The Duke's Passion

My teeth clenched as I tried to move my body once again. It was like a giant rock was placed on me as I felt heavy, but I managed to lift two fingers! This was progress, I thought. Although lifting a finger felt like lifting an entire castle. 

I continued to exercise to make more progress until I got used to the heaviness and was able to lift my arms. While doing so, I constantly cleared my throat to make sounds. Although the scratching pain in my throat hurt initially, I also got used to it. 

Sam didn't return for a long time. It made me think he got drowned in the tub. 

'Good for him,' I thought, before mentally shaking my head. 'That's not good for him!'

A helpless sigh slipped past my lips, but his long absence gave me more time. For what felt like an eternity, I was able to move my lower half and my shoulders. It was only hard at first as my joints were like rusting metals, but with constant movements, I was now sitting upright.

"I think Sam wouldn't return," I murmured, wincing at my parched throat. He probably said that to make his bedridden wife happy.

My hand balled into a fist, but I couldn't grip it tightly. Can I stand? I wondered, dragging my legs out of the bed. It was not like I could move as freely as I wanted to, but I needed to force myself. 

Once my foot felt the carpet, I gazed down and clasped the edge of the mattress. There was this lingering fear that I would fall if I pushed my luck too far. But I had to try. 

'You can do it, Lilou.' I took a deep breath and mustered my courage to stand. 

I pushed myself up. My knees wobbled uncontrollably with the sudden pressure on it, but I managed to stand on my own two feet. A smile resurfaced on my face, followed by a brief chuckle. 

"I did it." I panted, with my chest moving in and out heavily. The heaviness on my body made me sweat a bucket, but I was gradually getting used to it. It made me recall the time my body felt this sore during my first day of training under Rufus. 

Just how long has it been?

I dragged my feet towards the balcony where the night breeze was blowing the silk curtains. It took me forever to reach it, but the more I walked, the more it felt natural. 

Soon, the soft blows of wind directly kissed my face as I stood on the balcony. I placed my hand over the railings, looking around at the dark landscape. My brows furrowed at the unfamiliarity of the estate.

"Where is this place?" I muttered while tilting my stiff neck slightly. This wasn't the Duke's mansion, nor it was the palace. It was my first time seeing this place.

I glanced back at my room and frowned. Now that I thought about it, the room I was in wasn't the third prince's quarters nor it was the duke's chambers in Grimsbanne. 

"Ugh..." I placed my hand across my shoulder while moving it in a circular motion. There was a voice in the back of my head that told me to take a walk to feed my curiosity. 

.

I knew I shouldn't be listening to this voice, but well, I was intrigued. Waking up being ignored by my husband, and the surprise that he had a child, and then this unfamiliar place. How could I sit still when I could move now?

'I will just take I look,' I did some stretching until my entire body felt warm instead of hot. Soon enough, this body felt like it was my own once again. Aside from my parched throat, my body felt lighter than before. Or it could be I just got used to the heaviness.

I looked out of the railing, checking the height of the balcony and the ground. It wasn't that high. I nodded approvingly and looked back in my room for the last time. 

'He wouldn't know, right?' I hesitated at my idea of sneaking out before I frowned. "He is probably with his wife, talking about what to do with their child."

The abrupt gloominess in my heart pushed me to do what I wanted. I gripped the railings and made slow jumps to verify I wasn't jumping to my death instead. Only then did I realize I recovered pretty quickly but didn't dwell on it. 

"You can do it, Lilou," I cheered myself just for moral support. "You used to jump from roof to roof in the past, remember?" 

After encouraging myself for a minute while digging a hole in the ground with my gaze, I jumped. The sensation of the harsh wind and the thought of falling made me strengthen my resolve. I instinctively put my weight on my feet to secure my landing.

THUD!

I landed on my two feet with my knees bent. Wow. My body could still remember my old habits. The corner of my lips stretched from ear to ear, feeling this excitement and satisfaction bubbling in my heart. 

"Hehe..." A giggle slipped from my lips as I turned my head to the garden I landed on. The estate wasn't large, as I could see the empty driveway from my vantage point. But I wouldn't take that path as they could sight me sneaking out. 

My experience of sneaking out in the palace and the Duke's mansion gave me this instinct to find another way. I dragged my feet stealthily towards the garden, planning of just hopping over of the walls of the estate. The more I moved, the lighter and faster I got. 

I encountered a few servants and hide in the bushes. They were talking about 'the young master' packing up his luggage. 

"The young master had packed his luggage and bidding his farewell to everyone." One servant lady sighed while shaking her head.

"His mood is slowly matching with Master. It's scary." Another one murmured, sounding in distress about her work here. They kept talking until I could faintly hear them.

I was about to move away, but froze when I heard a servant's remarks.

"Only the Madam can calm them..." the rest of their words faded in the background as my heart sank.

"So he really got..." I bit my lower lip, not finishing my murmuring. Even when I couldn't hear the servants anymore, I remained in my hiding spot for a moment. 

"How unfair..." I wiped the tears with my arms while steeling my heart. 

There was a little part of me that hoped I was just hopping into a silly conclusion, and everything was just one fat misunderstanding. But there was also this dominant part of me telling me Sam was simply taking care of his previous wife because he felt responsible. 

'It's alright, Lilou. It's alright.' I took a deep breath and exhaled it sharply, raising my head, and nodded. "I should survey the place and then come back."

Right now, my plan was to survey the place we were in. So, once I returned, I would thank Sam for thanking care of me and leave the estate. I wouldn't stay in a place where his wife and son stayed. Also, I didn't want to bring discomfort to his new marriage. I was certain his wife was already jealous since her husband's attention was split with his first wife. 

"It will be alright.." I patted my chest before I proceeded with my plan.