Dysfunctional Imperials
Copyright© 2025 by Ogreface
Chapter 9: Entrapment
At the baron’s residence just outside the city among the low hills, Olaf was met by a very stiff butler, who escorted Olaf to the library where he was met by both the baron and the baroness. To Olaf’s surprise the baroness reacted a lot more demurely towards him, as compared to their first meeting at the dinner with the emperor. She gave him a wide-eyed look and blushed when he kissed her hand. Then her eyes darted towards the door.
“My lord, you have already met our daughter, Vanessa,” the baron said as Olaf stood upright. He turned to find Vanessa, dressed in a plain white fairytale dress that hung down to her feet, standing there. She looked quite nice, with her dark blond hair hanging loose down to her waist. Vanessa blushed as she came closer but kept looking Olaf in the eyes as she smiled at him.
“I have,” Olaf muttered. “You look stunning, my lady,” he added as he and Vanessa met each other halfway. Her smile got bigger as he kissed her hand as well.
Olaf found it mildly weird, but also telling, when the baron’s heir and second son didn’t join them for dinner. Olaf had a very good idea why he was invited. It became even more apparent when the baron never started discussing any other issues during dinner or afterwards when he and Olaf were alone before the two ladies rejoined them.
The two couples were in the library, drinking sweet liqueur out of tiny glasses, The baroness was chatting to the baron with them moving a bit away, leaving Vanessa and Olaf alone but still in view. Then Vanessa mentioned some ancient book her father had.
A few moments earlier, the baron and baroness were at the other end of the library talking softly as Vanessa stood and offered to show him the book. Olaf stood and followed her towards another bookshelf at the far end of the room. When Olaf glanced back, the baron and baroness were missing.
“I feel obliged to warn you, My Lord,” Vanessa said when she noticed where Olaf was looking. “This, the whole dinner and with them suddenly disappearing, is a setup.”
“To trap me?” Olaf asked with a smile.
“You knew about it?” Vanessa asked with a surprised look.
“Not really, but I was warned about such possibilities,” Olaf said with a smile.
“They started making all kinds of plans after Daddy met you for the first time,” Vanessa said as she looked down. “They could not believe their luck when the dowager duchess asked you to accompany me during that dinner at the palace. This dinner invitation was meant to be purely an introductory event. When you showed interest in me, they changed their plans. You were supposed to discuss me with Daddy while the two of you were alone. Since he never mentioned anything when mother and I returned, I assume you didn’t discuss me.”
“I might be new to all this, but I am not totally clueless,” Olaf said. “You already mentioned at the palace that you could not see yourself being a duchess. Has that changed?”
“Not at all, My Lord,” she said as she looked down. “It is a fact of life; the next Duchess will have to be as elegant and outgoing as the current Duchess. She has to be a natural leader, a socially aggressive person, somebody I definitely am not.”
“You definitely look rather fetching and elegant,” Olaf said. “I really enjoyed having you as my dinner companion. I guess you are fine in such small gatherings but feel you cannot handle an event like that at the palace?”
“Actually, I have been a nervous wreck ever since Mother informed me of this dinner,” Vanessa said. “I might have looked calm, but I definitely was not. I sometimes have panic attacks when Mother invites some of the other barons for dinner.”
“You seemed calm enough when we met for the first time,” Olaf said.
“That was different,” Vanessa said. “I am not an introvert; I just don’t like being the center of everybody’s attention. Derick calls it an extreme case of permanent stage fright. If Mother takes charge, and orders me around, I am fine, but even if she orders me to take charge of just one dish, where I have to order a handful of servants around, I start panicking.”
“Have you ever thought about what you would like to do with your life?” Olaf asked. “You mentioned you would love to attend a regular school.”
“My parents have been preparing me for the role of wife and mother since I was a little girl,” Vanessa said. “Daddy has been making a list, and crossing names off that list, of possible matches ever since I started puberty. He is adamant to marry me off to a nobleman. The one name that has moved to the top of his list is Lord Herman, heir of Viscount Asgaard. I believe your sire’s name was on that list until about a year ago.”
“Would you consider Herman?” Olaf asked.
“The correct question is, would he consider me,” Vanessa said. “So far he has been ignoring me. He seems to be more interested in Lady Lucia, Luanne’s younger sister. To get back to your original question, My Lord, I love to write, and sketch. I actually wrote and illustrated a children’s story book. It has obviously not been published, and possibly never will. Publishing books seem to be something the wives of noblemen just doesn’t do.”
“Do you have plans for more books?” Olaf asked.
“I would love to write adult novels; I actually have a few outlines of possible stories.” Vanessa said. “That is one of the reasons why I would love to attend a regular school, to study literature and graphic arts, and to get exposed to a wider range of regular people, people who do not make a big deal out of me being around.”
“And your parents will not let you do that,” Olaf stated.
“That Marine girl that keeps following you around,” Vanessa said. “She mentioned that there was a way to do what I wanted. I wonder if I could talk to her sometime. I guess it will look weird if I call her and invite her for tea.”
“She is my bodyguard,” Olaf said. “She most likely will find some excuse not to accept your invitation if it means leaving me alone.” As he said that, he walked to the door of the library and peeked out. The corridor was empty except for the butler standing some distance away, where the corridor opened into the main reception area, and Alice, who was standing across from the library door. Olaf waved her into the library.
“My lord, who else is here with you?” Alice hissed as she walked in and started looking around. “I checked this room when you came here after dinner, it was empty, and then the baron and baroness left. Are you alone here with Lady Vanessa?” she asked with a serious frown on her face.
“I guess it is all part of the trap?” Vanessa said as she came closer.
“Trap?” Alice asked as she kept looking around. “Darn! I should have come in when the baron left. You do know that if anybody else came in and found the two of you alone, that you would be forced to take her as your wife?”
“I had that suspicion,” Olaf said. “To be honest, I can think of worse things happening to me that end up being forced to take you as my wife.” Vanessa just looked at him while Alice looked moody.
“Miss, what did you mean when we were at the council hearing, when you said there was ways to do what I wanted?” Vanessa asked as she looked at Alice.
“What were we talking about?” Alice asked in confusion.
“Lady Vanessa would like to attend a regular school, but her parents refuse,” Olaf said.
“Oh, well, if your parents refuse, get a different sponsor, like a husband,” Alice said as she gave Olaf a look. Vanessa slowly turned pink in the face.
“Okay, I will play dumb,” she said as she looked between Olaf and Alice. “How do I get myself a husband that will allow me to attend school and maybe even university instead of having babies?”
“Easy, if I am not here when your father or older brother walks in, and find the two of you embracing, you will have yourself a husband,” Alice said as she gave Olaf a serious look. “Lord Olaf seems to like that idea as well.”
“Only if you are not here,” Olaf said.
“Exactly,” Alice said. “If you don’t need me anymore, I will wait outside.” She waited a few seconds, looking at Olaf with a questioning look on her face, shrugged, and walked to the door. After peeking out, she gave Olaf another questioning look before she slipped out and closed the door behind her.
“Now what?” Vanessa asked as she looked at Olaf with huge eyes.
“We need to talk,” Olaf said. “Are you ready and willing to become my concubine?”
“Concubine?” Vanessa repeated as if in a mild daze. “Yes, I would love to be your concubine.”
“Next topic,” Olaf asked as he took her hand and led her to a couch. “I would like to finish my final year of high school in a public school. As a member of my household, are you intending to demand that you attend classes at the same school as me?”
“Can I? I will not demand it but I would love to.” Vanessa was quite excited. “What if I accidentally become pregnant?”
“One does not accidentally become pregnant,” Olaf said as he took both her hands in his. “Either we make love, with the understanding that you can become pregnant and will have to drop out of school, or we don’t make love until you are ready for babies.”
“Can we at least consummate our relationship?” Vanessa asked with an eager look on her face and a pink color to her skin.
“We can,” Olaf said.
“I can’t wait!” she giggled as she started bouncing on the couch. “I wonder who is supposed to catch us; Mom never said anything about this part.”
“Well, we can also force the issue,” Olaf said with a smile. “I can ask your dad for your hand, or we can start the consummating process, but that would be a bit embarrassing.”
“It could be fun,” Vanessa giggled as she leaned closer to Olaf, as if she wanted to kiss him.
“True, but I’m a guest in your father’s home,” Olaf said as the door opened and Derick and the butler walked in.
“Viscount Vasa?” Derick asked loudly. Olaf slowly got to his feet as he gave Vanessa’s older brother a slight smile. Then the baron and baroness walked in behind Derick, with Alice following the baroness into the room.
“Everything fine?” the baron asked as he gave Derick a questioning look.
“I don’t think so,” Derick said as he glared at Olaf. “Ask Ruff if he saw what I saw.”
“Ruff?” the baron asked the butler.
“My lord, I hesitate to make accusations, but it did seem that Viscount Vasa and Miss Vanessa were alone and in rather close proximity to each other that would imply a level of inappropriateness that might need to be addressed.” The butler stated in a very formal manner, as if he was reciting a script. He gave Alice a look as she stopped next to him. She looked ready to rip somebody’s head off but only ended up glaring at the butler. Olaf had a tough time to keep a straight face.
“Do you have anything to say about what my heir as well as the butler saw, Lord Vasa?” The baron asked in a formal tone.
“Other than having the highest respect for Lady Vanessa, nothing, Baron Lindholm,” Olaf said.
“Does that mean you have the intention of rectifying this breach of etiquette to the satisfaction of me and her mother?” the baron asked.
“That will depend on how you want this so-called breach of etiquette handled,” Olaf responded.
“You don’t think you and my daughter behaved inappropriately while being alone in a room?” the baron asked.
“If you mean, us discussing our future together, no, I do not see that as a breach of etiquette, since I will shortly be her husband,” Olaf said. His words caused the baron to look confused while the baroness gasped softly.
“Were you planning on asking me for her hand in marriage, Viscount Vasa?” the baron asked.
“Yes, except I already asked her and she agreed,” Olaf said calmly. “We were interrupted when your heir saw me and your daughter together and started making accusations.”
“So, his accusations was not needed,” the baron said. “In that case, how about us discussing your proposal.”
“Gladly,” Olaf said. “I hereby ask for the hand of your daughter, Vanessa Rasmus, in marriage. I intend to make her my first concubine as soon as you wish.”
“Concubine?” Derick said in a loud voice. “Don’t you think she deserves to be your viscountess?”
“No!” Vanessa interrupted as she jumped to her feet but stayed quiet when Olaf took her hands in his and gave them a subtle squeeze.
“I have the highest respect for you sister, Mister Rasmus,” Olaf said to Derick. “What you hinted at cannot be, for two reasons.”
“What two reasons?” the baroness asked as she walked to the other couch and sat down. “I am aware that Vanessa feels herself unable to perform the duties of what she would become, your duchess when you become the next duke, but as her husband that decision lies with you, My Lord.”
“I would hesitate to force my wife to fulfill duties she feels uncomfortable with,” Olaf said. “It could lead to an unhappy wife, which will lead to an unhappy marriage. Other than that, a very valid reason in my eyes, the main reason is that the identity of the future Duchess of Ceres does not lie in my hands, and definitely not in your hands, Baron Lindholm.”
“I guess we have overlooked that issue,” the baron said as he slumped and then sat down next to his wife.
“What are you talking about?” the baroness asked.
“I do not get to pick my own duchess,” Olaf said. “As the next Duke of Ceres, and member of the Imperial council, the council, or the emperor himself, will decide who my duchess will be. I am free to take any number of concubines, but I cannot pick my own duchess.”
“So, your daughter ends up being a mere concubine, under some unknown duchess?” the baroness asked her husband.
“No, Mother,” Vanessa said in a firm and decisive tone. “I will end up the happy and content wife of a duke, a duke that respects and honors me. A duke whose children I will bear, and a duke I would love to grow old with.”
“You still have to respond to my request for Vanessa’s hand in marriage, Baron Lindholm,” Olaf added softly. The baron looked as if he was going to object.
“If our objective was purely to have Vanessa having a suitable title, that of baroness or even higher, I could easily overlook the fake attempt at trapping you, Viscount Olaf, but I know my daughter a bit better than that.” He looked Olaf in the eyes before he stepped closer, took Vanessa’s right hand, and placed it formally on Olaf’s left hand.
“I hereby give you my daughter, to honor and respect,” the baron said formally. “Vanessa, honor and obey your husband. I think you made the right decision.” Vanessa jerked her hand away from Olaf’s hand as she gave a muted squeal before she grabbed him around the neck with both arms and hugged him to her. Olaf’s eyes fell on a sad-looking Alice as she looked at them with a smile on her face.
“Can I join you now?” Vanessa asked when she let go of Olaf long enough to look him in the eyes.
“That will be your decision, and your parents’ decision,” Olaf said with a smile. The look she gave him made his chest felt too tight and small for his heart. He realized, without even planning to, that he could love this girl, as much as he already loved Aster, and maybe even Ruth.
“Can I, Mother, Gaddy?” Vanessa gushed excitedly as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
“She will be impossible if she doesn’t go with him,” Derick commented.
“If your husband will have you now, you can go,” the baroness said as she wiped a tear from her eye.
Vanessa had trouble staying still for very long. They waited only long enough for a servant to pack a single bag of clothes for Vanessa before Olaf formally thanked his hosts for a nice evening with a surprising ending. Vanessa’s younger brother, Dolf, finally made an appearance, gave his older sister a hug and bowed to Olaf before subtly disappearing again.
In the hovercraft Vanessa clung to Olaf’s hand and once he led her into his suite, she started exploring. Olaf followed her around while the others stayed in the lounge. She sat down on Olaf’s bed and bounced a bit as she blushed before getting up and exploring the bathroom. She even peeked into the staff quarters, a large room which made Olaf think of the school dorm rooms since there were four single-beds, each in a separate open alcove.
“We need to talk,” Vanessa said when she came back from exploring the entire suite. “All of us.” Alec looked a bit confused but sat down next to Ruth as Alice as Olaf sat down next to Vanessa.
“Time for formal introductions,” Olaf said. “Lieutenant Alec Devlin is working for the Ceres Protection Service and has been appointed as my head of security. Under him are eight more Ceres militia members tasked to keep me safe. Corporal Alice Thorn is an imperial marine who is considering staying on when the Taygete leaves. She is the imperial arm of my personal protection crew. Ruth Preston is my personal assistant and close friend. We actually attend the same high school or did before the holiday break. Now, the new face. Lady Vanessa, only daughter of Rudolf Rasmus, Baron Lindholm and the First Speaker for the council of barons. Vanessa agreed to become my concubine, with some mutually agreed upon limitations. You want to discuss the limitations?” Olaf asked Vanessa.
“I have been groomed to marry a nobleman since I could walk,” Vanessa said. “I only have one huge issue as far as that is concerned. I do not function well in a leadership role. I can make small talk with the best of the noble ladies out there but ask me to host a tea party for a few ladies, and I start having nightmares and cold sweats days before the time.
“Like most people on the planet, I didn’t know about Olaf’s existence until he was introduced to me at dinner with the emperor. Then he and I were paired as well. I’m not ashamed to admit that I developed a bit of a crush on him that evening. My parents decided it was the ideal opportunity to achieve the ultimate coup, by getting Olaf and me to marry. Daddy didn’t say it but my mother did; she saw me as the next duchess, and with her and daddy having a lot more influence as a result. While I had a crush on Olaf, just the idea of being the next duchess would have been enough for me to decline Olaf’s offer of marriage.
“My parents actually set a trap for Olaf. They didn’t invite my brothers or anybody else to tonight’s dinner, and then they left us alone in the library. I was supposed to flirt with Olaf, to get him to kiss me, just as my older brother and the butler walked in.”
“Did they catch you?” Ruth asked. Her eyes were huge from excitement. She obviously didn’t see the entrapment as an issue.
“In a way, yes,” Olaf said. “We were alone and sitting very close to each other. What nobody else knew is that I had the suspicion that the baron would try and get me to offer for Vanessa, so I discussed it with both the duke and Viscount Asgaard. Both suggested that no harm will come from me taking Vanessa as a concubine, provided I like her enough.”
“I guess your parents were disappointed that he only made you his concubine,” Ruth said to Vanessa.
“I never liked the idea of trapping Olaf,” Vanessa admitted. “I was too meek to resist them, and I liked Olaf. Once he explained the reality surrounding the next duchess, I was a lot more eager to have him as my husband.”
“What reality?” Alice asked.
“The viscount, being the heir to the duke, does not get to pick his own duchess,” Alec answered. “The imperial council will appoint a lady of suitable standing as his wife and duchess. The emperor himself might suggest a wife and if the council approves, she becomes the new duchess.”
“Are you happy to have to share him?” Alice asked.
“More than happy,” Vanessa said. “Which is one of the reasons I wanted to talk to all of you. My husband most likely will take more concubines before or after he gets to marry his future duchess. I am perfectly happy with that. I hope to be friends with all your concubines, your wife, and your staff. I could not help but notice that Ruth and Alice also have feelings for you. When it comes to romance and sex, I will take their part, so be warned.”
“I started liking your husband a lot, which is why I asked Colonel Crenshaw about staying on as his bodyguard,” Alice said. “My problem is that I still like the idea of being your bodyguard and friend, but I am having issues about sharing you.”
“Alice, we both know that you are wasting your talents being a mere marine, or even my bodyguard,” Olaf said. “If you are not willing to share me, then you stay my bodyguard and friend, until all of us have graduated from university, at which time you and I will sit down and discuss your future. At that time, you might stop being my personal bodyguard, but you will remain my friend.”
“I don’t have any issues sharing you, I just feel it is too early to jump in bed with you.” Ruth said.
“Which brings us to another reason I wanted to talk to everybody,” Vanessa said. “I am married, to a boy who is the same age as I am. I look forward to having many babies with you, but not yet.” She said to Olaf before facing the others again. “Olaf offered to allow me to attend the same school he is going to. I would like to study literature and graphic arts. I might even go to university with you guys. To do that, I will have to make sure I don’t get pregnant. While I am more than eager to consummate our marriage, I will have to be very sure not to become pregnant until I am ready.”
“How are you going to do that?” Ruth asked with huge eyes.
“There are herbs that will prevent a woman from getting pregnant,” Alice said. “They offer it to all the female marines, along with a warning not to have sex with anybody, unless you are married to him. Apparently, the herbs are not always effective.”
“The only acceptable way among the nobility is to only allow your husband in your bed for a few days directly before and after your monthlies,” Vanessa said as she blushed bright red while looking at Olaf. “I guess another way would be to ensure you have other willing concubines as well.”
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