My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 231: Finding Trouble Elsewhere

Chapter 231: Finding Trouble Elsewhere

At the thought of all the nervousness she had to manage just to step foot in the capital much less the palace, being teased set Leonor off and she was ready to spar the King. Normally he was the hotheaded one but it seemed he rubbed off on her in the short month they had to train with one another.

Momentarily, Desmond was amused at Leonor’s quick temper but he saw that she was serious and he had to glance at Stephano with a pleading look, begging him to stand down.

He didn’t step forward, wanting to see if she would truly do something to the King. However, with the throne room teeming with guards, he knew it wasn’t the right decision.

The duke turned to his wife and gently uttered her name, hoping that it was enough to snap her out of her irritation.

That was the trouble with their familiarity with one another. At times their relationship became like that of siblings rather than King and subject the way it was supposed to be.

"I warned you that she wouldn’t take well to your joking," Quinn uttered from the side of the throne where he had remained since the duke and duchess walked into the long narrow hall. "You’re so flippant in your consideration, Your Majesty."

It was Quinn’s words that caused Leonor to lower her hand and her blue eyes darted to him, finding his silvery orbs to be calming. Offensive magic was his, after all. She knew that it was his job to subdue unruly mages in the castle and that was how she was behaving.

"It’s cruel to tease your friends in such a way, Your Majesty," Leonor uttered, folding her hands appropriately in front of her to seem smaller as if she hadn’t just threatened the King with an attack.

"You’re right, Leonor," King Stephano relented. "I felt like getting even but now I’ve lost interest. However, I’m more interested in the way this bodyguard of yours is behaving as if I was the one who was holding attack magic."

He reached towards Desmond and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was sure to stay on the steps that went up to the throne, giving him a height advantage for once.

"I’ve written to you extensively that I would choose Leonor over anyone else, Your Majesty," Desmond admitted, shrugging the monarch’s hand off.

"I can’t win with you people," Stephano muttered. "Under the threat of war and all of my friends still behave so cruelly to me."

"I apologize," Leonor said. "When I’m being teased in such a way it reminds me of the month of training we did with one another. You were quite quick-witted then as well, Your Majesty."

This caused Stephano to crack a genuine smile. The facade that he was an overbearing ruler with a nasty personality was crumbling.

He wouldn’t admit that he was relieved Leonor didn’t seem to be angry with him any longer despite the secrets he kept from her. They would have to have a heart-to-heart over it later because the ducal couple would be within his grasp for a while.

Being the fact that the last thing he said was inviting them to the capital, he wondered if they thought his move to summon them was purposeful.

There was much to be revealed.

His first order of business was talking to Desmond in private.

"Now that our greetings are out of the way, I have business to attend to in the council chamber with the duke," Stephano said. "Quinn, if you could entertain her grace until we reconvene again for dinner, I would appreciate it."

A smile appeared on Leonor’s pink lips and she glanced towards Quinn.

However, before moving forward, she turned to Desmond.

"I will be in good hands then, your grace," she said to Desmond. "Please summon me if you need anything."

"Of course," Desmond said and he placed a gloved hand on Leonor’s shoulder, wishing he could do far more than that. "Please be safe."

She nodded before turning to Stephano.

"Your Majesty," she bowed slightly, dismissing herself from the front of the throne and walking towards the mage.

Leonor walked to her former mana partner and she held out a hand, testing how well he had been trained in palace customs.

Immediately putting on a proper facade rather than the relaxed one he often wore, he reached for Leonor’s hand and kissed the back of it.

"How wonderful to see you again, your grace," he greeted her.

Her curtsy was far less extravagant than the one offered to the King, but she still splayed her dress with her left hand and bowed her head politely.

"I thought you were meant to be traveling," she said. "You only just left Montclair."

"In the same way that you were summoned so suddenly, I was called back to the palace as well," Quinn admitted. "It seems His Majesty simply can’t bear to be away from his most highly favored mage, after all."

"We’re all at his whim," Leonor observed. "It must be nice to have such flexible friends and exercisable power."

Her voice took on a sarcastic edge that teased Stephano and made him feel a bit prickly. He could tell she was punishing him for the small ordeal. Perhaps he should stop teasing her and talk to her more seriously sooner than he expected to have to.

Before more could be said, Leonor’s left hand was on Quinn’s right arm and she was guided to a side entrance that led through a courtyard. In the distance, there were towers where the palace mages did most of their work.

"I’m going to show you to my labs and office so you can see what sort of funding palace mages are backed with," Quinn admitted. "Perhaps then I will fully convince you to join us."

Leonor already had an answer in her heart after the conversation with Alma, but she was going to let Quinn convince her anyway. It was the only place in the palace she had never explored.

After her mother’s passing, her father pretended like that aspect of her life didn’t exist and he would force her to see other noble children in the common areas of the palace if it was unavoidable. Only then did she get nice dresses.

Stephano, during those times, was heavily involved in mana practice if he wasn’t studying in the Academy during those times already. She must have missed meeting him a dozen times in all her visits to the capital.

As Leonor and Quinn went on, she huddled closer to her friend.

While the walk itself was beautiful, the autumn wind was chilling considering the neckline of her dress. She didn’t wear a cloak that day considering her plans to remain inside. It seemed that no matter what she would have to walk between buildings after all.

Noticing that his friend was cold, Quinn said, "I will have a student prepare restorative tea. Perhaps you can give the students a quick show if you’re feeling up to it."

Leonor’s eyebrows raised and her eyes widened, though a grin of disbelief was on her lips.

"Perhaps I will have more fun in the palace today than I realized," she admitted. "I should have worn a dress that’s easier to move in."