kissed her on the lips and brushed a softer one on the back of her hand. She tied a handkerchief to his wrist for good fortune. As he rode off with the rest of the knights, he had looked back once at Annabeth, as if to carve the memory of her standing at the gate into his mind.

Annabeth drew a shuddering breath. It would be a cruel twist of fate if Percy did not come back unharmed. To lose her husband after finally experiencing what love was like was a pain just as unbearable as losing her child.

Her fist clenched and unclenched.

No. She could not stand idly by this time and watch her happiness and future slip out of her hands so easily.

"Travis, Connor."

"Yes, Madam."

"Are the knights all prepared for battle?"

"Yes, Madam."

Annabeth nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Make sure all the mansion employees are safe in their evacuation spots. Oh, and is there some armor that I could wear?"

"Yes-Madam?"

Travis and Connor looked at each other with worry in their eyes. "Madam...?"

"His Grace wanted us to keep you safe," Travis started.

"So if Percy gets mad, you can defer to me." Annabeth's eyes flashed. "We need to be prepared for anything and everything. Find me a sword and armor if you can, please."

The two brothers looked at each other before bowing to heed her orders. Annabeth turned back to the window where a small dot was becoming bigger and bigger. It was a small troop of soldiers. But the road they had chosen was not towards the castle but towards the ducal mansion.

Annabeth grimaced as she gingerly touched the knife she had hidden in her clothes. It was the same knife she had used that when she and Percy first met in this second life. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she died in this life, then at least she would fight hard for both her survival and happiness.

*********************

Piper paced in her room. After the morning wedding of Duke Perseus Jackson and the new Duchess, Prince Jason had tried to persuade Piper to stay at the Jackson mansion for safety, or to even go to a safehouse near the border of Cuora and Inferis in hiding. He had been fearful that she would be caught in the mess, especially after talks of spies hidden high in his own network of espionage. But something had stopped Piper from taking either of those options.