"Me? Take you for a walk?" Lyra pointed at herself as if reluctant to believe it. Looked like she just got hit in the head.
Duke Kleo nodded approvingly, picking up some of the menus on the table for him to eat again. The bitter taste on his tongue from the charred meat cooked by her still didn't go away, even when he ate the first mouthful of a dish made by the royal chef. "Why? Do you mind doing it?"
His question brought her to her senses, she shook her head softly. "No," she mumbled, while her mind was filled with something.
"Well then," he nodded, looking even more cheerful and happy. "We need to finish our dinner soon so we can go outside to enjoy the night view."
Duke Kleo was the only one who did that. He didn't even chew his food properly, which made his stomach a bit bloated after dinner. He also missed some of his favorite foods, which he usually never did. While Lyra was unaffected by anything, except for the advice Ella and Gena had given her this morning.
"If you could seduce His Grace and make his heart flutter, maybe he'll forgive you."
Now Lyra couldn't resist the temptation. It was not difficult for her to seduce any man on the continent, as long as that person was not violent and psychopathic like Duke Kleo. Perhaps without the advice of her two maids, she would have jumped mercilessly to ask the duke for kindness in ways beyond normal limits, exhausted him all night, and had him ensnared by her charms.
But right now what she was dealing with was Duke Kleo, a person who could easily behead her. She wouldn't even dare to start a normal conversation, much less seduce him.
They were now in the palace gardens, which were in the northern palace, adjacent to the room where Lyra was housed. There was a chair placed, overlooking the garden, next to the fountain.
Duke Kleo sat down first, crossed his legs, then raised his head while enjoying the night sky. The moon shone beautifully, the scattered clouds splattered like gloomy cotton candy, then the stars looked like diamonds. All the sights amazed them, including Lyra.
He subconsciously turned his face, looking at her amazed expression, her charming smile including her clear and alluring blue eyes. Her collar bone protruded above the dress clinging to her body, plunging and protruding to slope down to her cleavage, causing him to look down as he felt his face heat up.
"You're right, My Lord," Lyra said, her mouth hanging open, giving her moist, parted lips a tantalizing gleam. "The sky looks very beautiful tonight. Do you often see it every night?"
"Not really." He now also lifted his head, leaning his back. "I don't think I ever really had time to enjoy it. My work is very busy and it's been occupying my mind."
Her brow furrowed, her head tilted. "Then what made you want to see it tonight?"
"Who knows." He shrugged, glancing at her. "Perhaps because there is a greater beauty that awakens me." His gaze swept over her appearance, smiling without her noticing. Then his eyes dropped to her lap and immediately dropped his head on it, making her gasp in surprise.
"My-My Lord, what are you…"
"I'm tired of working all day. Today my head is very dizzy. My back is lifted too much. So I want to rest." Duke Kleo closed his eyes, feeling comfortable. Sleeping in the lap of the girl he loves, feeling the gentle night breeze, then being under the beautiful clear sky. What more perfection does he deserve?
"I-if you want to rest then you can go to your room, My Lord." Lyra's cheeks turned red, especially when she saw his face this close. His handsomeness was perfectly sculpted, which contrasts with the dim light of the night and the powerful radiance of the moon. Her hand was tempted to caress his face, tracing the edges and texture.
"I want to enjoy the night view, so I can't go back to my room."
"But you're even closing your eyes now," Lyra denied. "So you…." She was silent as Duke Kleo opened his eyes, then got his fixed gaze and locked her up. She felt sinking in the middle of the night, being dragged into an unfamiliar world, but oddly enough she liked that.
"Are you happy now?" he asked after opening his eyes, folding his arms across his chest, and then looking up at the night sky again.
There were a few servants not far from where they were, and the servants seemed to be whispering. Lyra was troubled by that, even though Duke Kleo had asked to marry her. She still hoped to escape the punishment even though his good looks were one of the things she wanted to cling too tightly to.
"My Lord, there are many servants around here. Shouldn't you…"
"I was enjoying the night view. Do not bother me!" he ordered.
"If…. If you want to lie down then you can lie here. I will stand. How?"
"My head will ache if I sleep without a pillow."
"I will ask the servants to fetch pillows for you." Once again she was silenced as he shot his vicious gaze at her, which suddenly drew all the cold air around them and fused it lethally.
"Do you hate me that much?" Suddenly he asked a question that she didn't expect ever. "I just borrowed your lap, but you don't want to lend it like I'm going to dirty it," he continued grumbling. "My head and hair are clean, so you don't have to worry about me getting your dress dirty."
"No… it's not like that, My Lord." She shook her head quickly, trying to clear up the misunderstanding. "You misunderstood. I don't mind you borrowing my lap."
"Good," he interrupted, then smiled cheerfully. "Then I'll borrow it tonight."
Checkmate!
Lyra whined softly when she knew she couldn't argue with anything. Finally, she gave in, and let Duke Kleo lay his head on her lap.
Time was passing, the night was getting late, the air was getting colder, the sky was getting darker, and the moon and stars were getting brighter, showing their existence.
Lyra and Duke Kleo were in silence. They didn't say anything, just looked at the night view while breathing, of course.
As she started to feel a cramp in her thigh, she looked down with the intent to ask for some leeway. She wanted to move or maybe wag her feet to get her blood circulating again. Duke Kleo is still Duke Kleo, a burly man with many prominent muscles in his body. Even if only his head fell on her lap, it still put quite a heavy burden on her.
But when she lowered her head, she saw him sleeping tight. His eyes, which had always looked fierce and cruel, now looked peaceful and gentle, like a spoiled puppy. His lips that seemed stiff were now stretched as relaxed as his expression.
There was a tingling in Lyra's chest when she saw the deadliest magnificence of a psychopathic man, his attraction even more so when he was asleep. He looked very handsome, and at the same time helpless.
"My Lord," she whispered, trying to wake him. However, he still slept. She called him twice, then three times, until five times. His breath exhaled softly as his head tilted to look at the handsomeness on his face.
"You're cheaty," she whispered, fingering his face, at his eyebrows and eyes. "Your face is too handsome, so it's hard for me to resist your charms." Then her fingers slid down his pointy nose, across the corner of his upper lip, and stroked it gently. "If you keep doing this, then it will be difficult to refuse you. What should I do?"
She looked down sadly, amid him who was smiling after hearing her confession. Yes, he wasn't really sleeping, and he finally got the answer he had been looking for.
'Lyra,' he said to himself. 'It turns out you like me too,' he continued.
***