After it became known that we were all going to the Christmas ball together, I couldn't sleep all night from excitement. A variety of thoughts were spinning in my head and did not give me rest.

The opportunity to attend such a grand event in the role of Lady Ashford, could not but excite. Before that, the only social party I attended was at the Royal Academy, and it was very crumpled. Now, I had a full-fledged release.

Any lady in my place would feel exactly the same.

Well, except for one.

I sighed, and after hours of looking at the patterns on the ceiling, I turned to look at Rachel. The girl was lying with her back to me, and did not betray any signs of anxiety in her sleep or spirit. Actually, nothing else should be expected from her.

I was the only one here who couldn't close my eyes, which made me suffer for half the night.

Moreover, considering that we had to leave at eight in the morning, this circumstance was even more depressing. I even envied that Rachel could keep her cool in absolutely any situation. As soon as it was time to get ready for bed, she instantly passed out.

I sighed, lying with her under the same blanket, and hearing her even breathing.

I wonder how my father is doing there? The servants prepared a room for him in the guest quarters, which turned out to be in the wing completely opposite from us. At first, the Archduke was very outraged by this, because he did not give permission for Rachel and me to sleep in the same bedroom and be so far away from him at the same time. However, Duke Cassius convinced him that the couple needed their own personal space. And in the end, despite the initial protests, the father had to accept.

Although I didn't really understand what all the fuss was about. Despite the fact that in the beginning I was also against such an idea, but now I'm used to it. Rachel and I slept on opposite sides of the bed, and we hardly "crossed paths". Therefore, the father clearly had nothing to worry about.

Nothing like what everyone thought would ever happen between us.

After I came to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyway, I decided to say something to Rachel. Without the hope that she will naturally hear me.

"Thank you for today,— I said quietly, because tomorrow I'm unlikely to be able to tell her in person.

— For what? The girl suddenly asked.

I was surprised.

— So you didn't sleep?!

Rachel turned to me with displeasure.

"Do you think I can sleep next to you?" — She said grumpily, - You're always spinning around like in a bank.

I was compared to a snake, well, okay. What surprised me more than that was that Rachel had been pretending to be asleep all this time. And she didn't even bother to tell me. The same thing didn't happen every night?

— Well... — I coughed guiltily, — If it's so uncomfortable for you, I can sleep on the floor.…

— Yes, lie down already.

Even though Rachel pulled me away, I still felt awkward.

— So what are you thanking me for?

We turned to face each other, and even in the dark I could see her puzzled expression.

—For helping me today," I said casually, "what you said looked very convincing. My father must have believed it.

Rachel looked at me strangely.

"Convincing...?"

— Yes, I was even surprised, — I admitted, — I didn't expect that you could play so well. If only everything was the same at the academy… No one would doubt that our relationship is real.

— …

—R-Rachel...?"

— So you think I was playing? The girl asked coldly after a short silence.

— Well, yes, — I let out a laugh, — And what, how could it be otherwise?

It seemed to me that Rachel was offended at me for something, but I absolutely could not understand what the reason was. Didn't I say everything to the point...? Sometimes, she really behaved strangely.

After Rachel hadn't made a sound for so long, I decided she was going to turn away and not talk to me. Sometimes it happened when she started ignoring me for no apparent reason.

However, the next moment Rachel's pupils flashed red, and she suddenly threw me on the bed, hanging over me, and holding both hands. The expression on her face that she had at that moment, I had never seen before.

Anger mixed with despair.

I was taken aback, completely unaware of what was happening now.

— R-Rachel, you…

— Tell me! — the girl demanded, - Am I also "playing" now?!

I was confused. What answer does she want from me...? Is this some kind of joke?

Apparently so, because Rachel had never done anything like this before. The more time passed since our acquaintance, the worse my ability to understand her was lost.

In the end, I decided to play by her rules, not imagining what it would lead to.

— Not now.

I smiled softly and looked at her. Rachel didn't take her eyes off me either. This silent scene went on for a while, and the girl's fingers on my wrists tightened.

I felt a strange excitement.

Rachel's gaze shifted to the mark on my neck. It was still red, and it still hadn't healed completely. She shuddered.

After a moment, the girl released me.

— ...Sorry.

She dropped that unintelligible word before turning her back on me again. For the rest of the night, Rachel didn't say another word to me.

My heart was still pounding heavily from what had happened.

And what was that just...?

***

The next morning, it was time to hit the road.

The journey from the northern border to the capital of the Kronos Empire was supposed to take several days of continuous travel. And all this time, we had to spend the four of us in the same carriage.

And it all turned out in a very ridiculous way.

Initially, I was going to ride in the same carriage with my father, while Rachel and Duke Cassius were in a separate one. But in the end, Rachel refused to go separately from me, while the Archduke was against me being left without his supervision. And after some arguments, we were able to come to a unanimous decision.

The family carriage of the Duchy of Cassius was large enough to accommodate all of us, although it was a little cramped. The Duke and Rachel sat on one side, while my father and I sat on the other.

It turned out to be a hundred times worse than when I was left alone with these two. After all, with the presence of the Archduke, the situation became even more awkward.

When we set off, the detachment was accompanied by a minimum number of servants and guards. My father was absolutely against Duke Cassius taking his mercenaries as our guards. Because in his opinion, the very sight of them made him feel out of place.

"...These are the elite warriors of the House of Cassius! — the duke tried to convince him, — One person will be enough to defeat an army of a hundred. They will follow us from the shadows, you won't even notice them!

— Are you kidding me? Archduke Ashford protested, "I am against being accompanied by these assassins!

"But it's for your daughter's safety."…

"My servants will be enough to protect her. I demand to recall them!

And in the end, Duke Cassius, gritting his teeth, had to agree. It is quite possible that he simply did not want to spoil relations with a future relative in advance. Moreover, Henry Ashford himself was still extremely wary of him.

We were followed only by a small detachment of guards, which should have been enough until we get to the capital. After all, no one in their right mind would dare to encroach on the property of such influential aristocrats?

The carriage moved in deathly silence for several hours, and it seemed to me that I was about to die. Besides having my father and Duke Cassius opposite each other, I also couldn't look into Rachel's eyes. After what happened last night, we never talked.

The girl looked out of the window with a detached look, while I could not behave as indifferently. She didn't even explain anything to me!

And what am I supposed to think now...? Pretend that nothing happened? Is it possible?

I sighed, and also decided to observe the winter landscape, which will not soon disappear from sight. I turned away, but at that moment my father brought up an unexpected topic.

— And how did you meet?

Rachel and I tensed up at the same time.

—W-how...?"

Apparently, over the past night, the Archduke somehow digested the news about our relationship, and no longer looked like the whole world had turned away from him. At least, out of politeness, I pretended that this was not the case.

- yes. Somehow it happened.

— Well... at the academy, — I hesitated, — Where else.

— So you understood everything at first glance? He asked with a doomed expression on his face.

— You could say that…

Rachel looked at me out of the corner of her eye, but didn't say anything. I was also confused as to why my father suddenly decided to talk about it right now. Especially when all eyes were now riveted on me.

— I guess I'm too old to understand such things, — the man sighed, — Current hobbies still seem strange to me…

— U-hobbies?

The Archduke said nothing, but looked eloquently at the mark on my neck. I immediately understood everything, and that's why I blushed.

If you think about it, this thing really resembled something definite, but… It wasn't like that at all!

— Dad! — I flared up, — It's not what it seems at all. I was just bitten by a wild chipmunk...!

— A chipmunk? — my father was taken aback.

Duke Cassius and Rachel pointedly looked away, as if they weren't there.

I started telling my father that while walking in the forest, a wild animal attacked me, and it took some time. The man listened attentively, and with each word his eyes opened wider and wider. Archduke Ashford had no idea what kind of things were going on here with his daughter while he was away.

However, I preferred to keep silent about the fact that I almost froze in that very forest. After all, the father clearly does not need any unnecessary worries.

My story about life in the Duchy of Cassius ended at the moment when our carriage suddenly shook violently. I almost fell, but managed to grab the back of the seat.

Duke Cassius was outraged when we stopped abruptly halfway.

— What's going on?!

In the following seconds, the sound of weapons ringing, people shouting, and other fuss was heard on the street. It was becoming obvious that something serious had happened.

"Your Grace! — one of the guards leaned out of the window and excitedly reported, — We were attacked!

— What?! Who is it?

— We don't know yet! There are too many of them!

Duke Cassius let out a long breath, while a moment later someone hit this very guard on the head with a sword. I screamed.

—Stay here," Rachel said coldly, getting up from the seat. The murderous expression on her face turned out to be familiar to me.

My father and I were already white with fear, while Duke Cassius and his daughter did not even move. It seemed that they were going to do some routine work.

— We'll figure it out.

With a completely unperturbed look, the two got out of the carriage at the same time, slamming the door on the latch behind them. The screams outside only intensified.

My father and I looked at each other excitedly. The latter said with obvious displeasure:

— Well, the "beautiful" relatives will get me…