Note:
Thank you, Despina, for gifting a castle to this book yesterday! xx
.
.
_____________________
"Would you like to eat something else, Dinah?" Sophie held out a meat skewer to the maid who was surprised that their Luna was eating so ravenously. The two of them had been eating so much food that even the female lycan was satisfied and satiated.
"No, I'm full, ma'am." Dinah laughed a little and shook her head. She looked at Sophie curiously. "I'm surprised that you're eating more than me. It's like you're eating for two people or even three!"
Sophie's face heated up. It was technically true that she was eating for at least two people when she was pregnant but it seemed like Duke Romanov didn't share it with the people in his household.
Why would he even share the fact that Sophie was pregnant until the later term?
The child wasn't even Duke Romanov's, so it would only make Sophie look even stranger in the eyes of his people if they figured out that she had conceived a child with another man prior to marrying the duke.
But unlike the other maids and servants, Dinah was a constant presence for her past time in the Duke Romanov's household that Sophie realized that sooner or later, the maid would also eventually figure it out.
Wasn't it better to let her friend and maid know in advance?
"You know Dinah, I usually would keep this for myself but I have to tell you something." Sophie drew closer to the maid and whispered in her ear. I'm actually pre—"
BUMP!
"Ahh...!"
A child bumped into Sophie roughly and stopped the woman from speaking as she kept her balance. He coughed and quickly moved past the two women and started to blend in with the crowd. "Excuse me."
Sophie blinked at the same time that Dinah's eyes narrowed immediately and she growled. "That brat stole your purse. I'll go retrieve it, my lady."
"Wait, what?" Sophie's eyes widened but then her maidservant, Dinah immediately darted through the crowd with agile footsteps and suddenly she disappeared through the sea of people to chase after the young thief.
Sophie presumed that she was left alone and would have also started to chase after Dinah and the thief if it weren't for the fact that she couldn't exactly strain herself to move too much.
"Uff… I'm sure that Dinah will just come back for me," Sophie also happened to know where their carriage was parked so it wasn't that big of a problem for her. Not knowing what to do however, she began to sightsee at the nearby stalls.
There were actually some masks on display for the festival that were on sale. All of them were made from different materials, colors and even designs. None of them were exactly precious but they attracted the eye.
Sophie gingerly picked one up and realized that it was nothing like the masks that Nicholas once lent to her and neither was it the dark leather mask that Leland actually wore. However, Sophie still smiled.
This mask was wooden but had been painted with a pink color and beautiful vanilla stripes. It was such a pretty color and actually meant for a woman to wear and Sophie held it up into the air to look at its design underneath the sun.
That was the exact moment that Leland came after Sophie. He took advantage of the fact that Dinah finally left so he could spend alone time with his mate without alerting her or making it too suspicious if he sent the female lycan away.
Sophie's eyes bulged for a moment at the sight of Duke Romanov's face now appearing as if he was wearing the pink mask that she was holding up. For once, in her eyes, there was no ugly black leather mask on his face. A small chuckle escaped her lips even as the duke finally stood at her side.
"Is there something funny on my face?" Leland couldn't help but ask. He raised a brow and was actually happy that Sophie was smiling because he could feel the warmth of her happiness in his chest.
It was everything that he could ask for right now.
Sophie placed down the mask back into the stall and sheepishly smiled. She bowed a little and then shook her head. "No, no. Not at all. I am just pleased to see you, my lord."
That was until Sophie realized that her money pouch was missing.
She calmed herself down and smiled at him. The duke wouldn't know that her pouch got stolen if he only arrived so it was up to Sophie to make sure that he didn't know and hopefully Duke Romanov wouldn't ask about the whereabouts of Dinah.
Luckily for Sophie, Leland wouldn't even ask about the female lycan.
Instead, Leland offered his mate an arm and said, "Since it seems that your maid has left you or you sent her to an errand, I will accompany you until then and make sure that you do not stumble or trip while we're here."
"O-oh," Sophie batted her eyes at the man's arm and realized he was offering it so she wouldn't exactly fall since the two of them were in a crowded area. She bit her lip for a moment but eventually reached for his arm.
Leland took a deep breath when her hand gently touched him. Her scent was so sweet and intoxicating. He had to hold back himself from sniffing her and kissing her. Ahh… getting her holding his arm already gave him so much happiness.
"Is there anything that you would recommend I try to purchase for myself?" He asked her softly.
Sophie looked up to his face and tried to gauge if he was tired. If Duke Romanov had actually come from a meeting, then the man was bound to be tired.
Sophie remembered something and she smiled at him. "I have a suggestion as to where we should go."
.
.
_________________
Swoon! They are finally on their first 'date'.
This chapter is updat𝓮d by fre(e)webnov(l).com