It had been days since the letter had been given to her by the gentleman from the Ivorian Duchy, and Lunivette had yet to reply to the summons. The Grand Duke of Ivor was someone who had an even worse reputation than she did. And according to the gentleman, it was a rather urgent summons letter, and they were going to stay at the inn until they had her response.
Or her.
That was the undertone when she was told about where they were staying. It didn't seem like they would leave if they had just her response. She would be required to make the journey as well. Which is why she has yet to respond to the letter, hell, she has yet to even open the damn thing. It has sat on her kitchen counter for the past week unopened and collecting flour particles.
People in the village have been whispering more than usual as well whenever the gentleman and the guards make their way around the village, and even more so when they linger by the bakery. Lunivette could tell that their patience was wearing thin the longer they waited for her response, and it seemed like today was going to be the breaking point.
She had just finished with a customer when the door to the bakery was shoved open with a force that took her by surprise. Standing there wasn't the gentleman from before, but instead it was someone different, someone who looked familiar to her, but she couldn't place where. The air had gotten colder from his presence, and the hairs on the back of her neck raised in response. His eyes roamed every nook and cranny in the tiny room and landed back on her.
Lunivette knew he wasn't like the man or the guards before, and his presence alone demanded respect and attention. He took only a few steps, and in mere seconds, he was towering over her. It was only a small moment of silence between the two, but she could feel him memorizing everything about her. From the small cuts and burns on her fingers to the way she stiffened at his weight shift, he was observing every movement she made. It didn't help either that when he took note of the necklace around her neck, his own stance stiffened slightly.
"Have you read my letter yet, dear wife?"
His voice was cold and empty of any loving affection, but the weight of his words held her in place.
Wife? Letter? His letter…
Her eyes were quick to meet his, but she quickly cast them down at the second he raised his. This was the Grand Duke of Ivor, The Northern Devil. The man who was responsible for the kingdom's victory against the monster army in Witchelm. He was here this whole time waiting for her response at the inn just up the walkway.
"I have not, Your Grace." Lunivette could feel it in her bones that if he saw fit, he could end her life, and no one would do a damn thing about it.
A bark of laughter echoed in the bakery. "Your Grace? Seems you have yet to even open it." It was a simple back-handed response, but it hit harder than she was sure he intended to.
"You are correct, I have a business to run, so letters like that were at the bottom of my priority list." Lunivette snapped back and took a small step forward at him. "If you don't mind, Your Grace, I have to get back to work."
She hadn't made it past the Grand Duke when she was pinned down to the counter. There was a sharp burst of pain in her lower back that radiated down her legs, and a small whimper escaped from her throat, but that was the last thing on her mind. The Grand Duke's body covered hers, and to any outsider, it would look like they were an intimate couple. Lunivette kept her gaze low and made a mental note of every part of their body that touched, mainly his hands. There was something familiar to them, but at the same time, the callouses and various scars made them feel completely different.
"Look at me and tell me you remember me." He applied a little more pressure on her wrists and pressed her into the counter more.
Lunivette bit back another whimper of pain and raised her eyes to his. Vibrant emerald green eyes pierced her soul, and she took her time examining every detail she could. There was a sprinkle of freckles that dashed across his eyes, nose, cheeks, all the way to his hairline. A rush of pine and juniper filled her nostrils, followed by a subtle hint of vanilla. A flash of silver crossed her vision from a pendant that was slightly hidden in his jacket. It wasn't much, but it was enough to catch her eye.
It couldn't be.
The duke watched her with a hardened expression, analyzing her every move. Calculating what she was planning on doing next, more so now that she had stopped moving at the sight of the silver chain. As if he was reading her mind, he rotated his hands, keeping her pinned to the counter, but was able to adjust the pendant so Lunivette could see it in its entirety. At the end of the silver chain, it was a locket in the shape of a teardrop, and in the middle were four pressed flowers, two forget-me-nots, one nemophila, and one white jasmine. It was the locket she gave to Orion all those years ago. Snapping her head up, she looked closer at the Grand Duke.
"It can't be." It was barely above a whisper, but it was enough for him to let go of her wrists and take a step back. "Orion?"
Lunivette watched the duke's expression, hoping for a glimpse of the small, brown-haired, eyed child from her past, but his guard was still up. It had to be; they were in a place she was familiar with, and he was not. But it didn't matter to her. Lunivette wanted to be sure that standing before her was the boy from those years ago, the one who never came back after that summer.
"How is this possible?"
She was racking her brain for answers. The only connection she and Orion had was from the necklace and the ring they exchanged to keep a promise, and now there was someone, the Grand Duke of all people, who had the necklace she gave him.
"What is this? How did you get that?" Lunivette kept her arms by her side and even took a step back away from him. There shouldn't be a connection between the two. It wasn't possible. Orion simply came from a high-ranking noble family, and the Grand Duke also came from a high-ranking noble family....
He kept a neutral gaze on her but didn't move closer to her. Empty spaces and the silence were filling in the blanks by themselves as she put two and two together. "After all this time, you finally come back now. Why is that?"
"I couldn't. But that doesn't matter as I am here now, and you are needed back in Ivor next to me." Orion reached for her once more, but was stopped when the all too familiar giggle reached Lunivette's ears.
In the doorway was Lyra and Asena watching them, assessing who and what was happening. Lunivette didn't have much time to get around the Grand Duke, but she used this distraction to weave around him and reach the two. She quickly ushered them out with a brief apology and a promise to explain everything later that night before turning back to the duke.
"Why am I needed in Ivor when I have never set foot there?" Lunivette wanted to make her point clear, but she also knew who was standing in front of her and valued what life she did have left.
Orion chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "I vow to be your shield when shadows fall and home in every realm we walk. Does that sound familiar, or do you still have the family ring of the Ivorian Duchy around your neck? All of that is part of an ancient wedding ceremony in Ivor, and it seems our little childhood wedding back then is seen as legitimate by the former council's laws."
No.
She couldn't leave the bakery.
This was the only thing her mother left her and her brother. What if he came back and she wasn't here? What about Lyra and Asena? Lunivette was stunned into a statue by the confession about their little wedding from childhood. It was a simple fake wedding that kids do when they play princesses and knights. How was that any different?
The bakery felt smaller than before. Lunivette could almost swear she saw it moving from side to side. She was twenty-six for crying out loud, and this was how the universe was gonna repay her with giving her a fairytale ending with the one person who had a worse reputation than she did? Her feet took her from one corner to the other, trying to gain some control back and make the bakery go back to its normal size. Amidst her pacing, there was a small internal pop from her nostril, followed by an unmistakible metallic feeling.
"Not again."
Lunivette was quick to apply the rag she kept in her apron for this very to her nose and tilted her head forward. This was the fifth one in the last eight days. From here she stood, the Grand Duke never moved from where he was, only watching everything with a cold, calculating glare.
"I expect to see you at the Inn tomorrow morning. There is much we need to discuss my dear wife.'' With that, he turned and walked out the door like she wasn't bleeding through the rag held to her nose.
"Also, it would benefit you to open the letter. There is much to learn about your new home."