The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 21: A Long Way Ahead Of Us

Chapter 21: A Long Way Ahead Of Us

’And here we are...’

Rosalie fidgeted with a loose ribbon that was sticking out from underneath her corset, and twirled it around her index finger, completely at a loss as to what to do next.

Once the Emperor approved of their engagement, Damien left the Palace Gardens right away, still holding Lady Ashter in his arms, and brought her to his carriage, not a single word escaping his mouth. And now... He was taking her away. And she could only hope that he was taking her to his manor.

’What if he changed his mind and is taking me back to my mansion instead? Could it be... that he proposed to me because he was still intoxicated by my Acme? His overbearingly silent demeanor is killing me.’

The silent atmosphere between Damien and Rosalie was already beyond awkward. Neither of them knew how to initiate the conversation, especially since they had already crossed the line of simple polite talk after that rather passionate kiss they shared back in the wild rose bush garden.

And yet, Damien managed to take that awkwardness one step further. He kept staring at Rosalie from underneath his furrowed eyebrows, his glare burning a hole in every spot it landed on.

’Why is he staring at me with such an intense gaze? Is he really mad right now? Is he regretting proposing to me? I do not even know where to look now, this is so unsettling.’

And just as that thought crossed the girl’s mind, the Duke opened his mouth and mumbled something under his nose,

"Why is she not wearing that other dress? Did she not like it?"

His words reached Rosalie’s ears as a mere scattering of indistinguishable syllables, thus, she raised her eyebrows, and leaned slightly forward, hoping that that action would prompt Damien to repeat his statement,

"I beg your pardon?"

However, instead of providing her with a satisfactory reply, Damien suddenly turned almost as red as Lady Ashter’s dress and averted his gaze, fixing his golden eyes on the moving scenery outside the carriage window.

"No... It’s nothing. Never mind."

That rather cold response invited back uncomfortable silence once again.

Rosalie narrowed her beautiful grey eyes in an attempt to discern any kind of emotion in the Duke’s averted gaze, but it proved fruitless. In the end, she had no choice but to let out a disappointed sigh.

"Male lead or not, he certainly is a peculiar individual."

In "Acme Fever," Damien Dio was portrayed as a cold, emotionless, and ruthless warrior who showed no mercy to his enemies and had no tolerance for any form of injustice. Additionally, he was depicted as being rather antisocial and introverted, lacking close friends except for Loyd Rische, the Crown Prince, and Felix Howyer, his personal aide. Therefore, the apparent lack of communication skills didn’t come as a surprise to Rosalie. However, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would be fortunate enough to witness a different side of him—the side he only revealed to Evangelina, the Female Lead.

"At the end of the day, what matters to me now is that I am finally out of that house. As long as I can achieve what I want from this arrangement, I should not be concerned about anything else."

***

They spent the rest of the journey in complete silence, and when the black carriage stopped in front of the familiar mansion, the two of them were greeted by Felix, who looked as flabbergasted and confused as when Rosalie had first met him, and rather tall, old-looking gentleman with a golden-framed monocle on his left eyes, and a black, laced-cover parasol in his wrinkly hand.

Damien got off the coach first, then stood next to its open door, and offered Rosalie his hand, which she took without a moment’s hesitation – she was not tall enough to descend the carriage’s steps with a suitable level of dignity, thus, required a strong helping hand each time she faced that uncomfortable obstacle.

Once she placed her right palm on top of the Duke’s and felt his gentle squeeze, she realized that she had completely forgotten to cover up her scar, and, struck by that sudden realization, and most importantly, feeling a slight damp sensation emerging on the surface of her skin, was about to pull her hand away, but failed to do so, as Damien softly slid his thumb over the surface of the scar, his face growing darker.

’How did I never notice before that Rosalie had sweaty palms? Is he appalled by it? I remember reading about it in historical novels that men preferred their women to be "perfect" but is it really that big of a deal to him?’

Since Rosalie was now under the Duke’s care, she was determined not to do anything that might cause him to turn away from her, especially considering their relationship was limited to a mere physical connection. Therefore, the moment her feet touched the ground, she swiftly released her hand from his gentle grip and pressed it against the skirt of her dress. With a subtle wiping motion, she attempted to remove the sweat that had accumulated on her palm due to the unnecessary anxiety.

Damien grew nervous as well. His eyes followed the movement of Lady Ashter’s hand, and another deep frown line appeared between his eyebrows. He briefly examined his own hand, fearing it might still be dirty from the encounter they had in the gardens, but it was clean, which only further frustrated him.

’She was willing to kiss my hand when it was covered in blood and dirt, but now she is wiping her own palm after touching me for a couple of seconds? I cannot understand this woman at all.’

Not allowing his thoughts to drift any further in a confusing direction, Damien shook his head and gestured for the elderly man to come closer. The man promptly obeyed, swiftly approaching Rosalie and opening the black parasol over her hand, shielding her from the sun’s harmful rays.

"Lady Rosalie, this is Richard, the Head Butler who works in my mansion, and you are already acquainted with Felix, my personal aide."

Following Damien’s rather stiff introduction, both men offered Rosalie a gracious bow and a welcoming smile, which made the girl feel a little bit better. And seeing how Lady Ashter’s expression indeed had brightened up, the Duke nodded at his staff and continued,

"Well, welcome to the Grand Duchy of Dio, My Lady. I believe we still have a long way ahead of us."