The Duke's Passion

Time was fleeting and before Florence knew it, it was already been one month since she arrived in the imperial palace. To be truthful, she was also confused. Sometimes, she would think the time was ticking slower than usual, but then it was already nighttime. 

Aside from their first night, the emperor didn't visit her chambers again. They would still eat together once a week because they had to. But other than that? Florence wouldn't even see her husband's shadow.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Silvia inquired, seeing that the empress was zoning out. 

Florence blinked and laughed awkwardly. "Yes. I was simply thinking of something." She gazed down at the tea on the table. They were currently in the Avolire Garden in the empress' palace, drinking some afternoon tea. 

"If there is something that is worrying you, please do not hesitate to tell me." Silvia kindly offered with a smile. "I can lend an ear or give advice if it's something about an official matter."

"That is so nice of you, Lady Silvia." A deep sigh slipped past Florence's lips, holding the teacup while rubbing her thumb against the handle. "Lady Silvia, weren't you already married?"

"Uh?" 

Florence raised her head, seeing that Silvia seemed she was caught off guard. "Apologies if that is too abrupt and made you uncomfortable."

"Uh... not at all. I was simply surprised, but yes, I am married. Although we live separately since we cannot leave our fiefs just yet." Came out an awkward laugh, huffing as her complicated marriage with Yulis was something she hadn't talked about to others for a long time; unless Kristina probed.

"Lady Silvia, was it rude of me to ask why? Did you marry out of convenience as well?"

"Uh... no, Your Majesty." A subtle smile appeared on Silvia's face as her soft eyes lowered. "My husband and I got married because we want to. However, love isn't the only factor that is important to us. We had our own people, our own goals, and our own opinions."

Florence tilted her head to the side while Silvia raised her head. The latter wasn't surprised at the confusion in the empress's eyes. She got that a lot. Many wouldn't understand why Silvia and Yulis lived separately despite being married.

"Our relationship is more than the fluttering feeling we have in the pit of our belly. Our love is not something we just fell right into; it was something that we grew in. Although it is nice to live under the same roof, he didn't have the heart to ask me to leave everything I built behind and choose him. Neither did I have the courage to ask him." Silvia paused, staring at her reflection on the tea.

"Before us, there was just Yulis and Silvia. The Duke of Grimsbanne and the Marchioness of La Lona. You might've had a vague idea of our family, so I assumed you already knew how messed up the La Crox's were. I am forever grateful that my brother, the previous emperor, gave us the opportunity to choose the life we want. 

And this might sound selfish, but I want to keep it that way. I am already glad that my husband appreciates our similarities, but also, respect our difference and decision. To others, our relationship looked like nothing but a marriage of convenience, but to us, we are happy for each other. 

We grow separately as individuals, but at the same time, the distance also strengthened our marriage. We can love each other because we can love and embraced ourselves and our flaws. I guess the phrase, absence makes the heart grow fonder, is effective for the two of us."

Florence's eyes softened while listening to Silvia's solemn voice. When the latter looked up, she understood Silvia was content with their setup. As expected from a strong woman like her.

"Although there were times I wished he was lying beside me to embrace me, I was certain he also thinks of that sometimes. He might not come to me immediately during those lonely nights. But I'm certain he will come running to me whenever I truly need him the most." The side of Silvia's lips stretched. She could talk about her husband the whole day and night without a problem. "And I will do the same. I might not come to him during those lonely nights, but I will come running to him whenever he truly needs me."

"I am glad to hear that you are happy, Lady Silvia." Florence expressed from the bottom of her heart. "At first, I thought it was also a marriage of convenience. But after listening to you, I might not fully grasp everything, but I'm certain this works for the both of you." 

"Thank you, Your Highness." Silvia smiled, closed-lipped. Her brows rose as the space between them wrinkled when she noticed the bitterness in the empress's sad eyes. 

"I'm a bit envious, honestly," Florence admitted, lowering her eyes. "To get married out of love and not because it is convenient. I wonder how that feels."

"Your Majesty..." 

"Don't fret. I am not sad, just a little curious about how such a marriage feels like." She sported a reassuring smile. "It's not that His Majesty is mistreating me. Actually, he does everything an empress wants from her emperor. I am already satisfied with that."

A shallow breath slipped past Silvia's lips and yet she kept her mouth shut. She did something wrong, she thought. She spoke too much without thinking for a moment. Silvia should've known what sort of marriage Rufus and Florence had. That man was cruel, after all. 

'Her Majesty is very kind and understanding as if she's an angel,' she grumbled internally, feeling sorry for her and angry at Rufus at the same time. 'He should treat her better.' 

"His Majesty had arrived." 

Florence and Silvia snapped their eyes when a servant came in and announced. Florence was a bit surprised by this sudden visit, holding her breath with her eyes wide open. Seeing the empress's reaction, Silvia blinked cluelessly.

'Ahh...' she mentally rocked her head, sporting a gentle smile. "I will excuse myself first, Your Highness."

"Ah, yes."

Silvia assisted herself up and bowed. Holding her hand in front of her, she walked away from the pavilion in the garden. On her way out, she glanced up at Rufus. And then at Dominique, who was following behind the emperor. 

The two paused, raising their brows as soon as they saw Silvia's glare. Rufus titled her head, baffled at this sudden source of hatred from her.

'You two... dead.' That was what her eyes told them before she huffed and stormed away.

As she did, Rufus looked back at her with confusion plastered across his face. The side of his lips slightly curled up as the fuming Silvia was quite a sight to behold. 

"Dom, should I raise security from now on?" he inquired in a low tone. Dominique, who was also staring at Silvia's back, sensing the anger in her aura, nodded.

"Your Majesty, did you, perhaps, offend her?"

While the two mumbled to each other, cracking what made Silvia so angry with them, Florence was just watching from her seat. She had seen it again. 

'So it wasn't just my imagination the first time?' she thought, noticing the slight change in her husband's eyes at the sight of Silvia. When they bumped into each other, the usual stiff expression on the emperor's face was replaced by genuine wonder. 

It wasn't something she would consider as desire. But Florence was certain Rufus had a special relationship with Silvia. No. Actually, it looked like the three of them had this bond that an outsider like her could never intrude on. 

'It's just like Duchess Remington,' she whispered in her head. 'They didn't have the same boundary I had with my husband. It's as if.... they were all inside a circle no one else could enter.'