Chapter 66: Not Used To Rejection

Charles Lancaster, the Duke of Orla, was not used to rejection. Everyone had been willing to lick his boots from a young age when he took over his father's old and prestigious title.

He worked hard to live up to others' expectations and was lauded as a prodigy among the nobility. So why? Why did the one thing he actually wanted have to be taken away by someone so useless?

The first time he saw Catherine du Pont he was intrigued by how she put her brother Edmund, one of the most ridiculous people he knew, in his place. His curiosity only grew when he saw her reading such advanced political texts in her father's library.

She was as sharp as she was beautiful. The perfect duchess—unlike his mother, who wasted her days on needlepoint and gossip.

The dukedom of Orla was barely beneath the archduke in terms of power and prestige. Yet Catherine had chosen a useless, forgotten prince with no political power of his own simply because he made her laugh.

He couldn't forget what she said that day in the back garden. How could such a beautiful mind be wasted on a buffoon!

Used to quelling any and all emotion because that was what dukes were meant to do, Charles was surprised by the rage that rose within him when he saw Catherine, beautiful and breathless with sparkling sapphire eyes, laughing with her idiot husband in the snow.

It was even worse when he put his arms around her right in front of him and she did not protest. She practically used Prince Alpheus as a shield and hurried away as quickly as possible to avoid him.

"Sigmund, something must be done about the third prince," he declared resolutely as he returned to the office.

Charles came upon that hallway solely by chance after taking a walk to clear his head because he had been stuck in the palace for the duration of the storm and worried about the state of affairs back in the dukedom. Court had closed for the season and he was meant to go back three days earlier.

The walk hadn't worked. If anything, his head was more muddled than before.

"Why, what did he do?" Sigmund asked sharply, looking up from a pile of paperwork on his desk.

His hands balled into fists. "I saw him and Princess Catherine in the hallway, coming back inside from the snow. Who in their right minds would go outside in this weather unless they were up to something?"

Sigmund's eyes narrowed and he set down his pen, clasping his hands together under his chin.

"That is suspicious…the other day I heard from some servants that they were spotted coming back inside soaking wet as well. They may be meeting with someone. Alpheus would never start something on his own so it must be Katie's doing. He is obnoxiously infatuated with her and lets her drag him around the castle—oh, sorry, Charles."

He cut himself off when he noticed his friend's knuckles growing progressively whiter. Rising from his chair, he strode across the room and clapped a hand on Charles' shoulder.

"I will find out what they are up to. Don't trouble yourself too much. If it makes you feel any better, I have been watching those two carefully for some time now. I am certain she has no real attachment to him. Once I figure out how to get him out of the way once and for all, Katie will be all yours."

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Charles wasn't stupid. He saw how much fun they were having with his own two eyes. "I mean no offense, but I believe you are mistaken."

Sigmund's smile grew wicked. "I am not. Alpheus has been isolated since childhood. He saw a bright, pretty thing and took it to play with simply to alleviate his own boredom. I have informants within the palace.

"Did you know that they spend hours each day doing nothing but playing cards? Katie is independent and intelligent but has to spend her days coming up with countless ways to entertain a bored prince. She is more his nanny than his wife. That would grow tiring fairly quickly, no?"

He made a fair point. A mind like Catherine's needed to be stimulated. If all she was doing was focusing on keeping the prince busy, it was a terrible waste of her abilities. She could easily grow to resent him.

Charles could challenge her and help keep her sharp…but he could not make her laugh. The sound of her joyful laughter earlier rang in his ears.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I have not decided yet. Katie is too close to Mariela for my liking but as far as I can tell, Alpheus has no interest in the bid for the throne. I cannot act without adequate reason. But the moment he shows any signs of betraying me, I will find sufficient evidence to have him convicted of treason. Then his wife will be all yours," Sigmund said with a shrug.

All his…Charles had to find that evidence. He suggested, "Why not have the crown princess try and get close to her as well? Rosenia might be able to get the truth out of her."

Sigmund's laugh was tinged with ire. "Me? Get that woman to do anything? Rosenia and I have an agreement but I am afraid convincing her to do something she finds disdainful does not fall under it."

Right. Rosenia was allowed to do as she pleased as the crown princess in exchange for her brother the king of Rowenhilde's ear and access to a portion of the tariffs from Rowenhilde's mighty export industry.

Sigmund could ask no more of her. He hardly even saw the woman, which was likely why she still hadn't borne him an heir.

"If you explained that it would help consolidate her position it might work."

The crown prince smirked. "This is why I keep you around, Charles. Always thinking outside of the box. Go back to your estate and handle your affairs for a while once the snow is cleared. I will handle things here and keep you informed."

Charles was reluctant to leave since he wanted to take the third prince down personally but he had no real excuse to stay in the palace now that the court session ended. And he did have a lot of work to do back in the dukedom.

He would leave it to his friend. Sigmund, like Charles, almost always got his way in the end.

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