Duke was still quiet. The frown on his brow went deeper. Other people would think that he was making trouble out of nothing, but he just could not control himself. People who already fell in love would always keep an eye on their beloved. They were always concerned about their beloved's daily life and a subtle action from their love could easily turn their moods around. Duke was in such a situation now.
Belinda became more certain about her guess upon getting no response. However, she stayed looking at his back instead of walking away. The soft chilly breeze in late autumn swept over her naked back and made her feel a bit cold. It was nothing compared with the anxiety in her heart though. She was not even sure if she was the one Duke would like to talk with. She was always doubtful if there would be a time when he would share his real thoughts with her. Nevertheless, she was still hopeful. She was looking forward to his response. A warm glance would be enough for her. She was not the greedy kind.
She couldn't tell what she was really eager for in her heart. Knowing that Duke had a cold personality and that he was a non-expert in expressing his feelings like other men, Belinda decided to walk towards him step by step. She was not asking for too much. All she wanted that time was for him to turn, take a step towards her and welcome her at least.
Belinda never considered herself to be an ordinary woman who would rely on a man for happiness. She did not even bother to get involved in love stuff. Those things changed since she met Duke Leng. She felt that she became a more ordinary woman. She cared about everything that concerned him, worried about him at the sight of his deep frown, and felt happy for the whole day just because of his slight smile. That was totally different from the former Belinda.
It was tough for someone to make another person fall in love with him/her. But Belinda had a huge hope that she could make it. She had refrained from her pride and arrogance, trying to be considerate as hard as she could. There were some times when she did not agree with him but chose to compromise because of him. She kept her disagreement in her heart instead of letting Duke know.
You went to the party in such a dress." Duke made a sudden turn. His anger almost broke his chest upon seeing Belinda's attire. Oh God, what was she wearing now?
Yes. Is there anything wrong?" Belinda was shocked by his sudden move but then it was his sharp question that had her panicking. She replied without even thinking about her answer.
"Don't you think that the plunging neckline shows too much of you?" Duke walked around her. His eyes grew darker and colder. "And the back. You're almost naked. Are you even sure that you have some clothes on?" Should he not care about her, he would not have minded about what she was wearing so much. But goodness! He was even having illusions that all the men in that party were attracted to her and every one of them wanted her as their partner! He could just imagine their obscene glances and he loathed it.
"I'm sorry! But what do you mean? Yes, indeed, this dress is a bit revealing. I don't think there's something wrong with it though. After all, everyone wore such a dress." What Duke said irritated Belinda and turned her into a little hedgehog. Actually, she herself was not very satisfied with her dress because it was too revealing. It was just that she had no time to get another dress back then as the occasion was urgent. That dress was the only one she had. She had no other choice but to put the dress on. As a matter of fact, her dress was not even eye-catching in the buffet. There were numerous beauties there who dressed much more revealingly than her. She did not think she did anything wrong.
"Well, never mind. It's your business and it seems that I am not eligible to make comments on you." Duke passed by her. His decisive expression got Belinda alarmed. She reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Am I such a flirtatious woman, Duke Leng? You just implied that I tried catching others' attention by showing my body! You know what? You are insulting me and yourself too because I am your wife."
Belinda's lips could not help but tremble. It was her who made the first step forward again. She was not like herself whenever she was with him and that was what made her worry. She was afraid that she might fall into a deep sea called love and might drown. Her contradicting thoughts were fighting inside her mind. She wanted to pursue her true love despite everything, but on the other hand, always stopped acting too passionately to Duke in the last minute. She was afraid that Duke might not fall as deep as her and not return her love.
"Glad to know that you still remember the fact that you are my wife. I thought you'd already forgotten."
Duke's anger grew into a rage after hearing his wife's words.
"You're confusing me, Duke. What do you exactly mean? Stop talking to me like this and say it clearly. It's just a revealing dress. No big deal, okay? You don't need to be sarcastic. I don't like it." That was how Belinda dealt with things. Yes, indeed, she loved him but it did not mean that he could ridicule her as he liked. She felt offended.
"Do you think I am being meaninglessly critical just because of the dress? If yes, then you still have a long way to go to understand what kind of person I am." Duke closed his eyes and opened them again. The dress was just a blasting fuse. What he minded the most was the fact that she did not treat him as her husband. What made him even more unhappy was how she always managed and endured everything by herself instead of sharing those with him. How he wished she could open to him and seek comfort and safety sometimes.
Ok, that's fine! Then tell me why are you angry? What's the real reason?" Belinda did not let go of him. Her hand was still grasping his wrist firmly. She did not think that it was a wise idea to let him go and make things worse. Sometimes you could not just escape and refuse to face the problem. You had to face it sooner or later.
"Fine, forget it! Probably I am a little bit narrow-minded. Leave me alone. I need some time and space to calm down. Maybe I'll get through it later." Would he really get through it later? Actually, Duke got no clue. He had spent the whole day thinking about it but failed to come up with anything.