You Only Live Twice

XIX

OLIVIA WALKED PAST HER father's office door for about the tenth time and then circled back around. She'd ran through about a hundred different ways this conversation could go, some good, most bad. Taking a deep breath she steeled her nerves and knocked twice, having not one idea how she'd convince the duke to agree to her proposal Olivia started feeling light headed, she hated going into anything without a plan or set outcome (despite how much it happens, which she refuses to admit to herself).
Olivia only ever remembered feeling this way before big presentations in school, which even then was rare because she was always so sure of herself, she knew everything there needed to be know all compacted into a few tiny slides. She didn't know where that confidence was now. What about the Auclair made her so jittery and nervous? She wasn't quite sure about that either, everything about her "situation" only seemed to throw her deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole of questions and unknowns.

Maybe that was it, the unknown. She hated being kept out of the loop.

So deep in her own nerves and thoughts she barely registered the dukes voice telling her to enter only when she came back to herself and saw the duke sitting at his desk staring expectantly at her did she realize there was no putting it off now. She wished she gave herself more time to think about this instead of rushing into it, she hated that part of herself.

"Good afternoon, Duke." Olivia curtsied willing herself to not show any of her nervousness and instead looking back at the duke with the same impassiveness he was looking at her with.

"Olivia." Came his curt greeting, "Is there a reason you are here to see me today?" He leaned back in his chair, straight to the point, ok she could work with this.

"Yes, actually," She paused to take a minute to collect herself and look him straight in the eyes, "I have come to propose something. A thought I...had." Olivia cringed to herself and looked back to the ground clenching her fists to prevent them from covering her face.

Duke Theodore quirked his eyebrow, "A proposal?" He willed her on. Olivia took a deep breath, "Yes."

She looked back up to gauge his reaction he was still in his relaxed leaned back position, his faces till the face as well if only a slight flake of interest in his eyes, his eldest daughter had never asked him for anything before never even willingly approached him so this change in demeanor to suddenly walk into his office and demand something from him was intriguing to say the least, she looked very sure of herself that she would win.
"Go on." He found himself saying despite himself.

In one breath Olivia boldly said, "I'd like for the Auclair family to sponsor the third prince." No point in beating around the bush, she figured.

The Duke quirked an eyebrow ever so slightly, "The third prince?" He said almost a little disbelievingly, for a second Olivia had thought he'd immediately deny it and leave no room for argument but her hope was soon restored when he'd continued, "And how would this benefit us in anyway?"
Although to most it'd sound like a blatant mockery of her request to Olivia she'd heard the intrigue and genuine question in his tone, for a normally cold and impassive man the slight changes of his voice and eyes become quite noticeable to those who look closely enough.

"He is a prince." Olivia stated the obvious, "And if he is able to raise enough in power, with the Auclair dukedom backing him, it'd be greatly beneficial for our family."

"I...came across...his palace the other day when we were visiting the royal palace. It was dirty, run down, and abandoned, no child should have to live like that, but even through his conditions he'd taught himself how to live, he was extremely smart and held great potential I was sure of it. If we raise and train him until he is of age to enter the academy I am sure he will bring nothing but glory to the Auclair name." Olivia continued, starting off a little hesitantly and working up more courage the longer she went on, now staring directly into the dukes eyes with nothing but determination she restated her reason for being here,

"I ask that the Auclair family please sponsre Prince Ezekiel."

"Alright."

"Du-" Completely ready to defend herself once again Olivia was stopped short not sure what she'd heard was correct, "Wait what?"

"I said alright. I agree." The duke said plain and simply.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Really?" She said disbelievingly

"Really, the Auclair family will sponsor Prince Ezekiel Esteban, the third prince of the Esteban empire." The duke sat back up in his chair and grabbed a blank piece of paper and a inked quill, "I'll send a formal request to the Emperor as soon as possible."

"Oh...well, alright." Olivia in a daze, curtsied and exited the office on autopilot. It was really that easy? Whether it was out of pure curiosity about how this whole situation would go or he was genuinely convinced by her to let the prince live with them, Olivia wasn't sure. She knew the duke was rumored to be quite the inquisitor back when he was young and had more freedom for his strange experimentations, but either way, she'd take it as a win.
What she'd said wasn't completely a lie, but it certainly wasn't gained by her short visit to the princes abandoned home. In the novel, Ezekiel had grown up alone in that castle his whole life until he'd applied to the academy, he'd taught himself how to do everything from reading and writing to sword fighting and how to defend himself.

All in all Olivia hadn't technically lied and most importantly she'd succeeded in gaining the third prince.

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Geez, it's been forever since I've updated this ˃ʍ˂
This is a bit of a shorter chapter but I'm trying to ease back into writing and start back up on schedule again, hopefully these irregular chapters will become less irregular soon ^^