10.7
Cai led Portia through Castle Blackpool's narrow hallways to the prince's chamber. It was late. He hoped Lord Blackpool was still awake.
"Are you sure you can't just leave it with me to give to him in the morning?" he asked her. He dreaded having to wake the prince at this hour.
"Not this time. She wants an answer back. It's not like you can mail a letter to where she is right now."
Cai stopped at a pair of heavy oaken doors and knocked softly.
"Come!" came the immediate response. The prince was obviously not asleep.
Cai left Portia in the hallway while he checked to see if the prince would deign to receive a messenger at this late hour. He returned a moment later, escorting her into the room. Dirk sat in a heavy, high-backed chair, his feet propped comfortably on an ottoman. Portia noticed Zyrdicia's biography on the table next to him. This was a good sign.
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late," she began apologetically. "As you know, Zyrdicia tends to keep strange hours."
"It's quite alright," the prince smiled cordially. Cai's face was carefully composed. Any other messenger disturbing the prince at this hour would have had an opportunity to ponder the error in the dungeon. It reflected positively on the source of the message.
Portia produced a envelope bearing Zyrdicia's dagger seal. "It requires an answer. I suppose I can wait in Cai's quarters for your response."
The prince glanced briefly at the knight, before responding to Portia. "I'll send for you when my reply is available."
After Portia departed with the seneschal, Dirk opened the envelope with a bejeweled knife. He caught the faintest whiff of Zyrdicia's fragrance as he opened it. He had almost forgotten how enchanting she smelled.
"Dearest Dirk,
The flowers were a lovely surprise. I would like to thank you in person. Will you have dinner with me at my residence? Friday at 8pm? Fondly, Zyrdicia
P.S. I have a business proposal I would like to discuss with you."
He hoped her business proposal entailed returning to his service to wreck havoc on Camarand. His severe troop losses to the plague had impeded his progress beyond Tronin. He still controlled most of Tronin, as well as the castle there, but the southern defenses in Baaldorf and Dunfirm continued to thwart him.
There was no question that he would accept her invitation. He would have cancelled any meeting for this purpose. He was pleased the snow orchids had served their purpose.
He found her choice of dinner as an occasion odd, in light of the difficulty she had given him whenever he asked her to dine with him. He wondered whether it was deliberate.
It was an opportunity to remedy the physical aggressiveness that had apparently frightened her. He pulled a fresh piece of parchment from a nearby cabinet and thought a moment.
"Zyrdicia, I am pleased to accept your invitation. I look forward to seeing you again. Warmest regards, Prince Dirk Blackpool."
He intended to use his charm to lure her back under his dominion. He was certain that it would not be difficult, given her apparent emotional attachment. His original plan to seduce her had worked, after all; its result had merely been delayed. He looked forward to having her power at his disposal again.