My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 278: His Duty

Chapter 278: His Duty

Desmond and King Stephano were the last to leave the meeting room, but after a long silence, Desmond decided to get out of there.

Since the sun had fully set by that point, he knew he was simply prolonging the inevitable. He needed to figure out how to fit sleeping, preparing for the journey that would happen the next day, and spending as much time as he possibly could with Leonor.

He didn’t know how he was going to break the news to her in the first place.

They were enjoying their newly wed life thoroughly. It felt like nothing could come between them. Yet he knew that, at the back of his head, there was constantly a worry burning about being permanently separated from her if he truly did have to return to Eirenguard.

The moment he saw her with a red eye, she was going to know that something drastic had happened.

Desmond didn’t know how long he stuck to the end of the hallway where he was supposed to walk out of the main palace and walk back to the Queen’s where his wife was likely just waking up. He stared out one of the windows not sure of anything for a while.

When he finally gained the courage to face perhaps the hardest part of his journey, he reached out his gloved hand but was stopped when a "Your grace" was heard behind him.

Considering it was Stephano’s voice he knew he had to turn back around.

"Your Majesty," Desmond greeted, keeping it proper in the palace where there were still people visiting.

"You left the meeting room nearly a half hour ago," Stephano observed.

"I..." Desmond trailed off, deciding to choose his words carefully. "I’m unsure of how to tell Leonor the truth. She’s going to be mad at me. She’ll be mad at you as well."

Stephano sighed.

"That was one of my highest considerations," he admitted. "I will have to host a woman who despises me for sending her husband away even though it was his idea that he’s going."

"I’m the only one who can change their minds," Desmond spoke confidently, even though he wasn’t confident about Leonor he was confident about Eirenguard. "I want to show them how their lives could be benefitted if there is no more bloodshed."

"That’s what I want," Stephano said. "I believe in your message and hope that Cian is prepared to lay down his life for you."

"Now I must talk to Leonor," Desmond said. "I’ve put it off for too long."

The King nodded. He had his own problems to deal with.

"Good luck."

They would both need it.

The early morning was biting cold but it was so beautiful to see the sun reflecting off of all the ice crystals in the garden that got significantly less uniform the closer Desmond got to the Queen’s Palace.

He wanted to enjoy himself but knew that it would be impossible with everything hanging over his head.

With no other choice, he continued on to the palace and Beth met him near the front door asking if he required anything.

"If Leonor hasn’t had breakfast yet, prepare something for us both," he requested. "Bring it to the room, please."

With that, he went down the hallway and up the grand stairs that would take him where he needed to go.

As he went, he took off his gloves and cloak. When he walked through the hidden door to their room, he took off his boots as well. The urge to be comfortable and climb into bed was impossible to resist–especially if Leonor was still in bed.

To his relief, she was there and it looked like she had just woken up.

However, her soft, tired smile and naturally wavy hair slightly tousled from sleeping made Desmond terrified. The urge to climb into bed was fleeting realized he was going to disturb her peace.

Seeing him not walk forward further made a frown appear on Leonor’s face instead and she swiftly stood up, not caring at the sheerness of her nightgown or anything else.

Only steps from her husband, she gasped at the sight of his red eye.

"What happened?" she asked, moving quickly the rest of the way. "Why is your eye red?"

"Please hug me for a few moments," Desmond requested.

She relented wordlessly and wrapped her arms around him. Even though he had worn a cloak, he still smelled like the cold outdoors and she inhaled him as much as she could. It was almost like she knew it would be taken away from her soon.

Knowing that he hadn’t slept yet, Leonor let go of him but she grabbed for his hand instead. With little convincing, she pulled him so they could go to the bed together.

She scooted until her back was against pillows and the headboard she then opened her arms and knees and gestured for Desmond to give himself to her. She wanted to be his pillow while he explained whatever was bothering him so badly.

He couldn’t resist her and he settled into her arms, using her chest as a pillow and relishing in the feeling of her arms wrapped around his neck and her knees on either side of him. He placed one of his hands over hers and his other drifted to her leg which he gently held with his large palm.

"Tell me, Desmond," she said.

He had to close his eye.

There was nothing else he could do except for be completely honest.

"Tomorrow I will set off for Eirenguard," he practically whispered since his throat was still irritated from how much he talked before. "I will go with Cian and Quinn to try and convince them to cease creation of magical weapons to overthrow the Castillian kingdom. Stephano promises reparations and rights to their land, they just have to put their weapons down."

While he called the Eirenguardians them

he didn’t feel so different from them in the way that all both kingdoms tried to do was preserve themselves and all they had worked for. He felt like calling the entirety of both kingdoms we but he didn’t truly know if they would ever get to that point.

It was Leonor’s greatest fear coming to life before her and all she could do was shut her mouth tightly or she felt she might cry.

When they were first married, her ideal situation was him often going off to battles so he could leave her alone and she could live quietly by herself. Things had changed so much because, the thought of not waking up next to him as she did that morning, was so very horrifying.

"How safe will it be?" she whispered since that was all she could muster up at that moment.

Her grip on Desmond had tightened as if it would be enough to keep him from leaving–as if she could stop the impending battles just because she didn’t want him to go.

"They will kill Castillians, but they won’t kill an Eirenguardian," he admitted softly. "That’s why I will be Desmond Carthach and not Duke Montclair. I will leave my title in Montclair and you will be the highest ranked of our duchy while I am away."

Leonor pressed her chin into the top of Desmond’s head softly, trying to keep it from trembling. He said that she was the highest ranked and she felt she needed to be stronger even though she felt particularly flimsy at that moment.

However, Desmond sat up slightly so he could turn and meet Leonor’s eyes.

The moment she saw his ruby eye, what she was trying to hold back came forth and the reality that he wouldn’t be next to her for quite some time struck her.

It was his turn to hold her as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down against the pillows and next to him. All he could do was hug her while she cried because he had no other words of comfort.

It was hard to speak anyway because a few tears escaped his newly ruby eye. He felt like he was purposefully breaking both of their hearts at the same time.

The duke and duchess were a pile of tears for what felt like eons until Beth politely knocked on the door and interrupted them. She had brought them breakfast but wasn’t expecting to be met with two people with red eyes looking so sad and pathetic.

She had to divert her eyes, knowing she would eventually find out what was happening. If it was anything bad, it was the duke and duchess’ duty to tell their staff.

After a quiet breakfast where the two of them didn’t eat much or talk much, the desire to sleep had left Desmond entirely and he decided he ought to fill the staff in on what was happening and how much he needed their discretion in that moment.

During times of war, noble houses often cut spending and the spouses of soldiers would dress less adorned to honor those suffering on the front lines but, because it wasn’t yet war, Desmond instructed them to continue on as they always did. Only the King’s most trusted knew of the plans.

The secret getting out would be what killed him if he came to that.

Unfortunately, that also meant that Desmond had to request his will from Montclair to be sent to the Queen’s Palace. It was chilling have to give that order in the first place.

With that, Desmond and Leonor went to bed incredibly early but it wasn’t a passionate affair as one might hope. They didn’t make love but held onto each other until tears started again and there was nothing left to cry.

Reality would return the following morning but for the time being, they decided to pretend nothing existed outside of each other.