Chapter 22: Sagan System

Six weeks after leaving Secundus, the Electra docked with the Sagan space station. It was halfway through the Sagan festival season, a year and two months since Dane was forcibly removed from his home system, and a few days before his eighteenth birthday.

“As my legal heir, I feel you belong in my home,” Duke Victor said as they disembarked the navy shuttle that took them to the surface. “Whatever your feeling towards your sire are, I am sure your mother and sister would love to have you back. You get to decide.”

“I would gladly accept accommodation in your home, Your Grace,” Dane said. “It will give me an alternative place to stay, should things not work out the way I expect them to be in the Galan residence.”

“Either way, you and I will be attending the next meeting of the council of barons,” Duke Victor said.

The duke had a satisfied smirk on his face when Dane made no attempt to go directly to the Galan homestead. The duke’s personal assistant quickly confirmed that the entire council of barons and both viscounts were in residence in Sagan City.

It was just before lunchtime, local time, when Dane and Duke Victor arrived at the ducal palace in the city center. The duke’s family and senior servants obviously knew that he had returned. At first, it seemed only the butler was aware of his return since only the butler was waiting outside the main entrance when the hovercraft landed inside the gated front entrance.

“Come, Lord Viscount,” the duke said with a smirk as he led the way up the stairs to the main entrance. The butler opened the door and bowed deeply as both of them walked past him. Dane had a serious case of deja vu as he walked pas the same butler as the last time he walked through that door. During both times the butler had a perfectly neutral look on his face.

Then they got to the main reception area.

Duchess Bernice was in front and in the middle of the V-shaped reception party. Her four daughters were behind her, two on a side, followed by more females whom Dane didn’t know. From their dresses Dane assumed they were ladies in waiting for the duchess, or close friends.

Dane’s eyes instantly locked onto Alita’s eyes as they looked at each other. She was slightly flushed in the face as she gave him a ghost of a smile. Then the duke formally introduced Dane to his family. Dane’s attention was still locked onto Alita, but he heard as he was introduced as Captain Galan HCG, Baron Stendahl of Ceres, and also Viscount Berdan.

“Can I have him now, daddy?” Alita asked. She didn’t wait for her father’s approval before she purposefully walked up to Dane and hugged him. “I missed you, I wanted to at least say goodbye, but the duchess was in such a tizz, and then you just disappeared.”

“Am I allowed to welcome him to the family?” Lady Athena asked as she joined Dane and Alita. The moment Alita let go of Dane, Athena took her place and also hugged him. She has grown since the last time he saw her, when she and Debra were both too short to hug him around the neck, something Debra liked to do but Athena never did. Now she wrapped her arms around Dane’s neck and hugged him, still forcing him to bend over slightly.

“Welcome to your new home, My Lord,” Duchess Bernice said as she offered her hand to Dane, who bowed and kissed her hand.

“You two had better find a more suitable way of addressing each other,” Alita said.

“Yes, calling him ‘son-in-law’ is a mouthful,” Athena added and then giggled.

“Would it be permissible to show Dane to his new living quarters, mother?” Alita asked after Dane was formally introduced to all the housekeeping staff and security people.

“I’m sure the two of you will be able to behave for a short while longer but let Athena accompany you,” Duchess Bernice said as she gave Dane a sneaky look.

During all the formal greetings and introductions, Dane noticed as the perpetually aloof and regal-looking Aida, the oldest daughter of Duke Victor, stayed in the background. She looked Dane in the eyes when they were formally introduced but didn’t say anything. As far as Dane could remember, they never said a word to each other ever since he was old enough to accompany his parents to the duke’s palace.

The palace was in the shape of a hollow square with four levels. In the past Dane and his brothers were only allowed on the first floor guest suits and in the public areas which covered the front. Any floors above first floor as well as the sides and back of the first floors were out of bounds. Even the gardens inside the hollow square was for the ducal family only, although Debra often accompanied Athena there after which she told Dane about the garden.

“Come,” Alita said as she and Athena, followed by the senior housekeeper, dragged Dane up the stairs to the second level and down the left wing of the ducal palace. He suspected that his brothers might have sneaked into that wing in the past, but he has never been there before.

“This whole passageway, on both this floor and the next floor, is your private territory,” Alita said as the three females led him to the first door. The door led into a reception area and two doorways. The one led to the front corner of the building and into a large spacious and well-lit office taking up the entire corner of the building. Even the ceiling was high enough to indicate that the office most likely extended into the third level.

“This office is nearly as big as daddy’s office,” Athena said as she plopped down on the leather chair behind the huge empty desk.

“It has not been used since daddy became the duke,” Alita said. “Now it is yours.” Then she dragged Dane into the other room off the reception area. This was another smaller room furnished as a combination lounge, library, and workroom with feminine decor. The work room part consisted of a painting easel and shelves with paint supplies. The other half of the room was like a comfortable reading place.

“This is where Aida likes to hang out,” Athena said.

“Officially it is the office of the wife of the heir,” Alita said. “Aida has been using this office as her escape place since she started puberty, after she found out that she was betrothed. Since the troubles she has spent a lot more time alone here.”

From there Dane got dragged out back to the main passage and into the next doorway. The rooms her were led into were a private lounge, and his bedroom and bathroom.

“For as long as you are daddy’s heir, this will be your suite,” Alita said. “They already put clean bedding on the bed, and there are fresh towels and supplies in the bathroom.”

“What is through that door?” Dane asked as he pointed at the closed doorway when Alita made no effort to show him what was behind that door.

“The bedroom suite of the viscountess of Berdan,” Alita said with a straight face and huge eyes.

“So, unoccupied?” Dane asked, which resulted in Athena giggling and then tried to hide her giggle behind her hands when Alita gave her a dirty look.

“She has been in there a few times after daddy left for Secundus,” Athena giggled and then blew her sister a raspberry. Alita ignored her sister as she dragged him back to the main passageway and past the next doorway to the last doorway in that passageway before the corner.

“This is supposed to be like a work room or exercise room or something,” Alita said. The room had a wooden floor and large windows but other than some empty shelves on the inside walls was empty.

“I’m hungry,” Athena said. “There should be sandwiches in the garden for lunch.”

After a lunch of sandwiches and iced tea in the garden courtyard during which time Alita, Athena, and Amanda kept asking him questions about Secundus and the emperor’s palace, the duchess arrived and ordered the four girls away. Aida was there as well, but she didn’t ask any questions. Dane got the idea she was as interested in his descriptions and answers as the rest of the girls were. Dane decided to go explore his ‘office’ some more and to hang up his uniforms.

“My lord, this is Brad Winters,” the duke’s chief of staff said as he and another man met Dane as he entered the building. “The duke asked me to assign you a footman to act as your man servant. Brad can also take you anywhere you want to go in one of the hovercrafts. The duke request that you always take Brad with you. We all realized as a marine officer and ranger, you are more likely to be able to protect both yourself and Brad in case of trouble but an extra pair of eyes and strong arms could always come in handy.”

“Afternoon Brad,” Dane said as he extended his hand to the guy. Brad came to attention and then seemed unsure of how to proceed, but then he shook hands with Dane.

“I will leave you two alone to get to know each other,” the chief of staff said before walking away.

“My apologies, My Lord,” Brad said. “I am not sure how to react towards you. I was a marine sergeant when I finished my ten years and got this job. I feel as if I should salute you.”

“Well, you are not in uniform anymore, so when we are in private, call me Dane,” he said as he led the way to his new bedroom suite.

“I’m sorry, My Lord, but that will not do for me,” Brad said. “You are a viscount and a ranger captain. There is no way I can call you on your first name.”

“Okay, how about you call me however you feel like, but there is no need to be continually at attention.” Dane said. “I was about to go unpack my duffel bag.”

“I already did that, My Lord, while you were in the garden.” Brad said.

“Then you are ahead of me,” Dane said as he changed direction and headed to his new office. “Let’s talk here then. I have no idea how long I will be here, I am supposed to return to Secundus soon. Do you have any idea of the plans for the next few days?”

“I know basically what the duchess had planned, My Lord,” Brad said. “Those plans might change. I was also told to be at your service in case you want to go visit your family at Calgary House.”

“I don’t particularly want to see Viscount Calgary, but I would like to visit my mother and sister.” Dane said. “I will call you when I want to or have to go anywhere.”

Dane was standing in his roomy but mostly empty office looking out at the continuously moving and changing crowds on the streets. Most of the people were tourists visiting the city for the festival. Dane even noticed some marines off the Electra, based on the unit badged on their uniforms.

Then a movement caught his attention. In the reflection of the window glass he noticed as Aida stood in the outer office looking at him through the open doorway. She was moving past the open door towards the other doorway when she suddenly stopped and turned to face him, but she stayed standing in the reception area. She seemed unsure of herself and was about to turn away when Dane turned to face her.

“Lady Aida,” Dane said as he gave her a bow. She stopped turning away and curtsied to Dane. He was expecting her to leave or say something, but she just stood with her head down. “Anything I can do for you?”

“Ah, that room,” she said softly as she pointed at the other office where her painting equipment were. “I was told to empty it, but I have not found a suitable place yet.”

“I don’t think there is a rush,” Dane said as he walked closer to her. “I agreed to marry Alita, after the faux pax of getting locked in an enclosed garden with her for an entire night. I am going to take her back with me to Secundus in a few days’ time, so you might as well keep using that room.”

“She is so lucky,” Aida said softly.

“I would classify myself as the lucky one to get her,” Dane said. “I don’t know about her being lucky to find herself in the position to have to accept me as her husband, unless you are referring to her being lucky to be going to Secundus.”

“I think I am lucky to get a gentle yet strong man,” Alita said as she entered the reception room behind Aida. “Going to Secundus? Well, that sounds nice, but I don’t know what that is going to be like. My husband will have duties to perform in the marine corps. I might be left alone for most of every day, or maybe even days when he goes away on some assignment.” She added as she walked past her sister and wrapped her arms around Dane’s waist. “Aida, I agree with Dane; there is no urgent need to vacate that room.”

“I never thought of that, about you being left alone on Secundus.” Dane said. “I was trying to find accommodation for you, us, near the base in a small town. The one cottage I found seems suitable, but I made no commitment since you will have to decide if you want to stay there or not. The owner, a widowed baroness, and her adult daughter seemed nice, but again, I would not want to force you to have them as the only neighbors if you don’t like them.”

“Let’s go sit in the garden and talk,” Alita said. “Come along Aida, we might be sisters, but we are also friends.”

“That is another reason why you are so lucky,” Aida commented as the three of them walked along a stone walkway in the enclosed garden. “Your intended husband actually thinks of your needs, and you are not even married yet. I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to complain about my lot to you, I will leave you two alone.”

“No, stay,” Alita said as she grabbed Aida’s hand and hugged her sister. “Yes, I am lucky, but I also feel rather guilty about being so lucky after what happened to you.” Then, without letting go of Aida, Alita turned her head towards Dane. “Did daddy tell you why Aida’s betrothal got ended?”

“No, he just mentioned that it ended because of something Gavin did,” Dane said. “All I know about the whole issue is that I was accused of spying on Aida and posted images on the data net. Your dad told me the real culprits were Gavin and Lance, and that my dad refuses to accept that Lance is guilty of anything, the same old story since I was a kid.”

“Posting those images was the tip of the iceberg,” Alita said as she sat down on a stone bench and pulled Aida down next to her before patting the spot next to her for Dane to sit. “The real damage was afterward, except..., I don’t know how you feel about him knowing. Dad has done a good job of keeping it a secret.”

“You should not start your married life by keeping family secrets from your husband,” Aida said. “In my case, I don’t matter.”

“On the way here, your dad told me he had no idea how to handle the issue with you, Aida,” Dane said. “He did mention that it might very well end up eventually becoming my problem since I am his heir.” Aida gave a deep sigh.

“We only found out recently about the images,” she said. “The problem is that Gavin got the daughter of a baron pregnant, so her dad demanded that Gavin marry the girl. What he did to try to get out of his troubles was actually much worse. He got blackmailed by some shady characters into supplying images of me being undressed. Then they blackmailed him even further into luring me to his apartment in the city, or what I thought was his apartment. We later found out he never had an apartment. I feel such a fool.” She gave a sob as Alita hugged her.