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“Take yer army and leave. I never want to see yer face again,” he said, his tone calm but dangerous. He noticed that his words had the desired effect when Eric immediately turned around and began to march away with his army.
Christian watched them leave for a few minutes and then nodded at Josh, signaling him to make sure they left their lands entirely. He then turned towards Keira, who stood just beside him, relief evident on her face.
“Are ye all right? Are ye happy?” he asked her, holding her hands in his.
“I am. I am happy,” she smiled. “I am nay longer betrothed to him.”
“Yes. Ye are free now,” he smiled back, sensing the calmness in her voice. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.
She immediately hugged him again, her small body fitting into his perfectly as they melted together. At that moment, Christian knew that he had made the right decision when he brought her home. He had written his fate with his hands and he could not be happier with the outcome. He would fight a hundred duels just to make sure Keira remained his because, after today, he knew he would never let her go.
CHAPTER14
“How do I look, Harriet?”Keira asked the maid, fretting about her appearance as she stared at herself in the looking glass. Keira could not remember the last time she had gotten dressed for someone else or had worried about how she looked. Although today it was different. It was Christian waiting for her, and she needed to look as beautiful as she possibly could.
“Ye look bonnie, me lady. Like ye always do that is,” Harriet replied, helping Keira with her hair.
“Are ye certain or should I wear something else, perhaps?” Keira asked, turning to look at Harriet.
“I think the laird will find ye to be looking bonnie nay matter what ye wear. None of this matters to him as long as ye are the person in front of him,” Harriet said with a smile, and Keira turned crimson at the comment. She knew everyone in the castle was aware of Christian’s undivided devotion and affection towards Keira and the fact that she reciprocated his feelings. Although, no one ever discussed it in front of her. Now, everyone had seen Christian fight a duel for her sake, and it was no longer a secret as to what he felt.
She immediately turned back towards the looking glass, staring at her hands as she straightened the red silk dress she was wearing. Christian had invited her for dinner tonight and had told her that he wished for her to dress up.
Keira knew he had planned something special because they were not having dinner in her bedchamber tonight but somewhere else in the castle. She had never looked forward to anything else more than this and was quite excited to spend the evening with him. She knew it was not simply gratitude for what he had done for her, but she had truly developed real, lasting feelings for him.
Is it love?
Keira was not certain. Although whatever it was, it was too strong to remain unnoticed and could certainly not be ignored. Hence, she knew she was doing the right thing by staying here with Christian. He was everything Eric could never have been to her, and Keira could not believe she had found him, and he wished to stay.
“Do ye need anything else, me lady?” Harriet asked her, and Keira shook her head no. Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and Harriet looked at her as if asking for permission.
“Could ye open the door, please” Keira motioned ahead, and Harriet immediately unlocked the door.
Keira surveyed her reflection one last time and was satisfied with what she saw. As she turned towards the door, Christian entered the bedchamber but stayed by the door, his eyes immediately landing on Keira. She noticed how handsome he looked, dressed in a simple white shirt and trousers. His gaze took her in from head to toe, and a huge smile appeared on his face as if he was satisfied with what he saw.
“Ye look beautiful,” he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. Keira had never seen him look this way, and it felt as if he was seeing her for the first time. It was evident he was overcome with his feelings yet was trying his best to keep them concealed.
“So do ye, me laird,” she smiled at him.
“I look beautiful?” he shook his head. “Are ye ready to go?” he asked her, and she nodded, immediately making her way towards him.
“I am,” she gave her hand into his extended palm, and he held it firmly before leading her outside.
Both of them remained silent as he walked her through the almost deserted hallways of the castle. Keira wondered where he had arranged dinner but remained silent as they slowly walked outside the castle gates and into the gardens. Rather than going out of the castle, Christian led her towards a small opening through the woods which she had never seen before since it was entirely concealed by tall trees.
Keira enjoyed the cold air hitting her exposed neck, shoulders, and arms since she was wearing an off the shoulder gown which she knew made her look quite extraordinary. He kept walking ahead of her until they reached an opening amongst the trees, and Keira gasped as she realized how she had never seen quite a view before. The castle was located at a hill; hence they were quite above the surrounding ground. They stood just by the edge, and Keira could see taller mountains in the distance illuminated by the light of the full moon upon them. The valley below was swimming in darkness yet appeared so calm that Keira, too, felt at peace.
“This is beautiful, Christian,” she sighed, her eyes finally falling on the table that had been placed at one end for them. The entire surrounding area was lit up by candles, and food was already waiting for them.
“Do ye like it?” Christian asked, and she turned to look at him as if he had asked an amusing question. No one had ever gone to such lengths for her before, and she could not believe Christian had arranged this all for her and her alone.
“I can nae believe ye did this for me,” she whispered honestly, not wanting to hide anything she felt from him.
“Of course I did this for ye, Keira,” he replied, turning her around so she would face him as they stood together in the woods. “Ye deserve this and so much more.”
“Thank ye,” she said and walked ahead to place a soft peck on his lips. The passion in his gaze at the touch told her he wanted to deepen the kiss, but instead, he smiled and led her towards the table as they sat down.
“I have something important to talk about with ye,” he told her, both of them helping themselves to the food spread out for them on the table.
