The next morning, Olivia awoke quite early and requested that he maids prepare a beautiful dress for her, as she would be venturing into town and it was frowned upon by some for her to wear trousers.
The maids brought forth numerous gowns from the duchess's wardrobe but need seemed to please her, and so ultimately Olivia decide to don the dress she had recently purchased for the tea party, thinking that she would look for another one to wear day.
A maid styled her hair using rose water to enhance its appearance, plaited it into a braid, and added several exquisite hair ornaments shaped like small flowers, along with a pair of teardrop-shaped earrings that Olivia didn't recall owning as she possessed no jewels.
Rose lightly made up her face, giving it a natural, refreshed look. Olivia was anxious and couldn't wait for Leonard to come for her.
When Rose had finished applying her makeup, she said, "My lady, I am certain the duke will be utterly astonished by how beautiful you look."
The thought of Leonard's reaction when he saw her turned Olivia's cheeks a faint the room saying, "Oh my, my lady, you are truly stunning."
Overwhelmed by the praise, Olivia replied with a modest "Thank you."
Then, Amelia remembered the reason for her visit and said, "My lady, the duke has arrived and is waiting at the entrance."
Hearing the Leonard had arrived made Olivia's heart skip a beat. She released a deep sigh an told Amelia, "Please inform him that I shall be there shortly."
"As you wish, my lady."
Once Amelia left, Olivia directed Ana to look after Vandal who was bustling around the room, then she departed to meet Leonard.
When Leonard beheld Olivia emerging from the house, he was spellbound by her incredible beauty, and felt an urge to abandon everything, return to the house, take her to her room, and not allow her to leave until the next day. However, seeing Olivia's excitement about her first city visit, he had no choice but to retrain himself.
Approaching Leonard, Olivia greeted him with, "Good morning."
Leonard stepped closer, his hand on Olivia's slim waist, delivered a kiss, and said, "Good morning, you look beautiful."
Please by Leonard's compliment yet slightly embarrassed as the servants could see them, Olivia suggested, "We should hurry so we won't be late."
Leonard offered his arm, escorting her to the carriage and assisting her aboard. With both seated, the coachman set the carriage in motion.
After just over an hour's journey, they reached the city entrance. Olivia, thrilled by the sight of different buildings and cobbled streets, the people bustling from one shop to another, and cafe terraces, leaned closer to the window and nearly toppled over. Quick to react, Leonard caught her by the waist and settled her on his lap, advising, "If you do that, you might fall."
Embarrassed b her behavior, Olivia apologized, "I'm sorry, everything here is so wonderful, I couldn't help getting excited."
Leonard wrapped his arms around Olivia and kissed her neck. As she turned towards him, the duke captured her lips, surrounded by the sweet scent of roses emanating from her. Wanting to stay like this forever in mutual devourment, Leonard's hands began to wander over Olivia's form until the carriage halted and the coachman announced, "We have arrived, my lord."
Reluctantly painting, Olivia composed herself and her attire. The coachman opened the door, and Leonard stepped out first, gallantly assisted Olivia. Bystanders, recognizing the esteemed duke, marveled at his graciousness toward the beautiful young woman accompanying him.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable as the center of attention yet eager to explore the city, Olivia did not wish to return home before walking through it. Since it was noon, Leonard took her to a restaurant where all patrons turned to gaze as they entered. A tall, thin, elderly gentleman approached and led them to a table, where they were presented with the menu and their order was taken.
...
Alexis had persuaded his sister, Liria, to dine out, knowing she had felt dispirited since the ball upon seeing Leonard with his wife. He intended to cheer her up at the finest restaurant in the city, but never anticipated encountering Leonard and his spouse there.
On spotting them, Liria was taken aback, and Alexis inquired, "Would you like to go elsewhere?"
Looking worriedly at her brother, Liria responded, "There's no need to hide every time we encounter them."
Despite his doubtful gaze, he asked once more, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, and besides, the duchess will attend the tea party organized by the prince's wife, so it's better I grow accustomed to seeing her."
"As you say. Do you wish to greet them?"
"Yes, I would like that."
Alexis and Liria approached the ducal couple who were waiting for their meal to be served.
"Quit the coincidence to find you here," said Alexis, causing Leonard to tense up a bit since he didn't want his friend to see Olivia for some reason.
"Hello, Sir Alexis, it is a pleasure to see you," Leonard managed.
Alexis want over to the duchess, kissed her hand, and remarked, "The pleasure is all mine, Duchess. You look truly beautiful today."
Olivia blushed at Alexis's words, and Leonard looked at them both, slightly annoyed, leading her to quickly withdraw her hand from his.
"I'd like to introduce you to my younger sister, Duchess. This is Liria."
Upon seeing Liria, the sister of Alexis, Olivia was quite taken aback because she was the lovely woman Leonard had been amiably chatting with during the dance, something Olivia had not taken kindly to at all. Olivia rose from her seat and said, "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Olivia."
"The pleasure is all mine," Liria responded.
"Since we've met by chance, may we share the table with you, if you don't mind?" asked Alexis.
"That's fine by me," Olivia replied.
They took their seats at the table, and a servant came to take their orders. Minutes later, serval servants arrived with delectable dishes that smelled wonderful, each person having ordered something different and each dish looking exquisite.
Olivia had chosen meat with chestnuts, Leonard had opted for fish, Alexis had asked for smoked lamb, and Liria had gone for roast duck accompanied by mushrooms. Olivia quickly finished her meal, as it was really delightful, and upon finishing and seeing Leonard's dish, she felt a strong urge to taste it, though she decided it wouldn't be proper to ask and simply contented herself with gazing at his enticing plate.
Seeing Olivia almost drooling over his dish, Leonard asked, "Would you like to try it?" Hearing that she could taste his food made Olivia's eyes light up, and she said, "Really, may I?"
"Yes."
Without thinking, Olivia opened her mouth, waiting for Leonard to feed her as her nanny used to do whenever she fancied a taste of something, making Leonard chuckle, as she looked like an eager squirrel.
Leonard fed her, as as Olivia savored the delicious fish, she thought it was even better than what she had eaten before and told herself that if they ever came back to this place, she would order the fish. Watching Olivia's joyous reaction to the taste of his dish, Leonard continued to feed her, and Olivia forgot they were not alone.
Liria, witnessing the open flirtation of the ducal couple, felt as if her heart were being squeezed. It pained her to see how sweet Leonard could be with his wife, glimpsing a side of him she'd never seen before. Reaching for her glass of water to take a sip, her hands felt like butter, and she accidentally dropped her glass to the floor, causing a loud crash.
"Ahhh!"
Alexis, who was sitting next to Liria, immediately expressed his concern, "Liria, are you alright?"
"I'm so sorry, my glass just slipped from my hand."