She thought Duke Kleo would often wake up at night, asking for this and that, and whining about his stomach ache. But her anxiety did not happen. He fell asleep very soundly, with his hands holding her tightly and comfortably. A warmth that is hard to forget.
The night passed quickly and lightly as if nothing bad had ever happened. Dreams floated like projecting the beautiful memories they carved that night, which will imprint forever. That deep, sinking kisses, the shaking bodies and weak knees, and then the sounds of love that even crashed their hearts, crawling like a claw.
"My Lady!" The voice of someone awakened her deep sleep suddenly, as she still felt the figure of Duke Kleo in front of her face, holding and protecting him in all situations.
His pitiful face, his expression of wanting her so desperately. It was too hard to shake off the memories, even if she insisted on not remembering them too much. It's like an addictive poison, paralyzing her sweetly.
"My Lady, you must wake up now! The sun is high. Breakfast will be served soon!" Another voice, which she now recognized belonged to. Gena.
Lyra's eyes peered into distress like glue stuck her eyelids together. Then she blinked, squinting at the sting of the sun spilling over her face. It was morning. Time does go by quickly.
"Oh, thank goodness! You're finally awake," Ella shouted cheerfully. She rushed over to Lyra and helped her to a seat. "You must take a bath, My Lady."
Lyra still didn't say anything. Her body staggered because she had not yet fully awakened. Her arms stretched back, yawning as wide as she could, until then her eyes opened wide and looked around. The space beside her made her wonder.
"Where's the duke?" she asked subconsciously, wincing at the sight of the void.
Ella and Gena smiled mischievously together. "His Grace has been awake long before, My Lady. By now he must be in his room getting ready and going to breakfast."
"Did you sleep well, My Lady?" asked Gena, deliberately to stir up rumors and gossip. Her cheeks were red from being too excited.
"Yeah," Lyra nodded, rubbing her head for a moment. "This is the best sleep I've had after the storm," she continued, yawning again. Yeah, she didn't even realize how much influence Duke Kleo had on her.
With the help of Ella and Gena, Lyra prepared herself to go to breakfast. As soon as her face was drenched in water, her consciousness returned completely. She remembered how tightly Duke Kleo had hugged her last night, and she remembered how she had buried her face comfortably in his comfortable embrace.
She didn't remember if she had ever been like this with another man? What she remembers are intimate nights that are filled with lust, nothing more. After she slept with a man, she would make a huge space, hating any kind of cuddle. But last night….
She shook her head violently in disgust. "Why am I being so careless?" she thought, biting her lip. However, after remembering Duke Kleo's words, her heart suddenly calmed down.
"Just tonight. After that, you can forget about it."
Even so, it turned out to be hard to forget all of that, one thing she usually did easily.
'Come on, you guys didn't do anything last night. There are no burning moves other than kissing. So why are you messing up like this, Lyra?' Her nagging interrupted as soon as she entered the palace dining hall, found Duke Kleo sitting behind the dining table, smiling at her.
'Ugh, even his smile is too dangerous,' she thought. Her feet stepped as slowly as possible as if she wanted to buy time so she could escape from that place. She was too embarrassed to face him, whom she had always rejected when proposing to her, but whom she always drew close to in other matters. This was too embarrassing.
"I woke up early this morning," he said after he nodded, returning her greeting. "Looked like you were sleeping so tight, so I didn't want to wake you up. I hope I didn't trouble you last night." Those words had two sharp meanings.
"Nothing you did last night, My Lord. You slept without whining. I'm grateful because that's a sign that your digestion is getting better," nodded Lyra, glancing around and not finding Mr. Bertus anywhere. Now it was just the two of them in the dining hall as if they were cooped up like last night, only with a different atmosphere.
"Thank goodness," Duke Kleo greeted. "I'm better now, and I think it's all because of you. If you refused to stay with me last night, I might not get quality sleep, and that would affect my health."
"I just did what I had to do, My Lord."
"Is that true?" One of his eyebrows shot up, giving her a bad feeling. "What are you supposed to do?"
"Responsible for my bad cooking."
"You also have to take responsibility for the others." Once again his brows rose, grinning teasingly. His lips curled into a chuckle when he saw her looking down, numb. "There's no need to rush. I'm willing to wait for you. How much time do you need? One month? Two months?"
"W-what do you mean, My Lord?" Her shoulders were tense and stiff. Her hands trembled especially when she saw him rising from his chair to sit right beside her, staring at her too closely, weakening her defenses again. 'Cheaty!' She screamed in her mind when she saw his good looks ensnared her again.
"Our wedding," Duke Kleo explained, smiling as he looked into Lyra's eyes, forcing his to drop anchor in her. "How long did it take you to prepare yourself? One month? Two months?"
"Th-that…"
"Ah, or just a few weeks?"
"My Lord." Lyra pleaded but sadly didn't get any attention.
"I'd better start preparing a few things from now on. I can order a gown for you as well as jewelry for the dowry. I've been preparing for wedding gifts. There is a large piece of land in the South. It is very beautiful and fertile. It suits you very well. So we…"
"My Lord," Lyra interrupted firmly. Her fists were clenched too tightly. "Please," she pleaded. "I can not."
"You just…. can't… Cupcakes."
She widened her eyes, almost choking on her spit after hearing the nickname that he gave her. This wasn't the first time she had gotten a nickname from a man, but Duke Kleo? The world must be in chaos. Was this a dream?
Chuckling, he licked his lips as he couldn't stand her adorable expression, wanting to bite her cheeks if it was appropriate now. "I'll be waiting," he whispered, taking her hand and stroking it gently. "As long as you don't take too long, because I'm not a patient man."
"What will you do if I make you wait too long?"
"I can drag you to the altar. It is easy for me." It was a threat! Too handsome a death threat!
***