His words provoked Marianne to lift her gaze from the little stack of papers.
Observing him with a dull expression, her eyes seemed to be surprised by the unexpected sentence Orland impulsively let out. And so, flickering her lovely eyelids to convey her confusion, she stared directly into his eyes.
Although seeing this reaction would usually send regret through his nerves, to then reach his head in a second, this time, nothing happened.
The Duke kept combing her hair with his fingers, stroking her forehead and temple as they made their path into the thick strands of hair.
Orland warmly grinned at her. She seemed to be pondering with those innocent eyes what had made her father say such a thing out of nowhere, and, answering her, he said in a soft voice conveying the calm in his heart.
"... It's nothing, Dear... I am just happy to have you here..."
