2. Respect

As Alexandria rose from her seat, the usual chill of his thoughts settled back in, like a familiar cloak. He had learned long ago to keep his emotions hidden beneath the surface — to keep his focus on the Duchy and the legacy he was trying to build. But something about her words had struck him in a way he hadn’t anticipated.

Renald watched her retreat toward the door, her back straight, her steps measured. The words she had spoken echoed in his mind, the challenge in her tone cutting through his practiced indifference. We are all bound to something, Renald. But it is not always what we expect.

For the first time in their months of marriage, he felt a ripple of something — something unsettling yet... intriguing. It wasn’t like the calculated coldness she had shown when they first met, nor was it the quiet acceptance he had expected from her. There was strength in her voice, a fire that reminded him of something he had buried long ago — something he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years.

Renald had always assumed Alexandria was just another part of the Duchy’s political machinery. She had arrived at Lethian, a beautiful, unassuming figure, a tool to solidify his position. He had treated her as such, dismissing any notion of affection or partnership. But now, standing there, watching her back as she prepared to leave, he realized something unsettling: he didn’t quite understand her. And that, for the first time in his life, bothered him.

He wasn’t used to uncertainty.

“Alexandria,” he called out, his voice quieter than he intended. She paused by the door but didn’t turn around.

For a long moment, Renald didn’t speak. What was he supposed to say? For all his power and influence, this was something entirely out of his control. He had lived his life calculating every move, but Alexandria — she was a puzzle, one he couldn’t solve.

"Sit," he finally said, gesturing toward the seat she had just vacated. There was something in his voice that was more command than request, but also, just a flicker of... something softer. "We need to talk. For real this time."

Her heart skipped a beat as Renald’s words stopped her in her tracks. There was no mistaking the change in his tone. It was almost... tentative, unlike the firm, unyielding voice he had used for every other conversation they'd had. His words were usually authoritative, cold, but now, there was a slight tremor, a crack in the armor of his usual composure.

Song Eun Ha, no.. she was Alexandria now, hesitated, but only for a moment. What was the point of walking away when she had already spoken her mind? The silence between them had stretched long enough. She turned and walked back to the chair, her movements measured, though her mind raced. What game was he playing now?

As she sat across from him again, her eyes met his, and for the first time, she saw something shift behind his dark gaze. Something that wasn’t just the calculating coldness of a ruler. It was... uncertainty.

“What do you want from me, Renald?” Alexandria asked, her voice steady but with an edge that betrayed her curiosity. “You’ve never shown any interest in me before. Now, suddenly, you wish to talk?”

Renald looked at her, his brow furrowing slightly as if he were searching for the right words. He had never been good at expressing vulnerability, especially to someone he had spent months treating as nothing more than an ornament to his title. But for reasons he couldn’t explain, something about her — the challenge in her voice, the fire in her eyes — made him feel something he had long buried beneath duty and ambition.

“I don’t know,” Renald admitted, his tone quieter now, almost begrudging. “But I felt it. Something in what you said. The way you speak… You’re not like the other women in this court. You don’t just nod and accept things as they are. It’s…” He paused, a flicker of something uncomfortable crossing his face. “It’s different. And I don’t like it.”

Alexandria raised an eyebrow, intrigued but also slightly amused. “You don’t like it?”

“No,” Renald said, leaning back in his chair, a sense of weariness creeping into his posture. “I don’t like that I can’t control it. I don’t like that you challenge me. You make me... question everything.”

A heavy silence settled between them, the air thick with the weight of his admission. Alexandria could see it now — the Duke was a man who had built his life on control, on keeping everything within his grasp. She had come into his life like a storm, unsettling the calm waters he had so carefully crafted. But now, it seemed, the storm had left its mark.

“I never wanted to challenge you,” Alexandria said, her voice softening just slightly. “But you have to understand, Renald, this marriage is a prison. You may see me as your dutiful wife, but I am no one's pawn. I won't be treated like an object, not by you, and not by anyone.”

True, to Alexandria who was a princess of far away kingdom, this marriage was a prison. She was a princess who loved sword art but had to marry to this Empire for peace.

Renald’s gaze hardened, but this time, there was something behind it — not anger, but curiosity, and perhaps, just a trace of respect. He had never truly seen her for who she was until now.

“I never thought you would be,” he said quietly. “But it doesn’t make this easier, does it?”

Alexandria shook her head, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “No, it doesn’t. But perhaps we can make it easier. Not for us, but for the Duchy.”

Renald’s expression faltered, the walls he had so carefully built around himself seeming just a little less solid than they had been moments ago. “What do you mean?”

She met his gaze head-on. “There’s more to being a Duchess than staying silent and being a trophy. If you want to save this Duchy, if you want to make it strong, then we need to work together. But only if you’re willing to see me as more than just your wife.”

For the first time, Renald looked at her not as a political tool, but as a partner — someone who could help him, who could challenge him, who could see through the lies and the shadows of his world.

And as their gazes locked, he realized something else — something he had never felt before, not from the moment of their marriage, nor in all the months since.

He felt... alive.

But more than that, he felt something he hadn't realized he'd been missing: respect.

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