Married To A Savage Duke - Chapter 54-1

“Why… Why are you in front of my bedroom?”

Cherryl had to calm her heart, fluttering like a fish out of the water. She didn’t expect anyone standing there because she hadn’t heard any movement.

“Well…” A self-deprecating light flashed in Cade’s eyes as he smiled bitterly. “Why didn’t you come to see me?” He asked her instead of answering the question. Then, he moved close enough that she could feel his breath. Cherryl dropped her hand on the door handle and looked at him.

“I didn’t know where you were.”

“You didn’t even try to find me.”

‘How did he know that?’ Cherryl wondered but then she noticed that his voice sounded distressed.  Cherryl was the one who was wronged since early morning so she should be the angry one but Cade was rebuking her. Cherryl’s brows furrowed.

“I’m not the one to explain. His Grace should have come to me first. Not the other way around.” She concluded somewhat unnaturally, feeling sick as she stood in front of him. He must have come to her bedroom to explain the situation in the drawing room.

“Weren’t you wondering about what I did with her?” Cade didn’t seem interested in her earlier statement. In addition, his slitted gaze was fixated on her countenance. Finding that absurd, Cherryl shook her head. “How can you not be curious?”

She flashed him a curious glance before looking away. She was angry but it felt like she didn’t have the right to. It appeared like it wasn’t Cade’s fault, either. Even if she wanted to argue, she didn’t even know how to start. If Cade and Cherryl trusted and loved each other because they were in a long-term relationship, it could be possible. However, it was hard to organize her thoughts because she knew it wasn’t the case. Suddenly, Cade stretched out a hand and grabbed her chin, stopping Cherryl from thinking too much. Their eyes met and she had no choice but to look at him. Cade caressed her plump lips slowly with his cool thumb.

“It certainly wasn’t the time for you to get up.”

Cade muttered to himself from out of the blue while he kept caressing Cherryl. His touch was so gentle that she felt her lips part. Her tongue was exposed at one point so she grabbed his wrist.

Wait a minute. There was no way she could stop it. Embarrassed by that unconscious gesture, she bit her lip. A little saliva from the tip of her tongue smeared the spot where his fingerprint landed but Cade seemed unconcerned.

“You look pale.” He repeated in a subdued tone.

“I haven’t heard your answer yet. Are you sick?”

It was obvious that the man was worried about her. However, if that layer of kindness was peeled off, a twisted mind might curl up from out of nowhere. In the strangely shaded atmosphere, Cherryl let out a shaky breath.

“No. I just fell asleep late and I woke up in two hours. My complexion must be pale because I didn’t get that much sleep.”

Cade looked down at her as she rubbed her eyes.

“Are you tired?”

“Yes. My eyes keep closing.”

Without backing down, Cade opened Cherryl’s bedroom door.

“It’ll only take a moment, so please bear with me.”

He urged her to enter the room with a commanding look. Cherryl stepped into the bedroom while touching the lips his fingers had touched. When the door was shut and both of them had entered the closed space, the sound of heavy rain filled the silence. The rainshower showed little sign of stopping.

“Nothing happened.” An explanation was immediately heard before Cherryl could look at him. When she turned around, Cade, who was one step closer, continued in a grave voice. “There was something suspicious about the princess’s visit so I didn’t immediately issue a celebratory order. I planned to throw her out to the villa outside the castle after asking about her business. We had no physical contact and I didn’t do anything in secret, Lady Cherryl.”

A small light from the lamp cast a dark shadow on Cade’s face. The shadows shook like waves but his expression didn’t waver. The moment Cade and the princess exited the drawing room, Cherryl suspected that both of them might be close. However, it wasn’t hard to shake off her ire as she was convinced that Cade wasn’t the type to betray her faith. Based on that interaction, she could guess that the princess had visited him without consent. But there was something else that bothered her the most. Cherryl, who was fiddling with her fingers, spoke. “I didn’t misunderstand much. I never doubted you in that regard.”

“In that… regard?” Cade frowned slightly. When she mentioned ‘in that regard’, he seemed to have taken it as if she really had doubts. For a moment, Israel shut her mouth and organized her chaotic thoughts. Did Cade and Rosaline date in the past? Even though she knew it was ridiculous, it was a doubt that she couldn’t erase it as long as she knew that she didn’t truly know who Cade was.  Thinking that she shouldn’t make this misunderstanding worse through wild guesses, she finally brought up what she was wondering about. “So, did you have a special relationship with the princess or even dated her in the past? I was just worried that you knew each other personally.”

“Friends? With her?”

Cade’s face twisted, finding that absurd. Despite his strong response, Cherryl spoke firmly. “Then, why would she visit you out of nowhere? Judging from the way she spoke to you, I think she respected you a lot, Your Grace. If she had common sense, did she think it was alright to visit a man who’s about to get married unless she was an ex?” Cherryl added her personal opinion as she stared into space. Cade shook his head firmly.

“I’ve never even exchanged greetings with the princess. I didn’t know her face until she came today.”

“The princess spoke as if she had known you for a long time, Your Grace. She said she knew what no one knew about you.”

Feeling a bit emotional the moment she looked back at the situation earlier, she couldn’t seem to get over her words.

As soon as she finished speaking, Cade denied it with a stiff countenance.

“I don’t know and I don’t care. I’m just sorry that I couldn’t clear your suspicion right away .”

Cherryl recalled Rosaline’s limp, wet back and her trembling voice during that confession.

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