A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!
"So, does the lady object? I do not plan on taking any other wives or consorts but you."
Annabeth's grey eyes looked a deer caught between hunters and a pack of hunting dogs. Then they changed into expressions of seriousness, and her demeanor became business-like.
"Once a month." She returned a different offer.
To visit the wife's chamber once a month or even less was a common occurrence among the nobility, especially for those married for financial or political reasons. It was just enough to ensure a child would be produced but the husband and wife would be left to their own devices. For some reason, Annabeth's offer irked Percy though he didn't know why. Had it been another woman before him, he would have agreed immediately.
"Once a week."
Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "Twice a month."
Percy shook his head. He wasn't successful in trading for nothing.
"Once a week," he repeated. "My only condition is to have a heir compared to your many terms. Twice a month might not be enough for a child within the time given."
"You agreed to those though."
"Verbal agreements are nothing if held up under a court of law, but written agreements do." Percy pointed to the draft where they were writing down their terms. "No signatures yet so this document doesn't hold up either."
"You are more shrewd than I thought," Annabeth said. There was a note of disappointment in her voice.
"As I have said, perhaps Lady Annabeth does not know me as well as she thinks."
Did she hope him to be naive? The contract Lady Annabeth did propose had far more benefits than cons. In fact, he could not detect a single negative benefit. Well, except for the fact that she apparently did not want to spend many nights with him. It was quite the opposite from the proposals he'd gotten from other women.
"Pity," she gave him an ironic smile. Her eyes drifted to the ballroom as if gauging her time.
"You drive a hard bargain. Fine, then. I'll trust your words on the contract. I don't think our nights will be unpleasant, judging by how Your Grace seems."
Her eyes laughingly scanned his body up and down once. Suddenly, Percy felt conscious of his physique hidden under his black military uniform, which was rather ridiculous since he worked out daily in practices with the Black Knights Order. Every Black Knight was in top form in order to help guard the royal family and the royal city.
"Well, some say it's a matter of skill." Percy returned lightly. "But I don't think it'll be an unpleasant marriage for me either," he heavily hinted.
Although her dress wasn't as low cut in the bosom as some of the other ladies were sporting, Percy could tell from their dancing earlier that her body felt quite nice against his. Not only was Lady Annabeth quite pretty, she was witty and had a great business acumen to boot. Plus, she wasn't opposed to him either.
Beginning to be habituated to his teasing flirtations, Annabeth didn't blush this time. Shame, he rather liked seeing the pink color dust her cheeks.
"Then I'm glad we are both in agreement." Her business-like tone returned. "I accept your terms as well. But you have to write down that you'll be pleasant during these nights on the contract as well."
Percy laughed out loud. She really was surprising, wasn't she?
"Then the contract is complete. I will have two fresh copies made, and we can place our signatures and seals another time." Percy handed the contract draft to his butler.
Annabeth nodded. Before she could open her mouth to speak, a harsh male voice interrupted.
"Annabeth! There you are, I was looking for you."
A brief look of annoyance flashed over Annabeth's face before she quickly smothered her expression into a calmer one.
"Count Castellan."
Lady Annabeth curtsied prettily as though the count had not just interrupted a conversation both she and Percy preferred no one else to interfere in.
"Count Castellan?" Luke scoffed. "Why the unfamiliarity? You called me Luke before. And what was going on earlier?" Count Luke glared at Percy. "You didn't wait for me pick you up at your mansion."
"Oh, was that the plan?" Annabeth said dryly. It was obvious from her tone that she had deliberately left without Luke's escort. "By the way, Count Castellan. This is Duke Percy Jackson, but I'm sure you know that."
It was rude for Luke, who was only a count compared to a duke, to not greet Percy first. For Annabeth to hint that made the count seem even more rude. Luke bit his complaints back and gave his greetings to Percy with a bow.
"It has been a while, Duke Jackson. I hope your mother has been well."
Percy gave a cool smile but didn't return the bow as deeply. There was no need to.
"Greetings to you, Count Castellan. Yes, thankfully my mother has been healthy as always."
His mother, the second consort of Archduke Poseidon, came from a influential family supporting the royal family. But his father's first wife, and thus in a higher position, was the daughter of a family that supported the aristocratic faction. Count Castellan, as a major leader in the aristocratic faction, could not have been pleased that Percy's mother survived the plague.
"If you don't mind, Duke Jackson, I would like to speak to my fiancee."
Luke's blue eyes were saying for him to leave. Unfortunately for Luke, neither Annabeth nor Percy were inclined to do so.
"Fiancee?" Annabeth said coldly. "As I recall, Count Castellan, our families have not decided on our engagement."
A muscle twitched in the count's cheek as he struggled to compose his calm facade. "Annabeth, dear, I know we have not finalized our engagement but all paths lead to the same inevitable future."
"I'm afraid not, Count Castellan. The future can be changed quite easily with just once choice. Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm quite tired so I will take my leave. Please enjoy the banquet." Lady Annabeth turned to walk off but paused before turning back to Percy.
The rose he had placed in her hair was still wobbly since Percy had no experience at doing female hairstyles. Lady Annabeth plucked the same flower and slipped it into his cravat. Her touch was as light as a feather.
"Thank you for keeping me company. I hope I haven't bored you at all." Annabeth said.
Her smile was both innocent and alluring, but Percy knew she was deliberately using him to make Count Castellan jealous. Spurned women were the most dangerous type of females after all.
"Not at all." Percy took her hand before the hand left his cravat. He gently placed a sweeping kiss on the back of her hand. He held her gaze until her hand slipped out of his grasp.
Luke's expression grew darker and darker. Even Percy wouldn't kick a dog when its down. On second thought, looking at the calm facade but furious eyes in Count Castellan, Percy decided that yes, he could take a step further.
"By the way, Lady Annabeth. You dropped your handkerchief earlier." Percy took out the freshly washed and ironed handkerchief from his pocket and gestured to return the cloth back to Lady Annabeth.
Annabeth blinked before a moment of realization came over her face. She had dropped it from that time when she was disguised as a maid.
"Keep it. You have taken such good care of it, Duke Jackson, that you should be rightful owner."
It was a common custom of the Cuora nation that ladies often gave handkerchiefs with family crests to their betrothed. For Annabeth to openly give him her handkerchief was a clear declaration that Percy was her fiancee. To do so before her formerly presumed fiancee, well, Percy could only applaud at her boldness. Judging by Luke's dark expression, he had not received such a handkerchief from Annabeth. The count was probably wondering what had made her do such an act.
"Well, Duke Jackson, Count Castellan, I will take my leave."
Count Castellan made a move as if to block Annabeth from moving, but in a fortuitous stroke of luck, a servant came for the count. Annabeth was able to leave without much resistance.
The count gave Percy a stare but had to follow the servant. He nodded his goodbye to Percy before striding off.
Percy was curious in how much truth there was in what Annabeth had hinted. He turned to his butler. "Put a tail on Count Castellan. Be careful, he's not the head of the White Knights Order for nothing."
As he watched the retreating back of Count Castellan, Percy noticed a brown haired girl follow the count. He'd noticed that she'd been secretly watching them from the doorway. "Who was that?"
His butler squinted at the brown haired girl. "I believe that was Lady Kelli of the Chase family."
Chase? The reports that Percy had received on the main Chase family did not include a sister for Lady Annabeth. Lady Kelli must be a daughter from the branch family.
"Investigate that woman as well."
Luke nearly tossed the wineglass at the floor if it wasn't for Kelli holding his arm down. How could that bitch humiliate him?
Annabeth was only from a Baron family, a family that didn't even truly have any noble blood. For such a low noble to reject the advances of him, a count's family, was unheard of. It was utterly embarrassing to be in the ballroom as the whispers of the nobility reached his ears.
Originally, he had been planning on using her family's full coffers to support the aristocratic faction. Not to mention, he could have easily planted spies in the Chase family, who were long-time royal family supporters. Then, once Annabeth would bear an heir, then Luke would have solidified his position as an influential figure in the nation. Now. he had lost both wealth and political connections. No other bride could satisfy both qualifications.
But now what? Annabeth had somehow ingratiated herself with Duke Percy Jackson of all people. Though Luke had graduated a couple years before Percy, he had often heard of Percy's prowess in sword-fighting being compared to his. Percy was similar in status as the head of the Black Knights Order, but he had the added benefit of being a Duke and the cousin of the crown princess.
Lady Kelli pressed her voluptuous body against his arm. The feeling of her body was good.
"Don't worry, Luke, my love. I will persuade my cousin."
They were in a secluded drawing room from the ballroom, so Luke could crush his lover's body to his without prying eyes. Pity that Kelli was not the main daughter of the Baron family. She was demure and sweet with her doe-like eyes, unlike the cold and fiery Annabeth who was currently uncontrollable. But Annabeth had been easy to manipulate before with just a little time and patience. Why had she changed now?
Luke's eyes narrowed. Had she found out about something?
While Luke was mulling over this new predicament, Kelli's bright face darkened. She, too, found her cousin's change in behavior towards Luke quite strange. Annabeth had acted like she was in love with Luke, a fact that irked Kelli but it was a development Kelli needed in order to be with Luke in the end.
But Kelli had seen Duke Jackson and Annabeth together, with Duke Jackson placing a rose in Annabeth's hair. When had they become so close? Duke Jackson was someone Kelli could not touch. She was fortunate enough to even get a claw in Luke since he was interested in voluptuous and soft beauties like her. Kelli frowned. She had to find a way to get Annabeth and Luke back together.
Luke's hand wandered down the front of Kelli's chest.
Annabeth fumed as a hairpin was delivered to her. Contrary to the past, her mother had not received a hairpin this time. She rejected the infuriating gift and had the messenger send it back. Luke's letter that had accompanied the gift, had even asked for her handkerchief and her hand in return.
Now that her contract with Percy was almost complete, she could completely cut off ties with the Castellan family. Sure, Annabeth would be polite to them, but she would have enough political and financial power to never have to bow down to the Castellan family and to Kelli.
It was easy to let her family know why she decided to on not marrying Luke. Truthfully, her parents had been secretly reluctant in letting their daughter marry into an aristocratic faction family, so they smoothly ended the talks with the Castellan family. Her brother Malcolm, in particular, was the most relieved.
"I don't know. I just felt you and Luke were not compatible." Malcolm smiled at her. "But no matter what, I'll always support you, sister."
Love and gratefulness for her brother blossomed in her heart. Annabeth pulled Malcolm in for a hug. "Thank you, brother."
Only a day after the ball did Kelli come calling wondering why Annabeth had decided to change her mind. Annabeth idly wondered if throwing the teapot in Kelli's face would reveal her cousin's two-facedness, but that would be far too irrational of her.
"I just felt we didn't suit each other." Annabeth dodged Kelli's questions for the umpteenth time. She could see the frustration and impatience building in Kelli's eyes.
"But he's a count, Bessie! Luke is so handsome and rich, won't you reconsider? He would no doubt be a perfect husband."
Annabeth set her teacup down. She tolerated her least favorite nickname before, but now she hated the words 'Bessie' coming from Kelli's mouth. "When did you start calling Count Castellan so familiarly, Kelli?"
Recognizing her slip-up, Kelli tried to retreat. "Ah, Count Luke has been so generous to our family. He has been kind with me, despite the fact that I am an orphan and only from the side family. I feel a bit closer to him and you because of this. Since he's been so nice to me, I can tell he will be nice to you, Bessie."
"Then why don't you marry him?"
Kelli's face contorted. But of course Kelli couldn't say that her ultimate goal was marrying Luke in the end. She couldn't inherit anything from the Chase family and was not even a Baron's daughter. Even if the main Chase family offered Kelli's hand to the Castellan, the Castellan family wouldn't even have her as a concubine unless Luke married an official wife first.
Just you two wait, Annabeth thought. She wondered how long their little charade would last.
A/N: Well, that's the end of today's upload! I will see you all next time! And once again, I will update once a day until the chapters are finished.