Chapter 117: Desmond or Valerio?

Even with her eyes open, the alcohol had gotten to Leonor’s head so much that she could hardly see. The room was spinning so the duchess decided to keep her eyes closed.

There was a small voice within her telling her to hold back so she wouldn’t ruin what she had with the duke but the lonely part of herself that was speaking so much louder that day was who responded to Desmond.

Did she care about him?

"More than you could ever imagine," she uttered, a sad voice that Desmond was unfamiliar with. Perhaps a tone that was reserved for Valerio only.

Since she was letting him, Desmond removed his glove and touched her back, hoping to soothe her sadness. He was surprised his hands weren’t shaking because of what her answer did to his heart.

He couldn’t help wondering if he was the one who made her feel so lonely - not as Valerio but as Desmond. He took her away from her former home and didn’t give her a person but filled her life with things in hopes that it would put a bandage over her feelings. Was it enough to distract her from what her heart wanted?

He should have known that someone who felt things so deeply and already had a life full of loneliness wouldn’t be pacified so easily. It sent a dagger into his heart and he knew he had to do better.

Even Stephano occasionally reminded him that Leonor was suffering from the guilt of being happy with him and feeling like she was turning her back on Valerio. He was only sent to battle because of her father, after all.

"Now rest," he said, begging her not to stir up any other feelings within him.

He found her particularly adorable in the tired haze she was in. He wished they could go to bed in the same manner each night. He dreamed of a life where he held her each night, could fall asleep, and wake up to see her still dreaming next to him.

As Leonor finally settled and acted like she really might go to sleep, she inhaled deeply.

"You smell like..." she whispered in a tired voice and turned her head towards him. "Familiar."

It struck his heart. He wondered if she knew what she was saying.

Did he smell like Valerio? He always thought she smelled the same as always. It didn’t occur to him that he could have the same scent as before.

Regardless, he rolled to his side and angled his head down, catching the scent he had always loved so desperately. He wished he could do so much more than admire her.

Knowing he was hoping for too much, Desmond decided to leave since Leonor was asleep.

However, Eve jumped onto the footboard seemingly out of nowhere.

She stared at the duke for a few moments before gingerly hopping forward onto the blanket.

He held still, wondering what the strange cat would do with him there. When he saw her in the garden after Leonor willingly showed her to him, he wondered if she recognized him.

At that moment, it seemed Eve was focused on Leonor as she walked up to the woman’s chest and cuddled underneath her chin.

He thought she might wake the duchess up. Surprisingly, Leonor remained asleep.

Desmond considered leaving yet again, but something even stranger happened.

The cat let off a gentle blue glow and reminded him of when he caught Leonor holding the locket in the sitting room before Stephano arrived. Eve was cuddled up against Leonor’s chin and chest so it seemed she was doing something to the locket.

The more mana Eve released, the smaller she became until she was a tiny ball of fluff lying against her master’s chest and sleeping as soundly as Leonor.

Desmond was dying to know more. He had so many questions.

Leonor cared for him and he knew he wasn’t being fair.

Yet fear continued to grip his heart.

Even when he finally separated himself from his wife and left her room, he felt awful. The secrets couldn’t go on between them. That night only showed him as much.

After lying with Leonor, Desmond went to his room and got into comfortable clothing. Yet he still didn’t sleep much at all.

Deciding to be productive rather than laying there for any longer, he dressed alone as he normally did and left his room.

The sun was just breaking over the horizon and he knew that at least the kitchen staff would be awake.

Except there was someone else unexpectedly also awake at that time.

"Stephano," Desmond greeted the other man who sat at the breakfast table, waiting for his meal to be brought.

The king turned to look at his company and raised his eyebrows.

"Did you return much later than me?" he asked, curious about what the duke and duchess were up to the night before.

The king had a perfect amount of alcohol. It was enough that he felt slightly more bubbly than normal, though not enough to reveal anything out of the norm. Once he was away from others, it helped him go to sleep much earlier than he was used to doing. That was his goal for the evening and he achieved it easily.

Another reason for his early departure was to push the couple together who were unwilling to do it themselves. However, alcohol was an interesting tool in the realm of romance. Sober secrets were drunk truths, after all.

Based on the way Desmond looked to Stephano, he thought the man looked burdened rather than happy. He could only imagine what transpired in his absence.

"Not too much later," Desmond under-exaggerated. "When the sun was down Leonor felt tired after drinking more."

Stephano gestured for Desmond to sit next to him at the head of the table. He wasn’t such a pompous king that he would expect the duke to give up the head of the table. However, he didn’t extend that to other nobles, interestingly enough.

"Oh?" Stephano said and sipped tea that had been brought while he waited for the meal. He placed the teacup down silently. "Did anything more interesting happen beyond that?"

Desmond scoffed, although he also put his elbows on the table and pushed his hands underneath his hood to smooth out the skin on his head in irritation.

Stephano knew he hit the nail on the head and he became amused. Desmond only behaved that way whenever he struck a nerve.

"I haven’t had enough sleep to deal with your pandering into my romantic life," Desmond said.

To Desmond’s relief, he didn’t have to elaborate further when their food was brought to them and Stephano knew not to speak about the lady of the house in front of servants.

The king noticed a maid take a tray of light food into the hallway. He realized then that Desmond must have held back when describing how much Leonor had drunk.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read