My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 260: Give and Take

Chapter 260: Give and Take

What had happened?

Stephano wasn’t particularly sure himself.

The monarch stared into the slowly growing fire and gently swirled the wine around in his glass as he became contemplative.

He couldn’t get the strange things Quinn had been saying out of his head. He called himself a bad friend a couple of days before. Then he considered himself too far gone.

"I would have to understand what Quinn is thinking to tell you just what happened when we were sparring," Stephano admitted. "All I know is my perspective. I can give you that much."

His golden hazel eyes broke away from the fire and he took a sip of the wine he had been aerating nervously.

"By all means," Leonor responded, unable to help her curiosity.

"He’s been so resistant to me and avoidant of me, I wasn’t expecting him to accept my spar," Stephano admitted. "Perhaps I had offered it out of frustration. Yet when he accepted the spar and even lunch, I thought that perhaps he was over this charade. I am certainly over it."

Leonor listened thoughtfully, only lightly sipping her wine so it wouldn’t hit her all at once if at all. She already had half a glass that evening and was especially hesitant to have more.

Stephano continued.

"During the spar, I teased him as I normally do," Stephano admitted. "I always give him a hard time. I have since the beginning and I figured that time was no different. Yet he was unleashing his mana as if he had a vendetta against me. He scratched my face by hitting enchanted dirt and rock. And my shoulder..."

Stephano pointedly placed his glass on a low bench near his chair and he loosened the strings of his tunic. Sure enough, his ghostly pale shoulder revealed a sizable bruise.

"He did that to you!?" Leonor exclaimed. "And the guards did nothing?"

"They reacted but I made them stay back," he admitted. "By the time Quinn hit my shoulder he was hardly focused any longer. He told me to treat him like a man and when I asked if I could fix it, he said he’s too far gone."

By the time he was finished with his explanation, Stephano had straightened out his shirt and wore a grim expression on his face. He didn’t hold back his disappointment in the situation. He just wanted Quinn back and them to continue on as always.

"I’m sorry, Stephano," Leonor uttered. "You’re already dealing with so much outside of this situation with Quinn..."

She had to stop herself before she said more.

Ever since she knew why Quinn seemed to despise Stephano at times, she had a feeling the King wouldn’t be disgusted or disappointed if he ever confessed to anything. Stephano was far more accepting than anyone could have ever imagined. Even if he was the King, he wasn’t typical nor was he particularly fond of old fashioned, conservative ideals. She knew because they used to send one another pages worth of letters with each response. She started feeling bad for his familiar each time she brought a heavy letter.

"I thought that bringing him into the palace would give me more time with him," Stephano confessed. "I never knew a friend could make me feel this miserable."

"I hope he talks to you," Leonor responded weakly. "I want to leave this place knowing you’re taken care of. I already know you’re not eating much and you work from morning to night without much enjoyment in anything. Desmond has expressed his worries thoroughly."

She sipped wine and had a fond smile on her lips.

It caused Stephano to cringe at her.

"Even when he isn’t with you, I can’t escape your sappiness," the King uttered. "At times I wonder how I would behave if I was that stupidly in love with another person."

"You would be very angry," Leonor admitted with a laugh. "You would also think that they have taken advantage of you in some way. Perhaps you would think they pulled a trick to get you in such a state of caring for them. I truly hope that one day I get to experience you like that. You have a lot to offer someone else."

Leonor sighed lightly. She had someone in mind but it would likely never happen. It would be too easy yet too complicated at the same time.

Stephano seemed palpably ill at the thought of loving someone like that. He was angry enough at one of his friends, in his opinion. He didn’t want to know how frustrating a lover could be.

The conversation died down for a moment as the two contemplated what had just been brought up. It allowed Stephano’s mind to stray towards what Leonor told him in the first place.

"Now that we have that out of the way, perhaps you can finally tell me just what made you want to go on a walk with me so badly," Stephano pried. "I gave you what you wanted. Give me what I want."

"Not the King at the moment yet barking orders all the same," Leonor teased.

However, her words were in place of the nervousness she felt at what she wanted to say to Stephano. It felt like it had been built up too much in her mind.

"Please," he scoffed.

"Well since you’re having problems with your small circle of friends, I won’t add to your problems," Leonor assured him. "I just wanted to tell you that I am fully committed to joining your mage endeavor. I believe I can learn my role as duchess alongside reemerging myself in the magic society of this kingdom."

Stephano didn’t hold back his relieved smile. He clutched the armrest of his chair tightly.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," Stephano said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I was shocked that you needed time to think about it in the first place. What changed?"

"Speaking to one of the other noble ladies in Montclair, sparring with Quinn, seeing all the students working on their skills in the mage’s quarter... The list goes on," Leonor admitted. "Though I have to wonder how many of mine and Desmond’s secrets you might know. That was another deciding factor."

Stephano’s light eyebrows rose.

"I know everything there is to know," he said. "I have to because I was the one who put those secrets in place. I had to burden Desmond to give him such power that would allow him to take you out of your selfish father’s house."

Leonor offered a small, tight-lipped smile but it came off as sad to Stephano. He felt guilt eating away at his heart.

"Then you know Desmond and I don’t need an heir," she responded softly. "If I don’t have to mother anyone, why should I not focus on whatever I want to?"

"I understand," Stephano said. "Is this all against your will?"

"My entire life has been against my will," she admitted. "I simply have to wrap my mind around rearranging my expectations."

Stephano nodded. He felt awful for hurting Leonor in multiple ways. Yet she still wanted to be his friend.

"If you want to blame anyone for making those decisions without you, please blame me," Stephano said. "It was my advisory council who said he must have an heir established to take the west so it never lays empty as it did before. He needed a title to make a marriage enquiry with your father. Otherwise the count would have laughed it off."

"Unfortunately, I understand that," Leonor said. "My father will torment me for the rest of my life, it seems."

"I understand. My father still haunts me even though he’s been dead for years now."

Leonor was staring at the fire but her sapphire eyes snapped up to Stephano.

"What a horrifying thought," she said. "I hope you find a way to move past it. I hope I do as well."

"I will see to it that he doesn’t bother you during the ball," Stephano assured her. "That man has to behave in my palace. He’s already on thin ice due to complaints about his appearance the last time he attended an advisory council meeting."

Leonor’s eyebrows lowered, it was the first time she was hearing about this.

"His appearance?" she asked.

"Overall unkempt," Stephano explained. "Hotheaded and unable to control himself."

Even though her father was her tormentor, she still felt greatly concerned about it. He was someone who never had a hair misplaced on his head. Even if he was horrible to her, he made sure to put his best foot forward for the capital–especially the king.

"How very strange..." she trailed off.

"I plan to have people watching him when he’s here," Stephano admitted. "It’s time to uncover what’s under the surface."

"Please, don’t hold back," Leonor requested. "I would be interested to see that for myself."

She didn’t think he was part of the many with shady business dealings considering his money was old and most of his ventures were established.

After that, their conversation became much more casual. Stephano realized he was burdening Leonor with a lot that evening.

He wanted to catch up with his friend as Stephano and not the miserable monarch who only knew loneliness.