Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 217 - Two Hundred And Sixteen

"Mari," Derek said softly, his voice a low rumble in the quiet tent.

Marissa stopped moving. Her hand, which had been adjusting a silver fork, froze. She stood still for a heartbeat, her back rigid. Then, she slowly raised her head.

She looked at him. Her eyes swept over his wet hair, plastering to his forehead. She looked at his bare chest, slick with water droplets that caught the candlelight. She looked at his damp trousers clinging to his legs.

"You are wet," she observed. Her voice was calm, almost conversational, but Derek could hear the undercurrent of anger vibrating beneath the surface.

"I was bathing," Derek said stupidly, stating the obvious because his brain had temporarily stopped working.

"I see," Marissa said, her voice turning cold. She picked up a linen napkin and folded it with sharp, precise movements. "Cleanliness is important, even in war."

Derek took a step forward, water dripping from his hair onto the rug. He felt like a boy caught in trouble, not the Commander of the North.

"Why are you here, Mari?" He asked. His voice was rough with worry. "It is dangerous. This is a military camp. There are thousands of men here. We march in four days. This is no place for a Duchess."

Marissa looked at him. Her eyes flashed with a sudden, hot spark of fury.

"You left without saying goodbye," she said.

It wasn’t a question. It was an accusation, thrown like a dagger.

"I wrote a letter," Derek defended himself weakly, raising his hands. "I sent it to the estate. I explained everything."

"A letter," Marissa scoffed. She threw the folded napkin onto the table. "A piece of paper. You left me with a piece of paper."

She took a step closer to him, invading his space.

"I wrote you twelve letters," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Twelve. I sent one every morning and every evening. I asked if you were safe. I asked when you were coming back."

She poked him in the chest with her finger. Her nail dug into his skin.

"And you didn’t answer one," she whispered.

Derek winced. He felt the sting of her finger, but the sting of her words hurt more.

"I didn’t get them until today," Derek said, desperate to make her understand. "The sorting unit... the person in charge was incompetent. Ian found them in a box just an hour ago."

"Excuses," Marissa said. She poked him again, harder this time.

"You left me," she whispered, her anger cracking to reveal the fear beneath. "You left me alone in that big cold house. You left me to wonder if you were dead in a ditch somewhere."

Derek looked down at her. He saw the pain in her eyes. He saw the fear she had hidden behind her anger and her impeccable dress. He realized that while he was planning a war, she was fighting a battle of silence at home. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I didn’t mean to," he said, his voice thick with regret. "I had to go immediately. The King ordered it. The situation was critical."

"The King didn’t tell you to ignore your wife," Marissa said.

She stared at him for a long moment, her chest heaving. Then, she let out a long, shaky sigh. The fight seemed to drain out of her.

She gestured to the table laden with food.

"Sit down and eat," she commanded, her voice softer now. "The food is getting cold."

Derek hesitated. He looked at the chair, then at her.

"Aren’t you going to eat with me?" he asked, his face sad.

Marissa looked at the second plate she had set. She nodded.

"I will," she said.

Derek sat down. He felt awkward, sitting half-naked at a fine dining table in a tent. Marissa sat opposite him. She poured him a glass of wine.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. The roasted chicken was delicious, far better than the camp rations Derek had been eating. But the food tasted like ash in his mouth because of the guilt.

Derek put down his fork. He couldn’t eat anymore.

"I’m sorry," Derek spoke.

Marissa’s spoon hung in the air, halfway to her mouth.

"I didn’t mean to give you excuses and hurt you," Derek continued, his eyes earnest. "I was planning on coming home tomorrow. To explain. To apologize properly. To..."

Marissa cut him off mid-sentence. She lowered her spoon.

"There is no need," she said quietly. "It’s fine."

She looked at the maps scattered on his desk in the corner.

"Stay here and do your duty," she said. "The army needs you more than I do right now."

Derek stood up from his seat. He walked around the small table.

He stopped beside her chair. He didn’t touch her. instead, he did something unexpected.

He knelt.

He dropped to his knees on the rug, his head bowed, his hands clasped behind his back like a soldier awaiting punishment from his general.

"Punish me," Derek said, his voice low. "Punish me however you see fit. Yell at me. Hit me with your fan. Make me sleep on the floor. But please... don’t be angry."

He looked up at her, his eyes wide and pleading.

"I can handle the Mercian army," he admitted. "But I cannot handle your silence."

Marissa dropped her spoon. It clattered onto the plate.

She looked down at the powerful man kneeling at her feet. The Grand Duke. The Commander. He was submitting to her completely.

Her anger melted away, replaced by a surge of affection so strong it made her dizzy.

"It’s fine," Marissa said, her voice shaking with suppressed laughter. "Stand up, Derek. Before someone sees you and thinks I am a wicked wife who maltreats her husband."

Derek murmured, a mischievous glint entering his eyes.

"But aren’t you one?" he teased, his voice low. "You are quite terrifying, my Duchess."

Marissa heard him. Her eyes narrowed playfully.

"What did you say?" she asked.

She stood up abruptly to scold him, to tap him on the shoulder.

But she moved too fast. Her foot caught on the leg of the chair. She stumbled forward, losing her balance.

"Ah!" she cried out as she fell.

Derek moved instantly. His reflexes were sharp. He surged up from his kneeling position.

He didn’t catch her with his hands. He caught her with his body. He stood up to shield her from hitting the ground.

Marissa slammed into him. The force of her fall knocked him off balance.

They went down together.

Derek twisted in the air, ensuring he landed first. His back hit the thick rug with a heavy thud.

Marissa landed on top of him. Her body pressed against his bare chest, her skirts tangling around his legs. Her hands were braced on his shoulders.

For a moment, there was silence. They lay there, breathless, tangled together on the floor of the tent.

Marissa looked down. Her face was inches from his. She could feel his heart hammering against her chest. She could see the water droplets still clinging to his eyelashes.

Derek looked up at her. He groaned slightly from the impact, but then he smiled.

"You really know how to create opportunities to use my body," he whispered.

Marissa laughed. It was a breathless, happy sound.

"And you," she replied, "make a very good cushion."

She didn’t move to get up. She stayed there, resting on him, feeling the warmth of his skin.

Derek reached up. His hand cupped the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair.

"I missed you," he said simply.

"I missed you too," Marissa whispered as she kissed his forehead. "I’ll be waiting for your arrival on the fifth day but I’ll have to sleep here with you for the night."

Derek smiled mischievously " Of course. How can I say no to you?" He kissed her nose. " Besides, it’s a small payment for the delicious meal you brought. I’m indeed grateful."

Marissa smiled as she sank deep into his chest.