My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 104: Hiding an Escapee

Chapter 104: Hiding an Escapee

Leonor and Desmond’s responses happened simultaneously.

The duchess gasped and covered her mouth with her hands while Desmond uttered a "what the hell..." that surprised Leonor enough for her to glance at him despite her shock.

"What on Earth are you doing here, your majesty?" Leonor asked in disbelief.

She grabbed her skirts so they wouldn’t be caught under her feet and walked forward urgently. When she was one step above him, she properly curtsied for him. Desmond quickly followed his wife down the stairs to the unruly monarch but gave a slight bow.

The duke was less than pleased with the king’s response to his wife.

"Don’t act as if we didn’t trade letters for years on end, Leonor," he said, dropping all pretenses that he might use her title or act unfamiliar with her.

The last time they saw one another was when he showed her around Magia. Then he said he wouldn’t see her again for a long time.

His words reigned true. She hugged him before he left, which was the last real hug he received.

Since then, the only human contact he had was people shamelessly kissing his signet ring or when Desmond clung to him while he was in pain. It wasn’t an affectionate life he had.

Stephano held out his arms when Leonor stopped curtsying. She was shocked but relented. It was certainly an unexpected way for a king to treat one of his subjects.

Unable to go against the king, she stepped forward and gave him a friendly hug that lasted mere seconds. She hoped that the maids and Gideon didn’t read too much further into the situation.

Despite the briefness of their contact, she was taken back to when they were much younger and held much less responsibility. He relied on her for a second and she could tell he must have been stressed.

Desmond hated every second of their interaction despite considering the king his good friend.

"You went all this way without attendants?" she asked. "No aides and no guards?"

A coachman driving the carriage was the only person who went with him.

"I imagine they’ll find the letter if they look hard enough," Stephano admitted. "Then it’s up to them to find me."

Leonor’s mouth hung open in shock.

There were so many things wrong with the situation but she was powerless to stop him. In a moment of helplessness, she turned to glance at Desmond who was looming just behind her with crossed arms.

"Then you’re the mage who will be helping me for a month?" she asked in disbelief.

"His grace was looking for a mage on behalf of the duchess," Stephano quipped. "Why can’t I be that mage?"

Coming to terms with the situation, Leonor’s shoulder slumped but there was a smile on her face.

"You’re even further out of the Magic Academy than I am," Leonor observed.

"Are you doubting my abilities?" Stephano asked. Although, he wore a smirk, telling Leonor he didn’t quite care if she did or not.

"We’ll find out tomorrow, won’t we?" Leonor responded.

It was her turn to smirk.

She turned towards her husband who seemed to have gone silent.

"Shall we let him settle in then, your grace?" she asked.

Desmond nodded but he stepped further down the stairs. He offered his hand to the other man.

Stephano looked up at the duke and his light red eyebrows rose. He embraced the other man’s hand with his.

"I will see you both at dinner then," the king said. "Resting after riding for days on end would be for the best."

Strangely enough, Stephano raised his arm and his familiar came down from the sky as a large bird but quickly turned into the wolf-like dog she was when Leonor first met her.

To Leonor, it seemed the familiar was scouting out the area for an unknown reason. It was possible the king simply couldn’t be too careful.

"I will show you the way," Leonor said. "The guest area is near my room."

The king cast another glance at Desmond. It was clear he had a lot to say but was keeping his mouth shut for the couple’s sake.

There was a time when Desmond’s letters to Stephano made the young king believe he would tell Leonor his secret. Yet the duke went quiet outside of asking if Stephano had found a mage. He thought that perhaps something had developed between the duke and duchess but it seemed that it hadn’t.

Considering Leonor was his friend as much as Desmond, Stephano felt somewhat defensive of the girl. He wanted her to be happy.

He didn’t know how Desmond could be happy in the situation.

It must be difficult to live that way, he thought.

As appropriate for nobles, Leonor held onto Stephano’s elbow as they went inside. She was taking the role of woman of the house seriously.

Desmond’s unresolved jealousy made him seethe for a moment before he said a quick goodbye and retreated to his study to handle himself. It was ridiculous for him to be jealous that the two people he was closest to were friends.

Yet he couldn’t get the hug out of his thoughts or the way Leonor’s face lit up with joy at the sight of the king. He knew they had spent quite a while together but didn’t know anything beyond that.

With only the king and duchess left, they slowly walked through the hallways and she showed him around a few places.

Alara walked loyally at their side so Eve came out to sniff out the other familiar. Before he could rest in the guest room, Stephano stopped Leonor.

"You’re enjoying your time here?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

Leonor turned to him with raised eyebrows. It felt like something had fallen over all the three of them since the king arrived and she wasn’t entirely sure what wasn’t being said.

"I am," she said. "Although we’ll catch up on the specifics later."

"That we will," he responded with a small smile.

She couldn’t tell what he was thinking or why he was being somewhat prickly about something. All she could do was offer him a smile in return and hoped the strange mood left them by the time they all had to eat dinner with one another.