Chapter 243: Continued their exploration
"What happened, Sylvian?" Damian asked as he stepped out into the open air with the prince, who had insisted they walk in the garden rather than talk inside the study.
"I have found the woman of my dreams," Sylvian declared.
"Where?"
"Right here, in Varos," Sylvian replied, a brilliant grin breaking across his face.
Damian noticed that his cousin’s clothes were still a bit damp from the recent rain. Yet, the excitement radiating from the prince told Damian that Sylvian must have gone to great lengths just to cross paths with her.
"But there is a problem," Sylvian asserted, his expression shifting into a mix of determination and worry. "She despises the nobility, and she definitely will not care for a prince. Despite that, I want to pursue her. She possesses such clarity of thought, and our interests match perfectly. Speaking with her is the first time I haven’t felt entirely bored."
"Alright. But are you ready to fight your mother?" asked Damian. "I am assuming that the lady who caught your heart is not from the noble class."
"For my happiness, I will fight my mother," Sylvian stated firmly. "I will convince her."
"Then, go forward with it," Damian replied. "But before that, change your clothes. You may catch a cold."
Sylvian hummed in agreement and said, "I will ask Eilika for tips. In terms of love, no one is a better advisor than her."
"How so? I am in love too. You can ask me as well," Damian stated, crossing his arms.
"Seriously, Duke? You are not a woman," Sylvian countered with a laugh. "To understand Iliana and get close to her, I need the help of a woman who understands love well."
Damian smiled and nodded, conceding the point.
"Father, Uncle! What are you both doing here?" Roman asked, gasping for air, his flushed cheeks making it obvious he had been running a marathon through the palace corridors.
"Young Master, why do you run so fast?" the servant who finally caught up with him complained breathlessly. However, upon seeing the Duke and the prince, she quickly pulled herself together and offered a humble bow.
"Uncle, your clothes are wet. Aren’t you cold?" Roman asked, tilting his head.
"Not at all," Sylvian replied with a grin. He looked the boy up and down. "Is it just me, or has Roman grown a bit taller?"
"Really? Did I get tall?" Roman’s face instantly lit up with joy.
"We will measure your height later and find out for sure. But I do think you are growing," Sylvian remarked.
"Go inside now. You cannot afford to get sick," Damian told his cousin. Sylvian nodded and walked back toward the mansion, while Damian turned to the maid and dismissed her, letting her know Roman was now in his care.
"Come, boy. Let us take a walk," Damian said, extending his hand. Roman caught it tightly and looked up at his father, his previous exhaustion completely forgotten.
He imitated his father’s long strides, a subtle detail that Damian noticed immediately. Slowing his pace to match the young boy’s, Damian began speaking. "Roman, forgive your father for being negligent toward you. I know you have suffered because I refused to show my love to you."
He then stopped and got down on one knee, his hands finding Roman’s tiny shoulders to look him directly in the eyes.
"I know you sometimes seek answers regarding your birth. You try asking the servants. Forgive me for always ignoring your concerns and not telling you properly from my own mouth."
"I know, Father," Roman murmured, looking down at his shoes. "Mama died after giving birth to me and you were in pain. That is why you didn’t like..."
"That is not true," Damian stopped him gently, cutting off the painful assumption.
"When I first held you in my arms, I felt a bigger responsibility had come to my shoulders, even bigger than holding this rank of a duke. Yes, I was in pain, but there were days when simply looking at your small baby form would bring me calm. You are my son, and I love you very much." Damian did not hesitate in telling his son the deeper form of his love, which he had always kept hidden behind a wall of silence.
Roman simply looked into the eyes of his father. He did not know how to answer, but he finally realized that the answers he had gathered from the servants were not true.
Throwing his hesitation aside, Roman wrapped his tiny arms tightly around his father’s neck. Damian held him close, burying his face in the boy’s hair as he gave a gentle, reassuring pat on Roman’s back. He had been trying for weeks to find a way to tell his son the truth, but the words had always eluded him until now.
"I love you, Father," Roman whispered against his shoulder.
"I love you too, my son," Damian replied.
~~~~~
At night after dinner, Eilika returned to Damian’s chamber after putting Roman to sleep.
"Roman was speaking about you. He said he found out the truth that his father didn’t hate him. I couldn’t understand his whole words. What exactly transpired between you two?" she asked in amusement.
"Didn’t you advise me once to be more vocal about my feelings toward my son?" Damian asked, a faint, reflective smile touching his lips.
"Yes, I did. But I am still unable to understand why you chose today of all days."
"It happened suddenly," he replied.
Damian untied the knots of his shirt near the collar, loosening the fabric to relax for the evening, and continued, "He always had his assumptions surrounding Liliana’s death. I finally found the courage to tell him I never hated him for it. I was angry at myself for not saving her. That is all."
Eilika stood up from her seat and walked over to him, her expression full of warmth. "You did the right thing, Duke. Sometimes we have a lot to say, but we struggle to find the right words and the right time. Roman has finally found his peace after what you told him."
She turned around to go to bed when Damian grasped her wrist. He gently drew her close, his arm circling around her shoulders as his chin rested on one of them.
Eilika bit her bottom lip nervously, wondering what could come next. She felt the warmth of his lips press against her neck, and she flinched slightly at the sudden spark of sensation.
His hot breath fanned against her nape as he gently moved her hair over her shoulder to the front. Eilika took a deep breath, knowing exactly what would come next.
She felt his fingers skillfully untying the knots of her nightdress. A shiver ran down her spine as the cool night air brushed over her skin through the thin chemise she still wore underneath.
Even then, Damian didn’t stop. He kept planting soft, lingering kisses along her shoulder, slowly working his way up to the sensitive skin at her nape.
He turned her around gently to face him, capturing her lips in a deep kiss while guiding her hands up to wrap around the back of his neck.
They pulled apart when Eilika grew breathless. This time, she was the one who leaned in first. Rising onto her tiptoes, she kissed him with growing hunger. Damian responded by scooping her up in his arms, carrying her bridal-style across the room toward the bed.
He lowered her carefully onto the mattress and shifted her head onto the pillow. For a moment he pulled back, then leaned down again. He kissed the scar on her cheek with surprising tenderness, then the tip of her nose, and finally her other cheek.
Damian’s fingers traced the edge of her chemise, slowly sliding the thin fabric higher up her thighs. The cool air and his warm touch made her skin prickle.
He trailed slow kisses from her throat down to her collarbone, then found the sensitive spots that made her back arch off the mattress. His warm hands continued their exploration along her thighs, each stroke drawing soft, involuntary gasps from her lips.
Gathering her courage, Eilika reached for the hem of his shirt. Her fingers slipped underneath, gliding over the firm, bare skin of his abdomen.
Damian shifted onto his knees, helping her as he pulled the shirt up and off in one smooth motion. He tossed it aside, letting it fall somewhere on the mattress. His muscles flexed as he leaned over her again, caging her body with his.
Their lips met again, this time in a much deeper, hungrier kiss. Damian’s hands continued their exploration, gliding over her curves before sliding down her thighs. He guided her legs up, encouraging them to wrap around his torso, pulling their bodies even closer.
"Angh..."
A soft, broken moan escaped her as his thumb brushed over the sensitive peak of her breast, sending a sharp jolt of pleasure through her body.
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