My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 81: Almost Really Husband and Wife

Chapter 81: Almost Really Husband and Wife

Smiles came easier the more the young duchess drank. The dress she wore required heightened confidence. She felt less in her head if she sipped the wine a bit more quickly than normal.

The grapes of the north were light and the wine was drier than what she was used to in the much more fertile southern county.

However, she had enough experience to know when to push the dangerous drink away and focus on the delicious meal placed before her. She had never been drunk and had no desire.

The fish was cooked so nicely that each piece flaked away from the last rather than mushing if it was too saucy or badly cut. She had always known the chef to be skilled but her meals since arriving had been more simple than that.

Whenever they got back into the short conversation between bites of food, it was starting to feel closer to their normal chemistry.

Leonor spoke more and Desmond responded when directly asked a question.

"If you like the lake fish here, you would like the seafood in Burien," she realized. "Except I have no desire to go where my father is– ah..."

She pressed a cloth napkin to her lips, realizing she was saying too much. The duke was a far better person than her father but because of his new title, she hoped that the count wouldn’t convince him to listen to him. Count Mikael’s charade of being a good father always came with insults to her about her behavior.

Desmond said before he didn’t think she belonged in that environment, but she didn’t know the connection beyond that. Noblemen had webs of political allies after all, even if they didn’t particularly care for the person they were allied with.

The duke saw Leonor freeze up at the mention of her father. He wouldn’t speak ill of someone but could assure her another way.

"There are plenty of other coastlines that have nothing to do with Burien," Desmond said, simply. "Perhaps next year when the weather allows."

He still had time-sensitive work in the West regarding his plans to build his power. King Stephano was helping him but there was only so much the king could do without looking like he was doing all the work for him.

On top of that, King Stephano had his own fires to put out in the capital.

Leonor perked up at the duke’s words and a small, relieved smile appeared on her lips. Without having to say anything else, he immediately figured out a solution to her problem that would be good for both of them.

She respected him for his fast thinking, especially at times like that. It was another way he showed that he cared for her more than a possession but as an equal person.

"I would like that," Leonor responded. "A trip to the warmth after a cold winter..."

She trailed off and ate more of the delicious food given to her. Thoughts filled her head of an idyllic trip on a warm coast somewhere.

There was a lull in conversation and Leonor started feeling guilt well up as her thoughts drifted to going to the beach with Valerio. She dreamed for a long time about a carefree day at the sea with him. She could bear the sun because of her skin but she would have to make sure he remained covered so his pristine skin wouldn’t burn.

Her thoughts always drifted to him whenever there was a positive emotion attached to a situation. Considering the duke, her husband, would be funding the trip, she realized how awful she was to still consider Valerio after over a year of not knowing where he ended up.

Desmond wasn’t ignorant to the fact that Leonor had gone silent after being bubbly just before. He wanted to push forward the conversation and get her smile to return.

"I have been seeking out someone to practice magic with you," he suddenly said. "I’m making progress."

What Desmond didn’t tell her was that he asked a favor from Stephano because he didn’t know the first thing about mages. The king said he had someone in mind as a training partner and would send him to Montclair as soon as he was available.

"Is that right?" Leonor asked, perking up at the thought of being able to exercise her magic once again. "I appreciate you trying to help me even though you have plenty of other things to worry about."

Desmond had a faint smile on his face. He couldn’t admit to her that he would drop all of his work if she asked him to. She was his priority more than his prestigious title.

"Your one and only request for me was to find someone to help you with magic," he said.

"If I don’t continuously do magic, I’ll lose the skills I learned in the academy," she explained lightly.

Her desire to be someone useful to him was stuck in Desmond’s thoughts a lot of the time. He wished telling her to stay put was enough. She was valuable to him even if she did nothing for the rest of her days and slowly lived without a care in the world.

"In the meantime, is there anything else?" he asked. "Your birthday is soon."

Leonor had a glass of water to her lips when Desmond asked about her birthday.

She artfully avoided the question.

"Once again, you know more about me than I know of you," she muttered. "If you know that my birthday is July 31st, when is your birthday?"

"September 22," he responded, knowing full well she didn’t know Valerio’s birthday. They never got that far before he was shipped off and lost to the sands of time.

"You don’t want anything either," she insisted. "Even less than me."

Desmond’s smirk was tight-lipped.

"I have everything I could possibly need," he responded vaguely.

Everything in his world was Leonor.

"Is the only way for you to desire more is for me to desire more as well?" she asked. "If that’s the case, I want to learn what it’s like to be the proper lady of the house. My sister was always taught, but that sort of education was never extended to me since I was meant to be the head of my father’s house."

"I will ask Gideon," he said, his voice seeming a bit rougher than when she first saw him that day due to how much he had been talking. "He will know who can help you."

Their final course was a chocolate souffle. The two of them noted that only one was brought out with two spoons for them to share. It felt like a subtle hint from the chef and servants that they ought to get closer.

Leonor was unaware that it wasn’t their first time sharing something like that, while Desmond was reminded of the first time he secretly had tea with her in her bedroom.

After a walk that didn’t last as long as their normal walks, Desmond assured Leonor that he would be able to fulfill that request more quickly since it was Gideon who could help him rather than someone further away.