Zilayefa overwhelmed by all the work she has to do on behalf of Duke Larry, always makes her tired. From the moment she wakes up, there are piles of complains and things that need to be attended to.
Now this morning she has a council meeting with the nobles of Ralston and the people of the community. She wonders how. Larry was able to handle such a huge community and never look tired for ones. It's exhausting, she walked carried herself gracefully has she walked into the council room, and of course fire was by her side.
The council chamber fell silent the moment Zilayefa stepped inside.
It was a spacious room with tall arched windows that overlooked the training grounds. Morning light spilled across a long oak table where the leaders of Ralston had already gathered. The castle steward sat nearest the head of the table, while village elders, merchants, and a handful of minor nobles occupied the remaining seats.
Every pair of eyes turned toward her.
Fire entered first, his massive paws making almost no sound against the polished stone floor. His sleek black coat seemed to swallow the light around him, and his ember-red eyes moved slowly from face to face. The wolf finally settled beside the Duke's empty chair, lowering himself onto the floor without taking his eyes off the room.
Only then did Zilayefa take her seat.
The empty chair beside her—the Duke's chair—felt larger than she remembered.
She resisted the urge to glance at it.
The elderly steward, Master Edwin, rose to his feet and bowed respectfully.
"My Lady, welcome."
She offered a small nod.
"Please, everyone, be seated."
A few of the nobles exchanged surprised glances. They had expected a formal speech, perhaps even an attempt to imitate Duke Larry's commanding presence. Instead, her voice was gentle, almost familiar, like someone speaking to neighbours in a village square.
The meeting began.
Master Edwin unrolled a scroll.
"Our first matter concerns the eastern farmlands. The spring rains were lighter than expected. Several farmers have requested permission to draw additional water from the river reserve."
One of the nobles cleared his throat.
"If we grant that request, the reserve may not last through the dry weeks."
Another immediately disagreed.
"If we refuse, the harvest will suffer."
Soon the room filled with overlapping opinions.
Zilayefa listened quietly.
She didn't interrupt.
Back in Ama, she had often watched the village elders settle disputes beneath the old iroko tree. Her father had once told her that the person who spoke first rarely understood the whole story.
So she listened.
When the voices finally quieted, she looked toward Master Edwin.
"How many farms are asking for water?"
"Twelve, My Lady."
"And how many farms depend on the reserve altogether?"
"Nearly forty."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"If the twelve take everything they need now, will the others have enough later?"
The steward hesitated.
"No."
She folded her hands.
"Then perhaps we shouldn't think only about today."
The room grew still.
She continued carefully.
"Can the river be shared instead? Give each family enough to keep their crops alive for now. If the rains come, everyone benefits. If they don't, at least no family is left with nothing."
Several of the farmers exchanged approving nods.
One elderly elder smiled faintly.
"A fair suggestion."
The noble who had opposed using the reserve frowned, but after a moment he gave a reluctant nod.
"It is... reasonable."
Master Edwin quickly made a note.
"It shall be arranged."
The discussion moved on.
A merchant complained about damaged roads delaying supplies from neighbouring villages.
The captain of the guards requested funds to repair the western watchtower before autumn.
A baker asked permission to purchase grain from another district because flour prices had begun to rise.
Each matter was different, and more than once Zilayefa admitted she did not know enough to decide immediately.
Instead of pretending otherwise, she asked questions.
Sometimes she turned to Master Edwin.
Sometimes to the merchants.
Sometimes even to the villagers themselves.
More than once she said, "Explain it to me."
The words surprised the room.
Many leaders believed admitting ignorance was weakness.
But as the morning wore on, the atmosphere slowly changed.
People spoke more openly.
They argued less.
They stopped trying to impress the Duchess and instead focused on solving problems.
By midday the pile of unanswered petitions had grown remarkably smaller.
As the meeting finally came to an end, the councillors rose one after another.
Several offered polite bows before leaving.
Others lingered just long enough to thank her.
Only two of the younger nobles remained behind.
They stood near the doorway, speaking quietly enough that they probably believed she couldn't hear.
"The Duke was fortunate."
"Perhaps."
"I expected a frightened village girl."
"So did I."
"What we found instead..."
The second noble glanced back toward her.
"...is someone willing to listen."
They walked away before she could respond.
Zilayefa let out a slow breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"I thought I had made a terrible mess of it," she confessed softly.
Master Edwin chuckled as he gathered the scrolls.
"My Lady, I've served three generations of the Ralston family."
She looked at him curiously.
"I've seen rulers who believed they already knew every answer."
He smiled kindly.
"They usually made the poorest decisions."
Before she could reply, a familiar weight pressed gently against her arm.
Fire.
The great wolf nudged her hand insistently until she laughed.
"I know," she said, stroking the thick fur behind his ears. "You're reminding me I missed breakfast."
Fire let out a satisfied huff, his tail thumping once against the floor.
Master Edwin laughed outright.
"It would seem His Grace entrusted you to a very determined guardian."
Zilayefa smiled, warmth spreading through her chest.
"Yes," she said, looking into the wolf's glowing ember-red eyes. "And I think he's determined to make sure I don't forget to take care of myself either."
Fire gave another quiet huff, as though pleased that she had finally understood him, fire never liked her at first, but he had no choice, his master put him in charge of her, so he was going to make sure she was okay. Hmm the things I do for my master, he thought quietly to himself.
Outside the council chamber, the castle bustled with its usual rhythm, but for the first time since Larry's departure, Zilayefa no longer felt like she was simply waiting for him to return.
For the first time, she truly began to feel that Ralston was depending on her—and that perhaps, little by little, she was beginning to belong.