The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 34: Ethereal Allure

Chapter 34: Ethereal Allure

Upon seeing both Rosalie and Felix sitting so close next to each other, Damien raised his eyebrows in utter surprise – that was the last thing he expected to see after returning back home, and it was rather flustering.

"Lady Rosalie? What are you doing here?"

Rosalie pointed at the pile of the papers that she had already worked on and replied, her voice filled with pride,

"Oh, Your Grace! I got bored waiting for you, so I helped Felix with these papers."

Contrary to her expectations, Damien’s face turned unexpectedly serious, a deep frown line cutting in between his black eyebrows. He walked up to his aide and asked in a somewhat cold and even angry voice,

"Why did you make Lady Rosalie do your job?"

It seemed like Felix’s entire body had shrunk under the impressive presence of his lord, while his face turned as white as a sheet. Rosalie, shocked by the duke’s unnecessary anger and overwhelmed with guilt for causing even more trouble, stepped confidently in front of Felix and looked directly into Damien’s sharp golden eyes, her face turning serious as well.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, it was not Felix’s fault! I insisted on helping him because I was bored. I apologize if I overstepped my boundaries, so please don’t punish him for my mistake."

"No, please, My Lady ––"

Felix tried to interfere with Rosalie’s apology, but she only took another step forward, sheltering him from Damien’s body, and continued, her voice even more resolute than before,

"No, I will not let you take the blame for me! If His Grace has to be angry or punish somebody, it should only be me!"

Lord Howyer widened his eyes as he was astonished by her reaction. He had expected her to either stay out of it and let the duke handle the situation himself or simply throw a few meaningless words in his direction, attempting to calm him down. However, Lady Ashter’s words were full of sincerity and determination; she was genuinely concerned about Felix and wanted to help him.

Damien spent a couple more seconds examining a light frown on Rosalie’s beautiful face, then let out a long sigh and answered at last,

"I am not angry, Lady Rosalie. I... Thank you for your help. I do appreciate it."

His reply lifted the weight off the girl’s shoulders, and as she felt the suffocating tension leave both her body and the room, she let out a long exhale as if she had been holding her breath until that moment and offered the duke a content smile.

"Say, Your Grace... If you are hungry and do not mind my company, would you go with me on a picnic right now?"

"Right now?"

Damien threw a brisk glance outside the window – the day was nearly over, and it already looked like the sun was about to set, so the idea of eating outside immersed in the darkness sounded rather bizarre to him. Rosalie, on the other hand, was not ready to give up just yet; she nodded her pretty head somewhat enthusiastically and answered in an excited voice,

"Yes, Your Grace, now. I’ve been waiting the whole day for you. I know you must be tired, but perhaps having a nice meal outside would lift your spirits a little. Of course, if you are too busy or exhausted, I will not insist any longer."

The man felt something tighten inside his chest, as if both his heart and lungs were trapped in somebody’s vigorous fist.

’She has been waiting for me all day? Just to eat together outside? Does it mean she has not eaten anything all day?’

He looked into Lady Ashter’s glistening grey eyes and could not help but admit – the girl was impossible to resist. And, in all honesty, he did not know why he should.

"Alright, Lady Rosalie, but allow me to wash up and change my attire first."

"Sure! There is a willow tree near the small fish pond. I will be waiting for you there."

"I will be right there."

***

"What are all these lights?"

As Rosalie walked toward the willow tree, she almost gasped in awe – despite the approaching evening dusk, the garden was lit with hundreds of tiny lights flying around like floating stars or clustering on the tree branches, forming strangely-shaped lumps of shimmering golden light.

Sir Logan smiled and helped his lady arrange a thick, wide blanket on the ground underneath the willow tree while offering a nonchalant explanation,

"It looks mesmerizing, right? This part of the garden is always swarming with fireflies during this time of the year. Therefore, even during the night time, they light up the area so brightly, one might think this is the only part of the garden that does not know the touch of darkness."

"You are right, Sir Logan. It is mesmerizing."

Rosalie felt a lump forming inside her throat. The view of the garden lit up by hundreds of fireflies was so breathtakingly beautiful that she could not help but want to cry. She was happy she could witness such beauty, but what gave her even more joy was the fact that she could share this view with Damien Dio.

Once the knight helped Rosalie arrange the blanket and the food prepared by Aurora, he stepped aside, looked around as if estimating his surroundings, then nodded his head, and turned back to face his girl.

"You will be safe here even if I were not around; however, I will still be nearby, so if you need anything, please just call my name, Lady Rosalie."

Rosalie nodded with a warm smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Sure, thank you, Sir Logan."

Lady Ashter sat down on the soft, knitted blanket and leaned back against the wide trunk of the willow tree, trying to find a comfortable and cozy position. The quiet ambiance of the garden combined with the magical view of the fireflies flying around like a myriad of tiny shining golden beads soothed her tired mind, and she felt as if she was beginning to sink into serenity, completely lost in that ethereal allure.

’I hope Damien gets here soon. And I really hope he will like it too.’