The Echanting Duchess

Chapter 15: Innocence

Terry made way for Leonor.

Leonor carefully hoisted up the head of the duchess and put another pillow underneath to prep the duchess for drinking the liquid medicine.

After opening the vial, Leonor moved the liquid closer to the duchess' mouth as she gently pried open it. Then, with a soft handkerchief on one hand and the vial on the other, Leonor slowly poured out the liquid into the duchess' mouth.

Leonor's action was clean and precise. It was no trouble for her at all to feed someone unconscious a liquid medicine. Also, considering how she was once the nanny of the duke, this minuscule task was not a challenge for her at all.

However, Leonor didn't expect that not a drop of the liquid medicine would go down to the duchess' throat. Even unconscious, it was as if the duchess was guarded and wouldn't even allow any unknown substance to go down her throat without her permission.

"Oh no, what should we do?" Terry was the first one to react after seeing the liquid medicine flowing down from the duchess' pale but delicate lips.

"Her Grace seemed to be rejecting the medicine." Leonor gently wiped the liquid off the duchess.

After making sure that the duchess was all clean, Leonor stepped away from the bed and stood beside Terry.

"Your Grace," Leonor quietly called out the duke who was still sitting on the other side of the bed much closer to the duchess.

Duke Calex looked up and saw that Leonor was intently looking at him and nodded.

Leonor knew no one other than the duke himself who could reject anything even when still unconscious. She was fully aware that the seemingly small detail of rejection meant more than what was on the surface. She knew that it was how the duke trained long and hard against anyone who was plotting against him. That even when the duke became unconscious, his body would not betray him and allow any foreign substance to could go down his throat without any of his voluntary permission.

The duke simply nodded back at Leonor. There was a tacit understanding between the two.

Both knew that whatever the duchess went through, the duchess might have a similar type of defense same as the duke.

"Give me another vial," Duke Calex spoke.

Terry quickly retrieved another one from his bag and handed it to the duke as he said, "Here, Your Grace. Careful not to spill it. I might have to concoct another batch after this one." Terry went back to the opposite side of the bed beside Leonor. 

The duke simply nodded at Terry after getting the vial. 

Retrieving his clean and immaculate white handkerchief, unlike Leonor, the duke just placed it under Atallie's chin.

After opening the vial, the duke took a glance at Leonor, and Leonor, upon receiving the furtive but meaningful glance of the duke, was slightly taken aback. But Leonor quickly recovered as she turned towards Terry who was so focused on the duke and the duchess.

Poor little old man, he is so nervous about his medicine.

"His Grace can handle it," Leonor spoke to Terry. But the old man seemed to be unable to hear anything.

With a frown on her stern and strict-looking face, Leonor had to drag the old Terry away from the bed and out of the room.

"We will leave first, Your Grace. I will be right outside should you need me," said Leonor before closing the door.

And just like that, only the duke and the duchess were left alone inside the dimly lit room.

With only the quiet sounds of the whispering wind and the rustling of the leaves of the trees and the hushed singing of the insects in the background, the Duke's fathomless and sharp eyes gazed down on Atallie.