The Duke's Bed Warmer

Chapter 98: Bad Decisions

Alina woke up with the almost-kiss replaying behind her eyelids, again and again, no matter how hard she tried to stop it. She looked at the side. Austin was gone. That was normal. But today, it bothered her.

When she had returned from the library, Austin was already asleep or pretending to be. She had no idea. And honestly, she was glad because talking about their almost kiss felt far too awkward.

While dressing, she caught her reflection in the mirror, touching her lips without realizing. Then quickly dropped her hand, annoyed with herself.

When she entered the great hall, she saw Austin already on his seat. She sat in her chair and

reached for an apple and a knife. The knife slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor.

A lot of heads turned towards her but she pretended nothing had happened.

Across the table, Austin reached for the butter and the dish slid. He caught it quickly and muttered something under his breath.

Alina focused on her plate, forcing herself to not look at him.

Because if she looked, she would see his lips, and if she saw his lips, she would remember their almost kiss. And if she remembered that at breakfast, she would blush, and everyone would notice.

From further down the table, Marguerite caught her eye.

"You’re glowing again," she mouthed.

Alina shook her head. Because she wasn’t glowing...she was burning.

Breakfast ended. They stood at the same time but left through different doors.

In the afternoon, Alina met with Dorian in the garden.

"Miss Ashworth," he greeted her with a smile.

They walked side by side. She slipped into the performance but today it was difficult. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the library.

"I’ve been thinking about what you said about Astoria," she said.

"And?"

"I’m... confused. The genealogy book changed everything, and I don’t know what to do next."

Dorian listened and nodded sympathetically. His concern looked genuine, but she knew him. Today, his eyes were sharper, assessing her more carefully.

"You said the scholars in Astoria could tell me about my mother’s life before she ran. I...keep thinking about that."

"They would welcome you with open arms," he said.

"And the political side?" she asked. "If I came...would I be a guest, or..."

She let the question hang, hoping he would complete it. Maren’s manual taught that open-ended questions sometimes pulled out more information than the target intended.

But Dorian only smiled.

"You can be whatever you want to."

Vague.

She tried again.

"Austin has been... different lately. Since I confronted him...he has become more possessive."

"That must be difficult."

"It is. And it makes your offer feel more necessary. I’ll be finally at a place where no one owns anyone."

"Exactly."

"If I agreed...how soon could that happen?"

Dorian looked at her with calculating eyes.

"Such things take time," he replied. "We won’t rush anything that could put you at risk."

Another deflection.

She walked beside him, frustrated. He was a tough nut to crack. Every question about timing, logistics, what extraction would actually mean slipped right past him. He gave her nothing important.

"I appreciate your patience," she said at last.

"And I appreciate your trust."

They parted at the garden gate. He bowed and walked towards the guest wing while she walked back towards the castle, feeling drained.

Later that evening, a maid handed her a note from Maren.

My office. Now. Alone.

Alina made her way to her office to find Maren waiting with a file open on the desk.

"We decoded Dorian’s latest letter," Maren said immediately.

Alina sat down.

"He described you as ’increasingly receptive but not yet committed," Maren said. "He is careful. You’re still a mystery to him."

"That matches what I felt today. He gave me nothing. I asked a lot of questions but he deflected every question with vague words."

"He is trained. He won’t reveal anything until he is sure of you." Maren turned a page. "But there’s something new."

She read it aloud:

The secondary asset remains unconfirmed, but the intelligence suggests significant leverage potential. Recommend discreet verification before integration into the primary operation.’

"Secondary asset?" Alina frowned.

"There is someone else at Ravenmoor he considers valuable. Someone who could be used against Austin," Maren said.

"Who?"

"We don’t know. Even he is not sure about it. He knows someone valuable is here but doesn’t know exactly who or where."

Alina’s mind raced through all the possibilities.

Courtiers? Unlikely...he had met them all. Servants? Possible, but what leverage would they offer?

Cecily?

Duke’s hidden sister believed to be dead for five years. If Dorian learned of her existence, the consequences would be devastating.

A duke who had faked his sister’s death, maintained false records, deceived the court and the crown would he considered a traitor.

"Alina," Maren said. "You’ve gone pale."

"The secondary asset..." Alina said. "Could it be someone who isn’t publicly known to be here?"

"It’s possible."

"Have you told Austin?"

"Not yet. He will explode. It’s better to stay watchful and let Dorian search, so we can catch him in the act."

"That’s dangerous."

"So is everything else right now."

Alina left the office and walked through the long corridor.

I should tell Austin.

They had promised that they won’t keep secrets from each other anymore. He deserved to know if his sister was in danger.

But Austin’s love for Cecily was fierce. If he learned Dorian might be searching for her, he would again lock the east wing. The door that had finally opened after five years would close again.

Alina couldn’t let that happen. She decided to wait, to be sure first before telling him.

She knew she was being a hypocrite. It was her who had asked for honesty and now, she was the one hiding things from him. It hurt her but she had no other option.

She opened the door to Austin’s room and saw him sitting at the desk, his bandaged hand resting on an unread document. He looked up when she entered and their eyes met.

The almost-kiss lingered between them, unspoken but impossible to ignore.

"Report," he said.

She sat down and told him about the garden meeting.

"He is cautious," Austin said.

"He is very difficult to crack," Alina replied. "I tried three different angles today but he gave me nothing."

"Then we’ll change the approach. Maren and I will..."

"Not yet. He needs to believe I’m completely on his side. I’ll have to deepen my performance to make him trust me."

"How?"

"I don’t know yet. But I know the current level isn’t enough."

Austin took a deep breath.

"Fine. But you’ll have to consult with me before doing anything."

Alina nodded.

"Promise?" he extended his hand.

"I promise," she replied, placing her hand on his.

He tightened his grip on her hand. They both looked at their joined hands and smiled.