The Princess and the Duke.

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She thought on his words a moment, letting them sink into just the right places. Helping her realize new things, and also kicking up new thoughts. She smiled when he smiled, but she seemed to be thinking on his words, trying to see if she could find a hint for the direction they were going. One thing popped up in her mind, but she pushed it away, thinking he would never agree to it, seeing as it would probably defiantely start a revolution of some sort or another. The thought that she even thought the thought was even more perposterous though.

She shook that train of thought away and when back to their conversation. "It won't be subtle at all, like you said, it will speek volumes." She was looking at the sheets now, her eyes darting about, it was obvious she was searching for answers. "Most mages actually already know about my affinity to machines.. And if they didn't they knew the minute I gave that tyraid at the ball. If my announcement of absolute protection over you wasn't enough, then at least this will push it over the edge and make it sink in for them."

She looked back up at Sterling and the thought she'd thought earlier came back. No, she thought, stop thinking about such things. There is no way... She sighed the smallest of sighs and gave a small smile. "But yes, we should wait for a reaction, see how bad it is, and then make plans to move forward with."
 
A meaningful silence fell upon the two of them as Sterling looked out of the window, trying to find a topic other than politics to talk about, for that topic was utterly exhausted. He noticed Silia's distress, but now that they have ran out of the topic of mages and machines, he did not know what to talk about. After all, that was pretty much the only topic they have talked about besides Silia's well-being... But then, the scenery outside the window gave Sterling an idea. He went over to the window to get a better picture of what was outside the castle, which, even if it was coated in the thick, dark fog of the night, was beautiful. In the distance, he could see the magical lights of the city forming strange, but intriguing patterns with their pure, white light. It reminded him of his house, with the difference that the city close to him was lit by oil lamps, which had much fainter, orange glows.

"I sometimes envy the power mages have," said Sterling as he gazed out of the window, changing the topic abruptly. "After all, they are capable of producing such beautiful lights while machines can only do so much. But even if I do envy the miracles they are capable of, I will never forget when one of my steam engines moved hundreds of tons across hundreds of kilometres on a single railway. It was probably the day I became convinced of the might of machinery and the day my business empire really started to expand, the day my research started. It made me see machines in a different light. Until that point, I only saw them as experiments, technological curiosities. I questioned their worth, but unlike the mages, I believed that they could be useful, just not in the way they are useful right now," he said, weaving his story.

"But I am sure I am boring you with my life story, my lady," sighed Sterling as he turned back towards Silia. "After all, you know machines just as well as I do, or perhaps, even better. You also have knowledge of how mages work, while I can only move around in the world of business, loan sharks and ruthless companies," he said as he made his way back to her side. "So what about now, my lady? Would you like to share a drink with me so as to celebrate our allegiance? Or perhaps would you like to just talk about the world in general? But then again, I am probably overstaying my welcome. If you feel that my presence has become a dead weight, then I will remove myself immediately and make my way to my home, my lady."
 
Silia was shocked, completely and absolutely shocked. Here he was telling her about how HE'D started into machines. How he was jealous of those who could use magic. Her heart seemed to squeeze tighter for a moment, as if it understood. But how could she ever understand. She had magic. She'd never really been without magic, so she couldn't just.. go out and say it. But she also knew she felt the same about machinery as he did. That he, like her, practically lived and breathed machines, always questioning whether or not they were worth the pain they brought.

When he walked back over, she resisted her urge to take his hand in hers. She wanted to assure him that she knew less then he thought, that he was, as he was stating, clever in his own way. That he was more than he was making himself out to be. But she couldn't help but turn her frown upside down when he offered drinks for celebration and other such nonsense. She froze though when he said 'make my way to my home'. Hadn't she told him to stay for the night? She started to frown again and looked at her hands.

She didn't stop herself this time. She took his hands in hers and looked right into his eyes. "You will NEVER EVER be a dead weight. Don't you ever say that again!" There was pain in her eyes, the spoke many more words than just the ones that she was actually speaking. "Please..." Her voice started to get smaller, "Feel free to stay.." and then she looked down, and away from him, mumbling under her breath.
 
Sterling was shocked at the reaction of Silia. He was trying to be as polite as possible, however, his words have sparked a reaction that he could not have forseen. Silia almost gripped his hands and looked into his eyes as firmly as possible, and told him, in no uncertain terms that she would like him to stay until he could. For some reason, she also seemed to be quite bashful about it, even looking away from his face when she had finished what she wanted to say, not that it helped the famous Machine Duke to see what he did wrong. He knew that there was only one possible way out of the situation, so he removed his hands from hers and returned her determined expression with a soft smile.

"I am sorry to have upset you so much, my lady," he said, bowing his head in his shame. "If that is your wish, then I promise I will stay for the whole night. It was foolish of me to assume that you had become tired of my company," he said, trying to save face as his mind attempted to work out why Silia was so insistent on him staying. He could have sworn that he caught a glimpse of pain and fear in her eyes, but he was not sure as his own surprise made the expression of Silia a bit difficult to remember. He made a mental note to be more careful around the mage princess, then he let the air out of his lungs to relieve the tension that built up in him from the unexpected reaction.

"So then, my lady, how shall we spend the night?" asked Sterling of Silia as he raised his head back up to meet her eyes. "The evening is still young, and my mansion can tolerate my absence until tomorrow afternoon. I had made arrangements previously in the case I had to remain here for longer than I had expected, so you can rest assured, you are not keeping me from my duties," said Sterling reassuredly as he was still trying to figure out what sparked such a reaction from the mage princess. Perhaps she feared for his safety once he left the room, but he could only make a vague guess, because outside the world of business and intrigue, his skills at reading people were just average.

He left the topic for Silia to decide as he looked around the room, trying to find something else that caught his own eyes and he could bring up in conversation. If not one of them spoke this night, then it would be a boring one indeed, and while he could occupy himself, he was sure that Silia was not the same way.
 
Now she was really starting to get upset. And it showed the more he appologized to her and treated her like she needed to bowed to every second. How could he not understand? Was it so hard a concept? But he had no clue, because she hadn't told him. People weren't mind readers, most of them anyways. And those who it seemed like they could, it was more like intuition, and they weren't always right. She calmed herself, she knew that if she wanted him to understand she had to tell him straight out. Though she thought she already had, she didn't think he would get it. She felt that he would be hesitant in even thinking of doing what she wanted him to. But all she could do was hope. And so when he asked her for a topic, she just dove right in.

"Well, one thing that is really bothering me right now is that you insist that you must 'stand below me' in layman's terms. I hate that, we, in a sense are partners in crime I guess you could say. I really would rather you treat us as equals. I sorry if this is strange for you and is hard to wrap around those hard working cogs you call a brain, but I seriously would like this. I hate talking down to people, and honestly, I hate when they talk to me like they are some servant most of the time. Especially if they are close to me, in any way, shape, or form." She looked at him. Trying to see if he was understanding, if he was even considering taking this request. Which is exactly what it was, a request. Not an order, or that would defeat the purpose of it. She wanted him to speak freely to her. Not as a servant to the King and Queen but as a real friend.

She waited, she wanted an answer, and if he tried to change topic on her, this time, she would call him out on it. She was rather tired of his games of follow the leader, and then suddenly switching up to 'stick the dealer' and then back again. She looked at him, he seemed so uncomfortable, yet at the same time right at home. Yes, that was a weird statement, but, there wasn't really any other way she could put it other than that. She sat up a little straighter and smiled a bit at him, trying to encourage him to say yes, but at the same time, knowing fully that the answer could be know.
 
It seemed that for today night, the theme of Sterling's mind being on the verge of of stopping was a recurring one, as what Silia just said made the gears in his mind stop again. He literally felt his thought processes grinding to a halt as they tried to understand what was said to him, namely, that the mage princess told him that she considered him an equal. The mage princess. Him, the Machine Duke. Equals. The thought was laughable to him, yet Silia seemed to take it very seriously. Of course, he was a Duke, a person who had a high standing in society, but that did not mean he was not bound under the oath to serve the Wolf Throne and the royal family, so how could he ever view them as equals? It was something that conflicted with his basic world-view, with how he was raised, with how he saw everything and how the chain of rationale connected the events from his perspective.

"My lady," he said, clearly stunned. His words did not seem to be flowing as smoothly as before, as this blow was something that he could not recover from easily, especially after what he had experienced today. "I cannot... how can I..." he babbled, then he shook his head to clear his thoughts and organise what he wanted to say. This was clearly not his day, he reckoned as he attempted to form a clear, easy-to-understand sentence in his mind. While he was doing that, he realised that he had to choose his words very carefully, for this was something Silia seemed to treat with outmost, personal care. It was just not a facade, like in the world of business, but what he encountered he was pure, honest intent as far as he could tell... But what would Silia gain from trying to lead him into a trap? They were on the same side after all, he reassured himself as he unconsciously gripped the locket with his hands.

"I apologise for my clumsiness, my lady," said Sterling as he cleared the throat. "And I am sorry to offend you, my lady, but that is something that I simply cannot do. For generations, my family dedicated itself to serving the Wolf Throne the best they saw fit, even if it was a way of radical thought or deviation for the norm. For generations, every single member in my family swore an oath to support the Queen, the King and the Mage Princess until they die, and I am the same. There is simply no way that I could consider myself to be your equal, my lady," confessed Sterling as he looked into the eyes of Silia to convey his honesty. There was no deception, nor belittling in his words, only the the truth, his truth of being a loyal servant of the Wolf Throne.

"I am really sorry that I am unable to obey you, my lady," said Sterling, letting a hint of bitterness seep into his voice. "But that is the way I am, and my family is. For us, there is nothing more sacred than the Wolf Throne. To be considered an equal to one who sits upon it... is simply beyond my dreams, and I cannot hope to imagine such high status."
 
She looked at him, and then smiled with understanding. Even though she really hated it, she could force someone to change the way they talked to her. It was unethical to even attempt it. She had just wanted to see if he would. Nothing more. She gave a small chuckle. "It's fine. Though, appologizing all the time, it's a little, how should I say, exesive? But truely, it is fine Sterling, I actually expected this answer, I just wanted you to know my view. It wasn't an order, so I wouldn't call it not obeying me. It was just a request, and it's something, that overtime, you will actually probably work over.

Silia kept her smile going. "Very well, another topic then. Shall we play a game of favorites?" she thought. There wasn't really much they could talk about that wasn't political, mechanics, or magical related, so why not start with basic conversation starters. Maybe they'd find something wonderful to talk about the long way around it. Then she realized Sterling might not know what she ment by game of favorites. She smiled, this may be very interesting. She wondered what kinds of things would be his favorites and what wouldn't be.

"Well, shall we start? would you like me to go first or you?" She waited, hoping he wouldn't be to hesitant about this.
 
Right now, the Machine Duke felt as if he was relief personified, as Silia had actually understood his case and did not seem to be all that upset about it. He did not even notice small hints of displeasure in her voice, which he was very surprised by, but then again, Silia has shown herself to be a very tolerant person when it came to him. For a second, he wondered why that was, then he just dismissed the thought, reminding himself that this occasion should not be about playing games anymore, because he had already won one of the greatest prizes. He also reminded himself of the fact that he still could not let his guard down when he exited from this room, not to mention that he had to use this great prize as sparingly as possible.

Still, he had to think a little bit about Silia's suggestion of playing a game of favourites. He had to explore where it could lead them, then he decided that he had to be careful so he did not get swept up in the heat of the moment and start talking about his little project involving the Death Valley. Almost everything else seemed to be fair game, so when he made sure that he would not go blabbering about his secret project, Sterling looked at Silia to catch her eye.

"A game of favourites sounds lovely, my lady," said Sterling with a slight smile on his face. It might have been one of the basic conversation starters, but seeing as neither of them knew too much about the other, it was fitting for the occasion. "It would be incredibly rude of me to start before a lady, so, my lady, you will have to make the first step," said Sterling as he nodded curtly, then watched Silia's reaction. He was also interested in what sort of a topic she would bring up and see if he could make a conversation out of it. Then again, given that they had been raised so differently, their tastes had to be quite different, he thought as he gripped the locked in his pocket once more.
 
Silia's smile broadend more as he appeared to be thinking it through and when he gave his answer she knew he had no clue as to what going first entailed. At least, in her version of the game. She couldn't help but give a bigger smile cause she was trying to fight back a laughter that she knew would be loud and boisterous. But every attempt she made to try and straighten out her face came to no avail, she couldn't help herself. She let a moment pass.

Silia kept her voice as level as she could, though she knew the laughter she was hiding showed in her eyes, "Well.. get on with it! Ask me a question! I can't very well start if you don't ask me a question!" and then, when she saw the look on his face, she couldn't help it any more, she started to laugh. She had a roaring laughter, taking hiccups of breath, and then long drawn out ones only to burst out into another fit of laughter.

She composed herself after a moment, a large smile on her face. She looked over at Sterling with a small expectancy, and a little bit of curiosity. What would he do? Would he ask to swich, or would he ask a question? She was actually kind of hoping for the latter, but she didn't really care all the same.
 
Sterling could not help but blush at the way Silia started laughing, as if he was at fault for the fact that his part of the country played the game slightly differently. He had no idea what the mage princess found so funny about the fact that his knowledge seemed to lack in this particular area, but he just took a deep breath and shrugged it off without reacting. He reminded himself that he was in the presence of the mage princess of the Wolf Throne and that any action may have dire consequences, so as such, he just took the defeat as it was. However, he was not one to back down so quickly from a fight. Therefore, he gathered his thoughts as Silia recovered from her laughter and when she was finally breathing regularly, he decided to speak.

"I apologise, for I have played this game with different rules than you seem to obey, my lady," said Sterling with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "In my part of the country, we just talk about our favourites and whatever comes to mind about them, but I will adapt accordingly to the rules," he explained, then he cleared his throat, deliberately dragging out the time he took to ask a question. "Well then, my lady, allow me to ask you one really simple question: Which novel do you enjoy from the bottom of your heart?" He asked, wondering what the answer would be, for a book could tell so much about one's personality. He only asked this question rarely, in the case he was in the middle of a seemingly casual conversation and wanted to get a grip on his partner's personality, but he figured that now neither one of them were playing games, not to mention that it would help him direct the flow of the conversation to topics that Silia would like.
 
She smiled at his response, "that is not much of a game when you think about it, but it does seem to make sense in the business world I assume." She thought on this a moment, "I appologize, I was rude for laughing," she couldn't help but smile a little more. When his question came however she paused, and gave a small frown. A book? How long had it been since she'd had a chance to read a book? This made her frown even more, what was the last book that she'd read that she'd actually liked?

She looked at Sterling, trying to find something in her memory banks, but it all came to a screeching halt.. there was nothing there in her memories.. A small look of shock came across her face and she looked away from him, not wanting him to see her mind racing. Had she really never enjoyed a book? Could something possibly be blocking her memories a particular book she'd read? But why? She looked over to her book shelves... Maybe.. there would be an answer there? She stared at it, trying to get a sense of what kind of books were over there.

Then she realized something, a lot of those books were poetry. Some of them, even, were writen by her. How could she forget something so simple as this? Was it the suddenness of the question? It had to be! Silia's smile returned to her as she looked back over to Sterling. "Well, I don't really have a particular novel per say, but I do believe most any poetry could entertain me for a while. I like contemporary poets, but I also love old poets too. It's kind of the same feeling I get with songs, I guess would be the best way to explain it. There are so many different ways to interpret poetry, it intrigues me to hear what other people have read of poetry and what they think of those poems. How alike are our thoughts on this poem, and how remarkably different are they on this one?" she twidled her fingers a bit in her lap. "and what about you? what kind of books do you read? That you actually like to read?... I mean."

Silia felt that that could have gone a lot smoother, but, that was okay. She was fine with a little blunder like that, because it didn't feel wrong to make a mistake or two in Sterlings pressence. Though she didn't think she would ever tell him that, she might show him through her actions. In fact, she might have already practically yelled it to the whole of the kingdom. But she didn't care, she liked his pressence. She felt safer for some odd reason.
 
For once, it was Silia who seemed to be troubled by the situation, which was a nice change of pace for Sterling. Even as Silia's eyes darted back and forth between objects and her body language told him that she was troubled, Sterling found himself enjoying the situation. He finally managed to land a blow on her, to catch her off guard. However, he quickly reminded himself who he was in front of, so he wiped the smile off his face before it could even manifest, then steeled his mind. No, smiling at the current mage princess' distress was a despicable thing, especially from someone who had sworn to protect her with their lives. However, he could not help but enjoy the feeling of success despite how many times he told himself that it was wrong.

In the end, Silia managed to overcome the obstacle by sort-of evading the question, and sort-of answering it. Sterling just nodded after Silia explained her love of poetry. In retrospect, he should have phrased his question different, but what was done was done, so he just thought for a few seconds to give her his own answer.

"I asked such a question because I am a fan of novels myself," he said as he looked at Silia to see if she was still in distress. She was not. "I find that the individuals taste in novels reflects their personality, especially when they explain why they like a certain novel. Novels might not be as good as expressing emotions as poetry, but they are powerful on their own, as each one of them contains an irreplacable story and an irreplacable experience. They are the works of many days' and nights' hard work, though of course, I would not say that they are superior to poetry. Such an assumption would imply that I am ignorant in the ways of literature," explained Sterling to the mage princess.

"So, naturally, I read books and I attempt to balance my time between books of profession and books of entertainment. It keeps everything fresh, and if I am overwhelmed by a technical description or an especially tough-to-understand concept, I just take a novel off the shelf and I refresh my mind by embracing the world the author creates," he explained further. "Poetry just fails to achieve the same effect for me. I always try to analyse the rhyme structure even subconsciously, and take it apart to see what said poem really means. Of course, when I manage to deconstruct a poem in such a way, that is always the time when I remind myself that poems have many possible interpretations. Novels, with their plots and formulae leave less room for interpretation, but that is also a part of the fun as they seem to be perfect tools for me to relax with."

"But I have gone on for far too long about my interests," said Sterling, summing everything up. "Would you like me to ask another question, or would you prefer to go this time?"
 
She smiled when he explained his reasoning behind his question, he didn't need to, but it was good to know, she absorbed every detail he'd said to her and commited it to it's own memory vault. When he asked her if she would like him to ask another question or if it was her turn she smiled. "I'll ask you something." She paused, thinking about what she wanted to ask. What would be safe enough for them to talk about? It seemed like her whole life was surrounded by topics they didn't really want to bring up.

She looked at him, into his eyes, and asked on an impulse, "What are your views on political marriages?" When she saw his look she realized this question came completely out of nowhere. She didn't even know how to explain why she wanted to know what he thought on the subject, so she decided to elaborate with her views a bit. "It's just... that I think it's wrong in many ways. I know it most likely won't happen.." she looked at her hands, "But I'd like to think that I could marry for love, like my parents... and not worry about anything like image and reality of things.."

She flexed her hands and whispered more to herself, "Not that love has been very kind to me in the past anyways." She sighed and looked at him. Waiting for his answer.
 
Silia's question took Sterling completely off-guard as he was expecting a question of favourites, not a serious one like this. He even lost his composure for a moment and looked at the mage princess with an incredulous face, but he quickly regained control over himself and rearranged his face. He hoped that the mage princess had not seen him scatter like that, however, that was likely a futile hope as she was looking into his eyes at the moment the question was asked. Therefore, he just hoped that he managed to control the situation well enough without coming across as impolite, and started to organise his thoughts on the matter of policital marriages. It took him a few seconds longer than usual to do that, mainly because he was not sure how to put his opinion into words.

"Unfortunately, my lady, political marriages are quite necessary," said Sterling, choosing his words carefully. "They are the chain which keeps everything balanced amongst the aristocrats, the load-bearing support of many families and alliances between former rivals. In other words, political marriages make bonds between important people and they are an excellent tool of the business world. I am sorry to say this, my lady, but without these marriages, the current world would not work. I know of too many business partnerships and financial empires which are founded in political marriages or are kept together by them," continued Sterling, then he made a long pause as he prepared himself for the consequences of what he was about to say.

"Therefore, I believe that marrying because of love is an unrealistic ideal," he said. "I understand your feelings, my lady, however, they are simply futile. One cannot change the nature of society just because of their emotions, nor should one tip the scale because of a mere impulse. It might be harsh for me to say this, my lady, and I apologise for my cold words, but in this age, marriages born from love seem to be highly impossible. Or it is impossible unless one was to fall in love with a politically important person who had enough power to enforce the marriage against the will of one's parents or if either one or their partner was important enough so that their marriage would not be considered a hindrance to the future goals of this age. That is quite unlikely to happen, though," he said, finishing the explanation.

"Again, I am sorry if my views have upset you, my lady. It is just that while it is good to dream of achieving the impossible, and sometimes great discoveries come from such dreams, I find that if one has very little chance of actually succeeding at something, then one should not concern themselves with it. There is nothing wrong with pursuing a passion or trying to uncover the secrets of the world, but to hope for the impossible is just foolish in my opinion," added Sterling, then he let a pregnant silence fall upon them. He really hoped that he had chosen his words carefully enough, for the mage princess seemed to be quite fond of the idea of marriage because of love instead of practical reasons.
 
She smiled a bit at his answer. She didn't expect much anything different from him. He was going to think about things annalitically. He would think his answers through, maybe even lie if he had to, but she knew he wasn't right now. "Please don't appologizing for voicing your oppinion Sterling. I asked for it and I got what I asked for." She smiled even more and tilted her head. Her curls bouncing with the movement.

"You know... I get where you are coming from, but I also believe that a marriage for love would be better, considering that the two would work 'together' rather than separately. I mean, sure you could fall in love with your partner after, but I feel that it would be more meaningful if both parties actually WANT to get married...." She paused for a moment, "Like mother and father."

Everyone knew about the scandal her parents caused, a mage should have never married into the throne, but he was also some how rightful air through secret lost blood, it was rediculous and hard to understand with only a basic over view. You'd have to go years and years into the past to the first queen, and no one really had time for that anymore. Silia sighed. She was just happy that her parent were happy and had found eachother.
 
The Machine Duke listened to the response of Silia carefully, a bit surprised that she did not take offense at his point of view. He had thought her to be somewhat of a romantic based on that question and some of the discussions they had so far, but apparently, she was well aware of the limitations of reality. She just thought that it would be better if the world worked like that, which was a fair point, he supposed. It was just that the world demanded that emotions bend under the will of logic and reason, so as such, marriage based on an emotional connection seemed to be nearly impossible at this time. He could understand where she came from, because after all, he also wished that he could change the rules of the business world at times.

He was a bit surprised to hear that Silia's mother and father got married out of love, but then again, he had heard of the scandals that surrounded their marriage from his father. Apparently, they were so bad that his father had considered abandoning the Wolf Throne for a while, but in the end, everything seemed to work out. He really wondered how that worked though, but then he reminded himself that the influence of the royal family reached far. What is more, Silia's mother could be one hell of a politician from what he had heard, which was why he approached Silia in the first place, thinking that she would be an easy prey. Of course, he was wrong about that as he found out not such a long time ago.

Sterling shook his head to clear it of the thoughts, for now was not the time to think about the past and he was sure that he made the conversation pause for a few uncomfortable seconds as he was thinking about the past.
"I see your point my lady," said Sterling as he looked directly into Silia's eyes. "Sometimes, the rules of the system can be frustrating. But alone, one cannot do anything against them, for a lone man is but a piece of wood lost in a sea of storms. Unless one has enough support, they cannot go against what has already been established... But look at me, talking politics again," said Sterling as he shaked his head as if he disapproved of his own words.

"But that makes me think of a rather interesting question, my lady, and I hope that it will be a thought-provoking one," said Sterling after a short pause. "If you were faced with odds that are truly insurmountable, a tidal wave of challenges that simply cannot be overcome by any force, would you resist that tidal wave, or would you rather submit yourself to it and hope that you manage to stay afloat? Would you rather fight until the bitter end, or would you surrender to the mass of water, hoping to win its favour?" He asked, looking into Silia's eyes as he said that. He really wondered what her answer would be.
 
Silla liked this question a lot, it was as thought provoking as he probably hoped it to be. She sat there a while mulling it over. Would she do either ot the things he suggested? Or would she not be able to accept the terms of either situation? How would she act if she were facing a reality like this?

She smiled, "I'd find a way to overcome them, other than death there is nothing we as humans can't overcome. It's not that i'm resisting the challenge, nor am i running away from it. I'd work with that challenge, go with it's flow for only as far as i need to and then rush head long to the finish I want." she looked at him while she answer, feeling her breath hitch more than once, knowing he was watching her.

"I... I'm sorry if that doesn't make any sense to you.. but it's the best answer for me i think." she tilted her head, "What about you though? how would you face that wave?"
 
Sterling understood the answer of Silia clearly, even if the mage princess herself thought that she did not do a good job of explaining it. Her response was actually admirable in a way, because it sought compromise over either extreme. It was a tried way of dealing with problems which seemed to have no solution at first, for a compromise would allow both sides to gain some while not infringing the rights of either, however, it was also a dangerous route to walk. Sometimes people were downright unreasonable, seeking their own, personal gain over everything else as the priority, craving nothing more than to satisfy their own desires. Against such an unstoppable force what he described, he was not sure that such an attitude would work, but he kept that opinion to himself so he could respond to her question.

"I would succumb to the waves," said Sterling. "And go with the flow until I find other survivors even as I continously search for flows and currents in the flood that will make my job easier. I would make many alliances, friends and forge a bond with them, then using the power of my allies, I would break the flood with the strength that has been amassed behind me. Then, when the flood is over, I would keep these allies by my side, forever strengthening the bonds that the flood allowed us to make," he said, then he paused for a few seconds to let his words sink in. "Of course, that is only if the tide tries to suffocate me, to drag me into its very depths. If the odds are insurmountable, then I would simply go around them. If I could see the all-consuming flood come, I would build a boat or journey to the highest point of the world."

"But I understand your reasoning as well," said Sterling as he nodded at Silia encouragingly. "The Golden Mean, the patience to wait for the situation to change so you can use it to your benefit... A cunning strategy indeed," he said, pondering what to say next. "Such philosophical questions make me think of the ancient mages who tried to put together how the world worked, even though they had only so little mages. Or perhaps I should be reminded of the first men who mastered the art of making tools, which then lead to simple machines, which then lead to the revolution that is driving the Wolf Throne right now," he added, then, realising that he was starting to ramble, he stopped himself.

He took a deep breath and turned his head towards the door, noting that the servants of the household must have been very obedient here. In some other places, they would have burst in hours ago to see to the well-being of their mistress, but then again, perhaps the Wolf Throne did not need for servants at all. Before he wandered further onto this line of thought, he turned back to Silia so she knew that she still had his attention and what he just did was but a whim of his that was not intended to disturb the conversation.
 
She noticed after he spoke, that he looked at the door. Thinking he might need to leave at some point she gave a small sigh. "Sterling if you must go I appologize, I've kept you long enough I believe. I'm sorry." She gave a small smile to him. She wasn't really happy that he might leave, but she thought she'd at least let him have a choice to go. Plus the sun would be coming up soon enough and she should probably be getting sleep instead of talking the night away. She knew though that no one would bug her tomorrow after that nights episode of pretty much fainting and yelling at everyone.

Then she really smiled. That had been the first time in a really long time that she'd defended someone. In fact she couldn't even remember the last time, or the last person for whom, she had. She just felt the connection with Sterling from the start, and though she knew he'd been talking to her to get something out of her at first, he'd been a gentleman through and through and didn't force the subject. Unlike all who suitors who just try to get her interested in them so that they can have power and be on the throne. She could also tell that that wasn't what Sterling wanted, and that in and of its self had put her off kilter.

She sat there and waited for his answer patciently as a princess must at occations like this. She could just start off on another topic, because he would be leaving shortly. Or at least she thought he was going to. She had no clue exactly what was going on in his mind. She just had made an assumption based on a movement he had made.
 
Honestly, Sterling was quite surprised that Silia noticed his glance towards the door, but he was more surprised by her response. Most people would have interpreted his gesture as rude or outright offensive, so he mentally reprimanded himself for the gesture, realising that his self control was lacking once again. It was probably because today's events had exhausted him, however, that was no excuse for him to get so sloppy with his behaviour. Therefore, the Machine Duke strengthened his internal resolve, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to restore his focus. He could not allow himself to lose control over his own emotions, he had to reign over his decisions with reason, precision and logic.

"I am not intending to leave, my lady, and I am sorry for displaying such an impatient gesture towards you," said Sterling, lowering his head slightly in apology, then raising it up immediately. "I was merely thinking that your servants are rather well-behaved as they have not yet disturbed us. Were this any other households, the servants probably would have rushed in the moment they heard their lady was all right, fussing over every single detail of her health and then pampering her so they would gain her favours," he said, then he smiled. "Or at least that is how it goes in stories. But even in reality, servants, especially those whose hearts are with their masters or mistresses tend to barge into rooms without announcing themselves, only to be reprimanded," he said, then he stopped himself as he realised he was rambling on again.

He wanted to ask if Silia wanted to sleep, but instead, he kept to himself, waiting for the princess to share a thought or two, savoring the silence. It was a comfortable silence, one of quiet contemplation as he evaluated just what happened during the evening and went over his interactions with Silia once more. He was quite sure that today was going to be one that he always remembered, because so many things had already passed... He just met Silia, but now, everything changed. There was hope in the heart of the Machine Duke.
 
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