Chapter 38
The two walked through the garden. The robin house Duke Drexton had ordered was a little distance away from the main building.
As they were heading closer, Julia stopped.
“If we go any closer, I think the children will be startled.”
She called them children. Quite affectionately.
Duke Drexton let out a small chuckle. But he blinked as if in agreement.
“We can see it from here, so let’s look from here.”
“Alright.”
The two of them stood there and looked at the delicately made robin house.
It was a small, pretty birdhouse built neatly from cut cedar wood. The roof was painted red, like a robin’s b****t. The sight was so cute that Julia’s mood lifted as well.
And a little while later.
“Ah, there, the robins.”
Duke Drexton whispered.
“Where?”
Julia looked around reflexively. Then Duke Drexton lightly pulled Julia’s shoulder toward himself and pointed at the little creatures flying through the air.
Following the direction of the Duke’s fingertip, Julia finally spotted the birds.
“Oh!”
Joy colored Julia’s exclamation. Without realizing it, Duke Drexton looked at her.
Since coming to the Drexton ducal manor, Julia looked brighter than ever. It was astonishing that just two small birds with wings could make her this happy.
The birds played together, flying through the air as if drawing ribbons, then slipped neatly into the birdhouse with the red roof. They would shelter there and spend the winter.
“They’ve found their home. That’s good.”
Julia clasped her hands together and whispered happily.
Duke Drexton quietly watched Julia. He could not be sure whether Julia was in a better position than those robins.
Julia had no ‘nest’ of her own. She had lost her husband not long ago, and all her property had been taken. Even so, she had still failed to repay her debts and ended up here.
Julia’s misfortune was Duke Drexton’s good fortune, however.
The Duke drew Julia’s shoulder a little closer. Normally, Julia would surely have pushed him away, but perhaps distracted by the birds, she remained docile.
“Missus Devel.”
Duke Drexton called Julia softly to draw her attention. Julia widened her eyes and looked up at him.
Some of the gauntness and gloom from her first day had peeled away. Duke Drexton felt a sweet sensation, as if he were glimpsing Julia as she truly was.
“Shall we open the gift now?”
Duke Drexton whispered very sweetly. His voice was quite different from how it was during lessons.
“Ah, the gift.”
As if only just remembering, Julia took out the gift box she had tucked between her arm and her side.
“Then…”
She examined the gift carefully and untied the ribbon.
When the ribbon came undone and the wrapping was removed, a box from a boutique in the Drexton territory appeared. The unique design, with patterns burned into the wood, added an air of refinement to the entire box.
…Wait, from a boutique?
Julia hesitated, then opened the box.
“Ah…”
Inside was a brooch.
Julia blinked in a daze. Duke Drexton said nothing. Julia lifted her head quickly to look up at him, then lowered her gaze back to the brooch.
“It’s a brooch…”
Only an obvious remark came out. She felt dazed in many ways.
“Yes. You always seem to wear similar brooches, so I chose it.”
Julia stared at the brooch without speaking. It was made of aquamarine, sparkling in a clear sky blue under the sunlight. It looked just like the Duke’s eye color.
It felt unfamiliar and awkward.
“Will this suit me?”
She hunched her shoulders, as if wearing such a clear blue were somehow a sin. Duke Drexton watched her quietly with a strained smile. He did not like seeing Julia so cowed. That was something reserved for the bed.
“Well. I bought it because I thought it would suit you, but perhaps my taste is poor.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Worried that her words might have sounded like an attack, Julia waved her hands. Duke Drexton nearly let out a hollow laugh.
“Let’s check. Whether it suits you or not.”
Before even finishing his sentence, the Duke reached toward Julia’s neck.
Aside from lesson time, this was the first time he had touched Julia. She was seized by a strong sense of unease, but she simply let her body go still.
With one hand, Duke Drexton easily unclasped the brooch. Julia’s collar parted slightly, revealing the line of her slender neck. Traces of last night’s lovemaking still remained. The faint marks where he had bitten and sucked.
Absentmindedly, the Duke brushed those marks with his thumb. At the strange expression that flickered across his face, Julia felt a warm heat bloom low in her belly.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.