Chapter 146: Both Valerio and Desmond

Leonor’s hands went over her face at the noise she had just made. Her face was blushing before but she knew it was entirely red at that moment.

She missed Desmond grinning down at her in a way so much like Valerio. It was the first time he grinned in a long time.

"Shall I explore that noise further?" he whispered.

His arms were under her back and he lowered his mouth to her neck again but she pushed on his shoulders.

"I’m embarrassed," she uttered. "No one has kissed me there before."

"I would certainly hope not," he muttered.

Since she was insistent on hiding her face, he decided to give her a bit of grace and rested his cheek against her chest. He used her as a pillow even though his arms underneath her bore most of his weight.

Her heartbeat was soothing him as he calmed himself down. It turned out she was just as affected by the situation as he was.

Eventually she lowered her hands and they went to Desmond’s back. Her blue eyes matched the sky as she stared at passing clouds. The moment was idyllic as she experienced things she never thought were possible. Her life was starting to feel like the romance stories she filled her head with when she was feeling lonely at the beginning of their marriage.

"I should have known it was you," she said. "I could never love someone the way I love you."

"You’re my solace in a life that became a nightmare," he admitted. "At times I felt jealous of Valerio for being able to get to know you this way I couldn’t."

Leonor had noticed since she found out his secret, he referred to Valerio as if he were a separate entity even though they were very much the same.

"You’re both the same person," she whispered. "You could have had me this way so much sooner if you let me in on your secret before."

"My biggest regret is lying to you," he admitted. "I’ll work to make it up each day."

"I don’t blame you for it," Leonor reminded him. "I understand your reasoning so please be kind to yourself."

They settled down once again and Leonor softly rubbed circles into Desmond’s strong back. She felt a strange urge to remove his shirt and witness each valley or peak of the muscles she felt.

As thoughts turned less innocent, she was certain he could hear her heartbeat quicken, though she wouldn’t address it.

Desmond was so relaxed he feared he might actually fall asleep and burden her with the weight of his body above hers.

Before he could go too far, he heard her stomach growl and he sat up suddenly.

"That’s right," Desmond said. "The maids packed us lunch that we haven’t come close to touching."

Leonor was embarrassed and she smiled shyly.

"Then let’s eat in the shade," she said. "Just sitting here I feel my face has grown darker."

"Let it," he said. "Your skin is the most beautiful I’ve seen."

The shy smile became wider. He was sounding more like the man she remembered. That day they had barreled forward into new levels of their relationship only to realize they were starting where they left off.

As he complimented her skin, she wondered if it was because he was from Eirenguard where the people had pale skin. Her mother’s family was from a kingdom even further northeast than Magia and everyone from that place had a dark olive complexion like she did. Nobles and commoners alike looked like her. She always wanted to visit with her mother but never got the chance.

Desmond lifted himself off of Leonor and they walked to their horses who were grazing in the field. There was a pack on Desmond’s horse he retrieved before placing a blanket down on soft grass and taking out items for them to eat.

There was a bottle of ale and wooden cups, but Desmond uncorked it and drank straight from it. After what they had done, he couldn’t pretend they weren’t familiar with each other in such a way.

As Desmond placed out the rest of their food, Leonor took a sip of the spiced ale as well and she smiled.

"After getting sick from drinking so much of this at the festival, I thought it would give me bad memories to drink it again, but I’m finding the sweet taste is making me forget that night.

"You forgot much of that night, it turns out," Desmond said.

His eyes were on the wooden plates he placed cheese, crackers, cured meats, and dried fruits upon. There was even a container of purple berries he set out for them to enjoy.

"What are you referring to?" she asked hesitantly.

However, before Desmond could answer, Eve came running from tall grass in the field and she leaped onto her master’s lap.

"What do you know, Eve?" she asked.

She picked up the cat and was instantly let in on the memories of that night where she begged Desmond to stay until she slept and admitted to caring about him.

Leonor’s eyes widened and she glanced at Desmond who could only sit back and see how she responded to that night.

After getting the answer she had sought, she held the cat close to her chest and gently scratched her head.

"I suppose I was a bit overbearing that night," she muttered.

"Not at all," he said. "I hadn’t been that happy in quite some time. You clung to me as if I was an important person to you."

Desmond pulled out a cheese knife from the bag and he started cutting small slivers of cheese off the block. He offered a piece to Leonor directly to her mouth and she didn’t hesitate to take it.

After chewing and swallowing the deliciously dry cheese, she responded, "Even before I knew everything, you were important to me."

Leonor returned the favor by holding a berry in front of his lips and he took it, making sure to bite her fingertip as he did. She pulled back her hand in surprise.

"I feel you’ve unlocked something in me that I don’t want to hold back any longer," he admitted with a glint in his eye.

She knew it was her turn to be afraid.

"I look forward to whatever you decide to do to me," she admitted. "I have been starved of affection since you left."

"Then I’m making up for lost time," he said.

Desmond and Leonor spent a couple more hours feeding each other food and stealing kisses in between bites. They truly did make the most of the day and got to learn each other as more newlyweds than as they were before.

When they arrived back at the estate, they were offered a late dinner and, after Desmond walked Leonor back to her room, she stopped him.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read