13 Her anxiety (1)

''Miss, the duke is back,'' a young maid announced to Annalise, who was seated on a couch in a luxurious room. The interior was different from the small home that she and the duke bought together.

''Dante is back!'' She abruptly stood up, preparing to run to him, but his teasing voice stopped her.

''I am here, my love. There's no need to be so jumpy,'' Duke hayes appeared behind the maid with a doting smile on his face. The maid stood sideways with her gaze lowered to the ground. But if one should look closely, a warm smile appeared on her lips.

She went out and closed the door to give the couple privacy.

Annalise became teary as her eyes resembling the sparkling jade landed on him. She rushed into his arms immediately, and her arms went around his waist and secured him tight.

''I thought...I thought you wouldn't see me anymore.'' She sobbed loudly with her face buried in his chest, ''E-Everyone is saying that I am trouble a-and you are also insulted, d-dante.''

Before Dante decided for her to move to a new house after the tea party, all her customers disappeared without warning. People, especially commoners, looked at her with disgust. Many called a prostitute, slut, and insulted without twisting or hiding their words.

People that she knew before did not smile at her ever again. They chased away like a rat. All this happened, because she went after a married man.

The only consolation she had was that Dante had not abandoned her for destroying his name. But he had not appeared for some days, and that worried her a bit.

'Was it wrong to be in love?' she sadly wondered.

Duke hayes or Dante looked at his pitiful lover in his arms. He reciprocated her action and hugged her tight.

''Sorry,'' He deeply apologized and stated a reason for his disappearance, '' I just had to deal with some things.''

He lowered his gaze to her, and his hard hands cupped her wet cheeks. His thumb caressed her swollen red eyes to wipe away the tears.

His heart ached at seeing the love of his life this way when she was not at fault for anything. It was his fault for chasing after her, but he knew the nobility or anyone would not blame him.

They would blame her for chasing after him. After all, he was a married man.

'The duchess was also at fault.' His heart chilled, as not many blamed his wife when she was the reason the rumors started in the first place. If she had not made a fuss, none of this would have happened, and his dear Annalise won't be in tears by now.

''I can never abandon you, Annalise. You are one for me, so stop worrying,'' He said lovingly as he tenderly continued caressing her face.

If anyone were here to witness this sight, they would say, 'How sweet.' But duke hayes did not know how much he would regret his actions in the far future.

Meeting his fond gaze, annalise hiccuped a question. ''Y-You promise?''

''I do, my dear. I do,'' was his immediate reply.

Seeing him here made Annalise feel a little better. Her lips curled into a crescent shape. ''Okay Dante.''

He did not abandon her, and that made her happy.

Dante also smiled at her bright self, then lowered his knee to lift her into his arms.

''Oh!'' Annalise did not expect him to carry her, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

''Dante, what are you doing?!" she almost yelled. Even if he had done this many times, she still couldn't get used to it.

''Treating you like the princess you are,'' He said as he walked over to the bed in the bedroom.

He laid her body so gently on the bed as though she was a precious treasure and then removed his shoes before getting on the side of the bed.

Once he was on the bed, annalise went into his arms like she had done many times, and the duke cuddled her as he had also done many times.

This was so unlike his indifferent behavior with his wife, the duchess.

His hands combed through her golden locks as his chin rested on her forehead. Either of them exchanged no words until Annalise decided to break the silence.

''What are we going to do, dante?'' she asked

She knew she couldn't hide under Dante's embrace forever, and she was sure being his mistress had incurred many enemies in the empire, especially among the aristocrats.

She would not be surprised if she was the most hated person in the empire.

''You do nothing and wait for me while I do everything to get you to be by my side forever,'' Dante replied. He could feel her worry, but there was nothing she could truly do but wait for him.

Wait for the duchess to give birth.

Wait for him to divorce her.

And wait for him to propose to be his wife and his duchess.

'Although the nine months is long, I have to be patient..very patient,' He thought as he continued to comb through her hair.

''Okay then, I will wait.'' Annalise accepted his word with a smile.

—-

''I have to go now,'' Dante told Annalise as they stood intimately near the bed. It was a late hour. Although he knew the duchess would know his whereabouts, he could not still be here with his lover.

''Okay,'' Annalise murmured sadly. After a while, she quickly looked up at him, ''But you have not eaten yet?''

''Don't worry, I will eat when I get to the duchy,'' He grinned at her worry, then lowered his forehead to hers, '' I just wanted to be with you without any disturbance.''

''Are you sure? Will the duchess…'' Annalise still asked as the image of those void blue eyes came to her mind. For some reason, she felt invisible in the duchess' gaze, like the latter paid no heed to her existence at all, even if she was a third party in her marriage.

'Please do me a favor and never associate with me.'

Her words seemed true, as the duchess had never disturbed her in any form.

'Doesn't she hold feelings for Dante?'

''I am the duke. She cannot disrespect me even if you are involved,'' Dante's voice disturbed annalise's thoughts.

''As I said, don't worry and wait for me.'' He pecked her forehead and then her lips before leaving the room, hand-in-hand with Annalise.

Once the door of the carriage went shut, Dante tiredly sighed, as things were getting out of hand.

''I expected this, but it's too much.'' He closed his eyes, leaning on the headrest.

''But it's worth it...Annalise is worth it.''

The carriage silently drove to the Hayes duchy, and once the knights saw the familiar luxurious carriage, the black gates opened for the carriage to enter the compound.

''You grace,'' Spencer and a few servants, who were awake, came out to greet him.

Dante nodded at them and glanced around. He did not see the familiar figure of his wife, which made him a little uncomfortable.

'She's not here again.'

For some reason, he wasn't used to not hearing the familiar welcome he normally receives from her.

''Good night Spencer,'' He did not want to hear the familiar words from his butler and entered the residence to his room.

'Her grace is resting, your grace. She bids you good night.'

Every night since the discovery of her pregnancy, Spencer repeats those words. At first, he thought those words were true, but now he realized how foolish he was to believe them.

There were not her words. It was obvious his wife avoided his presence, and the reason for it was very evident and clear.

After entering his room, having his bath, and dressing in his night robe, he waited just to see if she might come to his room like she does if she was late in welcoming him.

But she did not come, and unknowingly her actions disheartened his heart.

Meanwhile, after the carriage disappeared from annalise's sight, she bid her only maid good night and proceeded to enter her room.

''Master is pleased with your actions,'' A voice came from her bedside, the second she closed the door after stepping into the room.

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