She reached out, her cool fingers brushed against his chest as she pulled the edges of his coat together.

Ace’s eyes widened almost animatedly. His entire body went rigid as her hands began to work the buttons.

He could see the pale slope of her neck, the concentration in her eyes as she focused on the brass fasteners.

Her knuckles occasionally grazed the fabric over his ribs, and every touch felt like a brand. His heart was hammering so loudly against his ribs he was certain she could feel it through the cloth.

Done with the final button, Evelina stepped back, smoothing the lapel of his coat with a brisk pat.

"I was too busy to wait for you to finish fumbling with your own clothes, Ace," she said, her voice perfectly level.

Ace snapped out of his reverie, the sudden coldness of her withdrawal helping him slide his stony mask back into place. He cleared his throat, adjusting his cuffs, "Right. Business. I assume this isn’t a social visit."

"Hardly," Evelina said. she picked up the main parchment and unfurled it across his dressing table, "I’ve drawn up a legal contract. It formalizes our agreement from before."

Ace looked down at the elegant script. It detailed the transfer of administrative authority over the Northern territories’ resources, the intellectual property rights of the steam technology, and the governance of the grain reserves. It stripped the title of ’Protector of the North’ of its power and handed the reins to the Duchess.

He was speechless. He hadn’t expected her to be this thorough.

"Evelina," he started, "a contract between a husband and wife... the Imperial Council will find this... unusual."

"The Imperial Council is currently drinking mud and eating dust," she countered, handing him a quill, "They won’t care about the legality of our marriage as long as the North stops starving. This contract protects me from the Council... and from you, should you ever change your mind about who is in charge."

Ace paused when he heard that, his heart consumed by a sudden ache.

Ace didn’t even read the final clauses of the contract nor did he look for loopholes. He simply dipped the quill into the inkwell.

"Whatever you want," he said.

With a bold stroke, he signed his name. The ink was barely dry before he handed the quill back to her.

Evelina stared at the signature. She was, for a rare moment, speechless.

She had prepared an entire list of arguments, a dozen justifications for why she needed this total authority. She had expected a fight, a negotiation... or at least a shred of masculine pride to get in the way.

But he had just... signed.

"You didn’t even read the section on the tax levies," she whispered.

"I don’t need to," Ace said, his voice quiet but firm, "I told you last night. Anything that is mine is yours."

The rest of the morning was a blur.

Ace and Evelina stayed in the Duke’s chambers, the dressing table had become becoming a war room.

For the first time in their lives, they were a team.

It was a strange feeling.

Ace provided the logistical data; the location of the outposts, the headcount of the starving villages, the secret paths through the mountain passes.

And Evelina worked her brain to provide the solutions for all his problems. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Their minds worked in perfect sync. When Ace pointed out a potential riot point in the lower valley, Evelina already had a plan to divert a shipment of water there to pacify them.

When Evelina worried about the heat buckling the copper pipes, Ace suggested a cooling method used for heavy siege cannons.

"If we move the third division here," Ace said, his finger tracing a line on the topographical map, "they can guard the primary well while the men install the first piston."

"Correct," Evelina agreed, her quill flying across a ledger, "But we’ll need the coal from the Blackwood mine. It’s the only grade that will burn hot enough."

They worked through the afternoon, ignoring the meals brought by Henderson.

They forgot about the stifling heat, forgot about their past grievances, and everything else.

The sun began to dip toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the room.

The air was still unnervingly hot, but the silence between the married couple was different now. It seemed to resemble the comfortable silence of two friends.

They were leaning over a sprawling map of the Northern mines, their heads close together.

"The coal is here," Ace said, pointing to a jagged mark in the mountain, "But the road is narrow. We’ll need to reinforce the carriages."

As he moved his hand to adjust the corner of the parchment, his fingers accidentally brushed against hers.

It was a small accidental touch, but to Ace, it felt like a lightning strike.

He froze, his hand hovering just an inch above the paper.

His heart, which had finally calmed down during the planning, began to race again. The heat of her skin, even for that split second, seemed to scorch him.

He looked at her, his breath hitching, waiting for her to recoil or for the tension to snap.

But Evelina didn’t even look up.

She didn’t seem to notice the spark that had just jolted through him.

"If the road is too narrow," she said calmly, moving her own hand, grazing his fingers again as she pointed to a different spot on the map, "then we’ll use the old logging flumes. We can dry-drag the coal if we have to. Now, look at this mine here. Is it still operational?"

Ace stayed frozen for a second longer, staring at the spot where her hand was now resting. He felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.

He was a man who could lead an army, but he couldn’t handle a simple brush of her hands now without losing his mind.

Evelina was a fortress of calmness and logic, and he was realizing, with a sinking feeling in his chest, that he was the only one in this room currently at risk of falling.

"Yes," he managed to choke out, his voice a bit too high, "It’s operational."

Evelina hummed in approval, completely oblivious to the war currently raging in his head, "Good. Let’s get to work."