‘You wanted to know what I'm working on right now? It is simple: a new weapon for the trucks; they need to protect themselves in the dungeon.’ Edmund relaxed in his chair.

  Ariadne looked up at the ceiling, thinking about everything Edmund had said. She felt calm with him in her office, so she called for him. She didn’t like that he was wandering around the city alone but remembered what Alon had told her.

  ‘Alon talked about a new type of monster he had never seen before. You called it a catapult. Why is that?’ She returned her eyes to the young man.

  ‘It was on an old book in the kingdom library. It matched the look, but the demon lord creature had something on his back, and according to the description, it stayed on all fours when it used his weapon or something; I don’t know more.’ He again shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘Humm… The Velvent royal library has a better collection of books, which is understandable; at the time of the tale, only A-dam existed.’ She got her fan from a drawer.

  ‘?there were more, but I don’t know what happened to them. I would like to ask how much time we have until Lavan comes for us?’ He taps the arm of his chair for a moment.

  She almost forgot that the clock was ticking because of all the work she needed to oversee; everything was happening quickly. Again, her thoughts returned to reality as she looked at Edmund.

  ‘We have six months now; I don’t think there are more chatzi coming to the duchy; all the projects are on hold because there are no crystals; we need to go to the dungeon; even with our weapons, Lavan has too many soldiers.’ Ariadne fanned herself.

  ‘Give me a month to build the weapons for the dungeon raid.’ Edmund pulled a tablet from a pocket inside his jacket.

  ‘Ok, no problem; now you can sit on the couch and work.’ She pointed at the couch to the side with her closed fan.

  Edmund looked at the couch and felt like many times before. He was like a pet. He was her slave. He looked at her and sighed after realizing how useless it was to go against her; it was even dangerous for him to do so. He looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath before standing up and walking to the couch.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Ariadne was wondering about what was going on in the kingdom; no information about her father had been given to her in a long time, only about the business relations; the companies have not even noble movements; it was like walking in the completely dark, and that concerned her?. She returned to reality when the door to her office opened.

  ‘Your Highness, do you want me to bring your meal, or will you eat in the dining room?’ Alya walked into the office

  ‘I would like to eat some fancy food.’ Edmund looked at Alya for a moment.

  ‘Shut up, peasant. You should eat with the staff; it's good food, isn't it, Alya?’ Ariadne continued to fan herself.

  'Yes, Your Highness, but the cook complained that you are eating the same food as us, the only difference being that yours looks nicer.’ She smiled.

  ‘Do I need to worry?’ Turn to face Ariadne.

  'Again, peasant, shut up. We are not in a position for me to spend like I’m a queen or anything; those projects need money, and it would be impossible if it weren’t the money coming from the companies, as you know.’ Ariadne shook her head.

  ‘Alright, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that.’ He lay down on the couch.

  ‘You can bring it in; have one for the peasant too.’ Ariadne waved her hand.

  The maid got out and closed the door. The atmosphere in the office was calm as Edmund and Ariadne were focused on their work. She was looking at information about the battle and recent scouts of another fortress along the border. Traveling in the duchy was already dangerous, which made it worse.

  In the meantime, Edmond occasionally fell asleep with the tablet facing up on his chest. This happened because he felt relaxed while working on something, but a deep guilt overwhelmed his mind like a curse if he didn't.

  ‘I wonder if we are going to be fine.’ Ariadne muttered to herself while looking at Edmund sleeping on the couch.

  At the same time, Ethan was walking back to his house in the city. Every day, he was surprised by how much had changed in such a short time. Last year, he was a carpenter apprentice; now, he was a soldier.

  Ruth waved at her husband from the front of their house with a smile; she had great news to share.

  ‘Ethan, the doctor said that I’m pregnant.’ She shouted to him.

  ‘What?’ Ethan widens his eyes in shock.

  She ran towards him and jumped in his arms; he got her as she kissed him. Ethan was still confused about the situation; his mind started to race, thinking about his future possibilities while he embarrassed his wife with much care.

  ‘Aren’t you happy? Is our child!’ She looked into his eyes.

  ‘Yes, I’m just a little shocked; of course, I’m happy.’ He kissed her on the forehead.

  Ethan already had a lot on his head because of the next mission he was supposed to go on; now, he would be a father, but he hid everything inside and smiled at Ruth.

  ‘And this is just the first; we will have many more.’ Ruth laughed while stroking his hair.

  ‘Wait, what?’ Ethan looked at him, confused.

  ‘Don’t worry about it; we will be even happier than now.’ She kissed him again.

  Ethan was concerned, but by now, he knew there was nothing he could do about his situation. It was hopeless, but at least the one thing he knew was that this woman in his arms was entirely in love with him.