My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge -
Chapter 325: Epilogue (Part II)
Chapter 325: Epilogue (Part II)
"Duchess Leonor de Montclair,
I wish my sincerest congratulations to you and His Grace welcoming Valerio and Jara de Montclair to the world late this past summer. I hope that my writing you a letter doesn’t alarm you. I admit that I do have something that I need to get off of my chest before it’s too late.
My health is failing and, because of that, I need to get my estate in order. Finally, I have done what I should have done all along and leave everything to you, Your Grace. We may have no blood relation but, as you said, you will always be part of Burien whether you want to be or not.
This may be audacious of me, but if one of your children would like to take the reins of Burien one day to alleviate the stress of picking a successor from one of the two likely beautiful heirs you have, please do not hesitate. You were raised to know the ins and outs of this county better than anyone else.
It will never be enough to say that I am sorry that is why I feel you’re the only person who deserves to do as they please with what should have been yours from the beginning.
On the day I die, Burien Estate will be demolished and you may do whatever you want with the land after that. Living in this place will be near impossible for anyone with mage blood considering what your sister did to it and the black magic that lingers.
I only wish you the best, as little as that likely means to you now.
Count Mikael von Burien"
Tears were so easy for Leonor in the postpartum era of her life and they certainly fell after she finished the letter.
Of course the count would know that they were having trouble deciding who they would leave the duchy to. He was well-versed in anything to do with nobility.
The moment she saw the count’s name on the page, she immediately went to her husband and sat on his lap while he was at his desk. She needed his support then more than ever before.
"What do you think of that?" she asked. "Can I accept this? I spent so long cursing the Burien name even though it was mine for so long..."
Desmond carefully wiped his wife’s tears and gave her a sad smile.
"My biggest fear when becoming the duke and pulling you from your family was that all of your hard work to become the count’s heiress was for nothing," he admitted. "However, with this, all you learned about the place you once called home doesn’t have to be for nothing. We can visit every so often and you could even show the children how life is in Burien the same way we will show them what life is like in Montclair. Our story began in Burien. It’s wrong to throw that away."
Leonor smiled despite the tears and she kissed her husband. He was her anchor in life and the only one to calm her when she was feeling wound up.
"Thank you, my love," she uttered. "But now I think I need to talk to my father and come clean about a few things before I can go forward. I would also like to make sure this doesn’t offend him in some way. We’re open with one another and I don’t want to hinder that. I don’t have time to visit Marro County while the Magic Academy is opening their branch in Montclair."
The first letter Leonor sent after receiving such a letter from Burien wasn’t to Count Mikael but to Count Braulio. She had been seeking his advice more those days and, after a large gift for the new babies and Leonor’s healing, they were passing letters back and forth as often as Eve could take them to him and he could send one back with one of the mages in his area.
It took two weeks, but Braulio was soon able to take time and visit his daughter. The winterization of his county was finished and, since Gideon had taken over the trip for Leonor and Desmond, they were home for the autumn and winter. He and the countess decided to take an extended stay in Montclair and help his daughter and son-in-law with their two new additions.
Their relationship was becoming more comfortable and, when Leonor knew she had about three hours in an evening before she would need to feed her children again, she took the count to the library and had tea with him. There was much she needed to get off of her chest.
The two sat down together and ate snacks for a short time before Leonor mustered up the courage to have a more serious conversation.
"What do you think of Count Mikael?" Leonor asked. "I want you to be honest with me."
Braulio hesitated, but he soon found an appropriate answer.
"I feel I ought to thank him for raising you because I’ve heard how protective he was of you and how much he sheltered you," Braulio admitted. "Yet I can’t help hating the man for his conduct in Royal Court and how cutthroat he was in business. The way his daughter was able to hurt you must be the result of... something. I’m not quite sure. Not to mention he stole the love of my life from me even if it was the King’s directive and not his exactly."
His tone took on a dark edge that Leonor didn’t hear from him often but she appreciated it. It made her feel more vindicated to tell him what she had been dying to since the first time she met him.
"What came to light in court was only the beginning of the abuse I endured for being in the von Burien family for the first two decades of my life," Leonor explained, which caused Braulio’s dark eyebrows lowered. His fist clenched and Leonor placed her hand over his, willing him to listen to what she had to say. "After mother died he... Well, he became harsher towards me. He was even abusive a few times when his anger got the best of him. I’ve told you about how Desmond was once Valerio. The count was the one who sent Valerio to war and beat me then locked me in a cellar after he found us kissing in the garden. When Stephano was the Crown Prince, he saw bruises on me and took me away from Burien by sponsoring me getting into the Magic Academy."
"I would cut the man’s head off if I could," Count Braulio said in a hushed tone.
"He’s suffering already. The lingering black magic in Burien Manor will be what puts him in an early grave," she admitted. "I just felt I should tell you as much because he sent me a letter giving one of my children rights to Burien once they come of age. I want you to know that this isn’t a gift between a loving stepfather and daughter. It’s his apology for the abuse I endured because of him and Anna Maria."
Braulio let out a light sigh as if he were releasing the anger that had heightened because of Leonor’s admittance.
"Thank you for telling me, my dear," he said. "I do admit that I would muse over all the time you spent with that man and hope I wasn’t getting in the way."
"You could never, father," she said with a small smile, using a name that was becoming easier by the day. "I grew up and found that there is a lot of love in this world despite what the Buriens made me feel."
It was the truth. Her truth.
One that she would carry with her for the rest of her life.
That night, after everyone was settled and she lay in bed next to Desmond, she turned to him.
"Talking with father today made me realize just how happy I am that my life took the path that it did," she admitted. "Pain led me to you. Yearning brought us back together. This love is my revenge, Desmond." She rolled over and wrapped her arms around him. "You are still the most beautiful sight."
She looked down at him and gently stroked the scarred side of his face. Even with only one ruby eye gazing at her, it was filled with all the love in the world.
Her disfigured duke.
How did she ever fear such a sweet man?
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Closing note:
I honestly could have written this story forever. Sometimes I reread some parts just because I love how much of a green flag Desmond always was to Leonor. Their growth was fun to explore. Their time apart always hurt and time together always touches my heart in a way other stories couldn’t.
I remember chatting with some other authors as I talked about this story. Could I pull off writing a story about a love interest who isn’t traditionally attractive? Would everyone be mad at me if I never got rid of his scars?
Honestly, I felt it would cheapen the story if I took his scars away.
Thank you so much to my lovely readers who stuck it out to the end. Every little piece of interaction warmed my heart in ways I can’t begin to describe. This story was a risk I wanted to take and you all made it worth it.
Additional shout out to my author friends: LotusLin, Nispedanasan, Sunny_Shumail, Fleeting_Dawn, Slowestcook, ES_Medusa, ColorfulAutumnWind, Hansora, Yoojee, Air_Ace, _Zhiying... They were the ones up with me late at night while I poured myself into this story. They told me if my ideas were good or needed to be fixed. They were my biggest cheerleaders.
They’re also writers so check out their bingeworthy books!!
I’ll see you all again soon
Love, QueenFrieza
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