Chapter 52 Nova Is Drunk
“My apologies…..”
LeRoy barely gets the words out before Nova moves.
One second she’s swaying slightly on her feet, eyes glassy and unfocused, and the next she lets out an irritated huff, pulls her arm back, and swings.
Her fist connects with LeRoy's jaw with a sharp crack that echoes through the quiet garden.
The man staggers backward, shock written all over his face. His heel catches against the uneven stone, and he loses balance completely.
He crashes down hard, the side of his head striking the edge of the fountain with a dull, sickening thud before he collapses in a heap.
Nova jerks her hand back instantly, shaking it as pain shoots through her fingers.
“Ow! That hurt!”
I stare at her, stunned for half a second before a disbelieving laugh almost escapes me.
“Fuck, Nova. That was impressive.”
I’m in front of her before she can wobble again, taking her hand gently into mine.
Her knuckles are already turning pink beneath my thumb as I inspect them. Nothing broken, thank God, but by tomorrow they’ll be bruised badly.
“You hit him pretty hard,” I say, unable to hide the edge of astonishment in my voice. I’ve never seen her lash out like that. Nova avoids conflict whenever she can, yet tonight she didn’t hesitate.
“I think…” she murmurs faintly, squeezing her eyes shut, “…I think I might pass out.”
She sways backward.
I catch her immediately, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her firmly against me before she can fall. Up close, I notice how flushed her cheeks are, how unfocused her gaze has become. Her pupils are heavy, movements sluggish.
She’s drunk.
Not just lightly tipsy, properly drunk.
“Alright,” I murmur, lowering my voice. “Let’s get you upstairs.”
Her palm presses clumsily against my chest as she peers up at me, confused. “I’m… staying with you?”
“Yes,” I reply smoothly, glancing pointedly toward LeRoy as he groans again on the ground. “Considering you’re my mistress and all.”
He probably won’t remember much of this tomorrow, but I want the words planted anyway.
I steady Nova by her shoulders, making sure she can stand on her own before loosening my grip.
“Can you make it to the room?” I ask gently. “I need to handle something first.”
She nods immediately, though it’s clear she’s barely processing my words.
“Yeah… okay.”
She turns to leave, but something tight twists in my chest, stopping me.
“Nova. Wait.”
She looks back slowly.
I lower my voice, anger simmering beneath every word. “I’m sorry it was my voice that made him stop. I’m sorry he didn’t think yours mattered.”
LeRoy will answer for that, one way or another.
Her brows knit together as she tries to focus. After a long moment, she simply murmurs, “My hand hurts.”
A tight smile pulls at my mouth. She’s too far gone to process any of this right now.
Someone gave her far too much to drink. And when I find out who.....
“We’ll take care of it,” I promise softly.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” I add.
She nods again, already distracted. Bending slightly, she slips off her heels and hooks them over her fingers.
I watch until she starts toward the manor doors, moving slowly but steadily under the lantern light.
I wait until she disappears around the corner.
Only then do I inhale slowly. The calm lasts exactly one second.
I turn back toward LeRoy.
He’s conscious now, curled slightly on his side, clutching his jaw and groaning.
I step closer, my boots echoing against the stone. He notices the sound immediately, panic flashing across his face. Before he can scramble away, I grab the front of his shirt and haul him halfway upright.
The fabric bunches in my fist as he lets out a broken whimper.
Up close, I can see the swelling already forming along his cheekbone. Nova didn’t hold back.
A small, savage part of me is proud of that.
“Count yourself lucky, LeRoy,” I mutter, my voice low and rough, shaking him just enough to make him wince again. “It was her who struck you… not me.”
His eyes water instantly. Fear sits plainly on his face now, raw and humiliating.
Good.
“Because if it had been me,” I continue, leaning closer so there’s no mistaking a single word, “you wouldn’t be conscious enough to apologize.”
“I.... I’m sorry,” he stammers, voice trembling. “I didn’t mean.....”
“Don’t.” My grip tightens, cutting him off. “You don’t get to explain.”
I should kill him.
The thought comes easily. Naturally. My hand even shifts slightly, fingers twitching as if they already know how simple it would be. One motion. One decision. The problem would disappear forever.
But consequences follow men like me. Killing a noble, even one as useless as LeRoy, would spark questions, alliances, whispers in court. Political games I don’t have the patience for.
And worst of all, it would drag Nova into scandal she doesn’t deserve.
That alone stops me.
No. There are better punishments. Slower ones. Ones that will ruin him far more thoroughly.
“You listen carefully,” I say instead, my voice dropping to something colder. Controlled. Far more dangerous. “The next time I see you look at her, even by accident, I will take everything you own.”
His breathing quickens.
“Your estate,” I continue calmly. “Your title. Every coin attached to your name. I’ll dismantle your life piece by piece until you’re begging for the poverty you used to mock.”
His lips tremble. Tears spill freely now.
“And then,” I add quietly, “I’ll kill you.”
He nods frantically, desperation replacing whatever arrogance he once carried. “I understand. I swear..... I understand.”
“Nova is mine,” I say, my grip tightening despite myself. I have to physically stop my hands from sliding to his throat. “Nobody touches what belongs to me.”
I shove him back down onto the cobblestones. He collapses awkwardly, scrambling to nod again, eager to agree with anything that lets him leave this encounter alive.
I step back, breathing hard, trying to steady the storm inside my head.
I tell myself I said it for appearances.
For protection.
To maintain the lie that she’s merely my mistress.
But as the silence settles around me, I realize the truth with unsettling clarity.