Lord of the realm

Marcus nodded and turned to leave.

"Marcus," Drusilla called after him.

He stopped.

"Don’t engage him directly. I want the first contact. Understand?"

"Yes, Lady Drusilla."

"Good. Now get to work and send Katerina up. I need someone to spar with while I wait."

Marcus left the chamber.

Behind him, he could hear Drusilla laughing quietly to herself. The particular sound she made when she was genuinely pleased about something.

Which usually meant someone was about to have a very bad day.

*

Kate looked at her schedule and suppressed a sigh.

Three back-to-back meetings. The quarterly projection review with Aubrey, the supply chain coordination session with the manufacturing division, and the strategic planning call with the design team. None of them could be postponed without creating cascading problems through her carefully organized afternoon.

And she had Jaenor sitting in her visitor lounge with nothing to do.

She made a decision and reached for her desk phone, dialing Vivian’s extension.

"Design coordination, Vivian speaking."

"It’s Kate. I have a favor to ask."

Vivian’s tone shifted immediately to eager professionalism.

"Of course. Whatever you need."

"The young man in the lounge, Jaenor. He’s going to be here for a few more hours and I’m locked in meetings through the afternoon. Would you be available to take him to lunch? Show him the neighborhood, maybe walk him through what we do here if he’s interested?"

The pause was brief but telling. Vivian was startled at the request and was overjoyed with it, of course. She was smiling and throwing her legs too. She had already asked Jaenor for lunch, and with Kate asking her, there would be no problem, she thought.

Then Vivian’s voice came back with barely suppressed delight.

"Absolutely. I’d be happy to."

"Thank you. I’ll let him know you’ll be collecting him from the visitor lounge around noon."

"Perfect. I’ll make sure he has a great experience."

Kate ended the call and allowed herself a moment of mild guilt at what she’d just done.

Vivian was going to interpret this as an opportunity to flirt extensively with someone who was, by conventional standards, extraordinarily attractive. She was going to spend the entire lunch trying to determine if Jaenor was available and, if so, what his interest level might be.

Jaenor was going to handle it with the same calm patience he brought to everything and probably come back with detailed observations about modern corporate social dynamics.

It would be fine, probably.

Kate returned to her quarterly reports.

*

At noon, Vivian appeared at the visitor lounge dressed in a slightly different outfit than she’d been wearing earlier—still professional, but with an additional scarf and refreshed makeup that suggested a bathroom stop for quick adjustments.

Jaenor looked up from the magazine he’d been reading with apparent interest, which Kate would have found amusing if she’d been present to witness it. The magazine was about industrial adhesive applications in automotive manufacturing.

"Ready for lunch?" Vivian asked with her practiced smile.

"Alright," Jaenor said, standing.

"There’s a great place two blocks from here. They do an amazing seasonal menu."

Vivian led him toward the elevators, her stride deliberately slowed to stay beside him rather than ahead.

"Do you know Martha, Kate’s wife?"

"Yes. She’s a great archaeologist."

Vivian’s eyes brightened. "Oh, you’re interested in archaeology? That’s so unique. Most people find it boring."

"I find history interesting," Jaenor said, which was technically accurate.

The elevator arrived, and they stepped in. Vivian pressed the lobby button and then turned to face him more directly in the confined space.

"So," she said.

"Are you staying in Kharsen long?"

"Uncertain."

"That must make planning difficult."

"I’ve learned to be flexible."

Vivian laughed.

"Mysterious and flexible. That’s a good combination."

The elevator descended in silence after that, Vivian watching him with barely concealed interest and Jaenor watching the floor numbers decrease with the patient attention of someone who’d decided that modern social rituals were worth observing even when they were obvious.

They exited into the lobby, and Vivian guided him toward the street with practiced ease, pointing out landmarks and office amenities with the enthusiasm of someone who enjoyed having an excuse to talk.

Jaenor followed, listening with polite attention, and began his first real social interaction with someone in this world who had no idea what he actually was.

It was, he decided, going to be educational.

For both of them.

*

The restaurant Vivian chose was upscale casual—the kind of place where corporate employees went when they wanted to impress clients or celebrate promotions. White tablecloths, indirect lighting, and a menu that used words like "artisanal" and "locally sourced" with confidence.

The hostess seated them at a corner table with a view of the street.

Vivian positioned herself across from Jaenor, like someone who’d thought about optimal eye contact angles.

"So," she said, after they’d ordered drinks.

"Tell me about yourself. And I want real details, not the mysterious stranger act you were doing in the lounge."

Jaenor looked at her with his deep dark eyes.

"What would you like to know?"

"Everything. Where are you from? What do you do? And how did you meet Kate and Martha?"

She leaned forward slightly, her posture open and inviting.

"Start wherever feels natural."

"I’m from somewhere that doesn’t exist in the way it used to," Jaenor said.

"I’ve been away for a long time. I’m still adjusting to how things have changed."

"Away where? Traveling?"

"Something like that."

Vivian smiled.

"You’re doing the mysterious thing again."

"You find it frustrating?"

"I find it intriguing."

Her voice dropped slightly, taking on a warmer quality.

"Most men are so eager to talk about themselves. You’re different."

Their drinks arrived. Wine for Vivian, water for Jaenor. She took a sip and studied him over the rim of her glass.

"You’re very attractive," she said directly.

"I’m sure you’re aware of that."

"People have mentioned it."

"Do they mention it often?"

"Recently, yes."

Vivian laughed. "I bet they do. Kate must have her hands full keeping the office women away from you."

"Kate is focused on her work."

"Lucky for me then." Vivian set down her glass and leaned forward more deliberately now.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Please."

"I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you in that lounge. There’s something about you, especially your eyes. They seem to tell a lot about you, like you can see everything and everyone. And you are incredibly hard to resist with that face."