Carrying Olivia in his arms, Leonard navigated their way to the guest room that had been prepared for them. Throughout the journey, Olivia playfully touched Leonard's face, yanked at his hair, and even bit his ear.
The maids readied a cold bath for the duchess, and afterwards, Leonard instructed them to leave, desiring privacy. He placed Olivia into the chilly waters; she reacted with a bite to his arm, imprinting her teeth mark upon him.
Leonard waited for Olivia to settle before helping her out of the bath and out of her dress, which she hadn't managed to remove earlier due to her restlessness. Wrapping her in a robe, he guided her to the bed and covered her with the sheets. Despite being under the influence of opium, she discarded the sheets, climbed onto Leonard's lap, and began to caress his chest and back. Trying to resist her advances, Leonard found himself unable to escape when Olivia wrapped her legs around his waist.
She kissed him fervently, and in the end, Leonard succumbed and reciprocated her kiss. Olivia's small hands wandered over his body, igniting in him a blazing desire. Olivia tossed her robe to the floor and helped Leonard out of his shirt.
Finding her newfound boldness intriguing, Leonard allowed Olivia to continue at her will. She playfully bit and kissed him repeatedly, though she moved too slowly for his liking. Hence, he laid her back on the bed, disrobed himself, and kissed every part of Olivia, eliciting moans of pleasure. As he parted Olivia's legs and explored her with his finger, their moans filled the room. He gently caressed her breasts and delved further into her intimacy. As Olivia's passion overflowed, and with Leonard painfully aroused, he could no longer hold back and entered her with force, eliciting a scream of ecstasy. She clung to his back, her nails digging in.
A fiery heat seemed to course through Olivia's body, urging her to seek more of Leonard. Her mind clouded, feeling as though everything would vanish if she let go, she clung to him and bit and kissed him fervently, marking him as hers. Leonard's forceful movements brought Olivia to climax, their lovemaking continuing throughout the night until she was too exhausted to move. Resting on his chest before falling asleep, she whispered, "I love you."
Barely hearing her, Leonard nudged Olivia's shoulder, questioning, "Olivia, what did you say?"
Nestling closer, she murmured, "I'm sleepy."
Leonard believed he had heard a confession of love, and the thought made his heart skip; whether it was love or mere desire he felt for her, hearing those words from her lips fulfilled him.
Come morning, Leonard rose early and instructed the coachman, "Take this letter to Darius at the headquarters."
The coachman nodded, took the letter, and departed.
Waking middy, Olivia found Leonard watching over her. On seeing her awake, he asked, "Are you feeling alright?"
Olivia felt a touch of dizziness and backache but considered herself otherwise well, replying, "Yes."
Surveying her surroundings, she inquired, "Where are we?"
"At the doctor's house-I brought you here yesterday. Don't you remember?"
"I don't, actually."
Leonard, examining her face attentively and reassured by her clear recovery from the opium, relaxed and proposed, "Are you hungry?"
"No, I'm fine," replied Olivia, though she couldn't recall dining the previous evening and felt no hunger, only a lingering weariness.
Leonard stepped away, indicating, "I'll call for the maids to bring you fresh clothes."
After he left, two maids entered with her clothing, helped her bathe, arranged her hair, and dressed her in an uncomfortably voluminous gown that concealed her feet from view.
Once ready, they escorted her to where Leonard was speaking with the doctor. Upon noticing Olivia, the doctor checked her pulse and assured, "It seems the duchess is well."
"I apologize for the intrusion," she said.
"There's no need, Duchess, your presence here an honor," the doctor replied.
Leonard approached her, declaring, "It's time to go home."
"Yes, thank you for evening. Goodbye," she responded.
"Safe travels," the doctor wished them.
Upon leaving, the coachman awaited them at the entrance. Once settled inside the carriage, Leonard couldn't stop gazing at Olivia, who wondered if she had angered him and tentatively asked, "Are you angry with me?"
"Do you remember what you told me last night before you fell asleep?"
She tried to recall but drew a blank. "I'm sorry... I don't remember. Did I say something strange?"
"No," Leonard replied, turning his gaze toward the window, feeling a tinge of disappointment that she couldn't recall her words of affection-or what he believed to have been affectionate words. Normally, such proclamations from previous lovers would bother him, but the possibility of Olivia expressing love had filled him with an unexpected joy. He longed to hear her say it again.
Olivia couldn't seemed so disheartened that she couldn't recall any of yesterday evening's events, but since he appeared unwilling to enlighten her, she resolved to remain silent for the rest of the journey.
Upon their arrival at the mansion, as they stepped out of the carriage, Bandit bolted towards her. She lifted him into her embrace and scratched behind his ears, a gesture that brought obvious joy to him, and the maids seemed relieved not to have to deal with him.
Leonard, observing Olivia's affection towards Bandit, felt a stir of irritation and remarked, "That furball seems to be brimming with energy; perhaps it's time you returned him to the forest."
Tears welling up in her eyes, Olivia turned to him and pleaded, "You promised I could keep him."
Realizing the sadness his words had caused, Leonard quickly amended, "You're right, I'd forgotten. The pup is yours.
Olivia's mood lifted instantly at the reassurance that Bandit could stay. Leonard approached her and, despite Bandit's growling insistence that he back off, Leonard leaned in, kissed Olivia on the forehead, and said, "I must go now, rest well."
"So soon you leave?"
"Yes, I have matters to attend to an may not return until tomorrow."
A touch melancholic, Olivia nonetheless accepted that her husband was a busy man and could do nothing about it. She wished him well.
Leonard re-entered the carriage and departed once more, leaving Olivia at the entrance, stroking Bandit until the carriage vanished among the trees and out of sight. She entered the house and said to Rose, who was refreshing the flowers at the entrance, "Rose, could you prepare another outfit for me? This dress is torture."
"Right away, my lady," Rose responded.
Rose selected a set of wide-legged, mauve-green trousers and a white shirt. After changing into them, Olivia felt rejuvenated. She proceeded to the kitchen and asked Layner to prepare a delightful meal for her.
Layner concocted a seafood pasta dish, a favorite of Olivia's, and served it with a slice of cheesecake. Once Olivia had finished eating, she thanked him, "Layner, everything was delicious."
"It warms my heart to see the duchess enjoy my cooking so much."
"Because everything you make is delectable."
After the meal, Olivia returned to her room, still feeling drowsy and worn, instructing the maids not to disturb her as she slept for the remainder of the day.
The following day, Amelia came to rouse her. Reluctantly, Olivia protested, "Let me sleep a bit more.
"My lady, the tea party is tomorrow. Madam Margaret will be arriving shortly, so up you get."
Olivia had entirely forgotten about the tea party she had been invited to and realized she had nothing to wear since she had worn the dress she bought for the event on her recent city visit.
Amelia helped Olivia get ready, served breakfast, and they waited for Madam Margaret's arrival. Meanwhile, Alfred entered with a chest, placed it on the table, and announced, "My lady, this has arrived from the jeweler for you."
Upon opening the chest, Olivia saw the magnificent jewels Leonard had purchased for her. Astonished, Amelia exclaimed, "Good heavens, they're truly stunning."
"Yes, they definitely are," Olivia remarked emotionlessly. Of all the jewelry Leonard given her, only her wedding band held a precious place in her heart.
Glancing down to admire the ring, Amelia noticed and felt joy for the duchess, seeing her contented with it.
Madam Margaret arrived with beautiful gowns, and Olivia chose a navy dress that shimmered like star-filled night sky, adorned with white leaf embroidery around the neckline. Madam Margaret's designs were growing on Olivia with each new creation.
That afternoon, the maids pampered her with beauty treatments for the next day's event, and she spent time playing with Bandit.
Leonard returned just before dinner. While Olivia was in the library reaching for a book that piqued her interest, Leonard approached, retrieved the book for her, and inquired, "Do you enjoy reading?"
"Only if the book is interesting."
"Are you alright?"
"Yes."
"In a few weeks, I'll need to travel to Montrier. Would you like to join me?"
"Yes, I've never traveled; I would like that."
Alfred entered the library and announced, "Dinner is ready."
"We'll be right there," Olivia replied.
They proceeded to the dinning room, shared dinner, after which Leonard retired to his study and Olivia to her room. She bathed, donned a soft pink nightgown, and the maids left. Later, Leonard arrived, clad in a robe and with damp hair. As he sat beside her, Olivia cautioned, "You shouldn't leave your hair wet; you could catch a cold."
She rose to fetch a towel and began to dry Leonard's hair. Once finished, he encircled her waist with his arms, lingering for a while before he advised, "If anyone makes you feel bad at the tea party, you don't have to tolerated it, you can come home whenever you wish."
"I doubt anyone would dare to be rude in front of the princess."
"They'd better not."
Leonard stood, lifted Olivia in his arms, laid her in bed beside him, and told her, "I want you to meet someone in Montrier."
Her curiosity piqued about whom Leonard wanted her to meet. Olivia tilted her head back to ask, "Who do you want me to meet?"
"You'll find out when we get there; now sleep."