My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 255: Her Tormenters

Chapter 255: Her Tormenters

The trembling hands and jumpiness.

Quinn had seen them in Leonor before and he was seeing them again.

One thing Leonor could never hide from him was how incredibly different she was whenever she returned to school after staying in Burien for any amount of time.

Even a mere few days would make her return to how she was when she first met him. The Leonor he was used to at the Academy was outgoing and happy. He thought she was that way naturally but he found out that perhaps both sides of her were true. It simply depended on whether or not she had been subjected to her father for an extended period.

While he never heard specifically of what Count Mikael had done to his daughter until Stephano confided it in him, he knew that she was terrified of the very man she was forced to fall in line for.

After spending years experiencing this, Quinn noticed himself begin to stay in Magia more often and convinced Leonor to do the same. He felt bad for guilt-tripping her and pointing out things she needed to work on. Normally it was enough to keep her there and studying.

That was the only way he could guarantee she would stay the same and not close herself into the small box her father seemed to shove her inside of. If she was away from him, she was truly Leonor.

Even her magic suffered if she was in Burien for too long. It was certain her father, who looked down on mages, likely made it difficult for her to practice as much as she ought to.

Then Quinn found that she was worked too hard. Her father said if she wanted to turn away from her real responsibilities then she might as well push herself harder.

Depleting oneself of mana was just as detrimental to their mana pool as not exercising it.

After hearing that Leonor’s sister and father were in the capital, Quinn simply sat next to the duchess and stared at her miserably, not having a word of support to give. He couldn’t fake positivity to her nor could he say it would be fine. Everything would feel like a lie.

"Shall we go to my study?" he asked her. "There isn’t much for us to do down here anyway."

That way, Leonor would be able to talk more freely.

In the time he knew her, she constantly looked over her shoulder as she feared one of her father’s followers listening in to her conversations. Even as an adult married away and no longer under his thumb, he could understand that she wouldn’t want the trouble of someone overhearing and reporting it.

Even if he wasn’t the one in charge of her any longer, the feelings of fear within Leonor persisted.

"Yes," Leonor agreed.

As she stood up and grasped the hand offered to her, she needed help more than she could have realized. Sitting down for a mere few moments made her sore legs forget what it was like to stand. They resisted by causing her pain.

Their trip to the upper levels was mostly silent.

Quinn was occasionally bothered by a student but he moved along quite quickly since most were understanding that his purpose was to entertain the duchess while she was there.

Luckily the building was warm and there was no need for a fire with the magical devices running.

When they got to the study, Quinn allowed Leonor to sit in his comfortable reading chair and he started to brew them tea on a mana stone he kept hot for that exact purpose. He used the same blend of leaves he gave to Leonor the night before to restore her mana.

Each time she moved and groaned, he knew she was sore and he resisted teasing her.

"Why on Earth is she here?" Leonor finally sat up straighter in the chair and wondered. "What business does she have in the palace? There is no way our father would allow her to travel here alone or in winter. Camping is required to go from our home in Burien to the capital so why...?"

She had a few theories that she couldn’t bring herself to voice in front of someone who may be tormented by them.

The first was that Anna could be trying to place herself in front of King Stephano to catch his attention. Since Leonor was married off, many suspected that Anna could be the one to take the throne at Stephano’s side.

The thought was laughable, in Leonor’s opinion. Ever since they were teenagers, the type of girl Anna was repulsed Stephano.

However, she could understand if the pressure around him to marry was becoming too much. Even if he didn’t want it, why not make his life easier and allow her to do as she pleased?

It would also be beneficial to Stephano because he could continue to rule as he pleased. Since she wasn’t the one with royal blood, all she could hope to be was a Queen Consort rather than a Queen Regent who would have actual pull in the palace.

It would benefit Anna’s social life greatly and her need for material possessions.

Leonor went back and forth from feeling settled that a union between Anna and Stephano would never happen to feel sick that Stephano seemed exhausted and perhaps he had been worn down a bit.

She hoped he wouldn’t make any rational decisions.

"Didn’t you say before that you have a residence in the capital?" Quinn asked as he brought tea to the table beside Leonor. "Perhaps she is staying there for whatever reason. It isn’t uncommon for visiting nobles to want to visit the palace to pay their respects. The main palace is open to the public, after all."

Considering the King’s Guards at each entrance, she knew that was the case. Yet she knew her sister had a sharp tongue and convincing abilities that she witnessed develop as they got older and it made her skin crawl.

After Leonor thanked Quinn for the tea, they both sat there for a few moments, introspectively ruminating through the situation that day.

Quinn being Quinn couldn’t let go of their initial purpose for that day and he convinced Leonor to join him on sitting mats on the floor where they would exercise their mana and bring out their familiars to join in on the exercise.

At first, Leonor was unfocused, and Eve didn’t do what she wanted, but she eventually got the stubborn cat to sit still and they let their mana flow from themselves to their familiars and back to them for a while.

They even did more soothing exercises where they felt the various mana points in their body and made sure they were running smoothly and not blocked by anything.

As always, mana was as much mental as it was physical. With the sudden stress Leonor was under, she found herself blocking her mana pathways and having to start the exercise all over again.

Amidst one of their exercises, the King’s attendant came into the mage’s quarter and asked around for the head mage before being told to go up the narrow hallway and staircase on the second floor.

Quinn and Leonor were interrupted by a knock on the door.

The silver-haired mage answered it and Leonor got to her feet, wondering if one of the students or visiting mages needed assistance.

The attendant spoke first.

"Head mage, your grace," he greeted the two. "His Majesty has requested your presence in his study immediately."

He was quick to excuse himself, finding the narrow staircase to give him a bad feeling considering how dark it was since the sun wasn’t on that side of the building.

Leonor and Quinn exchanged a look of confusion after the man was gone.

"I wonder what it could be," Leonor uttered.

Was it related to the situation?

On the other hand, Quinn thought of the way Stephano came to him to say that he would need him soon and it caused his stomach to miserably turn over. He knew his solitude was going to get ruined soon and he was going to have to act appropriately for his position. After all, being at Stephano’s beck and call was what he signed up for, wasn’t it?

They both put on their cloaks and left the mage’s quarter with preconceived notions brewing in their minds.

After being sat in the King’s Study by a maid who brought them a few treats and refreshments, the two waited for only a short amount of time before Stephano rushed in followed by Desmond.

"Leonor," Stephano said and he quickly went to the woman’s side.

He grasped her hand and lowered himself to his knee in front of her which caused her to reel in horror.

"You mustn’t lower yourself to me, Your Majesty," she insisted. "What if someone was to see–?"

He cut her off.

"I am incredibly sorry you had to hear of your family’s arrival in the capital in such a way," he quickly apologized to his friend. "It is my fault for not filling you in on these plans before now. I only knew when I saw your sister that something had happened."

Leonor couldn’t imagine what Anna Marie could have said.

"It can’t be helped," Leonor uttered.

Desmond then went to her side and sat down on the couch beside her. The way he gave her a small smile, she wondered if there was much to say and if she wasn’t going to like it.