Fated Eclipse: The Illegitimate Princess And Her Alpha Suitors

Chapter 321: An Unexpected Hobby

Lyria’s POV

I had not realised that Earl Hawthorne had already begun to grow annoyed.

The change was subtle at first.

So subtle that I might have overlooked it entirely had I not been watching him so closely.

The warmth that had rested so naturally within his eyes cooled into something more guarded. His jaw tightened ever so slightly, and when he spoke again, there was a distinct chill to his voice that I had heard once before.

”Did you say that the Marquess was insistent upon seeing you?”

I blinked at the sudden change in his tone.

”Y-yes,” I replied cautiously. ”He d-demanded to e-enter my c-chambers.”

I paused, searching his face.

”B-but my m-maid put a s-stop to it.”

His jaw tightened further.

”It is highly improper,” he said, each word measured with restrained displeasure, ”for the Marquess to have attempted such a thing. To demand entry into your private chambers...”

He stopped himself.

Drawing a slow breath, he looked away for the briefest moment, as though collecting his thoughts before they escaped in a less gentlemanly fashion.

”If he truly cared for your well-being,” he continued more quietly, ”he would have behaved as every other gentleman did. He would have entrusted his regards to your guards or your ladies’ maids and waited patiently for a reply.”

His gaze returned to mine.

”He would have respected your privacy. He would have respected your recovery.”

His expression hardened even more as he spoke.

”He would not have demanded anything.”

There was no mistaking the disapproval in his voice.

I offered a small shrug, hoping to ease the atmosphere.

”T-there is no i-issue, though,” I said gently. ”Like I s-said, my m-maid p-put a stop to it.”

He remained silent.

The quiet that followed settled heavily between us.

It was not an uncomfortable silence.

It was simply heavy.

I studied his face more carefully.

This was not anger directed towards me. Of that, I was entirely certain. But it was anger nonetheless.

The sort that remained carefully leashed beneath impeccable manners.

His hands had curled into loose fists at his sides before relaxing once again.

”Y-you have a f-frown upon your f-face, my lord,” I observed softly. ”D-did what I s-said a-annoy you s-so very much?”

His eyes met mine.

”Yes, Your Highness.”

I already knew that, but I was grateful for his honesty.

”The Marquess has no right...”

He stopped again, shaking his head.

”No right whatsoever. He has no right to behave in such a manner. Not towards you. Not towards anyone.”

His expression remained composed, yet there was unmistakable steel beneath it.

”Whatever grievances he may possess, they grant him no claim upon your time, your company, or your presence.”

I nodded slowly.

”I k-know.”

A faint bitterness crept into my voice despite my efforts.

”B-but it is the M-Marquess. He d-does not particularly c-care.”

I lowered my gaze.

”E-everyone is e-expected to s-submit to him. T-that is simply h-how he is.”

For several moments, Earl Hawthorne said nothing.

His eyes rested upon me thoughtfully.

Almost searchingly.

It made my heart beat a little faster.

Eventually, I cleared my throat.

”W-we ought n-not to d-dwell upon it,” I said, forcing a smile onto my face. ”It h-has already p-passed, and besides, w-we were playing a g-game. It is m-my turn t-to ask a q-question now.”

He blinked, as though only just remembering our little game.

Some of the tension eased from his shoulders.

”Very well, Your Highness. Ask away.”

I considered it for a moment before speaking.

”W-what do y-you like d-doing in your f-free time?”

He looked genuinely surprised.

”My free time?”

I nodded.

He considered the matter for a few moments.

”I train,” he answered simply. ”It is what I have always done.”

I laughed softly.

”I k-kind of e-expected t-that answer.”

His smile widened.

”I suspected you might.”

”But...” I said, tilting my head. ”S-surely there m-must be s-something else. S-something b-beyond training y-you do in y-your free time.”

He fell silent once more.

This silence differed from the previous one. There was no frustration within it. Only contemplation.

His gaze drifted somewhere beyond the rain-streaked windows.

”To be perfectly honest...”

He spoke slowly, as though piecing the answer together whilst saying it.

”I do not do very much beyond that. My free time is usually spent with my family.”

He smiled faintly.

”If I am not training or working, my life has always revolved around them.”

His expression softened.

”Trying to make things easier.”

He gave a quiet laugh.

”I fear I have never become particularly skilled at having hobbies.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, almost sheepishly.

”It is either work, training, or my family finding some new and inventive method of dragging me into whatever adventure they have devised.”

His tone held no complaint.

If anything...

It sounded affectionate, and I was curious if perhaps there was more to what he had told me about his family. But as curious as I was, I was not going to satisfy that curiosity for now.

”B-but what a-about now?” I asked instead.

”Now t-that you are h-here in the palace, s-surely y-you have f-fewer responsibilities, m-more free t-time.”

”I do.”

He admitted it quietly.

”I have considerably more free time than I did before. Though most of it is spent with the friends I have made here. They have a remarkable talent for ensuring I am never bored.”

I laughed at that.

That did sound like his friends. Two in particular would likely involve the other two.

”I have only been here for a little over two weeks.”

His expression grew thoughtful once more.

”And yet... I have not really...”

He stopped, as though searching for the proper words.

”I am not entirely certain what one is meant to do with so much free time.”

He laughed quietly at himself.

”It is rather an odd sensation.”

His admission made him seem strangely vulnerable.

And perhaps that was why, before I could reconsider, I spoke up.

”I u-use my free t-time t-to draw and p-paint sometimes.”

His eyes widened noticeably in genuine surprise.

”You are an artist?”