I Only Love My Greatest Enemy

Armand left the chapel. Rozwiazly exited right after him, going on his own path back to the feast. Various nobles surrounded the man at this first opportunity.

On the other hand, only Eris moved over to Armand. This wasn't at her first chance. Instead, she waited until Rozwiazly was a bit away from Armand to walk by his side.

"Good. Now, we can talk along without Rozwiazly listening in. I don't think he'll betray me, but there's no point in taking chances," Armand thought as he smiled.

"How did it go?" Eris asked.

"Perfectly," he answered.

"I didn't expect anything less from you," she said before thinking. "I doubt Armand put Rozwiazly in his place...no, I'm certain he didn't. But I can put up with a commoner like Rozwiazly for Armand's sake and if it gets me more power. More if it gets me more power than for Armand's sake."

"Tell me, what's your next scheme?" Armand questioned.

Eris smiled.

"Before we go to bed, I'll tell Richard Salm that I was the one behind Joseph's actions. I'll whisper it right in his ear and say that the Crown Prince and Oldest Princess' favor is mine," she said.

"If Marshal Ludwig weren't here, Richard Salm would try to kill you for that," Armand replied.

"But he is here, and we both know that Salm won't be able to assassinate me. He won't dare try to either and will instead stew on how he can do nothing. But I'll be careful just in case. I'm sure you know what he'll do if he tries to kill me," Eris stated.

Armand nodded.

"He'll probably try to poison you first," he said.

"But I won't eat any food unless I get it right from the kitchen tomorrow," Eris replied. "Salm will also try to put bombs in my carriage tonight."

"And you'll make sure to have your servants thoroughly check it before you leave," Armand stated.

Eris smirked.

"You know me so well," she said.

"Well, that was what you did when I tried to blow you up," Armand replied.

Eris' smile widened.

"That was a great attempt. If I was any less cautious, you'd have gotten me," she thought before something came to mind.

"I just remembered. We're staying in the same room tonight. I talked to Count Staufer about it, and he allowed it. Also, if there's any question as to whether or not I'm a virgin after, we'll have a doctor look at me."

Armand nodded.

"A clever move," he said.

Eris' heart thumped. She felt an incredible urge to hug him. It took Eris every bit of effort she could muster to restrain herself.

"Everyone here will question your virginity. So, a doctor will examine you and confirm you're a virgin. Then, our reputation will increase. People will think we've proven our virtuousness," Armand continued.

"That's exactly my plan," Eris spoke before thinking. "I can't believe Armand complementing me made me that happy. Maybe I really am falling for him?"

Armand noticed her contemplation.

"What is Eris thinking? Is she coming up with some scheme? I shouldn't interrupt her if she is. Most of this feast is a show Eris is putting on for me," he thought.

"I need to make sure Armand is falling for me. What do couples do at feasts?" Eris thought.

She scanned the area. The girl's eyes locked on the dance floor. Eris smiled and turned to Armand. Then, she paused.

"Are women supposed to ask men to dance with them? There is a procedure to all this, but I've never been involved in it before. I'll assume men ask women to dance with them. That means I just need to get Armand to ask for a dance," Eris thought before speaking. "It's been years since I've been to this banquet. I was a child back then, and I couldn't appreciate how grand it is."

Armand looked around.

"What is Eris plotting? She must have some scheme," he thought.

"It is grand," Armand said.

"Good. I've set things up. Now, for the next step," Eris nodded.

"It's somewhat romantic too, don't you think?"

Armand narrowed his eyes.

"Eris murdered someone this morning, and she's thinking about romance. She isn't changing as much as I'd like. Or maybe she has some plan in mind?" he thought before speaking. "Let me guess, you want to ruin that?"

"Oh, fuck. I messed up," Eris thought.

"There are probably some married couples here that are inconvenient to you. Love is rare among nobles, but not nonexistent. Even if it doesn't do much, ruining the romantic atmosphere might at least slow them down," Armand said.

"How can I fix this? I could try more manipulation games, but I want to dance now! I have to be fast. Maybe Armand will get the right idea if I do something more physical?"

Eris grabbed Armand's arm and pulled him close, nuzzling her face against it. The boy stopped moving.

"What are you doing?" Armand asked.

A blush crossed Eris' face. She let go of Armand's arm.

"Sorry. I just...umm..." Eris spoke before thinking. "How can I get out of this without being too blatant?"

"Eris is acting strangely. Maybe she doesn't have some sort of scheme? Maybe Eris just wants to do something romantic? No. That can't be it. Eris would just say it outright if she..."

Armand burst out laughing.

"I couldn't even think that with a strange face," he said.

Confusion crossed Eris' face.

"Couldn't think what?" she asked.

"It's nothing," Armand answered. "Let's have a game of manipulation tonight, just the two of us. That's your favorite couples' activity, right?"

Eris' heart thumped. She curtsied.

"It is. Thank you, Armand."

Then, he held out his hand.

"But first, may I have this dance?" Armand asked.

Eris beamed with joy. She grabbed Armand's hand with her own.

"Of course," the girl answered.

Armand walked over to the dance floor with Eris' hand in his. The boy's heart thumped with every step they took.

"What's this feeling? Why am I getting worked up? I'm just going to dance with Eris. It's no big deal," he thought.

Eris, meanwhile, was in complete and utter bliss.

"It's time that I admit this to myself," she thought. "I love Armand. I love him with all my heart. There's no way I'd be this happy to dance with him if I didn't."

The two made it to the dance floor. Armand grabbed Eris' hip with one hand while holding her other up in the air. They stepped side to side, their feet moving in a rhythmic fashion.

Armand let go of Eris' hip and twirled her around. When the spin stopped, Eris leaned backward with her arms raised above her head. The boy caught her in one arm. He pulled Eris back up, wrapping that limb around her waist while holding her other hand out to the side.

"I can't believe I'm dancing with Armand. I know we did this before, but we were supposed to be sparring. This is a dance from the start. I wonder what the old me would think of this?" Eris thought. "She'd probably wonder why I wasn't trying to poison or stab him."

Armand grabbed Eris and pulled her close. A massive blush crossed her face. The boy then lifted Eris up, twirling her in the air before setting the girl down. They held their right hands together while their left hands gently grabbed each other's arms. Both Armand and Eris moved in step with each other.

"I'm dancing with Eris of all people. It isn't spontaneous this time but deliberate. I hope this makes her like me more. This is all for Eris' redemption," Armand thought as his heart thumped. "I'm not enjoying this at all. Yes, this is all for my goal. I don't have any feelings for Eris whatsoever."

Armand pulled Eris close once more, and their dance slowed. The two moved with greater precision than before. It was a simple feat for them. After all, while they didn't have much experience dancing, their combat training more than made up for that.

"Eris, are you enjoying this banquet?" Armand asked.

"Of course, I am, Armand," she answered.

Her next words were in a whisper.

"Even if I didn't get any power here, and I did, I'm happy to spend time with you. We haven't seen each other in years, but we're together again now."

Armand gave her a smile.

"I'm glad to be here with you too," he spoke before thinking. "That way, I can keep an eye on you, Eris."

"There's something I want your help with, Armand. It won't be relevant for another year, but I want to be ready for it. It's something I want to stop from happening," Eris said.

"This is probably some new assassination," Armand thought.

"Who are we killing?" he asked.

"No one," Eris answered. "We're stopping my parents from dying."

A look of concern crossed Armand's face, but he didn't miss a beat in his dance. He pulled Eris close.

"I will help you save them," Armand said.

"Thank you, Armand," Eris replied.

He gave her a reassuring smile.

"You don't need to worry. With the two of us working together, we're sure to succeed," Armand stated.

"We are," Eris nodded.

Then, a thought came to Armand.

"Why do you need my help to save your parents? Is whoever killed them someone even you can't assassinate?" he asked.

A look of sadness crossed Eris' face. The girl recalled when she found out about her parent's deaths, the horrendous feelings that welled up in her. Tears threatened to overtake her once more.

"Calm down, Eris. Don't cry here. Now is the time to be rational. You can stop this, Eris, you can do this. Armand will help you," Eris thought before speaking. "They weren't killed. They died in an accident. And I don't mean that someone killed them and made it look like an accident. It was a genuine accident."

A look of utter shock crossed Armand's face.

"Your parents died in an accident?" the boy couldn't believe it. "I've never heard of a noble dying in a genuine accident before."

"I know it sounds weird," Eris said. "But I investigated it every single way I could. You know me. If they were murdered, the only way I wouldn't find out who killed them is if you stopped me."

Armand nodded with grimness.

"And even back then, I wouldn't have tried to stop you from finding out who killed your parents," he stated.

The boy looked into Eris' eyes. He saw the faintest hints of tears welling up.

"Let's get to our room," Armand said. "We can talk more there."

"Yes. We can have our game of manipulation after that," Eris replied.

The two stopped dancing and walked over to Count Staufer. Eris leaned into Armand on the way over. They stopped in front of the banquet's host, who was seated on his chair. Armand knew from Eris leaning on him alone exactly what he should say.

"Excuse me, your Excellency, but my fiance is tired. I think the earlier excitement got to her. May we be shown to our room?" Armand asked.

Count Staufer nodded.

"Of course," he answered.

The noble gestured to a guard who walked over.

"Escort Lord Concord and Lady Hapsburg to room 69," Count Staufer ordered.

"Right away, my Lord," the guard said.

Armand and Eris' room was fairly spacious. It had a double-sized bed in the center and was decorated with roses. The floor around the bed was sprinkled with hay. On the other side of the room was a window.

Eris walked over to it and looked outside. The courtyard spread out below her. She saw a number of nobles running around, trying to look for each other or find places to hide. Armand joined her looking out.

"It looks like you've made quite the mess, Armand," Eris said.

"Do you care?" he asked.

"Not in the slightest," Eris answered.

She walked over to the bed and sat down.

"I don't feel any urge to bed you yet," she said. "I guess I'm still not old enough."

Armand sat down next to her.

"It's the same with me. Of course, I wouldn't do anything with you before we're married even if I felt the urge," he stated.

"I wouldn't either," Eris replied.

Armand's face turned serious. Eris shivered, fear and nervousness flowing through her.

"Eris, don't feel bad if you have to cry. You're going to relive something horrible," Armand spoke before thinking. "I'm just doing this to help redeem Eris. After everything she's done, it would be wrong for me to feel any sympathy for her."

The girl took a deep breath.

"Don't worry, Armand. I'm perfectly calm. I don't feel anything right now," Eris said.

"Keep calm. There's no reason to get worked up, Eris. You can take things easy. There's no reason for you to get upset. Armand's going to help you save your parents, and everything will be fine. Even if you don't save them, so what? They don't mean all that much to you. You have no reason to cry," she thought.

"Alright," Armand took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask you a hard question that I need to know: how did your parents die?"