Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3562515" data-attributes="member: 3448">Alistair paused.  “I want to talk to you about something else as well.  It’s kind of a related topic.  You seemed a little upset when it was time for the coronation, and you had to be invisible instead of being with me publicly.”“Yeah.  It was nothing, though.” Kit’s tone belied her words.  “I understand that you have to be the Archduke, and that there isn’t a public place for me with you then.”“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.  There could be.  We could make your status more official.  I can’t marry you-- but it’s not unheard of for an Archduke to give his lover an official place in the court.”“What, so I would have the official title of Archduke’s Mistress?” Kit’s question mixed confusion and derision in equal parts.“Well, no, not in so many words.  But we could give you a more lofty title that would give you public status-- make you a countess or something.  Duchess would probably be too high--we wouldn’t want to offend the current Dukes.  And then we would let it be publicly known that you are my mistress and a major figure within the court.  So instead of our going to things like the coronation banquet separately and maybe finding time for a dance together and some conversation in passing, we would arrive together and you would be announced with me and sat at my side and so forth.  Everyone would quickly understand what that means.”“Oh.” Kit thought about the possibility.  The idea of having her role defined as Alistair’s mistress made her uncomfortable.  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea…  My role as the Mouth is easier if I keep a lower profile.  People know we’re lovers, but they don’t necessarily assume that I’m part of your inner circle…”“They probably assume not, in fact.  They would think that if you were, you would have been given higher titles than just a knighthood and baronetcy.  And I agree, it would make things more difficult for you as the Mouth.  It would also interfere with the efforts to arrange a political marriage.  It’s one thing for me to have a quiet relationship on the side, and something else entirely to have a widely acknowledged mistress who has been given high status, especially because of what happened with my father and stepmother.”“That makes sense.  I think we shouldn’t do it, then.”“As you wish.  I simply wanted to offer you a way to have a more public position in the court.”“Yes, I understand.  And thank you.  Knowing that you would be willing to is the most important thing.  But it would create more problems than it solves, and my duties as Mouth have to come first.  And no matter what else happens, I will always be the Mouth.”Alistair looked at Kit closely, began to open his mouth to speak, and then closed it again.“What?” asked Kit.  “Say it.”“And I will always love you,” said Alistair, quietly and tentatively.  Even once he had said it, he wondered if he should have.  He had said things like that before, to other women, but he had always been lying.  This time, he thought he was telling the truth, but wasn’t sure.  And precisely because of the way he felt about Kit, he did not want to say it if it were not true.Kit’s eyes widened at the statement.  “I love you, too…”  She could not promise that she always would, but she had no doubt that she did right then.</blockquote>

Verification