Chapter 21: Father Knows

THREE DAYS LATER

I smiled up at Corvo as he led me through the city streets toward Dorothea's house. It had taken a bit of persuasion, but I had gotten her to agree with getting us both some commoner clothing with some money I gave her, and letting us change at her house so we could actually go into town without anyone watching our every move. Corvo wanted to court me, but he couldn't do so when he had to act indifferent to me in front of everyone. With this set-up, he'd finally be able to do what he wanted. He knocked on Dorothea's door and as we stood there under her inning, I wanted to lean up and kiss him, but I couldn't...not yet. She finally opened the door and let us in with a hefty eye roll and a sigh. I led Corvo inside and she closed the door behind us.

"You're so lucky you have a friend like me," she reminded me before turning to Corvo. "And if you take good care of her tonight, I might just start liking you," she told him before stalking into her entertaining room and throwing a mess of clothes at me, then Corvo.

"You like me a little bit," Corvo told her as he walked past her and into her powder room to change. I chuckled and she glared over at me, if looks could kill hers would have slapped me.

"What? I know for a fact you don't dislike him," I stated as I started to pull off my long sleeve black shirt, ignoring the slightly cold air as it hit my skin.

"He's still scary," she defended as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. I pulled on the plaid blue and white shirt she had gotten me and started buttoning it up before I replied.

"I find it kind of alluring. Maybe I never knew my type is bad boys," I joked with her causing her to laugh for a moment as I finished buttoning up the new shirt and kicked off my shoes.

"Really though, how has he been lately?" she asked as I shrugged out of my black pants and grabbed the light tan ones she'd picked up for me.

"He's been great. A little annoying, but whatever," I complained as I shrugged into the new pants.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously as she sat on one of her couches.

"Well…he's just being too much of a gentleman. I really want to make love with him and every time I bring it up he laughs, and tells me to be patient, not to rush into things, to enjoy the moment… blah blah," I complained as I buttoned up the pants and grabbed the black vest that was laying on the arm of the couch.

"I like him a bit more after that," she laughed before continuing. "Really though, Jess, he's right. I mean, making love is wonderful when you're with the right person but everything gets a little bland after a while. But the chase, and the fall; those are actually really exciting and enjoyable. If I were you I'd let him court me for as long as he'd like, it's the best part of the relationship, if you ask me," she told me as I buttoned up my vest and quickly threw my hair back in a sloppy braid.

"Ugh, you sound just like him," I grumbled as I slipped on the shoes and sat down next to her.

"I'm not saying don't make love. I'm just saying learn to enjoy every phase of a relationship, they're all equally important. And when you do finally make love I expect to hear all about it," She replied before poking me in the ribs, purposely trying to tickle me.

"Alright, alright!" I squealed as I slapped her hands away. She ignored my protests and continued to try, and succeed in tickling me.

"Look at that, I'm gone for five minutes and you're already getting yourself beat up." I heard Corvo's voice behind me before he lifted me into the air, and over the back of the couch before putting me down. It seemed like no matter what he was wearing he always managed to take my breath away. Dorothea had gotten him a very similar outfit just in different colors; maroon and tan instead of blue and white. I had to admit that although I preferred his new black and gold uniform, he was still roguishly handsome even in normal clothes.

"C'mon, let's go!" I said as I grabbed his hand and started to pull him towards the back door. He chuckled as he followed behind me, letting me drag him away.

"Be safe!" Dorothea yelled after us as we closed the back door behind us.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I turned around and looked back up at him. He smiled broadly before leaning down and kissing me. I lost myself in the kiss instantly. It was easy to let everything else slip aside when Corvo's slightly chapped lips were stealing my breath away. Before I wanted it to end he had pulled away though, leaving me breathless and wanting more.

"I had a few places in mind," he replied as he pulled me down the alley and rounded the corner into the street. I was initially nervous to be holding Corvo's hand while surrounded by people, but none of them seemed to notice who we were and I felt much calmer immediately. I was so happy to finally be able to touch him in public. It killed me a little always having to act indifferent in public. We walked in silence for a while as I wondered if we'd always have to act in front of everyone, or if perhaps one day he'd agree to step down from his position. However, if he did ever marry me he'd take the throne from me as well and I knew deep down that he'd never be truly comfortable on the throne; Corvo was a warrior, not a stuffy lawmaker, he would go crazy on the throne. I certainly didn't want to act for the rest of my life, but I also didn't want to force Corvo into a position where he'd never be comfortable. I looked up at him for a few moment. It didn't pass me by how even when he was relaxed his eyes always scanned the crowd for danger; being a fighter had been ingrained into his being, it was just a part of who he was now. I shook my head softly as I forced myself out of my current thoughts, they were worries for a different time.

"What's your favorite color?" I asked, trying to make small talk. Whenever we were alone I was usually too busy trying to rip his clothes off, or kissing him, or asking him about his past to ask him about the little things; despite forgetting to ask him about such things I was still curious, and I still wanted the answers to the inessential questions.

"That seems trivial," he replied as he led us up the street towards the more aristocratic side of town. I wondered what he was planning on doing for a moment until I remembered he was waiting for my response.

"Maybe I want to know all the little things about you," I replied just before tripping on a crack in the walkway. He caught me with ease and helped me regain my balance, chuckling as he bent down so we were level; I blushed at the ground for a moment, I was normally fairly graceful but I was just falling apart today.

"You're quite clumsy," he noted as he poked my nose. "Blue," he finally answered my question as he stood all the way back up and took my hand again. "Yours?" he asked as he continued to lead us down the road.

"Green," I replied. "Why blue?" I asked as I peered up at him curiously. He shrugged before replying.

"It's the color of the ocean, the sky…your eyes," he finished as he winked at me, giving me those butterflies that he was notorious for. "Why green?" he asked as he pulled us toward a shop on the other side of the street, I was busy thinking of the answer to his question and I didn't think to look where he was taking us.

"Plants," I replied lamely, unable to think of any other reason I liked the color as he opened the door to the shop for me.

"You're so strange," he chuckled as he followed me inside. It was a bookstore, and I was actually a little touched that he paid enough attention to know that I liked books. The shopkeeper looked up for a moment before going back to his papers without greeting us. I made my way between the rows of books running my fingers along the leather-bound spines.

"What's your favorite book?" I asked as I pulled one off the shelf and slowly flipped through the heavy tan pages.

"Jessie, I don't really read," Corvo answered as I placed it back on the shelf.

"You can't read?" I asked shocked. He shook his head and chuckled.

"I can. I just don't," he replied as he walked behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist pulling me into him. I forced myself to try and ignore the sudden surge of warmth inside me from his touch, our predicament didn't exactly allow for Corvo to be all that affectionate with me...especially in public, and all of this was so new to me.

"You should. It's fun," I replied as he started another wave of butterflies inside me as he kissed the top of my head.

"Hmm…what's good?" he asked, his breath warming the back of my neck just before he nibbled on the top of my ear. I tried and only partially succeeded in holding back a small wave of shivers, he didn't seem to realize that he was the cause of those shivers though, because his hands ran up and down my arms a few times in an attempt to warm me up a bit more. I wiggled away from him trying to hold in my giggles. I made my way down the next aisle of books as I looked for something he'd like. I tried to hold in laughter as I picked up one of the most well-known books in Gristol off the shelf.

"Want to read a tale of two forbidden lovers? It get's pretty steamy," I asked playfully as I handed it to him.

"The Young Prince of Tyvia," he read the title. "Why are they forbidden?" he asked as he looked back up at me inquisitively.

"Because they're both men," I whispered playfully and laughed as he replied.

"Oh, I've always wanted to read gay porn. You know me so well. I'll cherish it until the end of my days," He joked as he pulled the book into his chest. I continued along the row of as I heard him put the book back where I pulled it from.

"You might actually like this one. It's about discovering new planets," I said as I pulled the first volume of Call of Spheres from the shelf and handed it to him.

"You really are serious about getting me to read a book for pleasure aren't you?" he inquired as he flipped through it and stopped at a random page, I watched his eyes flick across the page as he read it.

"Of course I am," I replied as he closed the book after reading a page.

"There are a lot of other pleasurable things I could occupy my time with as well," Corvo noted. His voice husky and his eyes smoldering into mine, I had a hard time thinking of what to say when he looked at me like that, "If you're making me get a book you're getting one too," he said as I finally started to get a grip of myself again.

"Alright," I replied as I continued down the aisle until I saw a copy of Daughter of Tyvia and pulled it off the shelf. I'd heard good things about it from Esma, it was technically a playwright but I'd still enjoy it. "Here, I've wanted to read this for a while," I said as I handed it to Corvo and he smiled before kissing my cheek and making his way toward the shopkeeper to pay for the books. I followed him to the front of the store and watched the shopkeeper peek over the rim of his glasses before putting his book down and pulling the books toward himself.

He looked over the titles for a moment before speaking, "Twenty coins." was all he said as he wrapped the books in brown paper and tied them with twine. I watched Corvo pull two tens out of his pocket and lay them on the counter. I often forgot that father actually paid him for being my Lord Protector, it's not like he had anything to spend the money he made on; his job came with free board, clothes, and food. The shopkeeper said nothing more as he took the coins and resumed reading his book. Corvo grabbed the books and took my hand before pulling me back out onto the street with him.

"So, what's your favorite book?" he asked me as he wrapped his free hand around my waist pulling me close into his side, causing me to blush once again. I'd never really thought of Corvo being the type of man to blatantly show affection in public, society was quite a bit biased against physical intimacy; I rarely even saw husbands and wives hold hands in public. However Corvo didn't seem to care about what society thought, and when I did catch an older aristocrat glare at him for a slight moment Corvo gave him a look that dared him to come say something. I did feel incredibly safe in the city with Corvo, nobody dared bother him; he still looked intimidating even when he wasn't wearing his imperial uniform. I forgot once again that he was awaiting an answer until he looked down at me, clearly waiting for me to say something.

"The Young Prince of Tyvia," I joked as I attempted, and failed to tickle his side.

"It would be, you little deviant," He huffed as he rolled his eyes at me.

"It's actually Spirit of the Deep," I answered as I looked down the street trying to see where we were headed next.

"Maybe I'll steal your copy," Corvo replied easily. That's when I saw the small gray and brown blurs down the street and I could hardly wait to run over and pet one.

"Oh my gosh, Corvo! Puppies!" I yelled as I grabbed his hand and pulled him forward as hard as I could, he laughed as I dragged him toward to the young child that was trying to sell them. A few of them ran up to me as I stopped and I bent down to pet their wiggly little bodies. "I've only ever seen the working hounds the Overseers have. I never get to touch them though," I complained as the puppies licked and chewed on my hands. I looked up at Corvo to see him smiling down at me warmly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Part of me wished I could get one, but it was easy to write off a new book; it was impossible to hide a puppy.

"What is it?" I asked when I saw his smile turn into an anxious look. I stood up and turned towards what he was looking at to see my father walking with Hugh and two members of the parliament, and all four of them were heading our way. My father noticed us immediately and smiled and winked at us. Hugh was second, he did a double take as he realized who we were, and I couldn't help but notice how his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared Corvo down. The two parliament members thankfully didn't seem to recognize either of us. As the four of them made their way to where we were I swallowed nervously. My father hadn't seemed against the idea of Corvo and I being together back at his promotion ceremony, but that didn't mean he'd accept that we were running around the city incognito.

"Euhorn, aren't you at all concerned about your daughter and that Lord Protector. They seem very…close," One of the parliament members said as they stopped by the puppies, and they ran from me over to them.

"No. She's a grown woman, she can make her own choices. Besides, I'm quite fond of the lad," My father said as he leaned down and picked up one of the puppies as it wiggled and squirmed in his arms. I glanced over at Hugh once again to see that he was still staring Corvo down almost disapprovingly, he seemed to notice I was staring at him though; he looked over at me for a moment, quirking his brow as though to say 'do you know what you're doing'.

"He means, what if they started sleeping together," The other man from parliament said as he glared down at the child selling the pups. I couldn't help but wonder why parliament members were always in such foul moods.

"Sirs you are overstepping your boundaries. Even I don't mettle in my daughter's affairs the way that you gentleman are currently trying to. I wouldn't care if they were sleeping together. But then again, I'm not as superficially judgmental of others as you are," My father reprimanded them sternly, the way he would every time he lectured me.

"But it's forbidden," The first man piped in unwisely.

"Are you going to stop her? Because I'm not, and you know you couldn't either regardless of how you might want to. It's hard to cause a riot over love, good luck toppling the throne without the backing of the vast majority of commoners, you're the minority in this city," My father warned, his voice low and level. That's always how I knew he was truly mad. "Now are you going to start talking business or are you going to excuse yourself?" He asked as he handed a fifty piece to the child who was only asking twenty. I watched the child's eyes grow wide before he bowed to my father. My father turned to face me, both glowering men and Hugh following him. One of the parliament men glowered at me, and the other scowled at the ground; Hugh was staring Corvo down with disapproval once again.

"Have a good Month of Rain," My father said as he handed me the puppy, I stood there wide eyed for a moment worried and confused.

"Uh, th—thank you, your majesty," I stammered as I reminded myself that I wasn't currently a princess, I was a commoner. I curtsied and Corvo bowed behind me.

"Take good care of those two," My father said to Corvo as he patted his back and walked away, the parliament members and Hugh following after him.

"What just happened?" Corvo asked, his voice still full of worry even though they were all far enough away from us now for us to talk normally.

"I think I just got a puppy…" I trailed off as I looked the small ball of fur in the face before it started licking me. I giggled as it wiggled in my hands, trying to free itself.

"I meant the fact that your father clearly just saw and noticed us both, and pretended like we weren't there," Corvo stated as I forced myself to look away from my new pet and at my lover.

"Oh, he gave me his blessing to be with you after your promotion ceremony. And I'm pretty sure he just gave you his personal blessing to be with me, at least that's what I got from the whole 'take care of them' thing. But that's not what matters… I have a puppy," I said. The smile on my face growing as I held it up to face him, it wiggled in my hands as it tried to lick him.

"Jessamine. Be serious for a moment," Corvo laughed as he dragged me a little ways away from the child and his remaining pups.

"Yes?" I asked as I placed the puppy on the ground where it started attacking Corvo's foot, he ignored it as it chewed happily on his boot.

"Did your father really give you his blessing?" he asked seriously as he tilted my head up so I looked him in the eyes.

"Yes," I replied, still not understanding what the big deal was.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, bewildered but also happy.

"It didn't seem important," I replied with a shrug.

"You're such a ninny," Corvo said before picking me up in his arms and spinning me around a few times, the pup running around his feet yapping loudly. I laughed as he put me back down but he silenced me quickly with a kiss, and my laugh turned into a moan as he pulled me tight against him. When he finally pulled away I was breathless.

"I'm not sure how I got this lucky," he said as he let go of his tight hold on me. I glanced over at where my father and his entourage had gone off to. I saw that both my father and Hugh had just seen Corvo kiss me, but also that my father didn't seem to care in the slightest as he smiled and turned away; Hugh however still seemed very disappointed in Corvo, and I couldn't help but wonder why. I had to admit I was slightly worried now, my father seemed to be taking the new knowledge of our relationship well... but I didn't know how long that would last for.

"Come on. Let's drop off the fluff ball at Dorothea's. I was looking forward to taking you to dinner," Corvo said as he picked up the puppy in his free hand and handed it to me. We walked to Dorothea's in silence as I tried to calm the hyperactive pup in my arms. I finally broke the silence as we approached the back door of Dorothea's house.

"She's a girl. What should I call her?" I asked as the puppy calmed down in my arms.

"I'm not good at naming things Jessie," Corvo replied as he opened the back door to Dorothea's house.

"Ugh, fine. Next time I'm making you name whatever it is though," I grumbled as I let the pup down and it scampered around on the floor. "I'm going to call her Nika," I said just as Dorothea walked into the room.

"You got a dog?" she questioned as the pup ran over to her, sniffing her feet before attacking them enthusiastically.

"My father did actually," I replied as Corvo set the books down on the counter next to him.

"You ran into your dad!? He saw you!?" Dorothea nearly yelled. She was clearly shocked and I couldn't blame her. It could have potentially been a very bad thing. My father could have scolded us right there in front of those two parliament men, Hugh could have spoken up instead of choosing to remain silent; the parliament could have found out that we were in a relationship and they could have petitioned to have Corvo removed from his position. Granted no one could force me to sign a decree releasing him from his duties, they could however make passing any new laws a nightmare for both my father and eventually myself.

"He doesn't care. We're going out for dinner. We'll be back soon, thanks for watching Nika," I yelled through the crack of the back door as I slipped out pulling Corvo with me.

A/N: A big thank you to my beta reader MissSharpenedSpikes! She always catches the little errors I miss after editing a chapter!