My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 60: Silent Protector

Chapter 60: Silent Protector

At some point in the night, Duke Desmond’s hand fell from his robe. When he woke up early in the morning the following day, his face was exposed to Leonor who had turned towards him in her sleep.

He quickly hid his face, worried that she would start to wake up. Bandages only went so far as to hide his appearance. He was always worried she would recognize something about him and wonder more.

Yet as his one eye stared at her anxiously, she breathed softly and didn’t stir.

It felt like hell on Earth that he wasn’t allowed to touch her. A black strand of hair had fallen over her lips but he wasn’t allowed to brush it away. He didn’t have permission to kiss her.

It felt ridiculous not to tell her who he was from the moment he saw her, but how was he supposed to face her disappointment? Her responses to him had already proven she didn’t have it in her to love someone like him. He couldn’t blame her for it either.

When he faced the dragon over a year before, he thought that he would die. He didn’t know that the following year would be full of so much suffering his heart and mind would break over and over again.

Since she couldn’t have Valerio, he would offer her riches as an apology instead. He would be the reason her life was comfortable. If she couldn’t have love at least she would have comfort.

The thoughts pulled Desmond from bed and he quickly escaped to the bathroom where he would wear the same riding pants but change his shirt. He needed to get out of that room before he was pressured to do something ridiculous.

If perhaps one day she looked at him more affectionately...

He stared at himself in the mirror of the bathroom and pulled a heavier cloak on over his shoulders. He needed to stop having wishful thinking. That would harm him more than thoughts of what could have been.

As quietly as he could, he escaped the bedroom and went into the main areas of the extravagant hunting cabin.

It was time to gather his men so they could prepare for the next stretch of their journey. Places to stay would go fewer and further between until they made it to Montclair where a small township lay on the border and they would be able to stay in an inn.

When Leonor emerged from the hunting cabin after eating a light breakfast, she found herself amidst soldiers who helped her into the carriage. However, her eyes sought her husband.

Before one of the men could shut the carriage door for her, she spoke up.

"Where is the duke?" she asked.

"He went ahead to scout the forest with a couple of other soldiers, my lady," the soldier responded. "We will catch up to them shortly."

"Thank you," Leonor said.

She tried to remain positive and not feel dejected. Since she wasn’t the daughter to receive marriage training, being married was something she was entirely unknowledgeable about. Was she supposed to feel bad that he went ahead without telling her?

She witnessed her father and mother remain distant from one another. They often spoke to each other through maids or aides and rarely ever met face to face despite being in the same house, but she had always hoped she wouldn’t fall to the same fate when she was finally married.

Perhaps it was because she wished she had an affectionate marriage to someone like Valerio.

Leonor found herself with her forehead in her hands and her elbows on her knees as heavy thoughts filled her head. It was only day two of her marriage and she was struggling to keep going forward.

When they finally caught up to the duke and a few other soldiers, Leonor sat up straight and wore a neutral expression so she wouldn’t seem high maintenance. How could she frown while sitting inside a warm, comfortable carriage?

During their first break from travel, Duke Desmond approached Leonor when she stepped out of the carriage. As usual, he kept his distance.

"I wanted to remind you that the sleeping conditions the next few nights will be inconvenient," he explained.

"Then I shall remind you that I don’t mind," she responded in a light tone.

"Of course," he responded stiffly. "Please let Gideon know if you require anything."

However, despite his words that seemed to show he genuinely cared about her, he was distant for the next few days. It caused her to wonder if he was feeling strange about having to share a bed with her.

The forwardness of demanding her hand in marriage wasn’t befitting of the uncertainty he displayed whenever he was in front of her. After witnessing him holding his robe shut in his sleep, she started to have a new idea about what sort of person the duke was.

On the first night of sleeping in the carriage, Leonor woke up in the middle of the night at the sound of a twig cracking as one of the soldiers guarding the camp walked around the perimeter. One of the windows had been opened an inch so she wouldn’t be too hot.

Her heart raced as she acclimated to the environment she was in. It was startling to wake up to pitch blackness. However, before she tucked herself into bed, she closed the curtains of the carriage, not sure if she wanted anyone to be able to see her sleeping.

She reminded herself that it was alright. No one was seemingly trying to harm her. Her sister and father weren’t anywhere nearby.

Unable to resist her curiosity, Leonor crawled down the cushioned bench and went to the side of the carriage that faced the heart of the camp. Before she disappeared into the carriage for the night, she saw the men erecting tents all around.

Wanting to see if the moon was bright or if the fire was still going, she peeked through one of the curtains.

To her surprise, lying a few feet from the carriage was the duke. His back was facing her and he wasn’t under a tent or blankets. He hadn’t even changed into clothing more suitable for sleeping. Boots were still on his feet and his sword was still sheathed at his side.

The most noble man in the Castillian Kingdom under King Stephano was sleeping on the ground in front of her carriage seemingly protecting her.

She quickly closed the curtains and quickly went back to the bench.

For a while, she contemplated his awkward care.

His kindness was presented as someone who had never had to care for someone else before. He tried to be subtle as if he didn’t want her to notice it.

Yet care was care no matter how strange it felt. If he wasn’t more subtle, she might start believing she was someone he cherished beyond the few words he spoke.