Finally the moment had come when the doors were sealed shut and barred from the public's eye. It also sealed away the last traces of a dying day as Calent wilted, but only slightly, in relief of the shadow cast over him by the door. He adjusted the cuff at his wrist and turned to his men.
"Ensure the necklace is returned to the velvet case," was all he said, and disappeared with his escorts down the hall.
Dinner, even cooked to perfection, grated at his nerves as he ate it in silence. He sat, all by himself, except the short line of maids, but other than that, he was the only one dining at a long, great table that could see an entire ball. It was unusual, for the Duke to eat alone, and Calent preferred it. It allowed him more solace in silence and he could let his mind wander after the day.
And the day had been too exhausting. Finishing his bird, he sat back in his chair and dabbed light at his lips with a clothe. Casting it aside, he looked towards his servant. "THe red wine," he said, and his goblet was served. But even the rich, buttery taste went down flatly as he lingered bitterly in his seat, staring off into the vastness of his grand, empty room-
Full of empty chairs at his empty table...
His father had once filled the great chair in which he was now seated, his mother, to his left, and he, to the right. Then a few guests, other nobles and the like visited often for pleasant conversation. Though those sorts of thing bored him and he soon became complacent just eating alone. He ate at odd hours, and used that, too many a times, as an excuse to remain by himself-
So here he was, not enjoying his wine, his nerves shot from a day of irritants, and brooding over the empty chairs he refused to fill. His mind drifted wearily over the thought of what today meant-
His duchy needed an heir- and he, a wife.
Frowning, he dismissed his servants and asked for the wine to be taken away and he- a moment of silence...
and after the last foot steps echoed into a fade, he once again found himself considering the idea of the necklace.
he would have to be tactful in choosing a wife- and he knew he had only a handful of elite to choose from but... at what price? He had no desire for a wife, he saw no need for it, though perhaps a woman to lay and bare him children would ease some burden off his chest. After all, it had been sometime since he considered a good romp in the sheets.
Yes, a good lay with a woman as a prize, fit for a duke, who would bare him children he'd ignore and they'd grow up, adore taxes as much as he and fill those empty seats about him.
He wasn't sure how he felt about it, and wished he had kept his wine.