My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 288: Not Waiting Any Longer

Chapter 288: Not Waiting Any Longer

Desmond’s life crumbled in his hands as Eve disintegrated into nothingness.

His ruby eye stared in horror at what was left of his wife’s familiar and he began trembling.

Quinn’s familiar, Sterling, started to shriek loudly as if it knew something terrible had just happened. Even though it was a creature made entirely of mana, it knew Eve well.

He had the horrific thought that Eve was gone forever. There was no way for someone who wasn’t a mage to know whether or not that was the truth.

However, that wasn’t his focus.

To him, Eve was Leonor. The state of Eve was a direct correlation to the state of Leonor. He knew immediately that something horrible had happened and he had no one to commiserate with or validate his paranoias with.

He was risking the lives of Quinn and Cian by going to Leonor and he knew how selfish he was for doing that but she was everything to him. He wouldn’t be able to go forward if it weren’t with her.

Rather than searching for a place to sleep as he planned to, Desmond continued in the direction he was supposed to go based on the map Cian lent him and the warnings of Sterling who seemed to be in as much of a panic as him after seeing Eve be destroyed like that.

Even if he was pushed to exhaustion and unable to take another step forward, he needed to be sure he was that much closer to Leonor and trying his best to be sure she was still there waiting for him on the other side.

They had been apart for only two weeks. Why could he not trust the world with her?

The moment he was gone, she was pulled back into her father’s web. Who there was insistent on hurting her? They had to know by then that hurting her was hurting him. Any harm they did to a Montclair was punishable as he saw fit and he knew Stephano would support any decision he made.

Was it her father? Was he pretending to be ill?

His rage started to grow.

That damned count was the reason he looked the way he did in the first place and now he was trying to take more from him.

Paranoia was enough for Desmond to keep going. After a while, the path went downhill and took much less energy to move.

The path would have been completely dark since the sky was cloudy and covering the moon but Sterling did its best to light the path considering it was made of mana and had its own silver source of light.

He started to see the outskirts of places he recognized. While it had been years since he was in Burien, he had explored the place thoroughly the older he got and the further he was allowed to go from the orphanage.

Desmond could tell that he was getting exhausted but nothing mattered more than ensuring Leonor was alright. It felt like he was choosing her over an impending war that would certainly betray the entire kingdom.

He didn’t know which duties of his were most important at that moment.

Of course, even when he was in the township that made up most of Burien County, von Burien’s manor was on the furthest edge that one had to climb another hill to even go to. Once on top, his lands were expansive. It was a beautiful location despite how much the very Burien name was tainted for him.

When he finally made it to Burien Manor, Desmond told Sterling to return to his master, quietly apologizing to the familiar that he had no mana to help it on its journey the way he had seen Stephano and Quinn do to each other’s familiars before.

However, even in his apology to the familiar, his feet didn’t stop moving as he went up the path that led to the gate. The place was devoid of guards despite how early in the morning it was and he pushed through easily with little concern for anything else.

What was even more surprising was Royal Guards coming out of bushes that lined the property and rushing up to him with swords drawn. It felt eerie.

"State your purpose for being here," one of the guards ordered.

All it took was Desmond removing his hood for them to realize who it was. They were of the King’s most trusted so they had been filled in on the truth. They knew the duke was meant to be in Eirenguard.

"Forgive us, your grace," the other guard said and they both bowed.

"Unnecessary," he said. "I am under orders from the King to check on my wife. Are you the ones who are meant to be guarding her? When was the last time you had eyes on her?"

The guards exchanged a look with one another and stood up straight.

"She hasn’t been leaving the manor," one explained. "It has been two days since we’ve been able to see her through various windows. Although, it isn’t out of the norm. The bedroom she is staying in is on the second floor where visibility is more difficult."

"I’m aware of where my wife stays when she visits her father," Desmond snapped.

Considering it was him and he finally had permission, he brushed past them and walked forward into the house where, again, there were no guards or maids to tell him to turn back. He wasn’t hiding the fact that he was in a fit of rage as he looked for his wife. His footfalls were heavy.

He started calling for Leonor. Even though his voice didn’t project like someone’s normally might, his voice was enough to rouse a few people.

Maids appeared at first which soon led to Anna rushing to the front.

She looked worse than Desmond had ever seen her.

"What on earth are you doing here, your grace?" she asked, clearly trying to seem pleasant yet failing to do so.

Just as the last time Desmond saw Count Mikael, Anna’s appearance was ragged and unbefitting of someone who was spoiled by, not only her father’s love but his pocketbook as well. She received everything while Leonor received nothing. It frustrated him whenever he saw her adorned in things that should have been given to Leonor just as equally.

There was no hesitance as Desmond pulled out his sword. The two guards with him did the same. The King told them to follow his orders and follow Leonor’s secondarily. It could be assumed that her husband was under this umbrella as well. If the one they were meant to be guarding was in danger then it aligned with their first orders anyway.

"You will tell me where my wife is or I will behead every person in this God-forsaken place," he said, his voice filled with venom.

"W-what do you mean, your grace?" she asked, her voice wavering as she tried to wear fear and shock authentically.

Anna raised her hands in fear and managed to summon crocodile tears, none of which Desmond believed.

"I mean exactly as I say," he spat. "If you don’t take me to my wife–who is my property from the moment I walked out of that church–I will consider it a declaration of war on Montclair."

Desmond would have to beg for Leonor’s forgiveness later on for objectifying her in such a way. If her life was on the line, he felt it wasn’t an overreaction.

Anna was sweating. She had a black magician helping her with her plans but he wasn’t there at that moment. She decided to be obedient until the practitioner returned and rescued her. He left shortly before to get supplies that would help them with the next step of their plans.

Since she was all alone, she couldn’t take him to the wrong place or he would certainly blow up on her. Having no other choice, Anna started walking slowly towards the stairs that would take them down to the cellar.

She was trying to buy time but Desmond nudged her with the side of his sword, being sure she wasn’t cut. He wouldn’t be the villain in that story, that was for certain.

However, at the top of the stairs, Anna stopped.

"She’s down there," she said, pointing with a shaky hand.

"Then the guards will stay up here while I see what the hell you have done to my wife," Desmond said.

Anna’s mouth twitched. She was hoping they would all go down so she could try to lock them in the cellar until the magician could return and relieve her of the wrench in their plans.

Instead, she was having to watch Duke Desmond retrieve her meddling sister who had already ruined the plans she had spent months laying out.

Desmond rushed down the stairs and, even though there were no lights in that place, he saw just enough from the opening to see Leonor lying on a low cot with one of her hands chained to the wall with a metal handcuff around her wrist. She was completely lifeless.