Silk
"Some knives are jeweled, some are kissed—both cut just as deep."
Duke Claudio’s office remained lit late into the night.
"I’ve already heard what the Minister of the Interior proposed. It’s regrettable we lost him, but the move was correct. A spark that can burn everything must be extinguished."
Claudio and Raju.
Two men rowing together on a vessel named Jason. Their goal was singular: make Jason Emperor.
If they succeeded, the Regent would become King of Valdina, and Raju would rise as a powerful noble in Katzen.
The Prince Regent’s expression grew emotional.
"I knew you would say that, Count. My wretched son insists he’s always right, and my vassals only come running when something goes wrong… You don’t know how lonely it is to bear the burden alone…"
"You need not worry, Your Highness. Now that I am here, everything will fall back into place."
Count Raju spoke with utter confidence.
"Our mission will refuse Valdina’s formal request for aid. But if the Duke petitions us personally, we can resolve the matter by offering a small amount of food and supplies."
"My mother will object…"
"If the Queen Mother continues to block you, you can use that as justification to refuse further aid. The blame for halting relief efforts will fall squarely on her shoulders, and her influence will weaken."
Raju’s tone was soothing, as if there were no cause for concern.
"Moreover, the delegation will communicate only through Prince Claudio—not the royal family."
The Prince Regent’s face brightened at once.
The sole channel to the Empire—its scarcity in Valdina made it invaluable, especially now, with winter approaching and Katzen’s relief desperately needed.
With that, I can restore my shaken position.
"Excellent. That will do nicely."
The Regent’s eyes shone with relief and greedy joy.
"Count Raju, I won’t forget this favor. If you need anything while you’re here, speak freely."
The Prince Regent produced his most prized drink—costly enough to make any noble pause.
"We’re aboard the same ship, are we not? I know well how precious it is to have a friend as trustworthy as Your Highness. It’s a sense of belonging I never felt in that blood-soaked empire."
"Life as a foreigner in Katzen must keep you wary every hour of the day. Yet you still stand at the Grand Duke’s side. That alone is remarkable."
The Prince Regent, a rigid believer in noble birth, treated Raju with surprising warmth, as though it had never occurred to him that the man had once been a commoner.
As the hours advanced, the number of shared glasses increased.
"Count Raju, you truly came at the perfect time… I’m glad. Truly glad."
The normally cool-headed Regent seemed to have abandoned all reason for this night of drink.
His tongue grew looser with each cup. Then, all at once, he slumped forward, his forehead thudding onto the desk.
Count Raju, too, had drunk heavily—but the alcohol had not dulled him in the same way.
"Lord Claudio? This won’t do… you shouldn’t be sleeping like this…"
No matter how he shook him, the Prince Regent remained deeply unconscious.
A heavy hush settled over the office.
Scrape.
A chair slid back.
Step. Step.
Count Raju’s steps, as he left the office, were perfectly steady—unlike before.
In Duchess Claudio’s bedroom, the lights still burned.
"Madam, shall I prepare you for bed?"
"No, I’ll manage tonight. You may go and rest."
She waved a delicate hand to dismiss the maid.
"Don’t wake me until I call for you tomorrow."
"Understood. Sleep well, Madam."
The Duchess was notoriously sensitive; once asleep, no one was allowed to enter her chambers without permission.
The young maid, well-acquainted with her mistress’s temperament, nodded and quietly withdrew.
Catherine seated herself at the dressing table.
Draped in a silk gown that traced every curve of her body, hair pinned up, she looked agelessly beautiful.
She made no move to ready herself for sleep. Her meticulously applied makeup remained untouched; a faint fragrance of perfume clung to her skin.
As her fingertips brushed her reflection—
Rough arms suddenly closed around her, a firm hand gripping her chin while another circled her waist and hauled her upright.
"Robby, you startled me!"
Catherine drew a sharp breath and let out a shaky exclamation—but quickly hushed herself.
"My love, you’re as beautiful as ever."
Count Raju pulled her into a fierce embrace and kissed her like a man starved.
"What about him?"
"What do you think I’ve done? I laced his drink with sleeping draught. He’ll be out until midday tomorrow."
A faint sneer crossed Raju’s face as he pictured the Prince Regent collapsed face-down on the table, drunk and helpless.
"He’s still my husband. Don’t be so cruel."
"Your husband? Then who is your man? Say it."
When jealousy crept into Raju’s voice, Catherine hid a silent laugh.
Robert—after all these years, you’re still just as relentless as when we first met.
They had been lovers once, long before she was Duchess Claudio, before he was a count of the Empire.
Once, she’d simply been Catherine—the daughter of a ducal house. He’d been a young commoner in their employ.
*"Cath, run away with me. Let’s go to the Empire and live together."*
*"Robby… I can’t. I can’t defy my family’s will."*
Their romance—between a princess of Valdina and a commoner servant—had no happy ending.
When Catherine’s father discovered them, he’d beaten Robert bloody and cast him out.
From a sickbed, Robert had listened helplessly to the cathedral bells tolling his beloved’s wedding.
*"I’ll never come back to this cursed place."*
With his eyes fixed on power, he’d clawed his way up through Katzen, doing whatever was necessary.
One day, after saving the Emperor’s life, everything changed.
Gifted the new surname Raju, he rose above the very nobles who’d looked down on him. The fruits of that ascent were as sweet as they were hollow.
*"Count Raju, may I present Duchess Claudio of Valdina—"*
The chance meeting with his first love had rekindled embers he’d thought long dead.
"Of course, Robbie. It’s only you."
Catherine came back to herself from the memory and answered with practiced sweetness.
"Exactly. Which is why I brought the General to the Grand Duke—to make your husband a King."
Even as Count Raju spoke of crowns and thrones, his arms tightened around her as if he couldn’t bear any distance.
"How long has it been? Damn it, only a year—and it feels like decades."
Catherine pushed at his chest lightly, eyes rolling in pretend annoyance.
"Hmph. I heard there was a woman in Katzen. Introduced by the Grand Duke himself, wasn’t she?"
"She’s merely a political ally. You know you’re the only one in my heart, Cath."
Their bodies intertwined and fell onto the bed, the bedroom air turning thick with heat.
Creak.
The faint sound of the bedroom door closing never reached their ears.
"Ha…"
Crumpled sheets. Heavy breathing. Catherine pulled away, panting softly as she caught her breath.
"Cath, where is my sweet daughter? I haven’t seen her since earlier."
Raju smoothed her tangled hair with mock tenderness.
"They say the carriage is packed with gifts for Birna. I can’t wait to see how delighted she’ll be."
"Birna… Medea is still in the convent because of that girl."
Catherine’s teeth ground together.
"My heart aches. I can’t stop wondering how much our Birna must be suffering in that cold, harsh place…"
"Then have her brought back. Etienne is dead—there’s nothing left to fear."
Catherine hesitated.
"But people’s tongues…"
"And what of it? If anyone speaks ill of my daughter, I’ll gouge out their eyes."
His waxed mustache twitched with arrogant certainty.
"Cath, your man is someone even the Empire’s nobles can’t touch. How much less a minor kingdom like Valdina?"
His voice brimmed with conceit.
"My daughter will have the finest treatment. When the Grand Duke takes the throne, you’ll be mistress of the Empire—and some Princess of Valdina won’t even begin to compare."
A shiver ran through Catherine at the darkness in Raju’s eyes.
"There’s nothing to fear, my love. The Princess’s blood and flesh will fertilize the ground for Birna’s wings to spread."
Catherine’s last trace of hesitation vanished. She flung herself back into his arms.
In the Princess’s Palace, a folded note arrived bearing Duke Claudio’s seal.
"Count Raju… with my aunt?"
Medea stared down at the letter, her expression tightening as new pieces of an old puzzle slid into place.
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