Levon said nothing when Mirelle asked the question earlier. But after the meal, her face lit up when she saw the duke rise up and announced he wanted a walk. He left, stepping into the pathway leading to the garden.
Kyle quickly followed.
Mirelle rose and asked Levon's permission to go to the garden. He told the maids to accompany her. After everyone left, he glanced sideways at Mirelle and her maids walked away.
Then he turned to Nyasia, who sat beside him. She was sipping her tea, her gaze focused on the scenery before her.
"Sia, you want to go out there?" Levon asked. "The sun is hot. Your skin will melt."
Nyasia looked at him and smiled.
"I miss you, Brother."
She did. Still trying not to remember what happened to him in her dream.
He laughed dryly.
"Sure you do. Now tell me about that wolf. Does he knock or just climb through your window like a thief."
Her wry smile deepened.
"A thief whose crimes you cannot even report. And you are friends with him."
Brother had kept trusted men to watch over her during Dorian's visits.
"Blame your brother." He sighed. "That rogue is now a duke. And he knows how to use it."
"Then hurry up and take over Rashet. Become a powerful marquis. One that even a grand duchy would not touch," she replied.
"Does he really bully you?" Levon asked.
"I am not going to the garden. Don't worry," she said, her voice softer.
"You look pale."
Her gaze drifted.
"I'm fine. Bed rest just gives me more time to think about you. That's the real sickness." She paused. "You came back much earlier."
"Hm." Levon nodded. "I was supposed to come back tomorrow. But Dorian insisted we come today."
"Why?"
"Oh, must we spell it out?"
Nyasia shook her head a little.
"Dorian is no longer the same man you knew three months ago," Levon said. "He's the grand duke now. So many things are expected of him. I'm sure you know the Emperor intends to make him his son-in-law. You'll get hurt—"
"I know," she said, her voice lower.
'Dorian Alexei shouldn't have met her.'
"May I go to the library?"
"Library?"
Her question made him blink.
.....
THE LIBRARY was on the third floor of the main building. At the lobby, a caretaker greeted politely as Nyasia entered the deserted library. Then, she walked aimlessly between the towering shelves on the ground floor, then decided to go up the spiral case to another floor.
For a while, she stood in front of a shelf and flipped through a book while walking. Suddenly, her body hit something. She looked up, and her eyes fluttered briefly.
Him.
His gaze was dark, deep, and utterly unreadable. Then he leaned against the shelf, one foot crossed over the other, arms crossed as well.
"Not going to the garden—whose idea was this? Yours or Levon's?" he said dryly.
"Mine," she said, eyes turning away. She wondered how he still managed to get in.
"Did you bribe the caretaker here?"
His mouth curved. "You know what's nice about this title? I don't need permission. Or bribes."
"Hah," she snorted, flipping a page.
"Looking for a book on escaping? Either way, I've trapped all the nuisance in the garden. Permanently, if I'm lucky," he said.
'So he knew she would not come there?' she thought. She returned the book to the shelf several paces away, while sensing his probing gaze.
"I don't get it," he said.
"Get what?" she said, reaching for another book.
"You. Or is this the new you? Leaving your room. Curtsying. Using my full name. Feeding the general's son like he's a stray cat. Three months did wonders, truly."
She turned another page.
'You're the one to talk.'
"I don't remember feeding anyone earlier." She breathed. "I don't like the garden idea. And I curtsy because I must. Rules matter. And I am a hostess. The same rules—"
She stopped as his fingers suddenly brushed her hair back. Heat rose to her cheeks. She looked at him.
"Your Grace—"
"Rian." His mouth curved with a faint trace of bitterness. "I remember rules do not count when we are alone."
When she said nothing, he continued, "Miss me climbing your terrace? As much as I want to, my leg will protest."
"So will my terrace. It still hasn't recovered."
"So heartless. I fought against beautiful women at the border and stayed pure."
Then she glanced at his feet.
"H—how's your leg?" she said, her voice softer than she intended.
He just smiled.
"So, you have seen dead people?" She paused. "What did you feel?"
'A stupid question.'
But she kept remembering the dream. A different, much darker Dorian Alexei who ordered bodies thrown away.
"Feel? I grew up around dead people. I have no interest in them," he replied plainly.
She quietly returned the book and walked past him. Dorian's gaze followed, and then he walked behind her. She sat on a sofa by the window. He sat beside her.
She shouldn't allow it.
But she did.
He rested his head on his knuckles, arm draped over the back of the sofa. His long legs crossed. As if nothing about his posture betrayed the shameless man he was.
"You wanted freedom. You wanted to travel. You hated Tenusa. You never even attended banquets," she said, her brows creasing.
"Why did you join the army?" she added.
He breathed, almost bored.
"War isn't my passion, but I needed the campaign. To make a name for myself."
"For what?"
He sniffed, with a cold smirk.
"Nyasia Sofia. It's been three months. Surely you've figured it out?"
*