15 His wavering heart (1)
''The duchess?''
Spencer had noticed one thing since the duchy that held the bright duchess was no more. Instead, it held nothing. The husband was known to be a cheater, and the wife did not care about it and nurtured her baby.
The duke would always ask about her, the duchess that many now call the silver-cold duchess. Spencer could guess why they call her that. She never did anything about the duke's affair. The servants were the ones that started calling her that in her absence and how it spread outside, he did not know, but thankfully her pregnancy was not known to anyone yet.
Although he does not understand why she did that when her pregnancy could help her solve many problems, he is a butler and she is the duchess. Since she never gave orders for people to know, then her order must be obeyed.
''Her grace is watching the flowers at the moment,'' He answered.
''Right..'' Dante nodded and entered the castle that was not like before.
'She's always there.'
Since Annalise said she wanted to recuperate with her relatives for a while, he had been coming home earlier than his typical time. His wife as usual never comes out to greet him.
''It's been a while since I have seen her,'' He murmured and stopped in his spot.
'Should I go see her?'
'We are still husband and wife so I should tell her that I am back, right?'
'Come to think of it, I haven't seen her as a pregnant woman.'
Many thoughts circulated in the dante's mind, and with a final decision, he decided to visit his wife whom he had not seen since he last visited her.
''Your grace?'' Spencer's questioning voice sounded near him, but dante paid no heed to him. He did not even know that his footsteps were faster because he wanted to see his cold wife after a long time.
Spencer looked at the duke who had ignored his presence. The duke did not tell him to prepare the carriage since he was going outside to the compound so that could only mean one thing.
''Your grace,'' A sigh came from Spencer as he shook his head in disappointment, ''Please make a decision and don't put madam's hope up for anything.''
Dante entered the garden that never existed until after he married his wife. It was also his second time being among the flowers, bushes, and trees.
The garden's entrance was designed to have one path that lead to the pavilion. It was like an easy maze, but different flowers followed the one-way path until the open field that held the pavilion.
The field was big enough to hold a greenhouse, but his wife decided to build a pavilion. As for the reason, he did not know…He never bothered to ask.
Upon getting to the field, a wondrous sight greeted him. The image made him halt his footsteps as it was so astonishing.
Was his wife this beautiful?
Before her pregnancy she was beautiful, but after, he did not know what to say.
She was standing with her hand on her bulging belly and watching the flowers with a smile. He could only see her side frame, and it stunned him that he did not know if he could handle the full image.
A warm glow surrounded her and, as if the wind wanted to add more to the captivating scene, it blew across the field, making her silver hair that became longer sway to one side. She tucked in a loose strand with a deeper smile, her hand still on her belly. Though it was a simple action, dante just felt amazed.
'Just like before,' He dazedly recalled the same scene he saw when he entered the garden for the first time.
Then he did not go out that day and tried to finish some work from the emperor in the duchy. It was also one week after Annalise left the capital to see her family and he felt down that he was alone.
Spencer quietly stood by his side as he scribbled with his feather pen.
''Your grace...why don't you see try her grace?''
His question made the scribbling stop, and dante lifted his gaze to the butler.
'See her?' The image of those empty eyes came to his mind, and he rejected it immediately. ''No.''
''Your grace,'' Spencer sighed, then brought out his plan to make the duke try at least once. ''her grace is pregnant. Have you asked about the child before?''
'The child…'
That made him to stop the dismissive words from coming out of his mouth. Of course, he has thought about the child, but Dante could never bring himself to love it.
The child might be his, but he did not have it with the woman he loved. That child was also to carry on the bloodline, if it was a boy.
The child had a role, and that was to be his heir. He could never see the baby as his son.
''Just please, your grace. You know the previous duke had always wanted to have a grandchild. Please, at least fulfill his wish by seeing the duchess,'' Spencer begged while bowing to the duke.
How could Dante not see her now? The butler used his late father as an excuse, and though he knew that, he could not ignore the latter anyhow. Even if he hated his father for what he did, that man was still his father.
Standing up and adjusting his creased clothes, he said to the butler, '' Alright, I am going to meet her. Where is the duchess?''
His question brightened up the butler's countenance and immediately he answered, '' In the pavilion.''
''um ..'' He left his office to visit that cold woman.
The pavilion... he wondered about the place that he never visited ever since it was built. He did recall Spencer telling him that the duchess particularly loved flowers. Now he is stepping into the garden that was her work and a piece of her in the duchy.
''A one way?'' He tilted his head in confusion as he was about to enter the garden.
''Roses,'' He noticed the flower that he came upon as he embarked on the path. The petals were still closed up, but he recognized that flower anytime, as Annalise loved to gift them to him.
Suddenly, a memory of his wife came to his mind. It happened during breakfast when she wanted to announce about the completion of the pavilion to him. Then she was still his innocent and naïve wife.
''Duke?''
''What is it?'' He paused the cutlery that was to enter his mouth.
''The pavilion is done.'' His wife blushed while avoiding his gaze. Then he could read her like an open book. ''I planted the many rose seeds since they remind me of your eyes.''
She shyly met his gaze with an expectant smile, ''If you are free, can we look at the pavilion together?''
How did he reply?
''And why will I have time to look at flowers that will still die?'' He mercilessly told her, and continued eating his food.
He didn't even observe her expression then.
''You are my duchess, and I allowed you to spend my money because you have the right, but don't expect me to accommodate everything you want.''
''..Ah...Yes duke,'' When he looked up, he could see her smiling as usual and returned to his meal.
But he was the same person whom she saw receiving those flowers from another woman.
''Now that I think about it, did she know about those flowers?'' Even if he thought about it, she was the only one that could answer his question.
''Let's just see her,'' Dante shook his head to remove unwanted thoughts and followed the one way to the pavilion his wife built for herself.
''Oh, Your grace,'' Amelia stumbled upon him. From shock to dislike on her face, the maid bowed in respect, but she did not hide the disdain on her face. She disliked him, and he could see that very clearly.
Not putting her in his eyes, the duke asked, ''where is the duchess?''
''My lady is sleeping, duke.''
''Lady?'' He sharply caught onto that word and corrected her, ''She is my duchess. Do not disrespect her.''
''But the duke is doing the same,'' Amelia did not back down and looked up at the stunned duke. She would support and guard her lady against the man that always made her lady miserable before her pregnancy.
''What?'' Dante did not expect a maid to talk back to him. Just as he was about to give a warning, the maid said, ''My lady needs me to do something. The duke should please not disturb her rest. Have a good day, your grace.''
Amelia bowed once more and left him.
Dante never expected a mere servant to disrespect him blatantly like this. Even if he wanted to punish her for it, he could not as his wife would surely intervene. The maid was the only person she brought from the grand-duchy. She did not accept another maid in the duchy as her personal maid which clearly shows the maid's importance.
''She's just like her,'' He murmured to himself as he continued to walk until he reached the end of the path.
Once he got there, the sun shone on his eyes, and he lifted his arm to shield the rays from them, which made him see the pavilion more clearly.
''oh..'' A low exclamation unknowingly came from his lips as took in the scene of the field. Flowers were almost everywhere on both sides of the walking path. A tree with closed petals was behind the pavilion. In the middle of the beautiful scenery, he could see the back of the familiar silver hair.
Like a possessed person, Dante walked slowly on the walking path to the pavilion until he reached his wife. He climbed on the small staircase and lowered his gaze to her sleeping figure.
Those eyes were not staring at him and, for some reason, he was happy not to look at them.
''Baby,'' A sleepy murmur escaped her lips, and he noticed her hand was on her belly, which still seemed flat in his eyes.
''You don't hate the child...'' He mumbled as the reports he got from Spencer were always about her caring for the baby.
He could see that she cared for the unborn child even if he was the father and he was openly cheating on her. Her protective stance that day also told as much.
''Mmm..'' Her silver eyebrows furrowed like she was having a nightmare, and before he knew it, he reached out to massage those dents.
His fingers stopped an inch before her forehead, and he quickly withdrew his hand back to his mouth with a blush spreading around his cheeks.
'What I am doing?' He asked himself.
Since he had seen her, he wanted to leave, but the blanket that was not covering her shoulders caught his eyes, and once again, he did something that even he could not comprehend why he did it to his cold wife.
He covered her properly and then turned away from her sleeping figure, ''Don't catch a cold...wife.''
>>>Vote Vote Vote, dear readers. <<<
