Chapter 68 - [Bonus ] What She Found Out

(From Leandro's Perspective)

I was a bit surprised to see that she did not resist at all. Other times when I kissed her, she would resist just a bit, but this time, there was no kind of guard that she held against me. I was glad that she started to open up, trying to take the chance of how to feel good, how to feel being cared for. 

Her hand was in my hand as she led me to the cave. This time she took my hand first, and I got to touch her little soft palm again, embraced against my big rough one, like a petal on a stone. 

"I got to tell you a lot of things that happened. And then you'll show me the stones you have. I need to see if I can recognize them. I mean, I've read about the stones on the internet. You know what the internet is? It's... It's where you can find anything out, literally everything. I mean, if you want to see a frog with a hat, you can see that on the internet as well. You can talk to people, embarrass yourself for no particular reason, be dumb or make anyone feel dumb, share your life events like 'Hello, I get up in the morning' type of stuff, or share quotes for no particular reason like 'Life is not a fairy tale' type of things. Then you can poke your nose into the places where there is no lack of noses. You know what I mean? It can be useful while being a pain in the ass at the same time," she breathed out the words.

It always surprised me how she managed to talk using the types of terms that only she could use. I could not help but smile. It was strange how much I was smiling these days with her around me. It was like I was discovering a new part of me that I never knew existed. 

"I've done something... Well, I've told your brother something... I know I could do better than that. But I thought that it would be better if I said this," she said shakily, with a hint of guilt in her tone.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Well... Can we talk after we get back?"

"If you want to," I said while wondering what she might have told him. She looked as if she was thinking if I would approve of what she said or not.

After we reached the cave, she rushed to change her dress. It was like she was hoping to do so all the time. 

"I hate this dress... Lord, why is it like this?" she muttered in the bathroom as I stood outside with a towel that she had forgotten to take with her. 

"Leandro, can you get my..."

I handed her the towel before she could finish as she peeked opening the door slightly. She looked surprised. She smiled shyly at me and took the towel. I knew that things were getting a lot out of hands with sparks of need flying, but I needed to be patient until she was fully sure that she wanted me until she could trust me not only with her life but also with her heart. I was waiting for that day when she would tell me that she trusted me with her heart and she wanted me. That would be the day when I would make her fully mine, do things to her that I had wanted to do for a very long time. 

I waited for her in the bedroom. She came after a while, her hair wrapped in the towel with wisps of hair out of the corners. She was wearing my shirt again with her shorts. The second button was mistakenly left undone, revealing a part of her red bra. She did not seem to notice it at all as she was busy biting her fingernails. 

She sat on the bed beside me, precisely saying jumped on the bed. If I had not known, it was hard to believe that she was seventeen seeing the way she behaved all the time, except when we kissed. I had to admit that in some cases, she was a bit mature and knew a lot of things. 

"Now I'll tell you first about what happened and then you'll show me the stones, ok?"

"Ok," I said and waited for her to start, taking her features in with my eyes, savoring the sight of her trying to start. 

"When Jed and I reached the castle, your brother summoned me to the study room. I think the study room is not his. I mean, he doesn't seem to be the type of person to read books or precisely say, know how to read or write. It seems like the type of place you would like. It's just a guess though. Anyway, he asked me why I was absent for two days. I said that I was sick and no one could deliver the news to the castle. He asked me if I live alone. I said no and said that_ I'm married and I live with my husband. I mean, you know when someone finds out that you're married, and then they don't really ask about your address. So, I said that. And I said that my husband's name is Lee Edrei, and he does some kind of work that I don't know about. Nicklaus seemed surprised for some reason, you know, to find out that I'm married. Is it so hard to believe? I mean, I know I look a bit little for my age... but hey, I can do and understand things- mature things. So... It's not impossible, right? He has to believe me, right? Well, I don't have a ring, I know. Not everyone wears a wedding ring, right? Besides, that woman I saw in the store... the one I helped to calm his son down, remember? She said she is married, but she wasn't wearing a ring either. So, I thought it would not be a big problem. I mean, I'm supposed to be poor, right as I work as a servant? I think he won't suspect. The thing I wanted to say... Are you mad at me? I understand that I said this out of nowhere without discussing it with you. I understand that I was irresponsible. Are you angry?"

I did not know what to say to let her know that I was not angry, rather I was kind of_ happy for some reason. I knew that she was not my wife and all, but if she was truly, then it would not be a bad thing. And it would be her if no one else. 

"It's better this way. He knows that you're off-limits. I know Nicklaus. He might be anything, but he doesn't touch other people's women or wives. You can say that idiot has a bit of sense in this case. So, you don't have to worry about him doing bad things to you," I said.

"That's good. I didn't expect it though. But anyway, he won't want to take me."

"How do you know that?"

"I know," she mumbled. I knew she was again thinking that she was not pretty enough. How could I make her understand that people would do anything just to get a touch of her?

"Anything else happened today?" I asked, trying to get her off the insecure thoughts she was having at the moment. 

"Yeah, a lot. I told Jed about the truth," she said.

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"I... I think he won't betray us. He is a good person. He isn't like the ones that would leave us in danger. I trust him with my life, Leandro. He won't do anything wrong to us," she said.

"And how are you so sure? You don't even know him properly," I said. I could not believe she just told that boy everything. How much could she trust the boy that he was worth knowing everything?

"Because he wouldn't dare even if he has any bad thoughts. I know his secrets as well," she said. "He is there to see what kind of person his father is."

"His father?"

"Your father... He is your stepbrother in a way. He is your father's illegitimate child."

I was shocked. I had never thought Father had other children as well. But now what she was saying...

"He told you?"

"Yeah."

"And you believed it?"

She looked at me as if I was mad. "I suspected this for a long time. There are similarities between your father and his looks. Their ears... Did you notice? They both have square ears. Then both of them have similar types of lips. Their lips are weird.. I knew that there must be some kind of connection or something between them. See? I was right all along!"