## Valquiterre's Game
The single room assignment had been a deliberate test.
If Kaian and Claudel obeyed the servants' instructions and accepted separate quarters, it would indicate their relationship remained strained. Typically, visiting noble couples received the finest guest chambers—rooms suited for two.
But the political history between Vermont and Temnes made servants question the arrangement. A test of their standing with each other.
Kaian's response had been immediate: one room.
Valquiterre had watched from the central hall, observing their arrival personally. The woman he'd glimpsed at the lake—Vermont's second daughter, now married to Temnes—descended into the castle.
There was no reason to wait for the formal royal ball.
He'd invited Kaian to his birthday celebration specifically to meet her. When Kaian had arrived without hesitation—unprecedented for someone who typically refused royal summons—Valquiterre had understood: the Duke had changed.
*"I'll have to verify this myself,"* Valquiterre thought coldly.
Sudden encounters often left the deepest impressions.
---
## The Royal Feast
The palace's cooking was extraordinary—each dish decorated with rare ingredients or gold leaf.
Valmonde's cuisine had been different: taking poor ingredients and coaxing flavor from them through careful preparation. Wild game was tough, fishy, parasitic. The cooks had transformed it into something edible.
Rowen's food needed no such alchemy. Even simple preparations yielded rich, deep flavors. Grass-fed cattle. Orchards full of fruit for the pigs. Meat that tasted excellent without effort.
The palace's offerings existed in an entirely different realm.
Each course amazed me, and Kaian—rather than growing irritated at my enthusiastic consumption—seemed pleased by my appetite. The doctor's orders about recovery gave him license to encourage me to eat.
"Delicious," I said between bites. "The presentation is beautiful."
"When we return to Rowen, I'll hire a chef from the capital."
I shook my head with my fork mid-bite. "That's not necessary."
"Don't you like it?"
"Everything here is beautiful," I admitted, then remembered something troubling. "But the chef isn't a souvenir."
If Kaian took people one by one simply because they were talented, soon Rowen's own staff would be depleted.
"Rowen's food is the most delicious," I said firmly.
His eyes softened immediately.
"It's true," I continued. "The capital receives most of its produce from Rowen. Even Valmonde gets goods that only come from our territory."
"Exactly."
I looked down at my empty plate—the fifth one beside me. *I ate quite enthusiastically,* I thought with embarrassment.
Kaian set another plate before me, filled with small portions of unfamiliar dishes.
"Why is there only a little of everything?" I asked.
"That's how royal meals are served. It's meant to be appreciative of His Majesty's grace," he explained calmly. Then, noting my hesitation, he narrowed his eyes. "Don't be a picky eater."
"Are you teasing me again?"
"Hahahaha." He laughed at my indignation.
I counted the finished plates with my eyes. I would owe the King nine expressions of gratitude if I continued at this rate.
"I want to stop eating," I said, setting down my fork.
"Eat more."
"If I continue, I'll gain weight."
"The doctor said you need substantial nutrition."
"...Really?"
"Rest well and eat well. You were tired from traveling," he said with finality. "Eat while you can, then retire early."
Without further resistance, I lifted my fork again.
---
## The Familiar Bedroom
The chamber we'd been assigned had a bright, cheerful atmosphere that reminded me of Rowen Castle.
"Isn't this similar?" I observed, looking around.
"My mother extensively renovated Rowen Castle," Kaian explained. "She grew up here, in the royal castle. When the capital was established, Oberon Castle was modeled after Rowen Castle's design."
"I read about that."
"That's probably why I've never struggled sleeping here, even since childhood. It feels like home."
"You seem very comfortable," I observed.
"I'm not the type to be particular about where I sleep. What about you?"
"I don't think location matters much, but I have insomnia." I hesitated. "Though it's hard to tell if that's because of the environment or the actual condition."
"You'll figure it out when you sleep tonight."
But I couldn't sleep. Even in the familiar-feeling chamber, something felt wrong.
"I can't sleep," I finally admitted after lying awake for hours.
"Why?"
"The pillow and blankets feel different." The palace's smooth silk-like bedding was stuffy and unpleasant against my skin. The bed itself was harder than Rowen's.
Kaian considered this, then offered a solution: "Come here. Sleep on me."
"What? No, that's—that's not appropriate. I'll manage."
"Shouldn't you sleep properly? You didn't come all this way to doze until sunrise."
He was right. I'd brought travel books, made notes about places to visit. I needed rest.
"But I can't use you as a bed," I protested weakly.
"Is using me as a bed different from what we did earlier?" he asked with a slight smile.
Heat flooded my face. I threw off the blanket and grabbed my gown. "I should take a separate room."
Kaian caught my waist before I could move. "What are you embarrassed about?"
"You're shameless."
"How long will you be embarrassed? You asked me to do it first."
He pulled me toward the bed, and I followed reluctantly, as though being dragged.
"Come," he commanded, lying back.
I awkwardly settled onto his body—something I'd never done before. But once positioned, I felt the warmth of him, smelled the familiar scent that was purely Kaian. It was comforting.
"Good night, Claudel."
His hand brushed gently through my hair, and drowsiness claimed me almost immediately.
---
## Morning Discovery
I woke early—unusually so.
Kaian slept deeply beside me, his upper body exposed. The man who'd faithfully served as my warm bed all night must have been exhausted.
I slipped carefully from bed, dressed in my white Rowen-style dress, and wrapped a shawl around my shoulders. The capital's morning air was chilled.
Quietly, I covered him with the blanket and left the room.
The maid standing watch outside bowed in surprise. "Good morning, Duchess."
"Please light the stove in the room—but not too much wood. And I'd like a light breakfast. Bread and soup are sufficient."
I walked slowly down the long hallway, following Kaian's suggestion about the castle's similarity to Rowen, as though playing a game of finding hidden details.
Then something caught my eye.
On the hallway floor, something blue—folded paper or fabric—glinted in the morning light. When I looked closer, it was a large butterfly, wings folded, easily half the size of my palm.
*Butterflies in a palace?*
As I reached toward it, the butterfly stirred. Its wings unfurled, and it fluttered down the hallway. I followed, helplessly chasing it deeper into the castle.
Soon a terrace with golden railings appeared. The butterfly slipped between the bars, and I stopped, holding onto the railing.
The vista beyond stole my breath.
A vast garden spread below, bathed in early morning sunlight. Dew covered the grass, making each blade shimmer like tiny jewels. The sight was so beautiful I could scarcely breathe.
I stood transfixed, watching the light transform the landscape.
Then, a man's voice—unfamiliar, but commanding—spoke from behind me.
"Do you like it here?"
---