The Duke looks at me while I munch some bread.

«Eat everything,» he orders, and I grab some meat just to please him. I'm still in his arms, and he doesn't look too dangerous from this close. His body is warm, and his hands are comforting me.

«Are you feeling better now?» he inquires, and I nod convinced.

It feels so wonderful to be out of danger. Since I won't die now, I can even dare to sleep.

«I won't kill you, no matter what.»

«Then why are you stating conditions?»

«Because I'm taking advantage of this moment. It would be so nice if my Duchess followed my wishes. Wouldn't you do the same in my position?»

«I wouldn't,» I utter and lean my head back on him. I've eaten half of the food, and my stomach has closed because of the emotions. I will finish it later.

«I know, right? Still, I'm not like you. I'm cruel,» he points out.

«Can I ask something in return?»

«What do you want?»

«If I do everything that you want, will you let me help my people? I won't use your name publicly, nor ask for more money than what's convenient. I won't even intercede without your permission. I just want a chance to help Polis through these difficult times.»

«Deal,» he nods.

I smile brightly and hug the Duke tightly.

«I will become a perfect wife!» I exclaim. «You won't have any reason to complain about me. I will do my best to make you happy...»

«Thea,» he mutters, surrounding my waist with an arm. «Don't say things like that while you're so close...»

«I'm sorry,» I sigh and calm down immediately.

«Now, sleep. I will stay with you.»

«Don't you have work?»

«It's not that important,» he reveals. «And it's time I step back for some time so that my enemies relax.»

«When will we go to the north?» I inquire. I'm so tired of the Palace.

«Next week will be the Autumn hunt.»

«And our wedding banquet.»

«I'll find a way to leave early,» he says and winks. I'm looking forward to seeing how he will excuse himself from his own wedding. Regardless, I'll just follow him closely.

«In the meantime, you'll have to make do with three maids. They serve me every time I stay at the court, and they won't dare to ignore your orders. Also, they will do a better job than the previous group. I'm sorry for not noticing.»

«Noticing what?»

«Martia told me that they stood there in silence while that man hit you. They didn't even consider helping you. She told me that it wasn't the first time that she noticed that they wouldn't follow your orders.»

«Patricia said that you ordered her not to leave my side,» I mutter. «So she wouldn't let me stay alone in the room. She said that your orders have priority, so she would simply ignore me most of the time.»

«Why didn't you tell me?»

«Because I was afraid you wouldn't help me. I wanted to be sure you were in the right mood, first,» I confess.

«Mhm, now I'm regretting having them changed. Will you help my mood improve if I call the maids back?»

«No!» I moan and clench his shirt. «Don't!»

«No?»

«No!» I repeat. «I will help your mood if you don't call them.»

«Is that so?» he inquires. His lips peck my forehead, and he tightens his embrace.

I moan when he pulls me closer. The place where that man kicked me hurts when I touch it, so the Duke involuntary caused me pain when he hugged me.

«What's up?» he questions me, and I try to hide the grimace on my face.

The Duke pins my chin and forces me to look at him.

«What happened? Why are you crying?»

«I'm not crying,» I protest.

«Did I hurt you?»

«No,» I shake my head, but he's too smart to believe me.

«Let me see,» he says.

I continue to shake my head, but in the end, I let him untie the buttons of my dress. He makes me stand up and decides to check for bruises and wounds.

He observes my belly with a solemn expression, and I notice his hands clenching.

I move a step back by instinct, and he notices that I'm afraid.

«What did the doctor say?» he inquires.

«Doctor?» I utter, surprised. What doctor?

«Hasn't a doctor visited you?»

«No, I haven't met any doctor,» I say, uncertain. May I have forgotten? His reaction is so abrupt that I wonder if I'm wrong.

«Theodora,» he exclaims and walks to me. «This looks serious. You might be having internal bleeding. I've seen a lot of wounds like this, and it doesn't end well if they're not treated.»

I observe the green bruise, and I don't see anything weird, except for the size.

«It's spreading,» I notice. «It wasn't this large before.»

«Thea!» he shouts, and I wince. «Damn it, what's in your head?»

«I'm sorry,» I whine, and he immediately stops scolding me.

He covers my shoulders with the blanket and hugs me delicately.

«I will come back with a doctor, you just rest for a while,» he voices.

I stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek.

«Sorry for making you worry,» I state. «I will be more careful in the future.»

I'll never forget the desperation on his face, nor the way his complexion lost the colour when he looked at the bruise. Maybe, it's just because I'm some precious war prize, but I'm sure that Alexander doesn't want me ill.

I walk to the bed and lie down, looking back to see the worried expression my husband is trying to hide.

He promised he would let me help Polis, so there's no need to carry out any weird plan anymore. I used his sense of guilt to my advantage, in the end.

I'm not sure if it's because of marriage duties, but my husband is becoming easy to control. Now that I think about it, he's done all I asked from the beginning.

Were all my schemes useless, after all? Shall I try asking next time I have a problem?