My Dear Duke(BL)
Chapter 142: In The Middle

Chapter 142: In The Middle

"Miss Anne, I don’t think it’s a good idea."

Asher couldn’t help but only see how things would get worse.

So, he didn’t want to be involved in this more or to give Anne encouragement to do something that would obviously not benefit her much. He didn’t want her to get hurt by the duke’s reaction or the duke to get hurt by Anne’s actions. He just...wants both of them to be okay.

But...he felt like only Anne could do something about this situation.

Maybe...Miss Anne should do it like how it is supposed to be done...

"...Brother Ash, then...can you help me in another way?"

Anne, seeing Asher rejecting, accepted her solution wasn’t the best and decided she shouldn’t force brother Ash to do something like this when it was all her fault.

She must have hurt her father. He must have not wanted her to know anything more about him. Now that she dumbly exposed herself, she had to explain herself. That’s only fair. But...how will her father react to the whole thing?

"Just give me your opinion, brother Ash. Will it still be okay if I write a letter to him? I will write down everything. That way...it’s not a problem, right?"

Asher stared at Miss Anne who was desperately coming up with other ways to end this without meeting the duke face to face. Was it that bad? What did she do that she was sure the duke was going to get very upset about?

Asher was very curious. But he also felt nervous like Miss Anne, fearing this would lead to a bigger situation.

"Miss Anne, I know you must be having a hard time too. But now, since you said that your confession was going to make the duke more upset, I am sure it will be even more upsetting when he thinks about you not explaining it to him as he expects. Don’t you think so? Maybe...you should think of ways to not make things worse than it might become..."

Asher explained what he thought which made Anne go silent as she went back to sit down and think.

"Brother Ash, can I get some time to think? I mean...alone?"

Anne hesitantly asked and Asher immediately nodded, then left.

’Sigh...I hope it won’t get too stressful.’

Asher thought, even though he knew this was already stressful enough for her. But...wasn’t this caused by her though?

’Sigh...I don’t want to blame her. But it’s in her hands to take the decision to make things worse than it could be...or calm the situation.’

Asher came back to the duke, sitting next to him as he stared at the duke.

"Mm?"

Seeing Asher staring at him, Felix turned to Asher, questioning him.

"Sigh..."

Asher didn’t say anything. He just sighed, threw himself at the duke and when the duke held him, he adjusted to a comfortable position. As his body now laid on the duke’s lap, Asher looked up and saw the duke’s eyes watching him.

"Are you tired?"

The duke asked and Asher left a chuckle, extending his hand to hold the duke’s cheek.

"I’m not. I should be the one to ask you that though...Are you tired?"

Asher asked, his hand caressing the duke’s cheek.

"I don’t know. I am...just not feeling very good right now."

The duke sounded unsure and frustrated. He was definitely troubled. Asher slightly smiled and turned around, hugging the duke’s waist. He then kissed the duke’s stomach, snuggling his face into his stomach and shaking his head which seemed to have made the duke tickle.

"You are just in a bad mood duke."

Asher said and stopped his movements as he felt the duke’s fingers combing through his hair.

"...Maybe..."

The duke then mumbled.

"It will be alright."

Asher let out a long breath, patting the duke’s back.

But after that, he was weirdly silent for a long time which made the duke look at Asher.

"...Do you have anything to say?"

When the duke asked, Asher was taken aback as he realised the duke had seen through him.

Maybe he looked obvious since he was pondering and dazing off thinking.

Asher wanted to help Miss Anne with what he could do. At least he could ask if the duke was open to get his answers from another way other than straightly talking to Anne, right?

But, it made him nervous as he thought of his words making the duke think he was trying to take Miss Anne’s side.

"...Can I just say it?"

Asher just asked, hiding his nervousness.

But maybe it was obvious. He wasn’t good at hiding his feelings. But he did his best anyway because well, he was too worried, maybe weirdly more than he had ever been about everything he did because he felt the duke would be triggered.

"Yeah. I hate guessing."

Without hesitation, the duke encouraged Asher to say it. Asher was hesitant at first but he saw the duke anticipatingly looking at him.

It made him relax a little seeing the duke would listen to him.

He shouldn’t have worried in the first place, should he? Since when did he feel so much stress to just talk to the duke? Asher was honestly quite surprised and felt ridiculous.

He was going to help, wasn’t he? So...he should talk about whatever he has and do whatever he has to do.

’I didn’t realise I was also stressed after being stuck between these too. I was scared of making things worse, wasn’t I? But...I am only doing this to help them, so...I hope everything will be good and helpful as I wish.’

Asher smiled, holding the duke’s hand and caressing it as he then hesitantly started talking, feeling brave enough.

"Haha... Will you hate me if I get involved between you and your daughter’s problem?"

Asher observed the duke’s expressions as he said so, then attentively listened to the duke’s response that came soon.

"...I won’t hate you...no matter what. But I...might be a little disappointed if you are not on my side in this. I mean...I don’t think I have done anything wrong and I just want some answers so..."

"I understand. Then let me just ask you. Will you be okay with her giving the answers you need, but...not by herself? Through a letter o-"

"Or by you?"

"...How did you know?"

"Since you asked me if I would hate you for being involved, why else would you ask that question for?"

Asher smiled nervously, feeling dumb as he realised it had been that easy for the duke to understand what he was getting at going around with words. Why was he dragging it so long for? Haa...

"Haha...You are smart, duke. So...what is your opinion?"

Asher straightly asked since he didn’t have to go around to come to the topic anymore.

But he couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised when the duke’s answer came.

"...I don’t mind."

The duke said after a little waiting.

"...R-really?"

"Mm. Yeah. I just want the answers. When I know the things, I can talk to her later."

Asher then fell silent because he didn’t really expect this kind of a reaction. He expected the duke to be against it.

"Are you sure that it won’t...be different?"

Asher asked, since in his view, this definitely had a difference. He believed the duke thought so too.

Because if he were the duke, he would feel like Miss Anne was ignoring him and not caring about him.

"It is definitely different. But at least I get what I want."

The duke’s answer did not really surprise Asher.

’The duke indeed felt that way too.’

But...why did he sound desperate though?

Does it not matter how he gets it as long as he gets what he wants?

"So you are not so strict with Miss Anne..."

Asher then said, smiling as he played with the duke’s fingers while holding his hand.

"...I am not?"

After some silence, the duke asked and Asher was taken aback by the way the duke looked so surprised. Did he not know? This...isn’t how you be strict, is it? You have to be scary. You have to be set on one and one thing only. No compromises...

Was being strict that different in the duke’s view?

"...Do you think you are?"

"I thought so..."

"...Okay. then can I meet Miss Anne again?"

"To talk with her?"

"Mm.."

"Okay. Come back soon."

"...Hehe...Don’t miss me. I will be back soon, okay?"

Asher rubbed the duke’s hair and said with a smile, then getting up as he placed a kiss on the duke’s lip.

"Mm..."

The duke nodded and Asher got up, leaving the office again.

’If he doesn’t mind, then I will just help both of them to end this!’

Asher, determined, went to meet Miss Anne again.

As long as this unpleasant phase ends soon, Asher was willing to do it. For both of these two people.

He loves them.

He only wants the best for them and both of them to be together with no trouble between them.