Chapter 134: Forcing His Hand

From the moment Desmond left Leonor behind to go to the border, he felt a sense of peace he wasn’t familiar with.

Someone was waiting for him to return. The trip he was going on was relatively safe and Leonor in the end was practically promised.

His future finally felt like it was worth living. All he had to do was get through confessing the truth to Leonor.

While it wouldn’t be easy, it would be necessary for them to ever move forward with one another.

The hug they shared made him certain she liked him for him at that moment without knowing who he was before. While he hadn’t fully shown her himself, he was certain she wasn’t disgusted with him.

While he could never compare to Valerio in terms of appearance, he could offer so much more than the poor stablehand. He hoped that outweighed the cons of his shortcomings at that moment.

Hopeful thoughts made the trip to the border unbearably long. With something to look forward to, he noticed every second.

Ever the patient duke despite the thoughts rushing through his heart and soul, Desmond managed to stay behind to help a wagon wheel get repaired while his men went forth. He didn’t want to be overwhelmingly eager but show restraint to his wife who was waiting for him to tell her what he promised her before.

He thought nothing of the wagon which would reveal the secret to Leonor. Gideon was there to receive the items so she wouldn’t need to interact with the incoming soldiers if she didn’t want to.

Desmond unbelievably underestimated his wife. She was more hands-on than normal because she rushed outside to see him despite him not being there yet. Once she was outside, she had to pretend she wasn’t aimless. If they sought direction, she would give it to him.

As Desmond went to the front of his home on horseback, he looked at all the people on the steps, unloading the items left from the war.

Despite all of the items being carried from wagons, Desmond didn’t particularly care about the items themselves but the way it would help with the investigation regarding the war.

Many questions would be answered: Why was it started? How could it have gone differently? Was it something they would need to prepare for in the future?

There were a few items, however, that Desmond did care for.

The duke dismounted his horse and went towards a trunk that sat in his makeshift barrack the entirety of the war. It was the only thing he had left from the orphanage. He was honored when the headmaster allowed him to take it despite it being a valuable storage item.

As Valerio, he placed all of his things in that trunk with such care. He kept it devoid of dust and mud so his keepsakes from Leonor would be preserved. The longer the war went on, he started carving a sword into the side of the trunk and nearly finished it before the dragon attacked.

When the dragon burnt down most of the tent village the soldiers created, it occurred to him that he would never see the trunk again. The cloak, calendar, and notebook containing a tattered ribbon from Leonor were lost to the fire. He had accepted and mourned that loss.

However, the hope returned and grew larger when he saw the trunk loaded into a wagon. The trunk was burnt but wasn’t penetrated by anything other than smoke.

He told his men to take care of the trunk. It was his lifeline during dark times, after all.

He knew that taking it to the estate was a risk but he was going to tell her about who he was anyway. Perhaps he would bring the cloak to prove his claims.

As the duke lifted the lid of the trunk, he was taken aback to see the cloak missing. He remembered the day very well. It was too warm by the fire to wear a cloak so he put it in the trunk, always sure to do what he could to preserve it even though he had worn it to shreds by then. Having it close to him was like having Leonor nearby.

Finding out she had something to remind him of in the shape of the lilac, his heart beat quickly. They were like one another in the way they loved each other

The disappointment of missing something so important to him was immeasurable. It felt unlikely that someone stole it considering how tattered it was. Much of the items left in the makeshift barracks were buried under the canvas that made up the tents and impossible to reach anyway until the men went north to clean up the area.

Desmond’s jaw was clenched but he tried hard to swallow down the negativity. He had Leonor waiting for him. That was more than enough.

Even if he couldn’t prove who he was with a physical item, the secrets he knew about her and memories together would have to be enough.

Desmond’s eye scanned the front entrance of the manor but he didn’t see the person he was looking for.

He continued up the steps, knowing he could trust the soldiers and maids to find proper places for everything.

As he made it through the threshold of the front door, he stopped Gideon when he saw the man wearing a strained expression.

It was enough to distract the butler from recognizing that his master had returned home. That in itself was enough to make Desmond worried. Gideon was the most attentive of everyone in his home.

"Is everything alright?" Desmond asked the butler.

Gideon seemed to startle but straightened himself out just as quickly.

"Your grace, please forgive me," he said. "I was lost in thought."

"Did anything happen while I was away?" Desmond asked.

Gideon removed his perch glasses and put them in the breast pocket of his vest. He wasn’t normally one to lose his composure like that.

"I’m not quite sure what her grace has discovered," he admitted, "But she returned to her room saying she felt sick after checking on the items the soldiers arrived with. I had a maid check on her."

Desmond’s heart dropped.

"Did she take anything from the items brought from Letum?" the duke asked.

"Now that you mention it," Gideon realized, "she had something in her arms when she returned to her room."

Desmond uttered a curse and Gideon reeled. He would never get used to foul language.

"I have to see her," Desmond said, escaping quickly and leaving Gideon more confused.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read