Lucian noticed Celine's interest spark at his words.
She took the pencil from his hand, adding her own touches.
"..." Lucian stared at the maze she came up with.
It didn't follow a traditional pattern. The paths were curved, forming shapes that resembled a five petal flower if seen from above, five different entrances, three different end points.
"I'm not much of a gardener," she said, "But I know what I like."
He definitely noticed that.
"You saw a lot of the world, right?" He asked, wanting to hear about her travels, even if it was just through words, "Young Ladies from a good family usually stay close to home."
She didn't say anything for a moment, and he feared he'd crossed a line. But then she spoke, "You never know when your day will be your last. So I try to make each one count."
His brows furrowed at her words, "You don't have a terminal illness, do you?"
It would explain why she had so much freedom. And why she was so reckless. And why she was so...alive.
She looked at him from over her shoulder, "Worried?"
"...Should I be?" he asked, "You talk like you're going to die soon."
"I talk like I want to live, like really live," she corrected him, her eyes back on the map, "Not just trying to survive."
They should be talking about work, but they continued to stray off topic, each becoming more and more philosophical.
"I can usually suppress that feeling of frustration," he shared, "Around my parents, my employees... But I can't around you."
"Frustation?" she raised an eyebrow, "About what?"
"About everything."
"Hurting me probably benefits you in some way," she said, her voice a little too casual, "So you don't suppress it like you do around others. I figured I could use that for my own gain. Like making you seek me out whenever you want to let it out."
"..." He stared at her, his arms tightening around her waist, "This is not how you seduce someone, Celine."
She gave him a dead pan look, "Act like someone who can be seduced, then."
He blinked innocently, "I'm a respectable man. I have standards."
"Sure you do. You wouldn't have your hands on me if you had none," she said, her nose in the air as if she was above it all.
Chuckling, he cuddled her like a clingy child, not wanting to separate, "Winter is coming soon, so I won't have to travel as much, and could work from my home office. Maybe..."
"Hm?"
He looked at the maze she drew again, "Maybe I could build a second office in your room. So when you're asleep, I could be there to keep you warm."
She excitedly turned around at the idea, "We need a thorough plan for that."
Their smiles mirrored each other's, mischievously, as if they were two thieves planning a heist.
"You will need a safe passage in and out," Celine said, tapping her chin with the pencil, "There are too many balconies and windows overlooking the area. Going through them would be too risky."
The guards were the biggest hurdle. They were stationed at the gates and patrolled the perimeter, but they also made irregular rounds inside the grounds.
"I have a wide crinoline," Celine offered hiding under her dress as a solution, "You could hide there when I'm walking to my room. But that would require you to match my pace and walk in a crouched position as silently as possible. Would you be able to do that?"
"We won't know until we try, right?" he was up for the challenge. "We can't leave anything to chance. We need a plan, a backup plan, and a backup plan for the backup plan."
He would have to take off his shoe once inside to reduce the noise of his steps on the hardwood floor, and be able to walk up the stairs without making the fabric of her dress bend in a weird way.
They discussed whether they should do it during the night when there were less staff members around to see them. Or during the day, when everyone was busy with their own tasks. They even considered the possibility of a distraction, like a false alarm.
The office wasn't big, but they still used it to try it out. She wrapped a blanket around her waist, while he crouched down and followed her.
It was harder than they thought. They didn't have a crinoline to help with the shape, which increased their difficulty.
But it was fun, and a few times, they fell down laughing at how ridiculous they looked.
"Could you count the steps at home for me? From the start to end, together with the obstacles," Lucian said, "We need to be precise. One misstep and I'm done for."
He would be a temporary visitor at the estate to work on the landscaping, so he would be living in a caravan outside on the grounds.
He could use the excuse of planning to walk around the estate, not within it, to "get a feel of the space".
The Rochefort's was the largest estate after the royal one after all.
Celine left before lunchtime, but not before he snuck a few more kisses. They parted ways with the promise of meeting again soon.
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Lucian spent the rest of the day thinking about her, while looking for some sparring buddies (he didn't forget about the Voice's wish, and wanted to appease it somehow).
He visited a tavern famous for its brawls, his attention locked on the strongest, most agile men.
It didn't take him long to find them. Two men, brothers, who were built like oxen. They were arm wrestling with some other men, a small crowd gathered around them, cheering and jeering.
Bandits attacked in groups of three to five, not a threat to the Duchy, but a nuisance to travelers and merchants.
And that's what Lucian needed to prepare for. These guys were no bandits, but they should be similar in skill level. Or at least, close enough.
Lucian touched his ginger dark hair, a new look, after dying it from his natural blonde, before "accidentally" pumping into onlookers and spilling their ale.
"What the hell, man?" the man yelled, turning around to glare at Lucian.