Sophie cleared her throat and said honestly, "I am just a bit confused if I am still needed or not."
Leland nodded slightly. "You are. Don't worry about it. I am just not in a hurry."
Sophie looked up at the man's side profile and tried to read him. Unfortunately, she didn't know him well enough to understand him.
He was still an enigma for her.
"Very well…" She couldn't argue and finally just accepted his words.
They stood still on the balcony watching the view outside. The moon was bright and the stars were aplenty. They could actually see the garden from here. And suddenly… snow started falling again.
The atmosphere turned solemn all of a sudden. Sophie immediately remembered her mother who loved sitting by the window and enjoyed the sight of the falling snow in winter.
She would put little Sophie on her lap and tell her stories while her father made sure the fire in the fireplace would keep burning to warm up his beloved girls.
And when Lee was still around, he would curl up like a ball by Anne's feet. It was one of many beautiful childhood memories that Sophie treasured in her heart.
Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks.
She missed her mother so badly. It's been almost nine years since she lost both her parents. She thought she had been strong and could move on with her life without her parents. However, tonight she felt a deep longing for them…
Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she stayed with them on that fateful day… Would she die together with her parents?
It would have been a welcomed death, to die with her loved ones. She didn't have to suffer so much for so many years afterward.
Leland pressed his chest when he felt her sadness.
Sophie's longing and devastation were too intense for him. He missed her parents too. To him, they were the sweetest and kindest people in the world.
He turned to Sophie and saw her side profile, she was looking up at the moon, with tears slowly streaming down her cheeks.
He badly wanted to pull her into his embrace and hug her tightly, share this pain and longing with her. People said shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half sorrow.
However, he had to hold back. If he hugged her, it would only negate his efforts in keeping her at arm's length.
Leland clenched his fists to the sides and stopped himself from hugging her. He could only share her sadness in silence.
They stood like that for who knows how long.
"My lord…?" Sophie finally pulled herself together and decided to speak with the duke. She wanted to ask his permission to go out. She needed to distract her mind and find something nice to do so she wouldn't feel so lonely.
"What is it?" Leland asked.
Sophie bit down on her lip and looked at him shyly.
"I would like to ask for permission to leave the castle and go on a short trip. Would it be okay with you?"
"Where?" Leland asked her. He was not surprised by this request because he knew Sophie wasn't the type to be cooped up around the house for so long.
Sophie still had some of the money she earned from when she was still an employee at the castle and now that she wasn't worried about her child's future, she actually wanted to do something for herself with that money.
"I was thinking about going to Redgrave. It's a nearby town that's just an hour away from here. I hear that they have a small festival happening."
"A festival?"
"I will bring Dinah with me if you would allow us to leave," Sophie said. "Once my child is born, I will not be able to go out much. So, I wish to do so while I can."
The Alpha could easily say yes to the request and send his best men to accompany her, but instead of saying that, Leland's lips said something else. "I will accompany you."
"You will?" Sophie blinked.
"...I have business in that town," Leland said with a shrug.
The Alpha didn't lie. His business was protecting his mate.
Leland wanted to accompany Sophie himself than just simply have her be with a maid and assign a dozen lycan guards on her because he wanted it to be him.
The next thing that Sophie knew, she and the duke were already in a carriage together and heading for Redgrave. It was an odd thing to consider but she found herself a bit more nervous than ever to be alone with him.
"Are you alright, Sophie?" Leland asked.
Sophie batted her eyelashes and looked at him in surprise. "Alright?"
"Is the carriage going too fast or slow for you?" The Alpha asked. He cleared his throat and stared down at her stomach and he thought he almost saw a bump forming. "I understand your pregnancy may require more gentle traveling…"
"Oh." Sophie touched her stomach and felt her cheeks become hot. "Thank you, my lord. I am alright. A week or two of traveling seems too arduous for a pregnant woman, but this is only an hour away."
"Then that's good." Leland nodded briskly and then turned to look out the window. The Alpha surveyed the area and kept it to his memory. All of these would prove useful in the future so he kept it all close to the mind.
Sophie was usually confident and even when faced with her classmates who came from wealthy and even noble families, she did not bat an eye at them and treated them as her equals.
However, Duke Romanov was now technically her husband and just being around him made Sophie feel a tad more nervous than she had ever been with other people.
.
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From Missrealtybitesm:
Yes! Finally quality time between Sophie and Leland!
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l