Seduce the hero's mother (GL)

Chapter 156: Chapter 7. Desserts

Razor could literally feel death breathing down his neck.

But luckily he reacted in time — and managed to grab onto the nearest thick root. And then something completely unexpected happened.

A familiar voice came from above:

— You bastard!

Someone kicked Philip in the back and he collapsed. Razor watched in shock as his brother flew swiftly into the abyss.

— How long are you going to hang there? Give me your hand.

The second prince came to his senses and saw Maxie above him. She was extending her hand to him.

He wanted to ask what she was doing there, but now was clearly not the best time to do that. So he silently accepted help and climbed back to the top of the cliff.

Once he was safe, Razor's composure was short-lived.

— Brother…! — he exhaled anxiously looking down, «What's wrong with him?

— You still have to ask? — Snape's daughter snorted, «You saw him go off to be eaten by snakes.

— But you can't do that! — The prince became furious, — What do you mean…!

— Listen,» the girl also became angry, folding her arms across her chest, «That bastard just nearly killed you, and you're worried about what happened to him?

Razor was desperate.

— But he's… He's my brother…

Maxie snorted.

— You seem to be the only one who feels that way.

The boy fell silent.

He made a few more attempts to get downstairs and rescue Philip-but Maxie stopped him. According to her it's useless and won't solve anything.

— He's either dead or alive. Though the latter is unlikely… Anyway, you can't help it now.

In the end they both sat down on the ground, each in his own thoughts. When they'd all but forgotten about the imminent retirement of their brother, Razor had the good sense to ask her a question:

— What are you doing here? From what I hear, your father has you locked away.

— You've got to be kidding me. — Maxie snorted, «As if that would stop me.

— So… Did you run away?

— No,» she said ironically, «I went for a walk.

They both sighed heavily.

— But how… How did you find me? — Razor couldn't help but wonder.

She glanced at him incredulously.

— This village happens to be the closest to the border of Oberon… I was going to leave there for the Capital. But I saw you on the way, and I followed you here just for fun. It was well worth it.

Razor was silent, his face in his lap. He still couldn't quite come to his senses.

— Thank you for your help,» he muttered.

Maxie grinned.

— You are my father's apprentice. It would be sad if his efforts on you all these years were in vain.

— …

— And then there's the pretty girl who's obviously going to cry at your funeral. That's not good either.

There's a short silence again.

— You know, I'm sorry… But I think your brother's already got the scoop,» she said eloquently.

— It's not that…» Razor tried to find the words, «It's just that my brother's been in hiding for so long for fear of being pursued by Rachel's spies. And perhaps he's become a little obsessed…

— «A little obsessed?» — The girl repeated angrily, «Just because he wanted to kill you, you call that 'a little'?

Razor sighed grimly and didn't know what to say.

— I really don't know what happened to him.

Maxie snorted.

— But I do! He just went crazy.

Razor wasn't feeling well. It was hard to admit: that his six-month search for his brother had turned out to be this. It turned out that all his efforts had been in vain. And instead of getting Philip back on track — he didn't even know if he was still alive or not.

The boy plunged into an abyss of doubt, from which Maxie suddenly pulled him out.

The girl stood up, and shook off the ground and held out her hand to the prince.

— Come,» she declared.

Razor was taken aback.

— W-where…?

Maxie smiled.

— Where else? Leriana's been waiting for us for a long time.

***

There was a rocking chair in a small dusty room.

The girl sitting in it was looking out the window at the blue sky — and stroking her belly with a smile. It was already visibly rounded, which only indicated the impending term.

Very soon Serge would be a mother.

She was both dreading and anticipating the day.

Especially since it was an unusual child.

— Your Highness,» the girl turned to her belly, «I am so looking forward to your arrival. I hope you will be like your father.

Serge threw her head back and closed her eyes. She smiled weakly.

Even if no one else wanted him, she didn't care. As long as this child was born. Even though his father might never know about it…

— Your Highness, I will be sure to give you the most beautiful name.

***

For a moment Rachel was speechless. Then she finally came to her senses.

She took the hand that was blocking her path, and stated it bluntly:

— Have you gone mad?!

She and the Archduchess stared at each other for several seconds- and she still had the same calm smile on her face. Rachel was beginning to get annoyed with her already.

Was that girl not afraid of death at all?

— If she did, it was only because of her love for you Your Majesty.

Leriana continued to speak strange speeches, the meaning of which Rachel did not understand. She could not comprehend what was happening. They had only known each other for a couple of hours: but the first Archduchess of the Empire was already confessing her love. Moreover, knowing full well that she has a fiancée.

In doing so… Rachel did not know what was on her mind.

If any other man had shown such impudence, he would have died a long time ago. But somehow… Rachel didn't have the heart to do it right now.

So all she said was:

— What do you want from me?

— To be your right hand,» she said abruptly.

Rachel was involuntarily surprised by this sudden explanation.

— Why would you want that? — she asked him suspiciously.

— My father served the previous king faithfully for many years,» she explained, «and I wanted to continue his work.

She frowned.

— I am not interested.

— What?

— The business of the previous king has nothing to do with me,» she muttered, «and neither does your family.

With that Rachel turned sharply to leave, but Lerianna hurried to leave. But Leriane hurriedly hurried after her:

— Anyway, Your Majesty, I'm quite insistent. And I won't give up until you accept me.

Rachel hummed. She was curious to see how far she would go.

— Then I wish you good luck, Archduchess.

***

A week later, Rachel was surprised to find — that the First Archduchess of the Empire's intentions were more serious than she thought. At least they weren't just words.

Leriana Ashford came to the palace every day and requested an audience with Rachel. Of course she refused. The girl found no reason for them to see each other, and she certainly wasn't going to agree to her request.

The right hand? That's ridiculous! Rachel didn't need that kind of favor. Especially not from her…

Meanwhile, in spite of Rachel's complete ignorance — Lady Ashford's adventures did not end. At some point, the girl began to notice that it was distracting her from matters of state.

«How to deal with her quietly?»

Rachel had been pondering this for several days: but nothing sensible came to mind. In the end she decided to just let it go. Sooner or later she would get tired of doing it herself.

Today Rachel was, as usual, busy in her office. One of the servants knocked on the door and was about to announce someone's visit. The girl was furious.

Could it be her again!

But no, the initial assumptions were not justified. The servant was followed by another familiar voice, and soon Camille entered the office. Rachel was relieved.

— Your Majesty~!

As usual, dressed head to toe, the girl glowed with happiness. She quickly approached and hugged Rachel. She did the same in return.

— What are you doing here? — Rachel asked, «You're supposed to be at a fitting today at the atelier.

— I missed you, of course! — She pouted. «So I finished early. Aren't you glad to see me?

— Of course not,» Rachel immediately countered, «I just didn't expect you to come so suddenly.

— Hee-hee.

Camille let out a chuckle. Rachel smiled and stroked her hair.

— It's good that you came. I just have a surprise for you.

— You do?! — Rejoiced.

Rachel nodded.

— What you love most of all.

Camille was excited about the upcoming gifts and settled herself into an armchair. Rachel sat across from her. At the latter's command, the servants rolled a cart covered with cloth into the room.

And when the cloth was pulled down, Camille was somewhat discouraged. Instead of expensive jewelry and diamonds — there were all kinds of desserts on the table. Such variety would be the envy of any confectionery empire.

— Is that…? — The girl didn't quite get it out of her mouth.

— My surprise,» Rachel said with a smile, «the chefs have been preparing it for days with the best recipes. You have to like it.

There was a look of disappointment on Camille's face, which she did her best to hide. She smiled weakly and squeezed out:

— Thank you, Your Majesty…

— …And these are your favorite lemon tarts,» she pointed to a separate dish, «There are lots of them and several kinds. You can have as many as you like.

Camilla squeezed the folds of her dress. She felt very hurt: that in six months the queen had not even remembered what she liked herself. Instead… She kept on giving it all. Was the passage of time still not enough?

Meanwhile, the girl hid her true feelings and said:

— Your Majesty, thank you for taking care of me… But I don't like this anymore.

— What?» Rachel was surprised.

— You know… Sweets are bad for your figure. I have to keep in shape.

Rachel wasn't expecting that answer. And yet…

— Well…» the girl nodded slowly, «If you won't, then I'll just throw it away.

Rachel summoned a servant and gave the order. The cart was immediately rolled away and the dishes on it were to be disposed of. Instead, they were served iced green tea, which Camille liked better.

They got to talking. When Camille told her about all her recent activities, Rachel interjected as well:

— Remember when we went to my house over winter break?

She flinched and said uncertainly:

— Of course I remember.

Rachel sighed heavily.

— Maybe we could go there next month.

— Why should we? — Camilla wondered.

— I want to see the old man,» she explained reluctantly.

The Duke of Cassius had not sent a single letter to Rachel in the past six months, though he was usually unstoppable. There had been several in a month where he had inquired about her affairs. So the sudden change seemed strange to her. Nothing had happened, had it…?

Rachel didn't want to admit that she was worried about it after all. So she suggested going on a trip under the guise of going on a vacation together.

But Camilla herself wasn't too keen on the idea. She objected:

— Your Majesty, ahem… Why bother His Grace? I'm sure he's just too busy.

— Maybe so,» Rachel agreed, «But I just want to check that everything is all right.

— It isn't! — Camilla waved her hands rapidly, «Besides, it's out of season. It's snowing everywhere… Is it really worth the trip in this cold?

Rachel was even more surprised.

— But you loved it last time… You even played snowballs with your maid.

— I… I was too immature then! — said Camilla, — I don't do such silly things now. Besides, the cold isn't good for your skin.

Rachel was confused, but didn't argue for long. If Camille really didn't want to — she wasn't going to force her.

— As you wish…» Rachel agreed with her wish.

Camille smiled in relief.

— Thank you for listening to me Your Majesty,» she said, «And instead of constantly remembering the past… Let's create new memories from now on, shall we?

Rachel looked at her strangely.

— New…?

Camilla nodded.

— Yes. The ones where it's just the two of us.

***

I'd been waiting in the corridor of the Imperial Palace for hours-but Rachel hadn't bothered to let me in even for a cup of tea. Oh, well. In a way, I was getting used to it by now.

Since I was determined to stick to Rachel like a bath sheet, I certainly wasn't going to back down that easily. Maybe I should just temporarily move someplace nearby.

Hmm… I'd think about that later.

Right now I decided to combine business with pleasure and do some work. So that Andrew wouldn't have to «take care» of everything alone — I took a pile of working papers from the manor in advance.

I asked the servants to bring my desk here and sat down to work. Ha…! And who's the last person to give up?

A little more than half an hour had passed since I had done this: when suddenly I heard the wheels of a cart creaking. I looked up and saw the maid carrying a mountain of sweets. I was surprised and slowed her down.

— Who's it for? — I couldn't help but wonder.

The maid explained:

— Her Majesty ordered me to throw it away.

— What?» I was taken aback and got up from the table.

She nodded.

I was filled with indignation. So many desserts, and then nothing… I mean, how could you be so wasteful? Rachel didn't seem to know any boundaries!

— Ahem… You can give that to me.

— What? The maid opened her mouth.

— I said I'd take care of it,» I explained reluctantly.

— B-but… Her Majesty has ordered…

— Oh, come now,» I said, «if the Queen said to throw it away, she doesn't want it. So what difference does it make what happens to the food?

My words sounded logical. The girl hesitated and looked at the cart.

— Well… If that's the case…

— Exactly! — I interrupted her and took the cart from her hands, «You can go. I won't say anything to anybody.

The maid finally gave in and agreed. I followed her with a glance before I was about to enjoy my «booty». Now that's lucky!

If Rachel threw out carts like this every day, I'd really rather move here.

I glanced over the various desserts and settled on a handful of lemon tarts. Luckily there were some of my favorites.

I took one cake and just put it in my mouth — when my hand was suddenly intercepted.

— What are you doing?

I almost choked when I heard that voice. I turned around to find Rachel next to me, who appeared out of nowhere.

She was stunned to see me standing there with my mouth full and staring at her.

It looked like I'd been «caught red-handed. Still, she tried to look nonchalant.

I coughed.

— Eating… Can't you tell?

Rachel continued to stare at me strangely.

— Are you really the Archduchess? — she suddenly said.

— What?» I wondered.

— It's the first time I've ever met such a strange woman.