Chapter 112: However Long It Takes

Court procedures continued and Sigmund didn't make an appearance until the second to last day. I found this out from Franz himself because Al no longer saw the need to attend those meetings because nothing pertained to him.

I continued urging him to go because he needed more political experience if he was going to be the leader of a country but he kept brushing me off. "Why would I have to worry about that when I have you?"

He was exasperating. Just because I was a political science major he thought I could do everything. I barely had more practical experience than he did at this point!

Al knew all of the Kanta traditions because of Ayana's in depth explanations but he didn't know how to solve real problems pertaining to taking care of a group of people without my help. I didn't know much either so it was a case of the blind leading the blind.

Ayana assured him that divvying things up fairly wasn't as difficult as it may seem but I remained unconvinced. That sounded an awful lot like communism to me and executing that had often ended in disaster back in my world.

We would totally be winging it and the thought terrified me. If things didn't go well we would have a whole lot of angry people on our hands.

Based on everything Ayana told me, trust in the clan leader was unconditional because he was the one who carried on the blessing of the mountain spirits. That was an awful lot of pressure to put on my lazy, often apathetic husband.

Al had shown more initiative about reviving the Kanta than he had about anything else, which made me hopeful that this would work out after all. I didn't know what we would do if it didn't.

I was in the middle of worrying about all this when I got the news that Sigmund showed up and very quietly voted 'no' on every single item proposed simply to be petty before storming out. What was he trying to pull?

His logic was unfathomable to me. Why try to appear dignified only to storm out later? Had he completely cracked or what?

I didn't know what to think. On the last day of court he ended up doing the exact same thing. He hadn't caused the fuss I thought he would. Maybe we were safe after all and would be able to leave in the spring with no problems.

Sigmund even came to the last ball of the season (without his wife, who was too pregnant to attend) and managed to keep his composure. Perhaps his spirit of defiance had been broken the way Al's had been once. If so, the irony was cruelly poetic.

He began attending meals again too, even though he was quiet about it. Duke Orla was seen around him more than once looking rather angry. My money was on him being forced to pick up Sigmund's slack and resenting him for it.

That cold, stony duke had shown more emotion in the times I'd seen him since Franz's coronation than all of the other times combined. I was beginning to wonder if he was the real threat here.

Duke Orla still hadn't left the capital weeks after everyone else did. I had a bad feeling about that.

"Princess Catherine, how nice to see you," he said smoothly as we ran into each other yet again in the halls. He barely acknowledged Al, who was standing beside me with his hand in mine.

"Duke Orla," I replied flatly.

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This happened nearly every day now. I would have sworn he was seeking me out on purpose. After the first two times it happen Al stopped letting me go places without someone to accompany me. Usually him.

I didn't know what he expected to gain from this. I was married. Happily married. He had to know that by this point. And our side had already won so there was no way I would so much as work with him.

He had to have something sinister up his sleeve. The problem was that I hadn't figured out what yet.

Spring couldn't come fast enough. Leaving this particular thorn in my side behind would be a blessing. I had disliked the duke and wanted him far, far away from me since the moment we met and that feeling had only grown over time.

"Charles, don't you have business at your estate to tend to? How much longer do you intend to grace us with your presence?" Al asked with an edge in his voice.

Ah, my overprotective husband. I was grateful he was here backing me up. I hated dealing with this guy on my own. Duke Orla knew how to keep me on my toes and I didn't like it one bit.

I preferred a simple, relatively stress-free life. That wasn't possibly whenever he was around. He didn't seem to understand that I had chosen someone else because I didn't like him. It drove me crazy!

"However long it takes," he replied cryptically. "My friend needs me."

It would have been a nice sentiment if said friend wasn't a horrible person who had been the main villain of this novel. With Sigmund acting more normally and the duke back in the picture…nothing good could come of this.

The novel did describe them as friends but I didn't realize someone like him could care about another human being enough to be concerned about them. Then again, he did have a creepy crush on me so he did have more feelings than he let on.

"How kind of you," Al said sarcastically. "If you will excuse us, we have an appointment."

There was no appointment but it did give us a convenient excuse to leave so I said nothing and let him lead me down another hall. I sighed wearily. Dealing with nobles exhausted me but especially that one.

I didn't dare speak until we made it out to the gardens. "What are we supposed to do about him, Al? He gives me the creeps. I know he's up to something but I don't know what."

His expression hardened. "There isn't much we can do. He may be an important political figure because of his title but his power has been greatly reduced after Sigmund's demotion. He can't do anything to us without getting in trouble himself. Right now nobody knows we aren't royals so any harm to us is worthy of capital punishment."

I wasn't worried about the duke trying to kill me since he wanted me as his pretty little bird in a cage but I was terribly concerned about Al. If he found a way to make it look like an accident…

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