Leonard was reclining in a chair at his office, utterly exhausted from the workload of the past few days.
It had already been several months since he'd arrived at the Northern fortress to manage the situation. After numerous battles, the kingdom of Azur finally conceded defeat and withdrew its troops.
Yet, he still had to deal with all the paperwork and traitors who had been hiding spies.
It was an unpleasant job, but someone had to do It-he planned to return soon as he was slight worried about how Olivia was faring, knowing there were many curious nobles who would surely go to the mansion to meet her and attempt to forge a connection with Leonard through her.
He estimated it would take another month before he could head back, so he had sent a letter informing them of his impending return.
The next morning, he paid a visit to Viscount Miller, who had been passing on information and sheltering spies from the kingdom of Azur.
Upon arriving at his house, Leonard instructed the soldiers to gather all the household members in the garden. They quickly rounded everyone up, and the viscount's family, including Viscount Miller himself, were assembled.
Viscount Miller was surprised and dazed, not understanding what was happening. Seeing Leonard, he went pale and began to sweat despite the chill that day.
Seeing him, Viscount Miller immediately realized why he was there.
"Good morning, Duke of Forest. What honor brings you here? Why have you ordered us all out of the house?"
"You truly do not know why I am here?"
When Leonard said this, the viscount's fears were confirmed, and he began to tremble with terror.
"No... My lord, I do not know the reason for your visit."
"Sam, tell him why we are here."
The soldier he had called took out a written order from his bag and began to read aloud.
"For harboring spies from the kingdom of Azur and for facilitating the exchange of information, Viscount Miller is stripped of his title and accused of treason against the crown."
"My lord, you cannot do this to me; I declare my innocence against these charges."
"You know very well that you are guilty of what you are accused, and are aware of the fate of traitors."
Viscount Miller fell to his knees, begging for mercy.
"Please have mercy, My lord! Spare my life..."
As Leonard drew his sword, the viscount tried to run, but Leonard was quicker. The viscount didn't even have time to rise before Leonard decapitated him. The viscount's head rolled on the ground, drenching it in red, and those present gave a muffled scream at the sight.
"I hope this serves as a lesson to all. Any traitors conspiring against the kingdom of Alicante will face the death penalty."
Viscount Miller's family was paralyzed with fear, dreading that they might suffer the same fate.
But nobility was necessary, so instead of killing them all, he appointed the viscount's nephew Damian Miller as the new Viscount.
After that, he visited two more families, encountering essentially the same situation-despite their proclaimed innocence, they eventually pled for their lives.
Leonard returned to the fortress at dusk with an unpleasant sensation from the blood staining his clothes.
Upon his arrival, the servants were alarmed to see him covered in blood and rushed to prepare his bath.
Entering his room, everything was ready, so Leonard instructed the servants to leave him alone. They departed quickly, and in the bathroom, a tub full of water with essential oils and rose petals awaited him.
To him, it seemed utterly foolish to prepare such a luxurious bath when one was covered in blood-it was a waste.
After cleansing off all the grime, he changed and requested a servant to serve dinner immediately as he still had a pile of work that had accumulated over the past days.
After finishing all the paperwork and dealing with all the traitors, he started to plan his journey home.
The return trip was quite calm, and he took the chance to sleep, knowing there would be much work awaiting his return.
The journey home took a week as the weather had turned and they had to stop at a small village to rest.
Arriving at the capital, he first went to the palace to report all that had occurred during his stay in the Northern fortress, to the crown prince.
After Leonard recounted the essential points, the price inquired:
"And, has the duchess been informed of your return?"
"I haven't yet had the time to go my house; I've just come back and thought you'd want the report as soon as possible."
"Of course, but..."
"If you arrive this way without notice, you don't give me time to prepare anything for your return."
That had been Leonard intent-he hadn't announced his return date because that would surely have led to a parade, which was not to his liking.
"Well, now if you will excuse me, I must depart. It's been a long trip and I wish to return home and rest."
"The duchess will be quite surprised to see you. By the way, many nobles have come to your mansion hoping to meet the new duchess, but none have been received due to the duchess's poor health, prohibiting her from having visitors."
"You ought to present the young duchess soon, or rumors will start to circulate about her."
"I'II consider it."
Leonard made a brief bow, then left the palace and returned to his mansion.
As he entered, he encountered a somewhat perplexing scene, and the servants were very surprised, halting their tasks to bow to him.
All except one, who hadn't noticed his arrival-a young woman with long, tumultuous chestnut hair dressed in a white shirt and blue trousers that outlined her figure.
What struck him most was that this young girl was his wife, up on a ladder changing curtains, consulting the maids for their opinion.
"I see you've had quite the fun in my absence, my littler duchess."
Leonard said with a hint of annoyance.
At the sound of the duke's voice, she turned her head so sharply that she lost her balance. He had to move quickly to catch her in his arms before she hit the ground.
Since it had been over a month since the Duke had sent a letter announcing his imminent return, Olivia had decided to make some alterations to the manor. Despite its beauty, she felt it lacked something, so she had replaced the entrance hall drapes and ordered more colorful furniture.
She was just finishing hanging the new curtains.
"How do they look? Do you think they're fine, or perhaps I should choose another color?"
"I see you've had quite a bit of fun in my absence, my little Duchess."
"What!!!"
Hearing the Duke's voice, Olivia was so startled that she lost her balance and fell from the ladder.
She shut her eyes tight, bracing for the impact, but, oddly, felt nothing. Upon opening her eyes, she realized the Duke had caught her before she hit the ground, now holding her in his arms.
It was the first time Olivia had been so close to him, and feeling his firm arms supporting her, his handsome face so near, blood rushed to her head, her vision blurred, and she ultimately fainted.
Well, it might also have been because of the cold from which she hadn't fully recovered. Yet, insisting on getting out of bed, she was tired of spending all day doing nothing.
After Olivia fainted in Leonard's arms, he carried her to her room, where upon touching her forehead, he realized she had a fever.
He immediately sent for the doctor.
"I'm sorry, my lord," Alfred apologized "This is my fault; I shouldn't have allowed the Duchess to do something so perilous."
"Don't worry, Alfred, this isn't your fault."
"The Duchess had a cold and has been in bed for several days but she said she was feeling well and didn't want to spend more time doing nothing."
Leonard looked at Olivia and thought.
It seems my little Duchess is naughtier than I thought.
"By the way," Leonard asked," what are those clothes she's wearing?"
"The Duchess had a designer called right after you left, and apparently she said she despised uncomfortable and bulky dresses and desired something different. So, Madame Margaret showed her designs, and the Duchess fell in love with them. Since she received the clothes, she hasn't worn any dress."
"Ha... It seems my wife likes to be quite the handful."
"Tell the maids to come and change her clothing."
"Yes, my lord."
The butler departed, leaving Leonard alone with Olivia. She looked very pale and sweaty from fever in that large bed, so fragile and small, it was the first time he felt an urge to care for someone.
The maids quickly came, cleaned her body, and dressed her in fresh clothing.
She was unconscious for the entire afternoon, and when the doctor came, he diagnosed a simple cold, recommending only rest.
After the doctor left, Leonard returned to his room to bathe.
When Olivia awoke, she found herself in her bedroom, now in a nightgown.
Attempting to rise for some water, she was so weak that her legs gave way, and she crumbled to the floor, injuring her knees and causing great pain.
After his bath, Leonard went to see how Olivia was faring. Approaching her door, he heard a loud thud from her room.
He hurried inside; Olivia was o the floor, apparently having attempted to stand but her legs and failed her.
Leonard approached to help her up.
Olivia didn't recognize the man who just entered the room until he stood before her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Seeing the Duke, Olivia became so nervous it was hard to get the words out
"I... I just..."
Upon seeing the cuts on her knees from the fall, the Duke lifted her into his arms and placed her gently on the bed.
Then he turned around and left the room, leaving her alone.