«Who is the second lady?» the Duke continues, with no fear nor anxiety. Why would he fear my reaction, anyway?

«I think her name is Bertha. I didn't see her personally, but I heard rumours about you two...» I confess, bowing my head and looking down for a second. I'm feeling horrible about using gossip as a weapon, but I don't have anything else.

«Lady Bertha is a cousin of mine. She went back home two days ago, so I wanted to greet her.»

«Why do people talk, if you two are related?»

«She's a distant cousin, but we grew up together. She's like a sister to me.»

«And I should believe in your word? How convenient that she left, and I can't talk to her by chance.»

«I also asked for her advice.»

«Advice?»

«Yes. I wanted to hear my cousin's ideas on how to make peace with my Duchess.»

«I don't remember we were on odd terms. I thought we reached a compromise, Duke...»

«No, you pretended to have forgotten your grudges, Theodora.»

«And what did lady Bertha tell you?»

«She said that I should buy you expensive presents until you lower your guard.»

«I already have everything I need,» I note.

«I know, that's what I told her too. She said that the point isn't in the present itself, but in the thought behind it.»

«Well, your cousin, lady Bertha, sure knows a lot,» I comment. If the Duke sent me a present every day, I would believe that he was thinking about me. I would have eventually started to consider giving him a chance.

«Too bad my Duchess can't be won so easily,» he shrugs.

«So you won't do anything?»

How lazy! The Duke could just ask one aid of his to think about it, right? And I won't certainly look at the price of his gifts, so he wouldn't be spending too much!

«I didn't say that. I'll give my Duchess what she really wants.»

«And what is that?»

«If I tell you, I'll ruin the surprise.»

What I truly want? He has no clue...

I move my attention back at the chess table, and I notice the way he just left the rook exposed. I should capture it, but something else attracts my sight.

He moved a pawn, but the configuration of all the pieces is so familiar... It's just weird seeing it from this side of the board.

He's using my personal strategy! How can he know about it? Damn it, now I want to know who was his spy in my palace!

No, wait... He can't know this. It's probably just a coincidence.

I designed this strategy on my own, and I also found a way to counter it. Coincidentally, I have to capture that same pawn and expose my queen. I will lose an important piece, but if I don't do it now, and if he's really using my strategy, I won't be able to stop him later.

I bite my lips, considering the chances that I'm not envisioning things. I check the position of the other clue pieces, and they're all in their perfect places. It's almost as if I was the one playing!

It may be a trap to capture my queen. If I'm right, and I follow my instinct, I'll still be able to continue playing. If I'm wrong, I lose a piece.

In the end, I have a chance in both cases, while I risk losing in a few moves if I don't capture that pawn.

After thorough consideration, I opt for following my instinct and ruining the Duke's supposed plans. Playing without the queen is nothing for me.

The Duke frowns and focuses on the game, forgetting our conversation. I, on the other side, just admire him from here. He's so handsome when he's focused. Was he like this while solving tax problems?

«Is my Duchess already bored of my play?» he utters, looking at me suddenly.

I wince, and I can guess that my cheeks are blushing.

«Why do you think so?» I manage to utter. I move a rook in a hurry, trying to remember what I was trying to do... Ah, yes! Corner the king before he has time to remove all those figures around it.

I keep my figure far from his king, trying not to attract any attention.

Alexander falls in my trap and starts capturing my knights and bishops. He disregards the pawns until they get too close to his side. He takes them only when they look too dangerous.

Still, I manage to do what I wanted from the start: reach his side.

«I guess you want your queen back,» he mutters. His lips are slightly pouted, and his beaten expression is so cute.

«No, I need a horse,» I point out.

He passes me the piece, and I smile when our fingers brush.

«Check!» he exclaims. If only he knew how worried I am...

I move my second bishop, the last one that remained, and I put it in between his tower and my king.

As expected, he moves the tower, preparing for another check in the next hand. Too bad we won't be playing another hand.

«Checkmate,» I shrug, placing the knight he just passed me. I observe the board with a satisfied smile. It wasn't easy at all, but the Duke got tired before me. He started making stupid mistakes after his first few strategies failed.

«You won,» he sighs as if it was the umpteenth time.

«Do you lose so often?» I inquire, dubious. Still, his reaction is so cute. I'd like to comfort him, even though I don't know if I'm allowed to.

Playing chess helped my mood improve so much.

«No, I don't lose often,» he comments. «But I don't think I will be able to beat my Duchess very soon.»

«I think you're right,» I nod. The Duke is still too impatient.

He sits next to me and drags me on his lap.

«Will the Duchess look down on me now?» he utters, surrounding my waist with his arm.