The Duke's Bed Warmer

Chapter 107: A Step Closer

When Alina walked into the east garden, the next day, she found the table covered with fabric again. There were no rumour notes or witness statements on them anymore. The workshop had quietly returned to its real purpose.

The women were already working. No one spoke about the rumors. Evelyn brought Alina a cup of tea before she even sat down.

"You skipped breakfast again," she said.

"I ate."

"Half a slice of bread isn’t eating." Evelyn pushed the warm cup into her hands.

It was her special blend with chamomile. Alina took a sip and warmth spread through her chest instantly.

Marguerite looked up from the collar pattern she was marking and spoke.

"Should the reinforcement point on the new batch be half inch higher or standard?"

"Half inch higher," Alina answered.

"Got it."

Alina finished her tea, picked up her needle and began stitching.

Lady Talbot was right. The whispers may be there but the work is what matters.

At lunch, everything looked normal. There were no whispers anymore. Alina was relieved. Then, Audrey spoke softly to the lord beside her, just loud enough to be overheard.

"I’ve been hearing worrying things," she said. "About certain foreign influences in the castle. We need to be careful."

The lord nodded, unsure what she meant.

"In times like these, trust matters," Audrey continued, smiling warmly. "Not everyone who seems loyal truly is."

As she spoke, she glanced briefly towards Alina. The lord followed her gaze and looked back at Audrey. That was enough to plant a seed of doubt among the courtiers.

Soon, the new whispers started again. These weren’t direct accusations, so they were harder to fight.

By the time the main course arrived, three nobles were quietly discussing this topic. No one said Alina’s name but everyone knew it was directed towards her.

Alina felt the gaze of others on her, looking at her with hostility but she focused on eating, pretending to ignore their stares and whispers.

When Dorian meet her in the afternoon, he looked changed. His usual warm smile was gone.

They walked together as usual, but the air between them felt different today.

"My patience isn’t endless, Alina," he used her first name for the first time. "I’ve offered you my kingdom, connections to your mother’s family, and freedom from a contract that defines you as furniture."

He looked frustrated.

"But you’re still here after everything?"

"You can’t force me to make a choice, Prince Dorian."

"Really?" He stopped walking and turned to her. "But as far as I know, your choices are legally his. You can’t leave without his permission, can’t marry without his consent. You can’t even walk out of this castle without his approval."

"He has removed those restrictions," Alina lied.

Dorian studied her, trying to check whether she was saying truth or not.

"Then come with me," he said. "If you’re truly free. Prove it. Walk out of these gates. Get in a carriage and come to Astoria."

"I don’t need to prove my freedom to you."

"You need to prove it to yourself. You’ve been standing in this garden for days telling me you’re thinking about it. Thinking is what people do when they’re afraid to act."

"I’ll make my decision when I’ll trust you completely," Alina replied. "And till date you haven’t given me anything that could make me trust you. Do you really think, I’ll come with you because you keep giving me gifts?

Dorian was taken aback. He hadn’t expected this from Alina. But he knew she was right. Except for the promises of Astoria...what had he actually given to her to make her trust him?

"You’re right," he replied. "I guess it’s me who is lacking. I need to work harder to make you trust me," he gave her a small bow and walked away.

Alina stayed standing there, satisfied.

Dorian was losing patience and impatient people made mistakes, but they were also dangerous. A crack was finally there, she just needed to widen it carefully, without breaking herself in the process.

From there, she headed straight to Austin’s study to relax. After the library, it was becoming her favourite spot in the castle. He was sitting idly at his desk, doing absolutely nothing.

She entered the study and sat at her chair. Then she rested her elbows on the desk with chin in her hands, and looked at him.

"Tough day?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Don’t worry. The ’foreign influence’ narrative will be addressed quietly through Maren’s channels. The lords who are susceptible will receive counter information through sources they trust," he informed her.

"You’re running a counter-propaganda campaign for me?"

He nodded.

"Dorian’s patience is breaking," she said, changing the subject. "He even used my first name to address me today."

"If it’s getting too much...we can abort the mission," he suggested.

"No," she replied quickly. "I think we’re close. Let him lose his patience. I’m sure we’ll get a lead soon."

Austin stood up and came to stand behind her chair. Then his hands settled lightly on her shoulders. The weight of his palms steadied her.

She stopped breathing for a moment.

"Austin...what are you doing?"

"You’ve been carrying too much," he replied softly.

Then his thumbs moved, pressing gently into her shoulders. She had been tense for months, and her body still held all that strain.

"You’re giving me a shoulder massage?" she asked, incredulous.

"I’m applying pressure to tension points. It’s a military technique for soldiers who carry stress in their shoulders from..."

She laughed.

"Austin Moore is giving me a shoulder massage and calling it military technique."

She closed her eyes as his thumbs pressed the knots. He wasn’t perfect but he was trying. His hands stayed on her shoulders, pressing gently on all points.

"Better?" he asked after a minute.

"Your technique is terrible."

"But at least I’m trying."

His thumbs slowed, becoming softer. She leaned back into his hands, into his chest behind the chair and stayed like that for a long time.

"Thank you for this terrible yet amazing massage," she said as she opened her eyes. "For being the place I can lean back into."

His hands tightened on her shoulders.

"I’ll always be there whenever you need me," he said quietly.

She closed her eyes again and leaned deeper. He remained standing behind her. Soon, the afternoon golden light faded and evening came. They stayed like that until the study grew dim and the candle needed lighting.

But neither of them wanted to move, because moving meant returning to the castle that seemed determined to break them apart.