A/N: I own nothing. Enjoy!
With the reveal of the Colchis princess being disqualified, the aristocratic faction also knew that Prince Jason whom they supported as the next heir to the throne was no longer a puppet they thought they could control. Plans were made underground for a coup.
The movement of foreign troops into the Cuoran nation did not go unnoticed by the Cuoran crown princess and the second prince. As a test for the future Queen, King Zeus handed all authority of dealing with the situation to Crown Princess Thalia. King Zeus would put on a facade of not being aware of the storm brewing in order to not alarm the aristocratic faction while Crown Princess Thalia and Prince Jason dealt with things underneath the surface. But Thalia was sure that her father just wanted to spend out the rest of his reign visiting his women.
"He's here, Your Highness."
"Let him in," Thalia stated.
Ethan Nakamura stepped in and bowed.
"Welcome. Have some tea before we began."
Thalia observed the former member of the White Knights Order. Nakamura had dark circles underneath his eyes, and he was looking more gaunt than when he was still a knight.
"You've been working hard," she noted. "Eat and rest a little before you make your report."
Nakamura cracked a slight but grateful smile, the effort looking as though it could nearly break him. Thalia calmly sipped her own tea as Nakamura wolfed down three sandwiches and cups of tea. Though she was eager to hear the information the former White Knight had brought, the haggard appearance of Nakamura made her sympathize with him.
After Ethan Nakamura had been used as a scapegoat in the fiasco that was the attack on the future Duchess Jackson and Princess Piper of the Cytheran nation, the Nakamura family had been dragged down into the pits. They might have been nobles in name, but with no source of income and a reputation that was no more than dirt on the bottom of the Castellans' shoes, it had been hard for the Nakamuras to survive. Thalia had guessed that the former White Knight would be seething with rage and eager for revenge against the people who had used him and then tossed him aside. After all, the enemy of an enemy was an ally. She had been curious what information Nakamura heard when he asked to meet privately with her.
Brushing off the crumbs from the corner of his mouse, Nakamura handed over a thin file of documents summarizing his information. He still had friends in the White Knights Order who sympathized with his firing from the White Knights Order.
"Pretty risky of you to enter the imperial castle," Thalia noted as she scanned the papers.
"I wanted to prove my loyalty."
Thalia curled her lips slightly. Nakamura had been loyal to Luke Castellan until the latter had made him a scapegoat. It was a reminder that she had to use Nakamura carefully.
The information that Nakamura gathered overlapped what her own intelligence network had provided proving that what information gathered was correct. The aristocratic faction was indeed gathering mercenaries and hiding foreign troops from thee Colchis kingdom in order to strike at the Cuoran nation. Large amounts of money was being poured to sustain these troops. Thalia wondered if she could force the aristocratic faction to pour more money into paying these mercenaries to run the Cuoran nobles' coffers dry.
"Very well," Thalia said finally. "I look forward to our collaboration."
"I thank you, Your Highness. You will not regret it."
Nakamura's dark eyes glittered. Thalia imagined that she could already see the hatred and revenge that the former White Knight was planning for his previous commander.
"I hope that I don't."
Thalia's personal attendants sent Nakamura off, careful to walk through barely used hallways in order to prevent Nakamura from being seen. Thalia pursed her lips. It would not be wise to trust Nakamura fully or put him in the frontlines where he could be easily seen. Thalia had other sources of information, and even a reliable one right at Princess Medea's side. Still, she welcomed the extra chesspiece.
"Come in," Thalia called once more.
This time, it was Princess Hazel who entered.
"Your Highness," Princess Hazel greeted.
"Welcome, Princess Hazel. Thank you for accepting my invitation."
"Thank you for the offer, Your Highness." Hazel's brown eyes twinkled.
"And what is your decision?" Thalia inquired.
"I think we can come to an agreement."
Thalia returned Hazel's warm smile. They both knew the real reason why Princess Hazel entered the Cuora consort candidacy was not to secure an alliance by marriage and to have a hold on the next imperial lineage of Cuora, but to negotiate economic treaties and policies that would be beneficial to both nations. And now Thalia had added to the deal a strong military alliance.
For the next one hundred years, Cuora would lower tariffs on incoming products from Inferis if Inferis would send troops in preparation for the upcoming Cuoran civil war. If the aristocratic faction was going to hide foreign troops in Cuora, then so could the imperial faction.
Attendants quickly brought forth the documents and heated red wax for the official seals of both kingdoms.
"I look forward to working with you, Princess Hazel."
Kelli fell onto her knees, her world falling apart.
"W-what?" She stammered.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" Princess Medea clicked her tongue impatiently. "Baroness Kelli," she said mockingly. "You must really be a true fool. Did you not think you would be asked to leave after what you did at the winter ball?"
"B-but Your Highness! Please, give me another chance!" Kelli pleaded.
"Another chance? Hah!" Princess Medea barked out a short laughter. "You've shown your pathetic worth when you failed your task at the tea party. Now you've inadvertently ruined everything! You must think I'm the fool if I keep you as my lady-in-waiting. You're nothing but a failure, Baroness Chase."
Kelli had lost support from Count Luke Castellan, meaning no crucial military or political support for the Colchis princess. Then, she had ruined her reputation at the Cuoran winter ball. No one respectable would socialize with her now.
She was thrown out the Cuoran royal palace without further acerbic words from Princess Medea. Kelli screamed at the palace gates, demanding, then trying to bribe the guards at the gate. To the onlookers and passerby, Kelli Chase had become a lunatic, worsening her reputation. There was no way for her to come back now. Even Katie, Kelli's former maid, quickly ducked her head and slipped away without Kelli noticing.
Luke, Kelli thought. He would help her. He would use his power and authority to do all that he could to get revenge for Kelli. Yes, Kelli thought, excitedly. They would end Annabeth's marriage to the Duke, and then Kelli would enact revenge on her former benefactor, Princess Medea. Her mind whirled with excitement of seeing the two kneeling before her, not thinking of exactly how her revenge would be planned.
But when Kelli arrived at the Castellan mansion, the servants turned their noses at her, informing her that Luke was not at the residence. Instead, Kelli met Marquis Soleia Eluard who had Kelli thrown out without another thought. Just as the servants pushed Kelli out the door, Kelli saw a diamond engagement ring on Soleia's hand as Soleia smirked.
Humiliated at being thrown out and mishandled twice in one day, Kelli trudged back to where the house allocated to her from the main Chase family only to find that it had been rented out. She screamed and made a fuss, learning that as punishment for insulting Duke Perseus Jackson and the future Duchess, the main Chase family had cut her off of her financial support.
Kelli shivered in the cold winter weather as the night wore on. It was fortunate that she managed to grab what she could from her room. But her savings were meager after spending her salary on a new dress and accessories for the Cuoran winter ball. Still, Kelli stayed in the best hotel, already used to the lucrative lifestyle the imperial life had been.
She never noticed the eyes of men in shadows following her all the way from the Cuoran royal castle.
Annabeth hardly saw Percy for nearly three weeks. He came back to the mansion late at night and left early in the morning for work in the imperial palace. He didn't even come to the company building where many of his people worker. If she hadn't been accidentally woken up by him a few times as he entered their bedroom past midnight or left the bed in the wee hours of morning, Annabeth might have thought he was cheating on her.
Judging by the dark circles underneath Percy's eyes during the few times Annabeth was able to meet Percy, she guessed that there was something brewing in the imperial castle. Annabeth wracked her brain for her past memories. She'd never been interested in politics or the affairs of the royal family before, so she doubted there was much that could help her. Still, after becoming friends with Piper, Annabeth found herself pulled into the midst of the ongoing affairs, willingly or not.
Annabeth drummed her fingers on the windowsill, watching the snowflakes drift aimlessly outside. What had happened during this time in the past?
In the memory that was beginning to dim more and more, she once again delved into the pain and scars. Luke had been away from home constantly just like Percy was doing now, but Luke back then did not come home, claiming to have stayed overnight at the royal castle. Whether or not that was true or Luke was staying with Kelli, Annabeth didn't know. But she recalled at the end of the period, Luke had seemed triumphant about something. Then the second prince's wife had been chosen, but Annabeth recalled it hadn't seemed to be the princess from Cythera. The aristocratic faction had been the major power and influence then.
Annabeth had met Rachel at this time, and then was introduced to Rachel's then-husband, Percy as a business partner. Annabeth also hardly saw Percy at that time, hearing from Rachel that Percy's work as head of the Black Knights Order took him far from home.
Deducing what information she could from her memory, Annabeth surmised that somehow because of her involvement and her choices in this life, the imperial faction had now tipped the scales of power over the aristocratic faction. But were her choices the right one? Even if Annabeth was a bit more involved in politics, she still had little knowledge of what was happening. And if she was being honest, she was more than a little annoyed that her upcoming marriage was being used as a ploy in the underground struggle of Cuoran politics. Especially, when her future husband seemed to be in the middle of things while she was in the dark. Wasn't marriage a partnership?
She decided to stay up waiting for Percy, regardless of how late it was. Percy found her in their bedroom, sitting on their bed.
"Annabeth," Percy said, surprised.
He paused in the middle of undoing his tie. Annabeth only had a few candles placed in the bedroom, so he wasn't aware that she wasn't asleep like she usually was.
"Percy," Annabeth returned.
Annabeth beckoned with her fingers for him to approach her. Percy obeyed but stopped as his eyes grew accustomed to the dim lighting and saw what she was wearing.
"Annabeth, what are you doing?"
If he wasn't coming all the way, then Annabeth would have to go to him. She nonchalantly dropped the warm shawl that had been wrapped around her shoulders, exposing the short lacy silk nightgown that she had been wearing underneath. It was another one of Madam Drew Tanaka's personalized works.
Annabeth reached out, skimming her fingers over his abdomen and then trailing her fingers over to his broad shoulders. Feeling Percy's heated gaze on her, Annabeth pushed off Percy's coat. As if mesmerized in place, he let the jacket crumble to the floor. Then Annabeth slowly worked on his tie, sensually loosening the knot before tossing the black tie away. Then she began to work on the buttons of his white shirt, slowly slipping the button out of its buttonhole and revealing a wider and wider patch of bare skin.
Percy seemed to come to his senses at that time and caught her wrist before she could unbutton his shirt all the way. The heat of his hands seared into her skin.
"What is this?" He asked, breathlessly.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm seducing you."
Annabeth stepped closer to Percy, pressing her chest to his. The nightgown was so thin that she was sure that Percy could feel everything. She could tell that he was struggling not to look anywhere further past her chin. But the nightgown was designed to draw special attention to the chest, and her breasts swelled over the top of the material, revealing the soft and stimulating curves. Annabeth pressed even closer, rubbing her chest slightly up and down. She smirked as his breath seemed to trip slightly in its steady rhythm.
"Don't you have something to tell me?" She kept her voice soft and mellow. "About why you've been coming home so late?"
Percy's eyes drifted away from her face guiltily. "It's not like I meant to come back late, and I missed you so much..."
Annabeth grasped his face to force him to look back at her. "I'm not upset at you coming back late. But I am going to be frustrated when you don't tell me what's going on, especially when it concerns our marriage. What's really going on, Percy? What's wrong?"
Percy sighed before kissing her on her forehead. Relenting, Percy told her everything that had been happening. She had a feeling that he cut out a few parts here and there in his summary, but it was due to his job as the secret intelligence head that he couldn't expose her to any danger should she know too much.
Annabeth frowned as she heard the news of a coup possibly breaking out.
"But they would have no one to place on the Cuoran throne since Prince Jason has broken off with the aristocratic faction."
Percy played with her fingers. "Marquis Ares is a distant relative to the Cuoran royal family. We have word that he wants to establish himself as the new king, if possible. Or perhaps they'll install someone as a figurehead with the Colchis nation and aristocratic faction pulling the strings. But don't worry, Annabeth, I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening."
His green eyes looked at her seriously as he squeezed her hand lightly.
"Nothing will prevent our wedding, and I will make sure that neither you nor your family will come to harm. Your father already knows of this and is also making preparations along with your brother."
Annabeth raised her eyebrows. Though the Chase family supported the imperial faction, they only dabbled shallowly in politics, preferring to stick with business. Now, it seemed the Chase family was taking a firm stand.
"I will protect you, this I swear to you," Percy said, solemnly. "I didn't want to worry you. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."
Though Percy had promised that everything would be fine, Annabeth couldn't help but worry. If a civil war broke out, so many innocent lives would be taken. Percy could be hurt as well, especially since he headed the Black Knights Order and would be in the midst of the fighting. What could she do to help instead of standing idly by while her loved ones could be harmed?
"We're a team, Percy. I want to be your support, no matter how bad it gets. So please let me know if there's anything I could help with," pleaded Annabeth.
Her mind whirling, Annabeth thought of using her personal funds and her dowry to help fund for supplies. Maybe she could start importing medical supplies or even stockpiling weapons. Though she hated meaningless tea parties and gatherings, perhaps she could invite influential women in society to secretly gather support and alert allies to the coup in the future.
"I will," Percy promised. "Though all you need to do is continue as you are, safe and healthy."
Annabeth hugged Percy, squeezing him tight. If she was given a third life, she wasn't sure whether she would find anyone else to love her as he did. And that made her so much more fearful of losing Percy and the happiness she had found in this life again.
No, she wasn't going to give in. She had worked so hard this time to get away from her painful past, and she was going to whatever it took to protect those she cared about.
In her moment of distraction, Percy had swept her off her feet and placed her in the middle of the bed. He followed, kneeling over her, his lips hungrily covering hers with a sense of need and urgency which she eagerly met. Percy's heated kiss sent shivers down her spine. It seemed like ages that he had kissed her in this way, and she found herself craving for his touch and warmth.
Percy slipped his hand underneath the bottom hem of her short nightgown, resting on top of her bare thigh. He sent Annabeth a grin that promised her that she wasn't going to be sleeping right away.
"You didn't think you would get off that easily after seducing me like that, did you?"
A/N: Woot woot! We have passed 400 faves, over 500 follows and 800 reviews! I didn't expect this story to go this far, especially when I thought "How to Seduce an Earl" would be the top contender for my stories. Once again, thanks for everyone's support! It's really huge encouragement for me to go into self-publishing in the future c: Maybe we'll get past 1000 reviews when this story ends?
Also, curious, I wonder how many hours does it take to read this story from chapter one to here?
If I'm slow on the updates...forgive me...there's too many good Asian dramas I'm watching...see ya'll next chapter!
