Episode 15

That morning, the Duke remained in bed with Olivia until noon when Amelia knocked on the door of their chamber. The Duke had fallen asleep on her lap again, and Olivia gently nudged his shoulder to wake him. He was half-asleep and clutched Olivia's waist too forcefully, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Ow!"

Hearing her cry out, Leonard quickly came to his senses and saw the pained expression on Olivia's face.

"Please stop, you're squeezing too hard."

Realizing why Olivia was in discomfort, he immediately let go and said,

"I'm sorry, I was half-asleep."

"It's okay."

Amelia knocked again, and eventually Leonard rose, got dressed, and opened the door. Upon seeing the Duke emerge from the room, Amelia gave him a reproachful look, which he completely ignored as he left. Amelia greeted Olivia as she entered.

"Good morning, my lady. How did you sleep?"

"Much better, thanks to you, Amelia."

"There is nothing to thank me for, my lady."

"Do you feel well enough to get up for breakfast, or would you prefer it in bed?"

"I'll try to get up."

Olivia was still in pain from her back and legs, and the Duke nearly crushing her moments ago didn't help her condition. Upon rising, Amelia and Mari, who was with her, supported Olivia, preventing her from falling and assisting her to a small sitting area with a table and two chairs, where they served breakfast - which was more like lunch, given that the Duke had slept so late Olivia hadn't had the chance to eat earlier.

After she finished eating, they assisted her to the bathroom. As she was undressing, Amelia noticed new bruises around Olivia's waist and began berating the Duke.

"That damned fool, I told him yesterday to be gentle with you, but instead, he's covered you in bruises! If this continues, your skin will be completely ruined."

Amelia was visibly furious, but Olivia tried to calm her.

"The Duke didn't do it intentionally, Amelia; he was half-asleep."

"Even so, he ought to be more gentle. You're so slight and delicate; I fear he'll crush you with his arms one day."

"Amelia, don't you think you're overreacting just a little?"

"What bothers me is that he's too rough and never moderates his strength. That's all well and good on the battlefield, but not in bed."

At this comment, Olivia's face flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly submerged herself in the bath. That day, when the Duke returned home, Amelia forbade him from sleeping in the same bed as Olivia until after the upcoming ball, arguing that if the current situation persisted, Olivia wouldn't be able to attend—though she wasn't too bothered by that prospect.

During the week, as Olivia was forced to remain in bed, the Duke came home late from work and left early the next morning due to being backed up with work, thanks to the crown prince's affairs. As a result, and with Amelia's ban in effect, he couldn't see her much.

The following week, Olivia had recovered, thanks to Amelia's attentive care, and so she was returning to her dance lessons with Professor Wilson, which she didn't particularly enjoy as she kept stepping on his feet.

Olivia wished for the week to end as soon as possible because since her recovery she hadn't had a moment's peace. Every morning she reviewed her etiquette, in the afternoon she had dance lessons, and whenever she found a bit of free time, the maids would use it to apply facial masks, give her massages, or tend to her nails. Each night, Olivia would fall into bed utterly exhausted, not waking until the maids came to rouse her in the morning.

Before she knew it, the ball was only a day away, and Olivia was a bundle of nerves. During her dance lesson, she trod on Professor Wilson repeatedly, and at one point she tangled in her dress and pulled Professor Wilson to the ground. Several servants had to help him up; it appeared he had injured his back. Before the servants took him away, Olivia said,

"I'm so sorry!"

Professor Wilson seemed livid, but for some reason, he simply told her,

"Don't worry, my lady, it was an accident. Do not feel guilty."

After that incident with Professor Wilson, Olivia didn't feel like doing anything. Noticing her downtrodden mood, Amelia suggested she take a break, served her tea on the terrace, and brought her a tray of her favorite pastries. However, Olivia was so clumsy that day that she spilled the tea on the table, birds attacked her trying to steal her treats, and she ended up falling off her chair.

Olivia had forgotten about her streak of bad luck since nothing had gone wrong for several days, but it seemed her misfortune had returned with a vengeance.

That night, she didn't want to have dinner and went straight to bed to prevent anything else from going wrong. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and grew increasingly worried that she would embarrass the Duke at the ball. In the midst of her restless turning, she didn't notice the edge of the bed and tumbled onto the floor.

Frustrated, Olivia lay on the floor crying. Suddenly, the door to her room swung open, and there stood the Duke. Seeing her on the floor in tears, he asked,

"Olivia, are you all right? What happened?"

She couldn't stop crying, so he lifted her from the ground and sat her on his lap, where she clung to his chest and continued to cry like a little girl. Leonard didn't know what to do or say to calm her, so he simply held her and patted her head until her tears subsided.

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