Fated Eclipse: The Illegitimate Princess And Her Alpha Suitors

Chapter 42: Of Dangerous Kindness and Unwanted Compliments

Lyria’s POV

I stood there with the linen bundle still clutched in my hand.

The two noblemen watched me as though the matter before us was of the utmost importance.

All because of a few snacks. My fingers tightened slightly around the linen.

This was becoming far too strange. I let out a quiet breath before speaking.

”I-it truly should n-not be seen,” I said carefully. ”T-two gentlemen of y-your standing a-attending to a s-servant girl like m-me,” I continued, lowering my gaze slightly. ”W-what would that say of y-your reputations?”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Lord Hawthorne frowned faintly.

”Is a reputation for kindness a bad thing?” he asked.

His voice held genuine confusion.

I blinked in shock at his words. That was unexpected after all.

”That is all Lord Thorncrest and I are doing,” he continued calmly.

The Duke—Lord Thorncrest—said nothing, though the faint curve at the corner of his mouth suggested he was enjoying the exchange entirely too much.

Lord Hawthorne gestured lightly toward the linen bundle in my hands.

”It is quite obvious that you are hungry,” he said.

My face warmed immediately.

”And rather than continuing to argue,” he added, ”which gives the impression that you do not appreciate our goodwill...”

His gaze dropped briefly to the snacks.

”I would very much prefer if you simply ate them.”

I let out a small sigh.

This was not going as I had hoped.

”You m-may not u-understand,” I said quietly, ”but this c-could place m-me in t-trouble with my m-master.”

The Duke spoke then.

”Oh, you need not concern yourself with that.” His tone was breezy as he spoke. ”I am very certain Lord Hawthorne and I together could very easily deal with your employer if he proves unreasonable.”

My employer was the princess of the realm and the same woman they had come to seek for her hand.

My lips twitched before I could stop myself. It was not quite a laugh; it was more a restrained smile.

But apparently that alone was enough.

The Duke made a soft sound of delight.

”There it is!” he said.

My head lifted in surprise.

”You do know how to smile.”

My face immediately began to warm again.

”I had begun to suspect that your mysterious rare illness had affected your ability to do so,” he continued thoughtfully.

His eyes studied me with an unsettling degree of interest.

”Which would have been a terrible shame.”

He tilted his head just slightly. ”You look quite beautiful when you smile.”

My entire face burned at the compliment. It once more reminded me of the previous night I had met him. I wondered if he just gave anyone compliments just because he felt the need to.

I had absolutely no idea what to say to his words, but thankfully Lord Hawthorne spoke next.

”Yes,” he said thoughtfully. ”And you do smell nice too.”

My mind went completely blank.

”I beg your pardon, my lord?” I said before I could stop myself.

Lord Hawthorne nodded calmly.

”Yes,” he repeated. ”I cannot quite explain it, but you do. You smell nice.”

He frowned slightly, as though examining the matter with great seriousness.

”I do not know whether it is related to your illness,” he added thoughtfully, ”but you smell rather pleasant.”

I was certain my face had never burned so fiercely in my entire life.

”M-my lord,” I stammered quickly, ”I w-work in the s-stables.”

I gestured helplessly toward the open stable doors.

”With h-horses and h-hay and m-mud.” I swallowed nervously. ”T-there is absolutely n-no possibility that I smell n-nice.”

Lord Hawthorne shook his head.

”I disagree.”

He leaned slightly closer, as though testing his theory again.

”Yes,” he said after a moment. ”I am quite certain.”

My entire body stiffened.

”Perhaps you are using perfume,” he continued thoughtfully. ”What type is it?”

I stared at him.

”My lord,” I said slowly, ”I am a s-servant. I am n-not p-privileged enough to use perfume.”

Before Lord Hawthorne could reply, the Duke spoke.

”Hawthorne.”

The Earl turned toward him. ”Your Grace?”

”You should have your nose examined.”

Lord Hawthorne frowned faintly.

”My nose?”

”Yes.”

The Duke gestured lazily toward the stables.

”All I can smell are horses.”

Lord Hawthorne looked unconvinced.

He glanced back at me.

”Do you truly not perceive it?” he asked the Duke. ”She smells quite pleasant.”

”I assure you,” the Duke replied, ”the only thing I perceive at the moment is horse.”

He waved a hand lightly through the air.

”Horse and hay.”

Then he looked at me again.

”But perhaps the two of us should stop debating the matter and allow the poor girl to eat before you begin conducting further investigations.”

Lord Hawthorne straightened again.

”Alright then,” he said defeatedly.

Baron Julian had also asked me what perfume I used earlier, but I did not use perfume. Perhaps it was something from Jacinta that had rubbed off on me?

Both of them looked at me and gestured at the linen, snapping me from my thoughts.

I stared down at the linen bundle again.

This had become absurd in ways I could not possibly have imagined when I woke that morning.

I had met more people and spoken to more people in the past few hours than I had ever done in my entire life.

Slowly, I nodded.

”V-very well,” I said quietly.

Both of them looked satisfied.

I carefully unfolded the linen.

The scent of sugar and butter rose immediately.

My stomach betrayed me again with a soft, hopeful twist.

I hesitated only briefly before picking up one of the small seed cakes.

I lifted the cake slowly and took a small bite.

The sweetness spread across my tongue instantly. It was soft and buttery.

It was... good.

Far better than anything I had eaten in weeks.

I swallowed slowly.

”W-well?” the Duke asked lightly.

I glanced at him.

”It is g-good,” I admitted.

Lord Hawthorne smiled faintly, making him look rather boyish.

I took another small bite. Then another.

Before I realized what had happened, the first cake was gone.

My fingers hesitated over the linen as I picked another. At some point, I didn’t register that I had an audience and just kept on eating until there was nothing left.