Fated Eclipse: The Illegitimate Princess And Her Alpha Suitors

Chapter 287: A Most Improper Arrangement

Chapter 286: A Most Improper Arrangement

Lyria’s POV

Duke Valenridge gave me a look, his pale green eyes narrowing slightly, as though he were trying to determine whether I was serious.

"Did you just tell me to stay, Your Highness?" he asked.

I nodded, keeping my gaze steady.

"I d-did," I said.

Duke Valenridge studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he spoke.

"Perhaps you have forgotten the rules of the competition, curious wolf," he said. "But no Moon candidate is to be seen with a suitor candidate without a chaperone present."

I gestured toward my maids at that.

"They c-can serve as one," I said. "There are f-four of them. That is m-more than enough. A-and my guard is a-also present."

He simply stared at me.

I paused, then added, "A-also, I am d-doing this because I f-feel poorly that I d-disrupted your rest. I will m-make certain you are not d-disturbed further. You may s-stay."

Duke Valenridge was quiet for a while, and then he sighed.

"Well," he said.

"Who am I to refuse so wonderful a request from a beautiful woman such as yourself?"

I felt my cheeks warm again.

I had blushed more in these past few days than I had in the whole of my life prior.

"W-where were you r-resting?" I asked him, choosing not to dwell upon the fact that he had called me beautiful. "Before I c-came?"

He pointed toward a secluded corner of the library, tucked behind a tall bookshelf where the sunlight scarcely reached. It was a dark, shadowed space, cool and entirely unwelcoming.

I frowned at the spot.

Only then did I notice the books stacked there in uneven piles, some open, some closed, all arranged with a familiarity that suggested frequent use.

"D-did you not say you were t-taking a nap?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"I was."

I gestured toward the corner.

"Then how w-were you taking a nap there?" I asked. "That does n-not appear to be a p-place where one could c-comfortably sleep."

He chuckled, the sound low and warm.

"You are not wrong, Your Highness," he said. "But I make do."

He did not elaborate further.

I studied the corner again.

The stone floor looked cold. There was no cushion, no blanket, no chair. Only books and shadows.

For reasons I could not entirely explain, the sight unsettled me.

I had spent many years seeking out forgotten corners of the palace to hide in. I knew what it meant to choose uncomfortable places because one found comfort nowhere else.

"That is n-not ideal," I said quietly. "Taking a nap upon a h-hard floor with h-hard books as pillows. That c-cannot be g-good for you."

I patted the cushioned bench beside me.

"You may t-take your nap here," I said. "It is f-far more comfortable."

He glanced at the bench.

Then he glanced at me.

"You are presently sitting upon it," he observed.

"I c-can stand."

He shook his head immediately.

"You are meant to be studying."

"I c-can stand while s-studying," I said. "It is n-not impossible."

A smile tugged at his lips.

"You would surrender your own comfort for mine?"

I did not answer immediately.

The truth was that he looked exhausted.

And for some reason, I disliked seeing it.

So instead, I simply nodded.

"I am o-offering the spot as an a-apology," I said. "For d-disturbing y-your rest. I know how u-unpleasant it is to h-have one’s sleep interrupted. I become rather g-grumpy when it h-happens to me."

His eyes brightened.

"I would very much like to witness you grumpy someday."

I made a face at that.

"You w-would n-not."

"Would I not?"

"N-no. You would r-regret it i-if you d-do."

"I doubt that."

I rose from the bench and gestured toward it.

"Take your n-nap, your g-grace," I said. "I shall be q-quite fine standing."

He looked at me for a long moment.

There was something thoughtful in his expression now.

Something softer.

I suddenly found myself wondering what he saw when he looked at me.

But then he nodded.

"Very well," he said. "I shall take my nap."

Relief washed through me.

"But first," he continued, "you are not to stand while studying."

I frowned.

"What d-do you m-mean?"

He gestured toward the bench.

"Sit, curious wolf."

"If I s-sit, you will not h-have space to lie down."

"Just listen to me."

His tone was not commanding.

If anything, it sounded amused.

I looked at him suspiciously.

Then I looked at Elara who merely smiled. That was unhelpful.

Reluctantly, I sat down.

I moved as far to one side as I possibly could, leaving what I believed was a respectable amount of space between us.

Duke Valenridge looked at the distance and laughed quietly.

"You appear to think I am contagious."

"I d-do not."

"You certainly sit as though you do."

I refused to answer him which only caused his amusement to deepen.

Duke Valenridge sat beside me.

The bench dipped slightly beneath his weight.

He adjusted himself then adjusted himself again.

I frowned.

"Are you p-perhaps u-uncomfortable?"

"Yes."

He shifted once more.

Then, before I could properly process what was happening, he leaned sideways.

And suddenly, his head was in my lap.

My mind ceased functioning for a few seconds.

"W-what are you d-doing?" I asked, my voice rising several octaves higher than I intended.

The reaction in the room was immediate. Debbie turned and she gasped in shock.

Pippa made a sound that I was fairly certain no being ought to make.

Margery choked.

Brayden’s hand returned to his sword and Elara, traitor that she was, simply smiled.

Duke Valenridge, meanwhile, appeared perfectly comfortable.

He closed his eyes.

"You wished for me to rest upon the bench," he said.

"Upon the b-bench," I repeated weakly. "Not upon my l-lap."

He opened one eye.

"There is no possibility that I shall permit you to stand while studying," he said. "And so I took the most agreeable solution available to me."