Chapter 52
***
Sponsored by Virginie. Thank you ❤️ (¼)
***
Her last morning in Lavonne. The city was bathed in sunshine. The streets were white as if to prove that summer was at its peak.
"Have you no appetite?"
Murfrio asked, and Aubrey tore her gaze away from the window.
"I'm just a little tired."
Aubrey hadn't slept all night, a lingering fatigue that weighed on her limbs like a weight, and though she hadn't eaten, Murfrio had a good appetite in the morning, wolfing down her share of food.
"Of course."
Murfrio cleared his throat and leaned back on the couch. His bulging stomach looked particularly bloated today.
"I see you're tired, Miss Sandalwood, so I'll cut to the chase: when would you like to marry?”
Aubrey's eyes widened at the question, which came out of nowhere.
"The ceremony will follow the tradition of the Hemburg for generations, but I will allow Miss Sandalwood to choose the season."
The blood rushed through her veins. Aubrey sipped her cold black tea and tried to collect her thoughts. How could she act here without getting herself in trouble, or worse.
"It's hard to say, since it came out of the blue."
She said. If she walked out of here, alone and freaked out, the reaction back at the mansion was obvious.
"All weddings are sudden."
Murfrio smirked.
"Isn't Miss Sandalwood nineteen already, and most young ladies would have already married off and taken up the mantle of mistress of the house, so we should hurry up, shouldn't we?"
He seemed to be good at marriage. No, he was great at it, for it was his third wife he was about to take. Thinking that over, Aubrey tugged at the corner of her mouth and asked,
"May I ask what your first wife was like?"
She'd found a corner to divert his attention. She'd calculated that talking about his first and second wives would dampen his interest in marriage, and if he was constantly reminded of his failed marriages, it wouldn't make his upcoming one look any better.
"We got divorced because we couldn't have kids."
Murfrio says, as if he was sorry for that fact.
"Not unexpected, given how weak she was physically."
"Is not being able to have children a reason for divorce?" She asked.
"Because marriage is to create an heir."
He spoke as if marriage and a wife were merely a device to create his own succession. Judging by the casual way he said it, others thought the same.
"In that sense, Miss Sandalwood looks strong, though a little more weight would be a plus."
His gaze swept over Aubrey's body once more.
"How did you divorce your second wife?"
She asked impatiently, and Murfrio raised his eyebrows.
"Strange, why would you ask such a thing?"
"Because you've been married twice, and you're about to be married a third time, and I'm new to this, so I have a lot of questions and concerns."
Murfrio nodded at the eloquent answer. Then he smiled.
"You're not quite what you seem."
"Is that so?"
"A lady's curiosity is not to be blamed, but it would be embarrassing to show it, especially when you are the Duchess of Hemburg."
It was awkward. She took a few sips of her tea and felt like shw was going to regurgitate it. Still, Aubrey was undeterred and asked about his second wife, and the answer came as a bit of a shock.
"She's dead."
"Dead ......?"
"She died after a few days of an illness she contracted while having sex with her affair partner."
Aubrey couldn't ask more questions about the unexpected reason for the divorce.
"Uh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"So Miss Sandalwood must stay by my side for a long time, strong and healthy."
But learning about his sordid reasons for divorce didn't change her mind; she still hated the marriage, hated Murfrio, hated the way his eyes lusted after her. Unable to bear it, she turned her head away and soon became suspicious of her eyes. The man strode languidly across the deserted hotel restaurant, then stopped in front of her like a mirage. Aubrey looked up at Khaled with a frozen expression.
"I never thought I'd see the Count here."
Murfrio smirked, as if he had forgotten their earlier fight. Khaled, on the other hand, looked down at Aubrey with a stony expression.
"Ah, greetings. This is Miss Aubrey Sandalwood, the soon-to-be eighth Duchess of Hemburg, I pray."
As if things couldn't get any worse, she felt like a trapped mouse.
"I see."
One corner of Murfrio’s mouth quirked up.
"Why haven't I seen you at the ball on the ship?"
Murfrio chose his words strangely enough to grate on Khaled’s nerves, as if he were finally consumed with the pride of having won this woman.
“Shouldn’t the Count get married soon? I’m so sad that I haven’t heard from the Count while I’m here with such a beautiful third wife. I also have to think about the Duke of Karnus’s reputation.”
"Is that so?"
Khaled’s voice cracked slightly at the end of his mild reply. But his face showed not the slightest sign of fatigue. It was almost too fresh. Unlike last night, he was staring at Aubrey with eyes that were alive and well.
"Ah! So, I heard you two were working on a screenplay together."
"Yes. That's what happened."
"I beg of you in advance not to trouble her too much. For my sake."
Murfrio spoke as if Aubrey had already become his third wife, and Khaled seemed to think the whole situation was trivial. Between them, Aubrey felt as if her heart would burst. The eyes staring down at her were not the same ones she had seen last night. Had he really been drunk then, she wondered? Any hint of cordiality was gone, and her embarrassment quickly gave way to her worst imagination.
"You are so naive."
"Uh, Count."
The words were barely out of his mouth. Aubrey scrambled to her feet and managed a smile.
"I need to talk to you about a scenario, and I was wondering if you could spare a moment."
Aubrey cleared her throat.
"I'm really sorry for the interruption, but it's really important."
She gave Murfrio a look of apology and hurried out of the room. Her urgent steps cut across the spacious hotel lobby. She reached the opposite wall.
"How far are you going?"
A muffled voice called out to her. Stopping, Aubrey waited for him to approach, his cool, swift stride gliding toward her.
"Is there anything else you need me to do?"
Aubrey asked softly, looking around.
"Why did you suddenly come here? If you have something to say, you can say at our next meeting."
"Why? Are you mad that I interrupted your breakfast with your future husband?"
Khaled didn't look the least bit sorry. Looking into his normally cold eyes, Aubrey felt the thin membrane surrounding her burst. What the hell was she thinking?
This was the kind of man Khaled Karnus was. A man who would never feel sorry for anyone or regret anything.
"That's not what I'm talking about."
"Then what are you talking about, why did you suddenly get up in a fit and take me out here, Miss Sandalwood?"
Aubrey could only glare at him, unable to speak.
"Are you afraid I'm going to tell your secret?"
“….”
"Or are you really going to try to fuck that fat guy?"
How could every word stab her in the heart like this? Suddenly, Aubrey felt as if this man had been born to torment her. Last night's kindness had been an illusion. Or another trap he'd set.
"It's not like that."
"Then what is?”
"I have no intention of making nice with Lord Hemburg. I told you, I just wanted to finish my job…..!”
Aubrey held her breath as he took a step forward, the gap closing in an instant. Her throat tightened as she tried to look up at the tall man in front of her. Looking down at the tense woman, Khaled slowly reached out his hand. He took the strand of hair that escaped from her neat ponytail and wrapped around his fingers.
"I will not allow my business to take a backseat to yours."
His low voice seemed more real than ever.
"End it with him. If it's true what you say about having no intention of marrying him."
"Give me time."
Aubrey's voice sounded choked.
"You know this isn't something I can fix on my own. So give me time."
"How long?"
"..."
"How much time do I have to give you?"
"...."
"Before that, is it even possible?"
What did she eat wrong? Why was she feeling particularly sick today?
“Miss Sandalwood. You should be careful with whom you are doing business with.”
His fingers tucked her hair behind her ear. The feel of his fingers against her auricle was clear. Her frozen lips parted slightly, then closed again. Aubrey looked like she was about to speak. There was nothing she could do to stop the impending marriage to Murfrio now.
But then she realized that this man knew that she couldn't stop Murfrio's marriage on her own. He knew it, and he provoked her like this just to spite her. He had backed her into a corner again, and her eyelids fluttered shut at the thought.
"Be brazen."
The cold voice touched the tip of her nose.
"If you're so determined to use me, don't you think you should be more brazen?"
Aubrey opened her eyes. Khaled searched her face. The frozen eyes, the nose that couldn't breathe, the tightly pursed lips. The expression meant nothing to him now. All he could see clearly was her unguarded smile, which had flashed across her face, and the moment he saw it, he knew he had to keep her with him longer than he'd thought.
"Tell me. Tell me you want to get rid of that fatty, out of sight, out of mind, forever."
"...."
"Answer me."
In his own way.
***
To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my kofi page
Write a comment