Olivia had made her way to the kitchen where Chef Layner was busy crafting snacks, pastries, and flower-shaped cookies for the picnic. The housemaids had already packed a basket brimming with fresh fruit; they had prepared the jam and butter just as she had requested-everything seemed to be going perfectly.
After checking on everything, she returned to the garden to find that Alfred had cleared the table and, in its pace, laid out a large checkered blanket. On it, the housemaids had arranged cushions for seating. Olivia was so excited that she could hardly wait for the duke to arrive.
Once the maids had finished setting everything up and placing the food on the blanket, Olivia instructed them to summon the duke.
Leonard was in his study, perusing and seeing off on documents when Alfred knocked and entered the room, announcing.
"My lord; the lady awaits you in the southern part of the garden by the lake for the picnic."
"I will be there shortly."
"My lord, I hope you will not be cross with the lady for her arrangements."
"Hmm... Has she done something amiss?"
"Well, she insisted we remove the table and use a blanket on the ground. I told her it was unseemly, but there was no persuading her otherwise."
"Worry not, Alfred. I suppose it will be interesting to see what she has orchestrated."
Leonard left the room eager to spend the afternoon with his wife. Upon arrival at the afternoon with his wife. Upon arrival at the garden's southern part, he could hear the birds singing and the swans fluttering as they bathed in the lake. Olivia was so engrossed in watching the lake that she did not notice his approach. She was tossing small pieces of bread to the swans, a broad smile on her face, small whisps of hair escaping her braid and dancing in the warm breeze sweeping through the garden.
Seeing Leonard approach, the servants bowed. With a wave of his hand, he silently commanded them to leave, granting the couple privacy. He stealthily wrapped his arms around Olivia's petite waist, startling her and causing the swans to scatter in fright.
"You scared me!" exclaimed Olivia.
Leonard planted a kiss on her forehead and replied, "I apologize, it wasn't my intention to frighten you, but you seemed so absorbed and content that I didn't wish to disturb you."
"You're not bothering me; I was just so focused on the lake that I didn't sense you approach."
"Do you like this spot?"
"Yes, I adore it-truly magnificent."
"It is, isn't it? I haven't been here in so long I had forgotten this place existed."
"That's a pity; this place is beautiful."
Leonard studied his wife's face and agreed, "It is."
"Layner has made some delectable pastries and cookies-you must try them."
Olivia led Leonard by the hand, showing him all she had prepared. Setting down on the blanket, she invited him, "Come, sit down."
He sat and Olivia immediately handed him a plate full of blood, patiently watching until he tasted it and complimented, "This is delicious."
"Yes, everything Layner prepares is always delicious."
Leonard felt a twinge of annoyance hearing his wife praise the chef and raised an eyebrow, questioning, "Since when have you become so familiar with him to call by his first name?"
"Well, while your grace was away, I often visited the kitchen to learn cooking from him."
"Why would you want to learn cooking? As a duchess, there's no need for you to do such things."
A blush crept over Olivia's face as she responded, "I know, but before coming here, I cooked occasionally. I'm not very good, but it was something I enjoyed doing, so I asked him to teach me a few dishes."
"So you enjoyed cooking?"
"Yes, but I'm not very adept."
"Still, I look forward to sampling your cooking someday."
Her eyes lit up at Leonard's words. Although she was well aware her cooking skills were abysmal-to put it mildly; she had once cooked for her family, leading to everyone falling ill, which resulted in her father sternly forbidding her from cooking over again. Despite that, she was eager to learn and delighted by the duke's statement,. "You really want to taste my cookies?"
"I believe it can't be that bad."
"I will practice diligently to create something delightful."
After saying that, Olivia fell into an awkward silence and began to eat heartily. Leonard sometimes wondered how she maintained her slim figure despite her healthy appetite, though he kept silent, not wishing to offend her sensitively on the subject.
When they finished eating, Olivia cleared away the remnants on the blanket and lay back to watch the branches of the trees lazily sway with Leonard beside her, she couldn't simply drift off. So, he sat up and gazed at the lake, her nervousness evident when Leonard fixed his stare on her.
"I hope you enjoyed the meal, your grace."
Leonard leaned closer and remained her, "I've told you to call me by my name."
"I know, but I still haven't got used to it."
"From now on, if you don't address me by my first name, I'II ignore you when you speak to me."
Olivia found this childish and protested, "What? That's not fair."
"Whether I respond is entirely up to you."
He drew closer, noses almost touching, breathing in unison. Leonard tenderly adjusted the stray strands from her braid. Expecting a kiss, Olivia closed her eyes. Finding her anticipation endearing, Leonard couldn't resist teasing her a bit and nibbled her nose instead.
Startled, Olivia pulled back sharply, tipping over the fruit basket, crushing the tray of pastries against her back, spilling the wine pitcher and orange juice all over the blanket. Leonard's intention was merely to jest, but it resulted in a mess, which he found hilarious, erupting into hearty laughter.
"Ahaha, truly, you never cease to amaze me."
Furious at Leonard's laughter at her expense, Olivia, cake-stained and red with embarrassment, stormed back to the mansion in a fury.
As Olivia made her way to the Mansion, she was attacked by several swans that caused her to stumble and roll down a small slope behind some bushes. When she finally stopped rolling, she was a bit dizzy, so she lay there for a moment, observing the blue sky until her head stopped spinning. Recalling what Leonard had done earlier, she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment and gave thanks to God that he hadn't seen the predicament she found herself in after tumbling down the hillside.
While lost in her thoughts, she heard something rustling in the bushes and thought perhaps the swans were back for more pecking. She sprang up quickly, bracing for another attack, but what emerged from the bushes was not the swans but a small, limping puppy with an injured front paw. She approached the puppy slowly so as not to frighten it and stroked it gently with her fingers, making the puppy lick her, tickling her skin.
"Ha, ha, please stop, you're tickling me."
Olivia sat down on the ground and extended her hand to pet the puppy until it became used to her presence, and then she cradled it in her arms. The puppy, with grey eyes and fluffy white fur like a rabbit's, was so tiny and cute it seemed like a toy, and Olivia decided she would take it back to the Mansion with her.
"You're so cute, little one. Who would be so cruel as to hurt such a beautiful little thing?"
She examined the puppy's paw and noticed a recent cut. Drawing a handkerchief from her trouser pocket-luckily clean-she used it to bandage the paw. Once finished, Olivia stood up, still cradling the puppy, ad scanned the surroundings for the mother, doubting such a small creature had wandered far from her side.
While searching for the mother, Olivia encountered a guard from the Mansion and inquired, "Hello, excuse me, I found this puppy in the bushes. Do you know to whom it belongs or where its mother might be?"
Leonard, minutes after Olivia's departure, went out to find her. Upon arrival at the Mansion, he was told nobody had seen her return; she was likely still in the garden. Leonard commanded that they search every part of the Mansion until they found her, fearing that with her clumsy nature she might have fallen somewhere and hurt herself.
After a short search, Leonard found her at the bottom of the small slope leading to the forest and, approaching, overheard Olivia asking a guard about the mother of the little puppy in her arms.
Olivia's hair was full of twigs, and her clothes were muddy, signifying a fall. As Leonard drew close enough to assess her condition, he noticed the creature in her arms, swiftly pulled ut from her, and demanded, "Where did you get this animal?"
The small puppy started to whimper and flailed its legs trying to break free, causing an infuriated Olivia to yelp, "What are you doing, let go or you'll kill it!"
Hearing Olivia's alarm, Leonard immediately let go, and Olivia hurriedly caught the yelping puppy mid-air before it hit the ground, glaring at Leonard as she demanded, "Did you intend to hurt it?"
"No, Olivia, that's a wolf cub, not an ordinary dog."
The guard responded to Olivia's previous question. "Indeed, my lady, this is a wolf cub. Its mother fell into a trap and died."
"What?"
"Olivia, you've heard him. Give the cub to the guard; he'll take care of it."
But the quivering puppy in Olivia's arms made her heart clench, realizing it had no family left. She refused to let go, looking up at Leonard, she pleaded, "Can I keep it?"
"Olivia, that's not a dog. It's best you give it to the guard."
"It's just so small and injured. Can I keep it until it's healed, at least?"
Leonard wanted to refuse, but Olivia's pleading green eyes swayed him. With a sigh, he relented, "Alright, you can keep it until it's better, but then it goes back to the wild."
"Yes, thank you, Leonard."
"Now, what happened to you? You're covered in mud."
"I accidentally fell down the slope."
Leonard found it odd that someone could tumble down such a gentle slope, off the path, but he held back comment.
"We better go back and check for injuries."
"Yes."
Leonard then carried Olivia in his arms, prompting her flustered protest, "No, please put me down. I'm muddy; you'll get dirty."
"That's not a concern."
"But..."
"I won't put you down until we're home and sure you're unhurt."
Blushing with embarrassment as every servant they passed stared, Olivia felt the heat in her cheeks.
Upon returning to the Mansion, Amelia saw Olivia, disheveled and muddy in the duke's arms, and exclaimed in shock, "Oh! My lady, what has happened to you?"
"It's a long story, Amelia. Right now, I just want to bathe."