The Duke's Masked Wife

"Fine, I will not stay where I am not wanted," Tobias gave up on staying for dinner. "I have already eaten anyway."

"Sally, see to it that the king is safely returned to whatever he used to come here, and do not leave the front door until you have seen him exit my gates," Edgar ordered Sally.

"Yes, Duke. This way, your highness," Sally's hand trembled as her nervousness increased now that she was to escort the king out of the house. Why would the Duke make her walk with the king when she just fainted because of him? Had the Duke missed when she fainted? Had they not seen it happen as Alessandra said? 'I might be able to live,' she happily thought.

"Are you serious, Edgar? The Duke and Duchess will not walk me out? Instead, you're going to have the person who just fainted walk me to the door? What am I to do if she faints again? She looks as if she's about to do it again," Tobias pointed to Sally when her body looked as if it was swaying.

"I am fine, your highness. I no longer wish to faint. I feel like throwing up," she muttered the last under her breath.

After Sally led Tobias out of the room, Alessandra looked at Edgar and said," I never expected to meet the king like this. You two seem to have a weird yet good relationship. I might be one of the few people to have witnessed the most powerful man in the kingdom be choked."

"Most powerful man?" Edgar chuckled and patted her head. "We have known each other from the time we were young boys because of how much my father frequented the palace. Do not worry, I have never harmed him in front of anyone."

"I don't think it is good that you harm the king in private. What if his feelings towards you change and he claims you have been abusing him?" Alessandra asked.

"If Tobias's feelings were to change it would have happened a long time ago and he is the one clinging to our friendship. Beware Tobias in the future, Alessandra. His is more dangerous than you think. Tobias is someone who hides his dangerous nature behind a smile."

"Like you? Why did you laugh when I said the king is the most powerful man in the kingdom? Do you think you are?" Alessandra couldn't help her curiosity. She knew being a Duke came with a lot of power but with the small army of men Edgar stated he had, she couldn't help but wonder what else Edgar owned.

"It is nothing for you to concern yourself with," Edgar passed by Alessandra to go to their bed.

"Because I am a woman?" Alessandra didn't like when things were kept from others because of their gender.

"Because it is dangerous. The more you know the more danger you put yourself in. Everything is not as it seems and there are many men with the power to rival the king. It is why Tobias has employed me to weed out his enemies. There are men doing everything they can to remove Tobias from the king. It's a real pain in the ass for me when the two sides fight. Wake me up when the food arrives."

"We are not eating in here again, Edgar. I only said that to get rid of the king. There is a perfectly fine dining table downstairs. I am not sitting on your lap again if that is what you are thinking. Do not lay down to rest right now, Edgar. We are going downstairs," Alessandra's voice held more command when she said this.

As she left the room, Edgar could not help but sigh. "I am creating a little monster," he said right before getting off the bed to follow Alessandra to the dining room.

***

The next day, Erin visited the home once again to deliver the dresses she altered and to prepare Alessandra for the ball.

"I can guarantee you will be one of the most beautiful women at the ball, Duchess. Give them something more to talk about," Erin said as she circled Alessandra to check there was nothing wrong with the dress. "No loose strings or odd stitches. I've done better than I was expecting. I might just kill my mother with how good this is."

"Hopefully not but the dress is beautiful," Alessandra swirled the emerald dress around watching the fluid movement of the material Erin used. It was much better than any of the dresses she had previously owned. It was a mystery why Erin's mother would talk badly about her designs.

"You'll rival the queen when it comes to beauty, Duchess. You do not require anything over the top. Simplicity suits you the best and I love how your mask matches the dress," Sally complimented Alessandra's beauty as she did her hair. "I cannot forget the person behind all of this. Well done, Erin."

"Thank you. I'm so excited that I feel like returning home to start creating another dress for you, Duchess. I have so many ideas for you. Should I skip the ball? It's your first time going and I am your only friend. I shouldn't let my creative moment fly by but I want to see the reactions to your dress. I need a moment," Erin walked off to the side to make her decision.

"She's an interesting character," Sally whispered to Alessandra. "But I like her."

After their long talk yesterday, Sally had grown to like Erin and her blunt personality. Sally agreed with what she had overheard the Duke say to Alessandra. Erin was the perfect person to help pull Alessandra further out of her shell.

"Me too. I admire the love she has for dressmaking. Perhaps I should put more focus into my painting even if I never make a lot of money off of it. I require something to bring income for myself. Could I try selling paintings?" Alessandra considered the possibility given her talent. She was not as good as other famous painters but with practice, she could be.

Sally didn't see why Alessandra would want to work when the Duke was sitting on a mountain of wealth. Why else was it so easy for him to buy out art stories and fill a room with accessories without caring about the bill? The Duke was also having tons of dresses made for Alessandra and they certainly weren't cheap.

Not too many people could spend money and not worry about tomorrow. Sally once witnessed Alessandra's father almost having a heart attack the time Kate bought one bag.

'Hopefully, she sees that the Duke is treating her like a queen. So many women are given budgets from their husbands to limit their shopping but the Duke has been the one doing all the shopping. Will I ever find a man like this? I'll have to live through Alessandra,'Sally pitifully sobbed.

"Why are you sobbing, Sally?" Are you thinking about the king again?" Asked Alessandra.

"I wasn't but now I am," Sally's face lost color as she remembered the embarrassing moment.

Erin's ears perked up when the king was mentioned. "What happened to the king?"

"I'm jealous I won't be able to see the king but the two of you will," Sally quickly threw out a lie. The king secretly snuck for a reason and though she liked Erin it did not mean she needed to share everything.

"Don't worry. Everyone attending will not be able to see the king unless he decides to dance with the queen. They normally sit far away surrounded by guards. Only those close to the king like your husband will be able to get a clear view of the king. A lot of people aren't going to see the king anyway," said Erin.

"Why are they going then? I'm excited to see all the royals and visit the palace for the first time. Even if I don't dance I know it will be a wonderful experience," Alessandra replied. No amount of drama could ruin the night.

"Most people are attending to show off their expensive clothes. Women in high society love an opportunity to wear a new dress. Many conversations you hear will concern dresses. You would think it'd be a night I enjoy but it's honestly irritating. They think they know better than a dressmaker which is why I always end up arguing with someone. It's inevitable," Erin shrugged.

A knock at the door was heard followed by Edgar's voice. "Are you ready, Alessandra?"

"Yes, you can enter."

Sally began to clean the room while Erin picked up the dress she was going to wear to the ball.

"I'm going to get dressed in the bathroom. Excuse me, Duchess," Erin hurried over to the bathroom to get dressed before Alessandra and Edgar could leave.

Edgar entered the room dressed in black pants and a long white sleeve shirt. "Why on earth is she using our home as she pleases?"