Saving the Second Male Lead

Chapter Thirteen

Having a meal with the Duke and Duchess wasn't an odd occurrence in and of itself. Rather, it was the urgency with which the butler had requested our presence that had Ryia, and I exchange worried glances throughout the start of the meal. I pushed my salad around with a fork;  too anxious to eat but too awkward not to busy myself with something.

        Had he really been bothered by the picnic, he'd have called us away the second he found out about it; he wasn't above disrupting an event and embarrassing his daughter as long as it went along with his agenda. Even if he hadn't pulled us away early, he'd have worn an angry glare to dinner that would've tipped me off. But there wasn't as much as a frown line in sight. The fact that he was calm, eating in silence with the rest of us, terrified me.

         It wasn't until my uneaten salad was cleared by a servant and replaced by the decadent main course that Ryia's father finally spoke, breaking the tension. "As you know, I will be leaving for the trade conference tomorrow," he announced, folding his arms onto the table, "and you two will be joining me."

         Ryia's hand slipped, her knife screeching across the ceramic plate. She briefly glanced at me, her unease a mere flash before she turned to her father, clearing her throat. 

         "What will our roles be there?" Ryia asked pointedly. Both of us knew better than to be anything but skeptical of the news. Her father wouldn't do something so unprecedented as this without reason, and whatever reason he had would not have our best interests in mind.

        Her father flinched, seemingly offended at her lack of enthusiasm. "You seem to have some issue with this." His question was a challenge. My eyes darted around the room, trying not to involve myself. Who knew that ceiling tiles could be so captivating?

         "No, I am quite happy to attend. I'm just surprised. I thought only heirs could attend, and seeing as that is my cousin's role." She corrected her tone to the cheery one he'd expected. Her fake smile was the most convincing I'd ever seen. Only her fingers fidgeting with the cloth napkin on her lap gave her away.

        "Ryelin will be joining me as is usual as well. I believe that this experience will be beneficial to you regardless of whether you attend individual meetings or not. You need to familiarize yourself with the biggest families from this empire, and this will allow you to spend uninterrupted time with them."

         And with Sawyer.

         Ryia accepted his answer with a silent nod of agreement.

         We finished dinner in relative silence, the only other exchange being the duke requesting for me to stay behind once again.

        "Would you like to explain why the young Alterio lord was on my estate today?" So he had taken issue with the picnic. Part of me was surprised he waited this long to mention it.

        "After the events of the ball, Ryia has had a rather high opinion of him," I said slowly, giving myself time to craft an acceptable response, "the more time she spends with him in a neutral setting, the more she will realize that he is not the fantasy of a noble man that she thought. She will have no choice but to compare him to the power that is the crown prince."

        "Is that so?"

        "Indeed, your grace. Additionally, it is best to quash any perceived notions of bad blood between the families. If it becomes a forbidden romance to her, she will only want it even more." Nothing I said was a lie, but my speech must have looked stiff and forced; he still looked wary at my explanation.

        The duke leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, letting my words settle in. "Very well then. Her immature emotions escape me, so I trust you know better than I do. But, during this trip, it is imperative that my daughter spends as much time with his highness as possible. I assume you will not disappoint me in making that happen."