CH 5.1

Three years passed in this manner.

He got used to her touch, helping him dress every morning, tying the necktie around his neck, and the way she buttoned his cufflinks, looking up at him with her beautiful eyes. All of her acts were lovely to him.

At first, he had brought her in to avoid the queen’s endless talk of marriage, but his feelings gradually changed when she was by his side.

He was the country’s only duke. Every move he made was interpreted in a political sense, and sometimes one’s small action could have a huge impact on his subordinates.

That was why he couldn’t make her a duchess since she was from a lowly lineage, whose roots were unknown, but if she had a child, he would give her a fortune and an island to live on for the rest of her life.

But love and trust were two different things.

Rowena Philone. His only mistress was once a whore, even lower than people who came from the working class. The vulgarity could be hidden to some extent with continuous education and guidance, but the innate nature cannot be fixed.

─ I think Miss Philone is seeing a man.

─…if it’s nonsense.

─Who dares to talk nonsense in front of you? I even know his name. It’s a man named William Jenan.

During the day he had had the urge to tear Gertrude’s mouth off for bringing him such news, apart from the fact that he didn’t trust Rowena, there was one thing that made him confident enough to start loosening up a bit and letting her move more freely.

Confidence that the only man for Rowena Philone was “Killian Devonshire”.

He had brought her many riches and glory and with wealth and glory came pleasure. It was an unprecedented rise in status for a woman with nothing to offer but her looks to take the place of the Duke’s mistress.

He, more than anyone, was blinded by the emotions of living in the moment, yet, at the same time, he despised those who were foolish enough to do so. He also despised people who were stupid enough to play with fire that they couldn’t handle.

Who can he trust in this situation?

Rowena Philone was his mistress, but she also came from a humble background. Gertrude, on the other hand, was from a more established background and had a long history as a maid serving the Duke of Devonshire’s family.

Who to trust was a question that had already been answered. He didn’t even have to think about it.