Evie glanced at the bed and innocently nodded. But the next moment, her expression changed.
"But… why?" she asked hesitantly. "Did something happen between you and the duke?"
"No, love. Nothing happened. I simply said some kind words to him as a reminder and everything's fine now." He immediately answered with a smile. "I am needed here and since I don't want to leave you all alone in the castle, I decided to bring you here with me. Moreover, I don't want any more misunderstanding between us. Given our track record, I'm afraid that something will happen again if I leave you, so I'd better keep you close to me. This is alright with you, right?" he gave her a mischievous grin, letting her know that he was teasing her and taking the sting out of his words, just in case she felt slighted at him referencing all their previous misunderstandings with each other.
