The mont I heard her real title slip past those luscious lips that glistened beneath the suns rays was the mont that I blanched, unsure of exactly how I was ant to proceed seeing as her rank was so high.
The Duchess smirked at before dismounting from her horse, the ease of the action further emphasized by her curvy fra as she dropped onto the grass beside , those sky blue eyes searching my veil.
"Hiding your face behind a piece of fabric does little if you give away your emotions with your body, Miss Astra."
Amusent danced in those beautiful eyes, and I felt my heart skip a beat as she began to walk towards the cluster of tents, her hips sashaying side to side tantalizingly, all while her horse trotted calmly beside her.
Snapping out of my stupor, I nodded to myself and moved forwards, quickly catching up with her as I gestured towards the open pavilion we had set up for her arrival, with Kalia bringing the pot of tea over.
"The office said that you were purchasing land large enough for a family. Does that an she's your daughter?"
Duchess Renna Poinset took a seat on one of the cushions, brushing out her dress and lifting up the teacup in front of her to observe the dark gold liquid inside, all while those sharp eyes pinned to my own cushion as I sat opposite her.
"Y-Yes, that was Kalia, my third daughter. Over there is Camara and Aethisia, my first and second daughter respectively... my fourth is just there with my Catkin wife Sari, while the fifth is inside the carriage, resting."
She raised a brow as she glanced at everyone inside the clearing, observing each of the mbers of my family before turning back towards , a small smile on her lips.
"A rather... fertile - and desirable - woman, aren't you? Three separate wives, to which you have a child each? You certainly do need the land."
I smiled wryly before taking a sip from the tea, my heart rate still rather high as I observed the Duchess in front of , who was looking down over the Potaam.
"Miss Astra, you are a very lucky woman. Cherish the life that you've brought into the world. Not everyone has the chance or ability to do so..."
Slight lancholy made her normally bright eyes dark as she stared at the river, before she turned and took another sip of her tea, staring straight at .
"Well, as I am sure Miss Trabyia inford you, the Queen has asked to interview you and understand what it is that you plan on utilizing the land for. She is rather... sensitive regarding that forest, but she has no idea what to do with the land beside it, hence the reason it is for sale. Our Queen decided to leave it up to fate, sothing that Goddess Dryatra herself has seconded as well."
Drumming her fingers on the table, she continued to observe before letting out a low sigh, adding "Personally, I place little faith in fate. If you don't work for it with your own hands, with your own wit, there is no chance that the things you want will beco yours. Too many variables to warrant 'leaving it to fate', but she is the Queen."
I took a sip of my tea once more, waiting for her to continue on as I ntally reviewed everything that has transpired so far, unable to help myself as I tried to understand more about this woman and what was happening.
"Well, fate aside, I do have a job to do, and I take my job very seriously, Miss Astra. So..."
Raising a hand, the Duchess smiled at as displayed an intricate gathering of runes on her palm, which flashed and created a do of tightly woven mana around us, sealing inside the pavilion with her.
The air itself was flooded with a sickly sweet scent that was kept inside by the clear do of mana around us, and as I activated {Mana Sense} I blanched further, realizing just how powerful this woman was.
Each thread was interwoven with a multitude of others, making a complex shell that would take minutes to deconstruct - even with force - to even a small degree, all while the Duchess herself was a brilliant shinning collection of mana that almost blinded .
She had more mana inside herself than I had ever seen in one place, and after deactivating my skill, I saw her smile widen as she glanced towards the others, who had retrieved their weapons.
"Pardon , but I do believe this to be a necessity for my job. All it is is a concoction of my own making to make getting to the truth... easier. Far easier. So, we can talk 'civilly', or I can take more... drastic asures. The choice is yours, Miss Astra."
I blinked a few tis as I felt my chest begin to warm up and constrict a bit, my mind hazing over slightly as I inhaled more of the fus inside the do.
"Is that... all this is..?"
Hearing my slightly labored breathing, the Duchess nodded as she traced her finger over the edge of her teacup, her sky blue eyes locked to my veil as she answered "I swear it on our Patron Goddess Dyratra that it is only sothing to make you speak the truth, and that I have no ill intentions towards you nor your family."
After we heard her oath, and I waved them back, I took another deep breath before staring at the Duchess in front of , her confident, assured and regal air still around her despite being surrounded by multiple slightly aggravated won.
"Good. Now, again, I do apologize for my actions, but I leave nothing to fate, nor to chance. I do what I need for my Queen and my Goddess, even if it earns the ire of others. So then, Miss Astra, I do believe we have a few things we need to discuss, and I intend on having a complete picture of everything by the ti I leave, alright?"
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