The Duke's Daughter's Third Life

Chapter 77

Lying back in her bed, she tried to fall asleep to no avail, so in the heat of the moment, frustrated by her sleep-deprived state, she put on her shoes and quietly left her room. She looked around the quiet, barely lit hallways and made her way to the back of the duchy.

She made her way to the practice grounds and grabbed a practice bow. Taking a quiver of arrows, she emptied her mind as she began practising her skills. The sound of the arrows hitting against the target softly echoed through the silent yet chilly night.

Aeliana didn't know how much time had passed until her ears picked up sounds creeping towards her. She continued shooting the arrows at the target before she abruptly turned and aimed her bow towards the sound.

Claud raised his arms up in a brisk manner, his eyes widening when he saw the arrow directly aiming at his heart.

"It's me, your brother!" he stammered out, squeezing his eyes shut for a fleeting moment.

Aeliana lowered her bow and sighed, "Why didn't you say something? I thought it was an intruder."

He sheepishly smiled and relaxed his arms, "I wanted to give you a small scare but it backfired.."

She raised an eyebrow and pointed out, "Can't get rid of that habit since we were young?"

He groaned and pouted, "Don't remind me about the past. I still regret it till this day!!"

She smiled as she placed the quiver and bow away, "Good, you should always remember about it."

"Well, what are you doing out in the late wee nights?" Claud questioned, folding his arms.

She rolled her eyes at her brother's sudden odd way of speaking and replied, "I can't sleep."

"So you decided getting sweaty and dirty in your pyjamas will help?"

Aeliana paused and looked down at her clothes. They were covered in dust, and her bangs were sticking to her forehead.

"...Yeah." she cleared her throat.

Claud chuckled and shook his head, "What's on your mind hm?"

"Nothing, I just can't sleep."

"Nervous?"

She furrowed her brows. "Of course not. We're only going to be the witnesses of the coronation."

"Then? You seem to be having a lot on your mind whether you want to admit it or not."

Claud reached out and poked her forehead. She pulled back slightly and sighed, kicking her feet up.

"Brother,"

"Yes Aeliana?"

"How did you know Lady Eliana was the one?"

He gawked at Aeliana before shakily covering his mouth, "No..no way...Aeliana could it be? You—"

"I don't have anyone like that, I'm asking because I'm curious." she shot back, cutting him off.

He breathed a sigh of relief and pondered briefly before speaking, "Well, to be honest, I don't know how, everything just clicked into place. A realisation."

She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, "Meaning?"

"Meaning, one day I looked into her eyes and I realised there was nobody else that I wanted to be with except her. That's all."

"I see."

He laughed and poked her cheek, "Why the sudden curiosity on this?"

She shook him off and didn't answer his question. She was only curious because the thought simply struck her after thinking about their father's love for their mother all these years.