[Bonus chapter]
"That.. how about we wake the lady up?" that would have been done by any sane person but when Rowan looked at her exhausted face, he did not have the heart to.
"Forget it! I will wait for her." he shook his head and sat beside her making sure that she was comfortable.
"Then, I should too." Rowan glared at Luca when he tried to sit again. "Or I might leave.. Haha! We are in the palace anywhere. There are nights everywhere. You and the lady would be safe for sure!" he laughed awkwardly as he left the carriage.
He did not know that the young lord could be upset too. Though Rowan said that he did not have affection towards the lady, the way he looked at her and worried about her. Luca shook his head and left the carriage.
Rowan sighed! He looked at the flailing woman who had promised to protect him.
"How troublesome! You are so weak. Yet you promise to protect me always."
—--
Ana moved a bit when she felt the hard surface hitting her. She opened her blurry eyes only to see that she was still in the carriage.
"Huh! We have not reached yet?" she rubbed her eyes and looked around.
The carriage was not moving anymore. Luca was already gone and Rowan.. He was leisurely sleeping in her lap. His legs were curled so that he could adjust on the seat.
He was muttering something with a frown on his face. Her face softened immediately. She rubbed his head to get rid of those deep lines when he shook and opened his eyes.
"Oh! You are awake!"
He looked around and then frowned at her.
"You were the one sleeping. I was just accompanying you."
"........" he brushed his hair off his face and looked at her.
"Shall we leave now, the room will be more comfortable." she nodded.
When the door of the carriage was opened, she was surprised to see all the maids waiting for her.
By looking at their faces and uneasy posture, her face hardened.
"Were you waiting here all this time?"
The maid was relieved that the door was finally opened. They bowed their heads immediately.
"We all wanted to welcome our mistress!" sne was taken aback for a second. In the past, only a few had come to welcome her. What changed them?
The maids looked at the wounded duchess with worry. They have already heard how the family of baron and viscount created a fuss in their wedding ceremony. They felt bad for the duchess who looked so frail.
"Oh dear! Look at those fools! Are you alright, madam? Shall I warm some water for you?" The maids immediately surrounded her. Rowan held her hands as if he was worried that she would be overwhelmed by the new place and people.
Ana suddenly felt warm. She had never received this concern in her past life. Garrison had left due to some urgent work after their vows. He had not returned for the whole party.
She had shunned Rowan in anger, so he had left too. She had spent her time with the baroness and viscountess in her past life and returned tipsy only to meet the cold and weary eyes of the maids.
"Yes, prepare hot water and ask Caleb to come and look at her wound. I am not sure if the quack of the church had done a good job. I did not want her to wince at night." When Ana did not speak for a long time, Rowan took the lead as he guided her towards his chamber.
He made sure that her wound was cleaned and then wrapped again. He urged Caleb to do a good job until the physician's ears bleed.
"She should take some rest for the wounds to heal, my lord." Caleb cried. Only then did Rowan nod his head and let Ana go.
The duke and duchess have separate chambers in the palace but since it was their first night, it was customary to spend it in the same room.
She was stunned to see the sheer amount of roses on the bed and ground. It looked so red that it blinded her.
"You look tired, madam. Would you like to have some massage." Garrison was not going to come back tonight. It would not matter if she enjoy the room for the night. Right?
After some consideration, Ana nodded her head. The maids looked thrilled by her decision. They wasted no time in taking off her clothes and lying her on the sofa as if they did not want petals to be disturbed.
Their hands were so trained. They moved so perfectly that Ana moaned. She felt all the worries and tension leaving her body for a second. She closed her eyes and even after sleeping on the carriage, she felt her eyes dropping.
The maid chuckled at her reaction as they increased pressure. Two maids stood at the door guarding it.
Garrison took a deep breath when he reached the palace. It was chaotic. The viscountess had shouted till the end that Ana had pushed her! While another maid confirmed that Ana was with her at that time.
If not for that maid, he was sure Ana would have been called to the royal palace. But it was too much for a coincidence.
He was sure the matter had not ended yet. He frowned when he saw two maids standing at his door. If that was not enough, he grinned creepily looking at her and ran in.
Soon, two more maids walked out of the room in a hurry.
"Welcome back, my lord! We hope you have a good sleep." they grinned like fools when he ignored them and went in.
All he wanted was to lay on his bed and rest. But as he entered the room, he froze on the door.
"Mmm, do not stop moving your hands. Touch me down there again, please!" The woman who was behaving so cold was lying on the sofa with only a small towel covering her ass and asking him to press her… what in the world!