Daybreak's Crest: A Zodiac Story

Chapter 27: A Leader's Job

"Mm..." Cassiopeia tapped the feathered plume of the quill delicately against her cheek, her brilliant blue eyes lidded. She stuck out her full, lower lip, pouting – but just barely enough to look elegant rather than childish. "What should I say, Scorpio? Do you think I should tell Father that he really doesn't need to send any more letters to me?"

"It's your choice."

"Hmph." Cassiopeia pouted again, her eyes darting over to her left for just a moment. "Scorpio, Scorpio! You have to tell me something. You can't just not care about everything!"

"It is your father, though." Scorpio replied carefully. "It isn't my place to speak with him on the level you do." He eyed the whorls of ink across the page – cursive and flowing, with flowery embellishments on every carefully written word. "Duke von Schedar is a superior to me."

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about it. You'll be his son-in-law soon enough! We're practically family already."

Scorpio tried not to grimace and shuffle his chair away as Cassiopeia leaned towards him. "Not... yet."

"Mm, I suppose." Cassiopeia dipped her quill in ink again and watched the bead of ink glisten on the pointed tip. "Oh, goddesses; what should I say...?" Her eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! I'll tell him –"

"Cassiopeia, for the tenth – please... don't be so hasty." Scorpio quickly cut her off. "I know you'd like to tell him about us, but... I think we should keep it private for now."

"Our little secret...? Ooh, I like the sound of that, yes!" Cassiopeia giggled. "Well, if you're so shy, dearest; I can't help but do as you say! But you know you can't hide it forever...!"

"Yes, yes, of course." Scorpio breathed a sigh of relief.

"What else should I tell Father, then...?"

"W-well..." Scorpio gave the folded letter across Cassiopeia a glance. "Perhaps..." If I have to... "What did he speak of in his letter?" He hesitated; nobles are very picky with their words, aren't they...? "If it is... not too personal for me to pry?" He added as an afterthought.

"Oh, Scorpio! Of course! The Von Schedars are practically your family, now –" Cassiopeia snuggled against Scorpio's shoulder. Scorpio really hoped she did not feel the shudder that went through him. "– so what's ours is yours!"

"Right..."

Scorpio plucked the folded paper off the desk. He smoothed out the sharp creases against the desk with his palm and tried his best not to wince at the sheer... illegibility of the words.

It wasn't that it was messy, but the cursive and the ink flowed into each other so much that the entire letter looked like a series of looping scribbles.

"So..." Scorpio squinted at the first word. "'Dearest Cassiopeia... how are you fear – faring? I have been discussing with... the von Galateas... the meeting has gone –" Okay, I can't read that part at all – "I will be returning as soon as possible on horseback to check on you. I will be staying the night with the Galateas and will be returning tomorrow... at noon, latest –"

Scorpio paused.

He's returning – he's coming here? Tomorrow?

Panic shot through him. Scorpio drew his fingers away before he could crumple the letter in his sudden moment of realisation. "Y-your... Duke von Schedar is returning tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes, he is!" Cassiopeia took another glance at the letter. "Father's always so worrisome, you know! He doesn't think I can handle myself for even a day... this is the longest he's left me here without anyone except the maids to watch over the manor! And all those rules he set – goodness, I think I would rather have to cook dinner myself than to memorise all of them!" Cassiopeia sighed. "The Von Galatea territory isn't quite so far away though, so I'm sure one of the guards could pass on the message before daybreak... but I wouldn't be surprised that if he didn't receive my letter by daybreak because of how slow those guards are, he would raise an army and wage war on Cethia itself!"