Vreneli peeked around the heavy wooden door apprehensively. He was waiting for her, this man with long brown hair and green eyes just a few shades off from hers. She knew who he was. Everyone did.

"You invited me, Your Grace?" She instinctively distrusted him, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to leave.

"Miss Zwingli," he smiled at her. He had a very charming smile, she had to admit. "It is lovely to see you again. It seems ages ago that we first met."

Vreneli fiddled with her white beret. "We only met last week," she pointed out.

"Ah, yes. What was it that you work as again? A milkmaid, isn't it?" Oh, he did not just say that.

"For your information, Your Grace," she said frostily, "I happen to run a weapons store in town."

"My most sincere apologies, my dear." The Duke reached for her hand, and she suddenly didn't have the heart to pull away. "I had no intention of offending you. My memory seems to be slipping. Do forgive me," and he pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist as her heart fluttered strangely in her chest.

"I have a proposition for you, Miss Zwingli," he continued. "I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for women of your calibre. Women who aren't afraid to step outside the bounds of propriety."

"Just what are you insinuating, Your Grace?" Vreneli tried to sound scandalised, but all she sounded was breathless.

"Your weapons store, Miss Zwingli," the Duke's green eyes gleamed with amusement. "What did you think I meant?"

Vreneli flushed and tried not to look pleased. People were always shocked that a mere woman knew more about conventional weaponry (and many unconventional ones, too) than the average soldier. Not that she cared, but it was nice to be appreciated. No one had said they admired her for it before, except... But she couldn't recall him at the moment, because she was too busy staring into the Duke's eyes.

"What exactly are you proposing, Your Grace?" He held out his hand, the one that wasn't already gripping hers, and leant in close, breathing his words into her ear.

"Stay with me. Here in this mansion. You won't ever have to waste money ever again. I'll provide you with everything you need, everything you could ever want and more." His voice curled around her ear, and she shivered in spite of herself. "I'll take care of you."

Every instinct was screaming No!

Vreneli Zwingli took the Duke's hand, and her fate was sealed.

A forbidden deal with the devil

This power placed in my hand

"What is it that you desire?"

"I want her to look at me. Respect me."

A smooth chuckle. "All humans are the same."

"She laughed at me... she scorned me. They all did."

"So now, make them yours."

And Elias Héderváry, formerly Elizabeta, did.

All the women who look at me fall enchanted

"How do you like your new home, my dear?" The Duke asked of his latest conquest, whose warm caramel eyes were shining with barely-suppressed glee. She nodded eagerly in response, a flyaway curl bouncing in time with her.

"Ve~ It's such a nice place, Mr Elias! When I'm here I get lots of nice food and nobody picks on me!" The pretty Italian girl enthused. Elias kissed her chastely on the cheek. Feliciana was such a dear pet - absent-minded and naïve, to be sure, but her sweet, bubbly nature more than made up for it.

Elias felt for her as he would a much-loved little cousin. Not that he hadn't made his mark on her, by any means, but most of their time together was spent eating lavish meals from her home country, and discussing art and cuisine.

"Elias!" Both turned to see an irate Swiss woman storming towards them. Feliciana squeaked and scuttled to hide behind Elias, using him as a human shield in the face of Vreneli's wrath.

"Do you have any idea what she-" Here Vreneli stabbed a pointed forefinger in the cowering Italian's direction. "-has done?"

"Vreneli, my arany virágszál, my golden flower," Elias murmured soothingly. "Calm down."

"I will not calm down!" Vreneli exploded. "I woke up this morning and found my room smelling of pasta! And she was naked in my bed! When I find my shotgun-" Here Elias swept her into his arms, and she said no more.

"She meant nothing by it, did you, dear?" Feliciana nodded hurriedly. "Mi spiace, Vreneli, I just got lonely last night, and I was hungry, and-" Elias hushed her with a finger on her lips.

"Dearest, when you are lonely, you can always find me, yes?" Feliciana nodded mutely. "And if I'm... busy, I'm sure Luise will be more than willing to keep you company." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Now, be a dear and go make sure she isn't fighting with your sister."

As Feliciana hurried away, Elias flashed Vreneli a mischievous grin.

"Now, where were we?"

Françoise shifted in bed, still half-asleep. Her eyes snapped open, taking in her surroundings when she realised she was the bed's sole occupant. Moonlight filtered in through the violet curtains, and she could clearly make out the Duke silhouetted before the French windows, apparently lost in thought.

He was wearing loose trousers, she noted with distaste. She much preferred it when he wasn't wearing anything. Still, leaving a little something to the imagination never hurts either. She licked her lips, sliding out from between the silk sheets and making her way over to him.

He still hadn't noticed her yet, still staring out the window in deep contemplation. That just wouldn't do. Françoise pressed her bare body to his back, wrapping slim arms around his chest from behind. He immediately stilled.

"Are you alright, chéri?" Elias relaxed, turning to embrace her properly.

"Everything's fine, kedves. What are you doing up?" Françoise pouted. "I woke up and couldn't find you, and I was so worried I could not go back to sleep..." She was ridiculously good at playing up the innocent, timid angle when it suited her. Elias laughed, recognising the spark of humour mixed with lust in her bright blue eyes.

"Well then..." He leant down and brushed his lips against her collarbone. "What do you propose we do to tire ourselves out?" Françoise tugged him back to the bed, purring.

"Oh, I can think of a few ideas."

"Elias, why don't you have any pictures of when you were younger?" Luise asked. Feliciana nodded vigorously.

"We want to see what you looked like when you were a little bambino! I bet you were really cute!"

"I must confess, Héderváry-san, I am indeed curious," Sakura said softly.

"I never had any portraits painted when I was a child," Elias lied easily.

"Oh." Feliciana's face fell. "Well, why not?"

"Feliciana!" Luise shushed her. "It's none of our business."

"Never mind me, ladies," Elias smiled. "Enjoy your meal. I have some business I must attend to."

He had no idea where his old portraits were at this point. He neither knew nor cared where ashes went.

Elizabeta hated having to be a noblewoman and follow so many rules of etiquette. She heartily wished she'd been born a boy, and tried to make up for it by dressing in boys' clothes as often as possible and chasing after horses in the fields.

Society felt differently.

"Can you believe that girl?"

"Showing her legs in those ridiculous breeches! Why can't she wear dresses like a natural lady?"

"It's not for any lack of them, that's for certain."

Rumours and whispers all over town.

"I've heard she sneaks away from her governess's elocution lessons to practice archery."

"And the way she slangs! Just like a man!"

"She probably thinks she's a boy!"

Horrified giggles. Did you hear...

"Roddi!" The woman in question huffed in exasperation as she turned towards Elias.

"Duke Héderváry, I've told you not to call me that."

"And I've told you to call me Elias, but I guess the both of us are stubborn."

Roderica flushed delicately, her porcelain skin staining a delightful rosy shade that went so well with her violet eyes, Elias thought.

"Very well, then. If I call you by your given name, will you call me by mine?"

"It all depends, édesem." He grinned as she blushed further at the simple endearment he reserved solely for her. He pulled her closer until she was flush with his chest.

"Are you sure you don't like it?" He purred in her ear.

"D-Duke Héderváry!" She squeaked. "This is dreadfully improper-" He effectively silenced her with his lips.

"Roddi!"

"Elizabeta, I've told you not to call me that."

"And I've told you to call me Eli, haven't I?"

The audience of young ladies whispered and giggled in fascinated horror. "Eli? A boy's name?"

"Elizabeta," Roderica repeated firmly. "You shouldn't be talking to me." Elizabeta looked startled.

"Why not?"

"Well, it's dreadfully improper. You see, we're neither related nor engaged, and I can't have a boy in such close proximity addressing me so familiarly." The other girls burst into fits of ladylike giggles. Elizabeta looked like she'd slapped her.

"I must leave, I'm afraid. I have duties to attend to as the daughter of a noble. I don't suppose you'd understand," and Roderica flounced away, leaving the girls to whisper among themselves at the blatant snub.

"I don't know what you see in that prissy, frigid bitch," Maria huffed.

"I keep you all happy, don't I?" Elias pointed out. He continued before she could open her mouth to reply. "Then there's no reason to complain."

"It would be a lot easier if you didn't take in so many girls," Maria insisted.

"Jealous, treasure?" Elias teased, although she had a point. He was beginning to worry. He knew that someday, all the lies he'd told and the crimes he'd committed would catch up with him. But what would he do when it did? Kill all the girls to hide the evidence?

He couldn't possibly harm sweet Feliciana and his precious Roderica. He couldn't even bring himself to raise his voice to them, let alone a hand. And annoying though she could be, Maria was entertaining company. She reminded him of the way he'd used to be, in an unhappy childhood half-forgotten.

Someday, he wanted to end this. He wanted it to be just him and Roderica. Someday.

But not yet.

"The awesome me jealous? Of that nagging, holier-than-thou skinflint?" Maria exclaimed in outrage. Elias rubbed her back, smoothing her metaphorically ruffled feathers.

"I'm just teasing, kedves," he said warmly. "You know I care for you." He did. He was certain that he loved her. He just wasn't in love with her.

Maria sighed and arched her back, leaning into his touch. "You know," she began, "we do have some time before dinner."

"Oh? How much time?"

"Twenty minutes." The predatory grin she shot him was reminiscent of a shark's.

"We'll only need fifteen."

"You've been spending too much time with Françoise."

"Jealous, treasure?"

"I'll show you jealous," she growled, pushing him down onto the polished oak table.

"What is your name, my lady?"

"Lilli Stein, Your Grace."

"A lovely name, if I may be so bold."

A faint blush. "Thank you."

"And how old are you?"

"That's hardly a polite question to ask a lady, Your Grace."

"You don't look like you'd need to be afraid of the answer."

A titter. "You flatter me, Duke Héderváry."

"I have a proposition for you, Miss Stein."

BANG.

For a moment that lasted an eternity, Elias gaped down at his chest in shock before the pain registered. He scrabbled at the wound, frantically trying to stop the bleeding. The petite girl only watched him coldly, a tiny pistol gripped in her steady hand.

Lilli tugged off her blue hair ribbon. She spoke, and her voice was suddenly deeper, less girlish and far more threatening. The pistol was raised to Elias's temple.

"Where is Vreneli?"

Elias lay helpless as every woman he had taken in and cared for left him bleeding out on the ground. Feliciana, flanked by her sister and Luise, stopped before him.

"Oh, Elias-" Luise pulled her away by her arm.

"Feliciana, we have to go."

"I never thought I'd agree with the potato bitch, but she's right. Come on, Feli, let's get out of here!" Lovina grabbed her other arm and together they manhandled her out of the mansion. The last Elias saw of her was a pair of tear-filled brown eyes, wide with confusion and betrayal.

Elias cursed the devil he'd made the deal with, the one who would come to claim him within the hour, no doubt. Maria flew past him without a glance.

"Hey, Luise! Wait up!"

'Lilli' and Vreneli had left first. Vreneli had been raring to snatch up the pistol and shoot him again, but the boy had eventually managed to calm her and they had left together.

In a haze of pain and misery Elias attempted to remember who had already left him and who had yet to leave. Five, four, three... two... one.

Roderica Edelstein slipped past him with her head bowed, looking regal in the bespoke violet silk he'd had made for her that so matched her eyes.

"Roddi!" He called her over and over again, praying that she would turn to him, knowing that he had long lost the right to pray.

She paused at the doorway and looked back at him then, her eyes were filled with such sorrow and disgust that he couldn't speak. Then she was gone, and he was alone once more.

"Wait!"

"Roddi!" He found his voice again.

"Roddi!" But she didn't come back.

"Roderica!"

I haven't yet told you that

"I love you..."