My Vengeful Former Lover - Chapter 82
Vexed, Deatrice exhaled deeply. He was the one who had suggested sleeping on the sofa in the first place, so why does it seem like she’s bullying him?
After a while, she spoke up in surrender.
“Just sleep here.”
“Huh?”
“Just sleep here.” she stressed, with more volume this time, “And don’t think about showing a tired face the next day as if you slept on a… miniature sofa.”
Managing facial expressions had been one of the things Lucius had been exceptionally good at. He practiced a brooding demeanor when seriousness called for it, and an impish one to lighten up conversations. Even so, he found her words a bit embarrassing, and a small blush tinged his neck.
Thankfully it was dark and no one could see. Not even him.
Instead of replying, Lucius leaned against the sofa and saw Deatrice sitting on the large bed with her back resting on the headboard, wearing a white dress dyed blue by the light from the moon.
Gray eyes watched him languidly.
He prodded, “Will it be alright for you?”
“We’ve slept in the same bed twice.”
“It’s different now.”
Deatrice laughed at those words. “There’s no difference.”
He might think she’s bluffing, but truly, there’s no difference. He had almost always been unpleasant to her.
Before, she could still stomach it because it meant that her future would still be secured regardless if their relationship went awry. However, abandoning her so ruthlessly is an entirely different notion.
Her status as a daughter of a duke could shield her, but she didn’t know how long it would hold…
She closed her eyes.
Focus on the present.
Deatrice went under the covers to lie on her back. Lucius went up the bed and felt the bed sinking under his weight, and then he laid down on his side to face her. Eyes accustomed to darkness revealed Deatrice’s disheveled black hair against her pillow, glinting as a small fraction of light was reflected on them.
His gaze traveled down to the exposed skin of her nape…
Why does she still trust me?
Becoming a bad guy is so easy. One could just simply feel remorse right after. Or none even.
He must already be a scoundrel to Deatrice, so why does she still expect him to be conscientious til’ the end? Lucius shut his eyes and tried his best to go back to sleep.
All the while tightly clenching his fists.
***
The Banquet.
Dressed in loose clothing, Lucius finished his meal early and was sifting through some papers of the day. Deatrice was still slicing her food into smaller portions and putting them into her mouth little by little.
The savory smell of eggs benedict combined with uniquely seasoned whole-grain sauce was delicious, but Deatrice gradually slowed down her intake and then barely finished half of it.
Lucius crossed one of his arms and furrowed his eyebrows in disapproval. Whenever she ate with him, she would usually eat half of the food in her place, but now it looks like it was barely even touched.
“No appetite?”
“There’s a banquet later.”
“And? Wouldn’t it happen much later? That doesn’t mean you should starve yourself now.”
“More room for food in my belly later, so I wouldn’t have trouble stuffing them all in.” Deatrice smiled and swiftly changed the subject, “By the way, is that an estate-related document?”
She raised her eyebrows and Lucius nodded his head, feeling uncomfortable for no reason.
“They were delivered to me after I asked for them in a meeting yesterday.”
“How was the meeting, then?”
“Most people didn’t attend on purpose and those who did come loathed being there in the first place.”
Arms and legs crossed, Deatrice couldn’t help but ask. “How do you feel about finally owning territory? Are you happy?”
Watching her movements, Lucius noticed her smooth dress had become wrinkled when she put her leg on top of the other. Then her left little foot dangled in the air as it was covered by silken slippers.
A sly smile found its way onto Deatrice’s lips.
Lucius looked away without answering and the smile on her face remained. She silently looked at his alluring side profile and soon, she rang the bell to alert the servants that she was done with her meal.
In the end, she still barely ate anything. If they weren’t together, he naturally wouldn’t be able to pay attention to such details, but since they share the same room, Lucius couldn’t help but notice.
He would apprehensive when he heard splashes and the sound of water pouring behind a thin screen. As he recognized the sound of fabric rustling against the skin, it was easy to guess what she was doing.
Bathing.
Lucius watched the servants take her food away with taut facial muscles. Then he saw her give a poetry book to be returned to her table.
As the two of them were together, it was harder for their respective servants to come in and out of the room thoughtlessly. This was also the case with Rosalynn who had always been close to Deatrice. Although she was polite, she could feel Lucius’ eyes boring on her behind her back.
“M’lady.” Rosalynn called Deatrice and curtsied.
Lucius looked away and diverted his attention to the papers in front of him, trying to ease Deatrice’s maid.
Rosalynn’s frail and trembling voice could be heard behind his back. “M’lady, I think I’ll have to leave for a while after the banquet preparations are over.”
“Why?” Deatrice frowned, then thought of something, “Are you going to meet your family?”
“Yes, m’lady.”
Out of the blue, Lucius wondered if Rosalynn was also aware of the annulment as well.
He didn’t think Deatrice would tell anyone, but he also doesn’t think the loyal maid would say something bad about her mistress’s character if she ever found out. Truth be told, he wished someone else close to her would know about it.
By then, Deatrice would have somebody to share her burdens with and can, perhaps, feel more comforted.