"Your Grace, allow me to introduce myself: Lady Angelica, second daughter of Lord Pyotr, Count Crown," the girl said, bowing low in the small hall where the Duke of Wood sat upon his wooden throne.

  A young man, seemingly around twenty years of age, was clearly trying to get more comfortable on this instrument of torture, but as the girl could see, he wasn't having much success. Therefore, the pose in which the Duke received her, sitting on his throne, was quite peculiar: he leaned with one arm on one armrest, while a leg dangled over the other armrest. All of this, of course, was covered by several cushions beneath his posterior. The young man observed the girl and her servant with interest.

  Angelica had spent about a week traveling to the city of Wood, and then another week waiting for an audience with the Duke. As it turned out, although the Duke of Wood himself had summoned Angelica, she was not currently any kind of administrator or important person, so Lord Nikolai could not rearrange his schedule for a girl. Angelica understood this perfectly, but to her surprise, she was nonetheless provided with apartments in the main castle of the duchy. Of course, Angelica had brought along her limping maid Sabrina, whose facial burns were still healing. The noblewoman felt sorry for her servant, but could do nothing about what her father had done. It might even disfigure her face for the rest of her life. For this reason, Angelica had decided to bring her maid along to the audience with the Duke.

  "In our society, one usually introduces one's companions as well," Nikolai noted boredly, showing no interest in the conversation, lazily examining the nails on his hand, not even looking toward the arriving guests, despite having summoned them himself.

  *He really does know how to annoy people,* Angelica thought to herself.

  "This girl's name is Sabrina, and she is my maid. Sabrina is not of noble blood, so I thought it unnecessary to introduce a commoner to you, Your Grace," Angelica said, lowering her head in apology to her lord.

  "How stubbornly this nonsense has ingrained itself in your minds," the Duke sighed wearily, switching which leg was draped over the armrest. "If I don't know my people, how will I rule them?"

  "Forgive my shortsightedness, Your Grace," the girl apologized, not raising her head.

  "Lift your head and look at me," Nikolai exhaled tiredly. "How am I supposed to converse with you if you won't even look in my direction?"

  *You're not even looking at us yourself!* Angelica fumed inwardly, but aloud she said:

  "But, Your Grace..."

  "No buts! Damn, it feels like I'm talking not to a person, but to a puppet. Lady Angelica, you seem like a person, and a good conversationalist, if rumors are to be believed, so why can't we have a conversation?"

  *I think I understand why Father doesn't like Nikolai. With a personality like this, he's probably infuriated all the nobles of our duchy,* the girl continued reflecting. What she said, of course, was quite different:

  "But, Your Grace..."

  "I said, no buts!"

  "I mean, Your Grace, we are in the reception hall of your palace. How can I behave informally in such a formal setting?"

  "Hall, not hall, what's the difference? We're alone here, and there's no one to disturb our conversation," Nikolai muttered wearily, continuing to try and sit as comfortably as possible on his throne. "Lady Angelica, this reception room is the safest place for conversations. No one can eavesdrop on us here, and if they check the visitor log, they'll know you were with me here at this time. And because no one will interrupt the audience time unless something important happens, like a declaration of war, we can talk quietly. The only downside is that it's uncomfortable to sit here..."

  Angelica looked in surprise at the complaining Duke, who wasn't even looking in her direction, absorbed in contemplating the ceiling. The girl was still in a bit of shock at how informally her Duke behaved with his own subjects, and how he made remarks that he himself ignored.

  "Your Grace..."

  "You may address me as Lord Nikolai," the Duke waved his hand, interrupting the girl.

  "Lord Nikolai..."

  "Yes, Lady Angelica?" the young man interrupted his subject again.

  "Could you please stop interrupting me!" the girl burst out, shouting loudly, and then immediately became embarrassed, realizing she had shouted at the wrong person, and instinctively covered her mouth with her hands.

  "Ha-ha-ha-ha!" the Duke laughed, turning his head towards Angelica. "Finally, you've shown your true feelings! If you don't like something, don't keep it inside, say it right away. But perhaps not quite so directly—I'm still your Duke, and you haven't even received your title yet."

  "Yet?" Lady Crown asked in surprise, somewhat puzzled by the Duke's phrasing.

  "We'll get to that a little later," Nikolai waved off this minor clarification. "Let's talk about more important matters. Why are you here?"

  "You summoned me yourself, Lord Nikolai," the girl replied, looking somewhat surprised at the Duke of Wood.

  "That's true," the young man acknowledged this point. "But actually, you wanted an audience with me. Perhaps not immediately, but this last week of staying in my castle has made that clear. Every day you came to check my schedule, wanting to see me as soon as possible. So, your desire to meet with me—that's what's interesting."

  Angelica continued to look at her lord in surprise. He didn't have the most remarkable appearance, and it was clear he didn't really want to deal with all this governmental business. But what if that wasn't the case? Even now, this young man, probably her age, had calculated her actions. Had he deliberately set a week's waiting period for her? Was he testing her? Trying to understand her motives? Had her eagerness to meet with the Duke given away that she wanted something from him?

  "Lord Nikolai, it seems to me a natural desire to return home as quickly as possible," Angelica parried, trying to find justification for her actions.

  "Don't try to justify yourself. We are in the capital of our glorious duchy. A young maiden like you could have found ways to occupy herself while waiting for an audience. For instance, she might have visited various stables or gone for a horse ride, which is typically among the hobbies of one of the daughters of a certain count. Or she might have simply rested, walking around the city. But you spent almost all your time in the palace, inquiring about our meeting, and visiting the library, reading the history of our former kingdom, and then the duchy," Nikolai noted, observing the girl's reaction.

  Angelica was astonished. She hadn't done anything particularly special, but her seemingly unremarkable actions had led to this conclusion. The Duke of Wood, despite his age, was a rather intelligent man. And apparently, dangerous. His slacker-like and irritating manner of behavior infuriated all sorts of people, like Count Crown, but it also allowed him to observe and see the reactions of his subjects. Was he looking for those he could trust? Was this merely a test of loyalty? What if Angelica changed her behavior before him; would he behave differently?

  "Forgive me, Your Grace," the girl said, kneeling down, deciding to test her theory. "I never meant to doubt your intelligence or your actions."

  Nikolai grunted and, to her surprise, assumed a normal sitting position on his wooden throne, though still keeping the cushions under his posterior—apparently this throne really was that uncomfortable. The young man folded his hands together, placed his elbows on his knees, and leaned forward slightly.

  "Now, we can talk, Lady Angelica," the Duke said approvingly, changing his manner of communication, beginning to address his subject politely. "I did not summon you without reason, as you may have gathered. I am looking for people loyal to me who will help me rid myself of corrupt nobles, such as your father. I hope you take no offense at my words?"

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  "Not at all, Your Grace," the girl said, remaining on her knees, not raising her gaze. Now she felt that before her was not just a young man playing the fool. She was speaking with the Duke, her ruler, the man who governed all their land.

  "That's excellent. Our duchy is like one great tree, permeated with roots and canopies. But when one of the branches rots, it must be cut away to save the rest of the tree. Am I not right?" asked Lord Nikolai. Even the timbre of his voice had changed, becoming harder and more authoritative, which hadn't been there before. How well he had played the fool, the man uninterested in his own actions.

  "I agree with you, Your Grace," Angelica replied, not changing her posture, continuing to look at the floor before her.

  "Stand up. And you may raise your gaze," the Duke commanded her. The girl rose from her knee and looked at the young man sitting before her. He still held the same pensive pose, but his eyes had changed; they had become more serious. "Now tell me, why did you seek a meeting with me?"

  "My father is plotting against you, Your Grace," Angelica answered honestly, watching the Duke's reaction, and to her surprise, not a single muscle on his face twitched; he remained just as pensive.

  "Does something surprise you, Lady Angelica?" Lord Nikolai asked her, observing the girl.

  "Yes, Your Grace, you didn't seem surprised at all," the girl admitted, exhaling with slight disappointment. She had thought she would provide the Duke with new information and that this would serve as her argument in subsequent negotiations. But the Duke of Wood hadn't even been surprised, as if he already knew.

  "I already know this," Lord Nikolai confirmed her suspicions. "But I am glad that you decided to convey this important information to me. The Duchy and the Kingdom value the loyalty and honesty of their subjects, especially nobles, who must work for the sake of the Kingdom and its people, as well as for His Majesty the King."

  Angelica said nothing, merely looked at her Duke in astonishment. In just a couple of minutes, he had transformed so much that instead of irritation, he was beginning to evoke admiration in the girl. This was the real Lord Nikolai, Duke of Wood.

  "My father still thinks you have no idea, Your Grace," Angelica said after a few minutes, having endured the heavy gaze of the Duke sitting opposite her all this time, but trying to gather her thoughts and strength to continue speaking. No matter how little she loved her father, taking a step against him was difficult, and she was constrained by the fear that if her plan failed, she would have no protection, neither from the Duke nor from the Count. Of course, she was the direct heir to the county title, but if her father had a new child, he would hardly give control of the lands to Angelica. So she couldn't stay on his side anyway. Still, it had taken her those few minutes to muster her courage, and perhaps Lord Nikolai's intent gaze had helped her. "He sent me to spy on you and report all information about you to him. But I want to serve my Duke, not be a tool in the Count's intrigues."

  "Well, a commendable decision, Lady Angelica," Lord Nikolai nodded affirmatively, clearly pleased with her answer. "But you understand that I cannot trust you, and all these words you speak—are they simply what a Duke wants to hear, knowing that his subjects are plotting against him? And these words of yours—are they merely an attempt to gain my trust so you can begin spying on me?"

  "But..." the girl began, but was quickly interrupted.

  "Loyalty must be earned, Lady Angelica. So far, you haven't told me anything I didn't already know. How am I to trust you, then? For now, you wield only words, and the value of your words is too small to be believed," the Duke of Wood said, observing the girl's reaction.

  Angelica looked at Nikolai in surprise but said nothing, standing in a slight stupor. His words indeed made sense. So what could an ordinary girl do? She had nothing she could give to demonstrate her loyalty, and she could offer nothing to prove it. So what was she to do?

  Then a small idea came to the girl, and she declared in a confident voice, without a shadow of doubt in her words:

  "I can spy on my father and report everything to you, Your Grace."

  At these words, the young man pondered, scrutinizing the girl intently, as if assessing her. It took him about a minute of reflection before beginning to deliver his verdict:

  "You, of course..."

  But at that moment, the door behind the wooden throne opened loudly, and a maid with a slightly greenish skin tone entered, causing the Duke to fall silent. She approached the throne and, without looking at the Duke, stood next to him. A displeased Nikolai continued, now speaking to her:

  "Alena, what do you think you're doing? I'm in the middle of an important meeting."

  The maid looked at Nikolai, then shifted her gaze to Angelica and Sabrina. Though, as it seemed to Lady Crown, Alena paid no attention whatsoever to her servant, scrutinizing the Count's daughter herself intently. She didn't even rush to answer the Duke's question, continuing to stand by his throne. It was evident that Lord Nikolai was beginning to get slightly angry, waiting for a reaction from his wayward maid. Perhaps such behavior was usual for her, specially designed to infuriate other aristocrats. But now, it was working against the young man himself.

  "Alena, I asked you a question," Lord Nikolai said. His voice was calm, and Angelica detected not a hint of anger in it, although it seemed to her that he was losing his temper.

  "I came in here because there are two members of the Wood family present," Alena said in a calm voice, but deep in its tones, something inhuman lurked, causing the girls to fall into a slightly uncontrollable panic.

  "Stop that," the Duke said sternly but quietly. "You don't need to frighten my guests. And I am the only one here."

  "She," Alena said, raising her hand and pointing her index finger at Angelica, who was in a state of mild panic.

  "What about her?" Nikolai said irritably, beginning to tap his fingers on the wooden armrest of his throne.

  "She is a member of the Wood family," Alena replied, not lowering her hand.

  Silence hung in the hall for some time. After about a minute, to the surprise of Angelica and Nikolai, it was broken by Sabrina.

  "E-e-excuse me," the Crown family's maid said, slightly stammering from fear. "Y-y-your G-g-grace, h-h-how c-c-can s-s-such a th-th-thing b-b-be?"

  "Indeed, Alena, answer this young maiden's question," the Duke of Wood commanded calmly, clearly gathering his thoughts quickly. Angelica could not do the same; she was still in a bit of shock.

  "There are two reasons," Alena began. "First, upon entering here, I sensed two members of your family. Second, and more weighty for you, Nikolai, since you don't trust me—this is information from that man you sent me to watch."

  "From Vasily Mol?" the Duke clarified.

  "Yes," the maid replied. "Though I had to kill part of his family to get him to finally cooperate."

  "What?" Lord Nikolai said in surprise. But before his maid could answer, Angelica saw her smile predatorily at her master.

  *Who the hell is she?* Angelica thought to herself, realizing that this girl frightened her. Behind Angelica, a sound of a small fall was heard, and when the girl turned around, she saw Sabrina trembling, her legs no longer supporting her, and tears beginning to well up in her eyes, which held the horror she felt from this unknown girl.

  "I killed his daughter and wife," Alena replied, continuing to speak with some echo in her voice.

  "He didn't have a daughter," Lord Nikolai said quietly, then darkened slightly, as if remembering something. "Damn it, Alena, you fucking dryad, couldn't you have thought of a better way than killing an infant?!"

  "Foolish human, how dare you shout at me?" the girl said, and the meeting hall seemed to darken slightly, dimming the light coming from above, and Angelica thought she saw the girl's long claws beginning to grow.

  "Because I AM KING NIKOLAI WOOD," the Duke exclaimed loudly, rising from his throne and clenching his fist tightly, astonishing the Count of Crown's daughter. If anyone else had heard these words, the Duke would certainly have been executed for treason.

  Alena suddenly fell to one knee, her head lowered, and the atmosphere in the hall returned to normal. Angelica looked again at the girl's hands, but saw no long claws there. However, she clearly heard Sabrina sniffing, trying to let her tears fall as quietly as possible. The girl could not blame her servant for this, as she herself felt her legs trembling with fear, but to her surprise, she continued to stand on them. Then she looked towards Sabrina to see how she was, but saw a small puddle spreading beneath the girl. Angelica wanted to go to her, to help somehow, but understood that all her strength was going into simply remaining standing.

  "You are no longer kings," the one the Duke had called a "dryad" hissed angrily, raising her head and glaring at the young man.

  "The Pact does not care about our current title," Lord Nikolai said, looking at Alena. "As long as we rule these lands, you are obliged to serve us."

  "You will pay for this," Alena said, but without any malice, as if stating a fact.

  "I know, but it's not for you to decide when that happens," the Duke said indifferently. "Next time, choose your methods more carefully. You've lived for hundreds of years, so why are you still so stupid?"

  "I do what I am ordered to do," the maid replied, not reacting to the insults.

  "I didn't tell you to kill infants," Lord Nikolai said gloomily.

  "You only said not to kill the man," Alena replied.

  "Do I have to clarify every single point for you?" the Duke growled at her.

  "Wh-what is going on here?" Angelica blurted out, slightly stammering from the fear overwhelming her.

  "Right. How can she be a member of my family?" the young man said, abruptly changing the subject, pointing his finger at Angelica.

  "You don't trust my senses," the maid said, still kneeling. "But I know that your accursed blood flows in her. And that man's records confirm it."

  "How long?" Lord Nikolai suddenly asked.

  "What?" the dryad asked uncomprehendingly.

  "How long have you known she is a member of our family?"

  "I have always known."

  Nikolai clenched his fists tightly. Angelica saw for the first time an emotion of anger appear on the face of the Duke of Wood. He was clearly very angry at this creature, which was obviously not human.

  "Then why didn't you say so?" Nikolai asked angrily.

  "You didn't ask," Alena replied indifferently.

  "Then who is her father?"

  "Your executed elder brother, Yaroslav."