Phaedra's POV

As the Duke guided me through his greenhouses filled with exotic plants I made sure to keep my vapid, easily impressed persona up. I could almost see my excited commentary and light squeezes to the Duke's arm causing him to puff up as if he were wrapping himself in my adoration. These kinds of jobs were my least favorite in the world to do and I normally avoided them like the plague, but part of me was glad that he had chosen me out of the crowd. If he had been a pedophile and tried to go after Wendy I may have just blasted him into the next kingdom, so, all in all, it was probably better he had singled me out. At least I was confident that I could manipulate him into giving me what I wanted.

Part of me had a begrudging respect for the man as he showed me all of his plants and rare herbs. It was obvious that he was well researched when it came to plant-life and I actually ended up learning a few things from him which I stored away to use at a later time.

We had gone through two huge greenhouses but still, he had not pointed out the Dragon's Bane plant. Sweat was beginning to drip down from the nape of my neck straight down my spine and for the first time I regretted not allowing Gray to power up my cooling lacrima. I squared my shoulders and ignored my discomfort though because the Duke was giving me a look as if he were especially excited to show me the next specimen on the list.

"Have you ever heard of the Dragon's Bane plant, my dear?" the Duke asked, keeping his voice low and bending down so that he was whispering almost directly into my ear. The sweat dripping down my back turned clammy and I had to remind myself to act like a clueless and innocent noblewoman before I could force out a light gasp of wonder.

"Isn't that one of the rarest medicinal herbs in Ishgar?" I whispered back, gently squeezing his slightly flabby upper arm. It was obvious that even though he may do some rudimentary exercise to keep a lean figure, this man was not a fighter.

"I only allow very special guests to see it. Would you like to be one of them?" he purred, nearly causing me to gag from the scent of the sweet wine that had been served at the ball. I detested alcohol because it took aware my awareness of my surroundings and that was simply unacceptable.

"Oh, I would be honored, your Grace!" I breathed out excitedly, burying my true feelings of revulsion as I gripped his arm a little tighter and looked around excitedly. "Where is it?"

"Just through here," the Duke said with an amused chuckle. He led me to a small door kept under lock and key and opened it wordlessly for me. We stepped into a simple room surrounded by glass walls and right in the center were three small plants. They looked like miniature ferns with broad purple leaves. Each leaf looked to have a mottled black pattern and I was frankly surprised that such a sickly looking thing could be the most prized medicinal plant of Ishgar. But then again, I knew better than anyone that appearances could be deceiving.

"Oh! Your Grace, I have never seen anything quite like it!" I gushed, moving away from the Duke and gathering my skirt in my hands. Lifting it delicately so that it wasn't swishing against the ground I took several swift steps over and made a great show of inspecting the three unassuming plants. I could hear the Duke laughing good-naturedly and I decided that now was as good a time as any to begin.

"Your Grace..." I began, dipping my voice down shyly and glancing up at him with a slightly hesitant expression.

"Please, feel free to call me Jonis," he said with a magnanimous air, taking a few steps closer to me. I lowered my head before slowly lifting my eyes up at him, making myself look smaller than I was.

"I couldn't possibly," I said fretfully. The Duke's grin broadened and I wanted to spit in his face. I had correctly guessed his type and it made me absolutely sick. This man loved to corrupt innocent and sweet women and I wished I wasn't on a job so I could teach him just what a woman could do to a pompous jerk like him. However, I had promised Wendy and Erza that I would help with this job so I put my personal feelings to the side for now and focused on my character.

"I insist," he said firmly, coming over and taking one of my gloved hands and bringing it to his lips where he pressed a gentle kiss to my fingertips. "And you must tell me your name as well, my lady."

"My name is Fay, if it pleases you, your..." As I had expected the Duke reached out and placed a finger against my lips, silencing my attempt at calling him "your Grace" once again.

"Jonis," he repeated softly. If I hadn't been expecting this result I probably would have bitten the offensive finger pressed to my lips, but instead, I schooled my expression into one of shock and embarrassment. I nodded slightly as if I didn't dare speak with his finger on my lips, and the Duke slowly removed it.

"Jonis..." I said slowly, as if sampling how it tasted in my mouth. The Duke beamed and it was almost as if I could see the triumph behind his weak brown eyes.

"Yes, Fay?" he asked, brushing my fingers with his thumb before lowering my hand from his own lips.

"Actually, Jonis. I have a rather impertinent favor to ask of you. Would you be willing to hear me out?" I asked, trying to sound uncertain and innocent. I could just see the predatory look come into the man's eyes as he realized that if he granted this young woman her favor then she would, therefore, owe him a favor.

Really, could these men get any less predictable? I thought angrily as I focused on keeping my persona intact.

"Name it, Fay," he said, once again putting on his magnanimous air.

"Well," I said, allowing an eagerness to creep into my voice. "On my way to your ball there was this DARLING little apothecary shop that just seemed to call my name when we went by," I started, making my tone sound vibrant, excited, and a little bit childish to put him at ease and lull him into a false sense of security.

"Is that so?" the Duke asked with a small smirk.

"While I was perusing the shop I happened to speak with the Apothecary and he told me that he has been trying to create a partnership with you so that he could sell some of the leaves of your wondrous Dragon's Bane plant to the people of Crocus." Surprise caused the Duke's dark brown eyebrows to raise and he quickly chuckled as if to hide his reaction.

"Why yes, there are several apothecaries that have shown interest in my Dragon's Bane," he said, sounding confident but also a little reluctant.

"Well, I told him that a Duke as prosperous and wonderful as you, Jonis, should see the huge benefits of such a partnership! It would show just how benevolent and selfless you are, as well as being a shrewd businessman," I said, laying on the flattery as thick as possible. I could see the gears whirring in overdrive as the Duke battled against his selfishness and the thought that if he said something wrong he may lose his entertainment for the evening.

"You... make a fair argument, Fay. I of course would be willing to come up with an arrangement..." the Duke said. I pounced. Making my eyes go wide in a starstruck expression I ran over and grabbed both of his hands in mine, bringing them in between us as I gazed directly into his startled eyes.

"Oh, Jonis, do you mean that? Would you sign an agreement with the apothecary to sell just a few of your Dragon's Bane leaves?" I asked with a small squeal, clutching his hands tightly in between my own. He blinked, looking taken aback by my sudden forwardness.

"Well... if there were pen and paper I would, of course, sign an agreement but..."

I grinned inwardly, congratulating myself at successfully knocking him off his rhythm. He was now putty in my hands and I had him exactly where I wanted him.

"Oh, I have that right here!" I said with a girlish squeal. I tilted forward my obi and extracted the pen and piece of paper that I had stashed away there when I had gotten changed, just in the off chance that I would come into a situation like this.

"You keep pen and paper in your dress?" the Duke asked with a shocked expression. Carefully I morphed my face into the very seldom used half-embarrassed, half-alluring expression that I had painstakingly practiced in the mirror for months before I had gotten it right. I turned it on the Duke and smiled coyly.

"A woman can hide many things in a kimono," I said softly. I could swear that the Duke started to salivate as his eyes drifted from my face down to my chest and then slowly descending to my feet. I tried to keep from shuddering as I moved over to a small table set up with two chairs in the small space. I laid out the pen and paper on the table and patted it, switching my expression to one filled with eager excitement.

"Would you mind signing it now, Jonis? I would love to see your penmanship. I have heard it tells a lot about the kind of man you are," I said with an innocent smile. The Duke looked between me and the table and finally let out a small chuckle before walking over briskly and taking a seat with a flourish.

"What should I write do you think, dear Fay?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. It was obvious that he thought that he could easily make this go away as long as he had my attention. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was planning to take the note from me while I wasn't looking and pretend that it had never existed after he had had his fun.

"Perhaps you could sell the apothecary three leaves a month? I'm sure that would be plenty to make many tinctures and remedies that he could sell throughout the month!" I said, laying a delicate hand on his shoulder in silent encouragement. The Duke laughed heartily, convincing me even more that he had come up with a plan to make sure this agreement never saw the light of day.

"Why not four leaves? One for every week of the month," he said with a cocky grin.

"Oh, that is MOST generous of you, Jonis," I gushed, squeezing his shoulder lightly. I couldn't keep a self-satisfied smirk from briefly stretching across my lips as I watched the duke write in elaborate calligraphy-style writing the agreement to sell whichever apothecary held this note four Dragon's Bane's leaves a month for 10,000 jewel per leaf. He signed and dated the note with a flourish. Using just a hint of my light-speed magic I sped up my arm, snatching the piece of paper out from under his hand and spinning around smiling as innocently as I could.

"Oh, Jonis, this is so wonderful of you! I cannot even begin to tell you how impressed I am by your generosity," I gushed excitedly, bowing several times to him as I expertly folded the signed paper.

"Well, it's a small thing after all. Now, shall we continue..." the Duke reached out his hand to me but I lithely skipped out of his reach.

"I must show my friends! I told them that you would agree, but Margaret told me that there was no way someone as wealthy as you would be so selfless," I said, forming my mouth into a small pout as if I had truly been offended by the made up insult.

"Surely you could show them after..." the Duke began to say, a hint of frustration leaking into his voice as he followed me towards the door he had left open.

"Oh no, I am simply bursting with the need to tell them! But, if you weren't tired of my presence I of course would love to speak with you again after I show them..." I said.

This was the tricky part. I needed the Duke to stay where he was long enough for me to make my escape with the note. From prior job experience, I knew that normally meant that he needed to believe I had every intention of coming back to him. The Duke narrowed his eyes slightly but he slowly came to a halt as he regarded me.

"I would rather you not leave my side, Fay," the Duke said in a low, almost sensual tone. My stomach turned over in disgust but I forced myself to cover my cheeks and look shocked, as if I were trying to cover a blush.

"Oh, Jonis, you are too kind. I would love to see the rest of the greenhouse with you, but I really do want to show Margaret how wrong she was about you..." I said, lowering my hands and returning to my pouting face. I inched backward a step and glanced a few times between the door and Jonis as if I were torn about what to do.

"I'll tell you what," the Duke said, taking a step closer but thankfully not attempting to touch me. "You go show Margaret that paper and then meet me back here. I have a few very special plant specimens that I keep in my bedchamber that I think you will find... intoxicating." It took every ounce of self-control that I possessed not to retch all over this pervert's shoes. Instead, I blinked up at him innocently and gave him a small hesitant smile.

"You really would show me your favorite plants?" I asked with what I hoped sounded like a tremor of excitement and not revulsion.

"Only if you don't keep me waiting too long," he whispered, reaching out a finger and gently pushing a strand of hair that had escaped my braided bun back behind my ear. Warning bells slammed through my insides and I tried to keep my smile natural.

"I'll be back in just a few minutes!" I said eagerly, before turning and running as fast as a normal woman wearing a kimono could.

My flesh was crawling like little worms were running up and down every inch of my body. I hate these jobs. I thought to myself fiercely. I hate them I hate them I hate them.

A/N The song I chose does not necessarily have anything to do with the storyline, but I thought it fit the overall feel of the chapter... kind of. I also just really like the song and didn't have a picture to use :P