My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 180: Valuing Each Other

Chapter 180: Valuing Each Other

"I was always told I wouldn’t be valuable in combat, but I wasn’t aware just how true that was," Leonor admitted from where she sat on a small, low bed she would be sharing with Desmond that night. "Each of them probably faced a few gris while a mere monster was too much for me."

A blanket was around her shoulders since she still felt shaky from before. Her knees were pulled to her chest and she wore a disappointed expression.

Sure enough, Desmond’s trust in his men was reasonable. They all returned mostly unscathed. The biggest issue was fighting off monsters while the two wagons with their valuable supplies were pulled up the hillside and finally brought to flat ground. Getting it up safely was what took most of the time.

Again, the burden of bringing her along had caused them a problem, though she would try to hold it in. It felt pointless to complain about something Desmond had ordered of the others. She would have to hope they weren’t saying nasty things about her behind her back or even in their thoughts.

She tried to be as low maintenance as possible yet she was a noblewoman through and through. Along with her came complications.

Desmond had been preparing the bath for himself and Leonor. Since it was harder to get water in the outpost, men had to bring in a large wooden basin of water that was heated up for the ducal couple to enjoy. Soap, towels, and extra water were provided as well.

He put out a towel so Leonor would have something to rest her head against and he made sure their trunks of clothing were in one piece. Despite the dust that had collected because of the likely fast ride to the outpost, everything inside was beautifully intact and untouched by the circumstances.

Hearing that Leonor was putting herself down, Desmond walked towards her, unbuttoning and pushing up his sleeves as he made his way over.

"If they saw the way you put up a shield, anyone would know you have the instincts to save yourself in combat," he argued. "Regardless, I will make sure you never have to face war. I will keep you from the front lines. If it’s our home you’re protecting and I’m away only then will I be more understanding."

He pushed the blanket off Leonor’s shoulders and helped her out of her dress. She moved completely at his will while she remained deep in thought.

Before she realized it, she was completely naked and the ever-insatiable man next to her was interested in feeling her body before he would place her in the bath and help her bathe. She felt like a doll but he was the only person allowed to treat her in such a way.

The warm water that went up to nearly her shoulders calmed her down. The trembling ceased and she closed her eyes as she could finally enjoy the situation around her.

The water was an embrace she had longed for while her husband’s hands cleaning every inch of her felt like bliss. She managed to let out a relieved sigh. Traveling was so much harder on her body than she remembered.

Although it made sense considering she had never faced monsters on any of the travels she had taken on in her past. Montclair was much closer to danger than she could have ever realized. The walls around Piedmont and their estate no longer felt like an overreaction.

Leonor came back to reality the moment she heard Desmond stand up and his belt loosen. His pants fell to the floor and he shamelessly bared himself for her to see. While his shirt was pulled over his head, the duchess took her time taking in the body he had hidden from her for over a year.

Each muscle that tensed and released as he moved deserved her lips against it. She wanted to soothe every inch of him yet she was the one in the bath being treated like a princess.

His newfound shamelessness gave her butterflies. He was becoming the man he was meant to be. He acted beautiful because he truly was beautiful.

Desmond climbed into the bath himself, though he moved Leonor and sat behind her with her between his legs.

He was much easier to wash than she was and he rinsed himself off with clean water before deciding to lean into the side and rest there with Leonor against his chest and his arms around her.

Despite his hands becoming a bit more explorative than she asked, she still managed to hold a conversation with him. While his calloused hands against her soft, olive-toned skin wasn’t something she could easily get used to, she was finding ways to accept it.

"One more day of travel and then..." she mused.

"Two days in Montville," he explained with his rough voice quiet, having been completely spent that day. His eye was closed. "Three days of travel after that until we reach Oues. The last region is only a day further than that. It will take three or four days to return to Piedmont as long as it doesn’t rain or snow."

Leonor was satisfied with this answer and she slid against Desmond’s body until she was facing him. Her legs were outstretched with his. He slid further into the water so she could rest with her chest against his stomach.

His eyes were shut as they moved together. Everything he did with her was entirely a reaction to a thought or a response to her body next to his. They were becoming more in tune with one another and finding a comfortable rhythm.

Leonor’s hands were wet but they breached the water’s surface and slid up Desmond’s drying skin. Her left hand went behind him so she could hug him as she continued her exploration with her right hand.

Her fingers brushed up the center of his chest and to his collarbones. They went higher and found a home on his neck for a moment. She soon found his chiseled chin.

It occurred to her that, even with the scars, she should have recognized his bone structure. To give herself some grace, she had to remind herself he never showed her his entire face at once. There was always a bit obscured if he didn’t just wear bandages to hide from her.

He turned his head and kissed her fingers when they made it to his scarred cheek.

"You were so impressive today," she uttered listlessly, clearly exhausted from the day even though they hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

His eye opened and he was met with sapphire orbs staring back at him.