Divorce The Duke, Marry The King!
Chapter 127: Babysitter

Chapter 127: Babysitter

"Ermm, Steve!" She called, and he immediately stepped into the tent, his gaze sweeping the space for any sign of danger before turning back to her when he found none.

"Oh, I am fine," she assured him. "I am just not comfortable with all this extravagance. Can we tone it down a little? Or maybe... more than a little?"

She tried to sound as polite as possible, not wanting to seem ungrateful. She truly appreciated the thought behind it, but she had already resolved to win the people’s affection on her own this time, and she would do it her way.

"Of course. I am at your command. Just tell me what needs to go," he responded, earning a relieved sigh from her. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as difficult as she had thought.

Taking another look around the tent, she hummed in thought. "You know what? I will make a list and give it to you. There’s a lot." It would be more efficient that way rather than going through each item one by one.

"I will be outside, Your Grace," Steve said, turning to leave. But before he could take another step, she called after him.

"Wait!"

He halted instantly.

"I need a babysitter for Ezekiel. Preferably human, if we can find one around here. And she must be willing to stay and care for him," Belle said.

Steve stared at her blankly for a moment before his gaze flickered to the baby in her arms. It clicked then—she had already named him. That was fast.

"Alright, but you will need the general’s approval to bring someone on board. He doesn’t allow outsiders in his war base," Steve relayed.

Belle uttered a quiet "Oh," nearly forgetting that Quinn was in charge. But how was she supposed to face him after what had happened at the stream? If not for the village head situation, they wouldn’t have interacted at all.

Letting out an awkward chuckle, she clasped her hands together and asked, "I... Can you do that for me?" She flashed him a pleading look, hoping to sway him.

Steve sighed. "I would, but there’s a high chance my request wouldn’t even be read."

Belle frowned. "Why? Is it because you are Hezekiah’s knight, or is there another reason?"

Sensing where her mind was going, Steve quickly clarified, "No, it’s nothing personal. It has always been this way. Warriors aren’t given special treatment, so requests aren’t considered unless it’s a life-or-death situation. And I hold no position next to him. If I did, it would be a different matter."

His explanation sparked an idea in Belle’s mind.

"A position!" She repeated, a smile creeping onto her lips. A brilliant plan formed in her mind. Why hadn’t she thought of this before?

Kay and Ray had been Quinn’s closest men throughout their journey, and they seemed comfortable around him. If anyone could help her, it would be one of them. Kay was more approachable than Ray, making him the ideal choice.

Problem solved. Ezekiel would have his babysitter soon.

"Your Grace?" Steve called, raising his brows at her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Ah! Thank you. I will see Kay immediately. I just have a teeny-tiny request for you," she said with a smile, causing him to stare at her in confusion, wondering what was running through her mind.

"Until I am back, I need you to take good care of Ezekiel and make sure he doesn’t wake up." She stepped closer, already placing Ezekiel in his arms before he could protest.

"I—" He started, only to freeze as Ezekiel stirred, panic surging through him. He held his breath, afraid of waking the baby. He had never taken a liking to infants as they required too much time, too much care, and worst of all, their cries were a force to be reckoned with.

"Shush!" Belle hushed him before dashing out of the tent, laughing as she made her way toward wherever Kay might be.

"Excuse me, where is Commander Kay?" She asked, tapping the shoulder of a passing warrior.

"He was here a moment ago. You should check the General’s tent; he’s probably there," the warrior replied before bowing his head and walking away.

Belle’s mind latched onto those two words, ’General’s tent.’ Panic gripped her and she was beginning to falter in her determination, not willing to face Quinn. She needed another way to get through him and she was afraid that option wasn’t favorable.

Glancing around, she spotted Mia in the distance, busy helping with the setup. A relieved smile formed on her lips as she took a step toward her only to abruptly freeze.

Her gaze landed on Quinn approaching with Ray.

Her heart raced. She quickly glanced around for a place to hide but found none, her breathing growing unsteady.

"Calm down, Belle. You have no reason to hide. Behave yourself," she muttered, scolding herself. Taking a steadying breath, she straightened her posture, determined to greet him normally.

But when Quinn’s eyes briefly flickered to her, he merely looked away and kept walking with Ray, acting as if he hadn’t seen her.

She scoffed. Seriously? And here she was, panicking for nothing. He was doing a fantastic job of avoiding her, meanwhile, she had been the one overthinking.

"Belle!" Mia’s voice called out, snapping her back to reality. She immediately plastered on a smile and waved.

Mia left the warriors and walked up to her, giggling as if she had just won a lottery.

"Aren’t you tired from helping so much? I haven’t seen you take a break since we started traveling," Belle asked.

Mia playfully smacked her arm. "This is nothing compared to what’s coming. Besides, I have always wanted to be a warrior, this might be my chance. If I do well, I could get enlisted," she said, determination gleaming in her eyes.

"But what about your mate? And the idea of building a family?" Belle asked, genuinely concerned.

"I don’t have one, so I will dedicate myself to what matters now," Mia replied nonchalantly. "I was never good with love anyway."

She acted as if being mates was no big deal, but deep down, she longed to be acknowledged, to be loved by her mate. She just wasn’t willing to keep hoping for something that felt impossible.