The Rubies

It took a surprisingly long while for the young Duchess to calm down. Maybe because she rarely cried, Milena was letting it all flow out today. Rayan hugged her a long while, letting her sob against his shoulder and gently caressing her back. She wasn't even ashamed to let herself go like this. All barriers between her and Rayan had been dismissed after unveiling those lost memories of their childhood together. She was just relieved to be able to cry and let it all go. All those frustrations she had been holding on for a while, not just about the Queen, but also the stress of the selection, the anger with Ellias' betrayal, and all the rest. Milena just needed to let the mask down for a minute...

Once she finally calmed down, Milena was left to rest against his shoulder, a bit tired from all that crying. The Prince was probably even more tired himself, yet he didn't move one bit until she did. She stood straight, clumsily wiping her wet cheeks. He chuckled softly.

"Here goes the makeup..."

"Shut up," she pouted.

The Prince chuckled even more at her cute reaction and took her hand to guide her to sit back to the couch. This time, however, he pulled her to sit on his lap. Milena frowned, pushing him away.

"What are you doing..."

"We are alone," he said. "Plus... It isn't the first time, you know."

She pouted at his cheeky smile. She wasn't two years old anymore! Still, she didn't offer much resistance when he pulled her again and slowly sat on his lap, blushing a little. He had already seen her cry like a child, it couldn't get any worse now...

Rayan looked content to have her here, but there was nothing childish about this. Actually, as they were both rather tall, Milena was at the perfect height for him to inhale her skin. He smiled, showing up his fangs a bit.

"I really like your smell..."

"It's white roses and raspberries..."

"No, not the perfume. Your smell."

Milena blushed, trying to look elsewhere. How could he do that with just a few words? She was hot again already, who needed to sweat in the middle of spring! 

She let him keep his lips dangerously close to her neck, repressing the chills that came with it. His cold lips against her skin were giving her terrible sensations, and she had to focus to think straight. Milena tried hard to think of something to say, something to put the conversation back on track.

"W-why did you act like that... When we were children? After I came back, I mean."

Milena clearly remembered their cold interactions and Rayan's attitude towards her. He wasn't warm or nice at all, nothing that could have let her suspect they used to be close. She remembered how he had almost accused her of orchestrating her meeting with Ellias... When she was just a child! 

This time, the Prince looked troubled by her question. He backed away, although his arm was still around her waist, and ran his hand through his hair with a long sigh.

"I... When I heard you had come back, I was conflicted."

"Conflicted?"

"I had spent years hoping you'd come back, but I was too young to do anything. It was frustrating, and with you and your mother gone, I... I became as taciturn as I should have. My mother was trying to make up for her mistakes, but nothing felt genuine after Lady Elizia was actually dead. I couldn't allow her into my life when your mom had basically lost her life because of her previous attitude... I resented my mother too much to ever let our relationship improve. I resented her for what had happened to you two. I couldn't move on. I lost interest in pretty much everything; I only needed to do the bare minimum anyway... So I did whatever I wanted. I'd skip classes to go train with the guards or go downtown. I just didn't want to be Prince Rayan De Solar anymore."

Milena hadn't even given much thought about what had become of Rayan after her disappearance and her mother's. She hadn't even had time to think about it, but since all this time, they were the ones bringing any joy in his life... She could imagine how gloom his days must have been after the tragedy. Just as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back, Milena extended her hand to come and caress the neckline of his hair, very softly.

"I became this... sharp and stern Prince, the one no one really wanted to deal with. I was perfectly fine with Ellias handling the good son's role. I just wanted the world to leave me in peace... Until you came back."

He shook his head, very slowly.

"I didn't even believe it, at first... Your father allowed no one in the De Crescent Manor, so I couldn't even believe it was true, as I hadn't seen it with my own eyes yet. I remember, I thought I was going to go crazy, waiting. Yet, one day, I heard Ellias talk about you."

Milena frowned. Ellias? Was this about their first meeting, in that library...?

"He was talking with Father, telling him how cute you were, how you liked the same books and whatnot... I don't think I had ever wanted to hit my brother as badly as I did then. I was burning with jealousy."

"Don't tell me you were mean to me when we meant simply because of that?"

"Not just that. Yes, I was jealous that you had become friends with Ellias before I even got to meet you again. When we did meet, it hit me how you were... different. There was nothing left of the young girl that giggled all the time. You were this quick-witted, cold young lady that I couldn't recognize. Moreover, you were all about Ellias, and I just... I felt like I had really lost the Milena from then. I tested you a bit, and to be honest, it wasn't agreeable for me either."

"You were such a rude jerk," Milena retorted. "You could have told me we used to be close."

He chuckled, coming to kiss her cheek gently.

"Sorry... You have to forgive a strong-headed twelve years old," he said. "I just missed my Milena, and you were so unlike what I remembered. Plus, my mother was there. A part of me was fearing she'd take it out on you if we were too close again like she had done with your mother. I think she tried to act... nice, but she was never really good at that."

"She was trying to be nice? I thought she was just... You know. Acting like the Queen."

"I don't think she truly meant to get close to you. Your father wouldn't have accepted it, after what happened to your mom. My mother probably hadn't forgotten either. But still, I ... Look."

She frowned and looked down on the item he had just taken out. It was a simple pocket watch, an obviously expensive one, mostly in gold, with a cute little ribbon on it. Milena squinted her eyes and took it to observe it from up close; Something about that item felt familiar.

"Wait, isn't that... One of my ribbons?"

She had a vague memory of one of her maids complaining she had lost one of her ribbons that day. Rayan smiled cheekily and nodded. Milena was astonished.

"You took it?"

"It had fallen of your hair, I simply picked it up. I was happy to have something that belonged to you to hold on to. I always kept it since then."

Milena was surprised. All this time, he was carrying this with him? This little ribbon? It was such a girly thing, anyone would have made fun of him if they knew! Yet, Rayan took back his watch, looking an affectionately the little ribbon on it before putting it back in his pocket. Milena noted that even she had been able to take it for a couple of minutes before he took it back... And that ribbon was looking brand new for something that was years and years old, too.

"Prince Rayan... You turn out to be quite the romantic," she said with a smile, leaning a bit more against him.

"Only for you, my Lady."

"Mh. You're lucky to be such a sweet-talker... Are you trying to redeem yourself by any chance?"

"Anything it takes," he chuckled against her neck, kissing her a bit. "As long as you don't cancel our engagement or threaten to again."

Milena smiled. So this threat had been so effective on him? She glanced at her ring with a smile, putting it up her eyes level to admire it some more. She really liked that ring. The weight on her finger was like a constant reminder of her new engagement, and it had something reassuring about it.

"It would be hard to go back on my word now, and there are only a few days until we get married. Plus, you're lucky you're so good at picking rings," she said. "I don't feel like taking it off my finger, it suits too fine."

"I didn't pick it, though."

Milena immediately frowned. He had the guts to have let someone else pick it for him? Yet, before she could get mad, the prince chuckled, amused by her offended expression. Milena realized he was making fun of her, but she couldn't understand his meaning.

"As if I'd simply pick some old thing someone else wore before my Queen," he said.

"You're saying... You ordered it?"

"Yes, my Lady. It was custom-made. I bought a rubies mine, had them dig the most beautiful gem, and ask the best jeweler in the Kingdom to make my future fiancé a ring that would fit her Royal finger."

Milena scoffed, actually shocked by his words. Who bought a rubis mine just to get a ring made! Didn't the jewelers have plenty of rocks like these in stock already! She glanced down at her ring once again. She did thing the ring looked exceptionally gorgeous and new when she had first put it on, but still, she had never thought it had actually been made for her.

"You can't be serious," she whispered.

"Why not? Precious gems are a very fruitful market these days. I bought a mine that was up for sale and found the perfect precious stone for my Lady, and I made some money from it. Isn't your future husband too smart?"

Milena was astonished. Was there anything he didn't plan ahead or scheme in some way? She was almost afraid to look at her ring now. He probably did make an affair with it. That rock would have cost thousands if she was put for sale to the Merchants' Guild or in a Jewelers' shop, yet Rayan had directly invested in its source. With all the rubies he was going to dig out, he'd probably even make profits from this!

"Aren't you being too arrogant right now?" She retorted. "You got this rubies mine for me, shouldn't you share the profit instead of gloating about one ring? You probably got dozen of other rubies to gift your mistresses already."

The Prince laughed at her fakely offended tune. Milena was getting way too good at entertaining their verbal fights. He shook his head, amused.

"Oh, what mistresses? Fine, if you like rubies so much I'll just gift it to you then."

"Gift me what? The rubies?"

"The mine, Milena. Didn't you just ask me to? Plus, it was a bit thanks to you that I got a chance to acquire it."

She frowned.

"What now?"

"The Baron De Verheim, remember? After the Scandal, aside from the Vermilion Lands, you got as an apology from their House, all of his possessions were either put up for sale or sent back to his family. The heiress didn't have money to buy everything back, though, and probably too much work to handle all of it too. Hence, she was fine with selling some of it until her family got better."

Milena was surprised. She did remember hearing that the House De Verheim was in a pinch after the Scandal the Baron had caused in trying to assassinate her. The young heiress was her age and indeed, back then she may have been too young to handle so much. Especially, Baronies weren't the wealthiest. In the higher-ranked nobles circles, some whispered that they were the "peasants" of nobles, those who could barely afford to keep their titles. It really depended on one family to another, though, and those who did well in their businesses had no issues at all.

"I see..."

"Anyway, I don't mind gifting it to you. It will make a nice wedding present, one even your father won't be able to send me daggers about..."

Milena chuckled. Most newlyweds gifted some jewelry to their new spouses, sometimes a mansion or two if they were wealthy enough, but to gift a full mine of precious gemstones was probably a first! She liked it, though. Milena liked useful gifts much better than those who were simply meant to fill an obligation.

"You can't go back on your word," she declared. "Even if I find a ruby as big as my hand, you can't claim it."

"My Lady, I think my personal collection of jewelry will not suffer too much from the loss. Plus, your future husband-to-be isn't about to go penniless anytime soon."

Milena believed that easily. If he was smart enough to buy a rubies mine from a decaying Noble House, Rayan probably had many other businesses to enrich himself from. She wasn't blinded by his usually stern outfits and simple attires. Most nobles family were indecently rich, and wouldn't live any of their life worrying about money either. The main issue was mostly to have something to spend money on. The Kingdom's economy was a constant issue. They struggled to produce enough to feed all mouths, such that the poor people suffered more from the lack of food to buy than from the lack of money. The Royal Family ensured that no one was stocking more food than they should, and kept the economy circulating. 

Milena knew this would be an issue she'd have to help solve as a Princess, too. Her glass business was revolutionary, and a way to have the nobles spend their money on something that couldn't be consumed, but it was a band-aid on a bullet-hole, a temporary solution to inject more money from their safes into the system.

"There she goes, lost in her thoughts and ignoring her poor fiancé again..."

Rayan grabbed her chin, making Milena pout a bit from being treated like a child. She pushed his hand away and shook her head.

"The ink hasn't even dried on the paper, you're calling yourself my fiancé already? So arrogant, again."

"Arrogant is my middle name."

"I would have said Sneaky..."

"Sneaky?" Repeated the Prince, frowning.

Milena chuckled for herself. She hoped Blanche had heard that one, from wherever she was probably trying to nap in one of her pockets. No doubt her friend would scold her for being so "sneaky" with Prince Ugly again later. The young Duchess smiled, turning towards her Prince with a smile.

"Nevermind."

"Mh... We aren't married yet but you're already giving me some ugly nickname?"

"Don't expect me to call you Honey or Darling," retorted Milena with a frown. "I hate such things."

"Really? That's too bad, I'd love to see you say such things... In a pretty nightgown..."

She slapped his shoulder, annoyed. Was there ever an end to his p*****t jokes! It probably wasn't going to go down anytime now that they were about to get married either!

Just as she was about to scold him with her wits, the door opened, and they both turned heads to whoever had just walked in without knocking. Ellias stood there, shocked to see them in such position, Milena on Rayan's lap with their arms around each other. The young Duchess tried to move, but Rayan kept his embrace firm around her, smiling to his brother like a snake.

"Ellias. Nobody taught you how to knock before walking inside a room?"