The Duke’s Study

  The Duke was upset as he had no choice but to allow for Veronique to have private lessons with Ivan Doppelganger due to Alexander’s protests, the boy had been smart in bringing up the issue while his mother was present, so with the both of them presenting good points on why it would be more beneficial for Veronique to have those one on one lessons and Alexander expressing interest in having Rhea shadowing him for the day the Duke had no choice but to agree.

  No matter how much Lucretia was in favor of Rhea having an healthy relationship with Veronique, she also wanted Alexander and Rhea to be close, so the prospect of the two of them hanging together was too good to pass up from her point of view and there was the added fact that Rhea and Veronique had already spent a lot of time together so there was virtually no issue at hand.

  Still neither Alexander or Lucretia knew they had to be wary of Doppelganger, as an minor noble Lucretia still had some naivety to her and didn’t know she had to anticipate backstabbing and Alexander was still too young to even notice he had been manipulated in a direction.

  The Duke could have put his foot down and disagreed, but he it wouldn’t have been a smart move on his part.

  Not now when his position with the staff was compromised and potentially putting Rhea in danger wasn’t worth it.

  It wasn’t that he feared Veronique would hurt her, but he wouldn’t put it past Doppelganger to let Rhea get hurt on purpose to force what he wanted.

  Should such scenario happen then Veronique and Rhea’s relationship would sour, Alexander’s hostility towards Veronique would worsen and the boy might even become hostile to the Duke himself for allowing such thing.

  The possibility of his own preferred heir turning against him was too much of a risk.

  However this didn’t mean that he couldn’t confront the man himself about it, so there they were face to face

  “What game are you playing at Mr Doppelganger?” the Duke went right to the point

  “I am not doing anything of the sort your Lordship” he had answered completely at ease and unperturbed by the icy glare directed at him

  “Madame Luise had already expressed her suggestion of sending Veronique straight to the Royal Knights” the Duke laid it all out “Now you are here, stuck to my side by the Royal family itself manipulating the events and my son to have one on one lessons with Veronique”

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  “I manipulated nothing, the kid wasn’t going to reach her potential if she keeps worrying about her little sister” Doppelganger had affirmed denying everything but still giving reason on why he would do such thing.

  “You are not to teach Veronique any offensive Skills” the Duke was firm about it “I want her to enjoy her childhood”

  “If the kid is already scheduled to join the Royal Knights because of her Skill, then what’s the harm in teaching her some?” the Skill teacher had pointed out and was meet with silence, because there really wasn’t an answer against it, which left only a logical conclusion “oh you don’t want her to know”

  “I don’t want her to worry” the Duke clarified that point at which the man had the gall to roll his eyes

  “May I be frank with you sir?” he had asked sounding indisposed

  “You may” the Duke gritted those words out, the casual attitude of Doppelganger unnerved him to no end

  “Letting her make up plans for the future only to have them shattered later on is cruel” he would say and the Duke hated to admit there was some truth to those words

  “You want me to tell a eight year old they will have to go to the front lines?” but wasn’t it also cruel to let them know their fate was already sealed

  “What no, I would wait a couple of years to do that, but I wouldn’t just drop it on her when she comes of age” Doppelganger denied and explained his point “She needs to be prepared to survive her service” and he would be right if Veronique wasn’t a special case

  “I am not a stupid man, with Skills like hers the Royals will never let her come back” it was true those could be the last years Veronique would have a resemblance of freedom

  “Skills?” the Skill instructor seemed taken back as if he didn’t know about the full scope of Veronique’s Skills

  “You are dismissed Mr Doppelganger” and the Duke wanted to keep it that way

  “As you wish your Lordship” Ivan had bowed to the Duke then bowed again “Mr Varnes” he had said in acknowledgment making the shadows in the room tremble and slither towards him.

  They stilled as the Duke raised an hand, Doppelganger got out of the room without an issue

  Julius appeared out of the shadows looking utterly displeased

  “I don’t like that guy!” he had declared

  “Me neither” the Duke would admit then add after thinking on the recent conversation “something is not adding up, he knows about you but he wasn’t fully informed about Veronique’s skills”

  “I will tail him” Julius offered without a second thought, at which the Duke shock his head

  “You can’t, he’s still an affiliate of the Royal family it will give him grounds to denounce us to the Lorens as conspirators against the Crown” he explained “the fact he brought you up was probably a warning to keep you away from his affairs” at that Julius merely let out a hum as he thought of a solution

  “Ha! but he can’t do shit if I tail Veronique, doesn’t he?” he proposed “I would be just there to watch out on the kid’s progress, which is well within your rights”

  “That would occupy too much of your time and I need you there too” the Duke shot it down without mercy “Besides it would raise questions as on why I never sent you to watch over my heirs, the Royals would see through it right away and it would put me in a bad position if word came to the Staff that I am giving more attention to Veronique” which ruled out the option of sending someone to watch over Veronique’s lessons in a more official way.

  “So what can we do?” Julius had wondered out aloud

  “Nothing”