Chapter 72 My past is my future

Isabela

We returned to our bedroom in an enigmatic silence, and with every step we took, a mysterious energy seemed to pulse through me, as if urging me to say something that might provoke a reaction in the duke. However, in view of Fernando's silent posture throughout the journey, I decided to adhere to this pettiness and chose to remain silent too.

"We've arrived." He announced in his slurred voice.

"Yes." My response sounded like an explosion.

"Come in, miss."

"Is Your Grace angry or upset about what you heard from Jaime?" I asked him, watching him open the door.

Most of those who lived in the castle were in the courtyard following the trivial trial that was about to take place, so the hallway was empty.

"I'm disappointed with everything I've discovered since this morning." He opened the door, and when we were inside, Fernando closed it from the inside. "Are you very sincere?"

"What do you mean?"

I walked slowly to the window, because all I needed at the moment was a little air in my lungs.

"Those two bastards told me some hard-to-believe things, I need to know if you knew too."

"I don't know what they told your grace." I turned to Fernando, who was devouring me with his subtle eyes. "Why don't you start by telling me what happened in the basement of the library?"

"What happened is what your eyes saw down there. The four of us got into a fight, and you already know the outcome."

Wow, that's rude! I only asked him a question, but it seems that the duke doesn't want to talk about anything other than the fact that he killed me in another life.

"It's hard to deal with you."

"Sorry about that, I'm not nice. So you can answer me if I killed you in another life. How did it happen? Don't lie to me, please."

I didn't want to get into that complicated subject with him. But Fernando was right. If our relationship is as special as we think it is, we have to put an end to secrets and lies. Nothing could be fairer than aligning and crossing our two lines of existence. Maybe something will change in the future, and as well as Lucia not being born, the Duke won't kill me.

"What he said is true. That memory haunts me every time I think of it, it was hard to understand when I first remembered it."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Human beings have secrets by nature, and sometimes we think it's better not to reveal them to those we love. I believe that a secret that hurts you can be kept, can't it, Your Grace?"

Fernando Casanova pondered with those troubled eyes, which made me curious about what this man was thinking.

"Do you think it's right to hide a secret that harms someone else?"

"I can't answer for other people's secrets, Fernando."

"I want to tell you my secret before you hear it from someone other than me, which would be much worse."

"Your secret?"

"Yes." He sat down in the same armchair as always. "I don't intend to keep any more secrets from you, I love you with all my heart, and I would never do anything to hurt you like that man from another time, let alone take your life."

"I know what I saw when you killed me, but I know you had your reason for taking my life back then, I just don't know what it is, but I'm going to find out. I don't believe that my fiancé is a murderous villain, neither in the present nor in the past."

"I can help you remember everything, but please don't hide anything else from me, okay? Whatever you remember, good or bad, I want you to tell me. Before you listen to my shame, know that I'm sorry for conspiring against you when we first started dating."

"Your grace is scaring me. What's this secret?"

"Wait a minute, before you find out, did you know that in a few years' time I'm going to die on the front line of the war?"

"What? Did those two men say that?" I was surprised.

"So Lucia knows this information, and you don't?"

"I didn't know..."

"Are you being honest?" The duke interrupted me, looking at me suspiciously, as if he were searching for some truth or falsehood in my reactions.

"I mean, if we're going to be honest from now on, I'm not going to prolong this subject, I've known about the war of Spanish succession and the devastation that will result from this conflict forever. That's why I tried to take advantage of you the day we met, but I didn't know that you would be among the victims." I explained to him, making the duke even more reflective.

"I understood perfectly." He sighed slowly, absorbing the information I was saying. "I'm fated to die in this war, my past is my future."

"As for the war, I was reluctant to believe it, but there's nothing we can do to reverse it, with the death of the king, everything that happened in the future will also happen here." I explained to him, leaving my position by the window and walking over to the duke.

He held out his hands and invited me to sit on his lap.

"Come and soothe me with your warm body, and I'm sorry if I was rude at any time."

"It's okay, Your Grace, I think I overdid it too, we need to take a vacation to get away from all the hustle and bustle. I thought things would be more hectic in the 21st century, but I realize I was wrong all along." I smiled at him.

Likewise, I settled on his thighs and gently pulled his chin towards me.

"What is it?" The duke asked.

"You need a shower."

Fernando smiled and looked away from me. His strong hands traveled down my back to my lower back, where he caressed it.

"I can't wait to dive into the tub and cleanse my body. That basement was so dusty and dirty that it transformed me, I feel like I'm an extension of it." I felt the pressure of his hand on my ass. "Isabela, I'm planning to renounce everything and spend the rest of my life by your side, away from all the worries and people in the world."

"Hello? What do you mean? I don't want to live in a place full of sheep and sheep."

"There's nothing better than that peace. I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I've decided that I want to leave Spain behind."

"What? Are you serious? What about your castle?"

"Yes, my dear Miss Casanova. I don't want our life to end without taking you to see some incredible places, and this castle was never mine, I'll leave it to Raul."

"Shall we go far away from here and leave your friend behind?"

"Where we're going, we won't need anyone but the two of us."

"But what about the impending war? He could die if he stays."

"We'll think about that big guy later, I don't feel like being the hero and saving a nation either. So we've got a few months, are we going to run away before King Carlos dies?"

"You want to be a coward and run far away?" I narrowed my eyes.

"I've always been a cowardly man; sometimes, when the noose tightened, I'd throw the blame for my immature actions on my brother's shoulders, as if that would make me less guilty. And looking at it that way, all the people from that time have already died in your future, haven't they? I'm sorry for all of them, but we have to get away before the war breaks out."

I sighed slowly, Fernando was determined, but his decision wasn't the best of options.

"I know how to get around this situation, but I'll need your help. Everyone will have a chance to live in peace."

"Tell me then."

"This is going to be a long story. For now, Your Grace should go to the bathroom and take a shower, and we'll talk about what I thought in the evening."

Fernando Casanova nodded, keeping his serene gaze fixed on me. I knew something was about to be revealed, because when he stares at me like that, without turning his attention away, it's a sign that bad news is about to be announced. Curiosity consumed me as I waited for events to unfold.

"Forgive me for what you're about to hear, Isabella. I could hide this from you forever, but if I don't speak, I'll be left with an eternal guilt, like a thorn piercing my soul."

My agony increased with every word, and I could no longer contain my impatience.

"Oh my God! Speak up, man!"

He took a deep breath before revealing his secret, a secret so absurd and shocking that it took my breath away.

"Before I felt all this love for you, I considered the idea of kidnapping you with my brother and asking for your fortune as a ransom from your family. That was the plan that, today, I deeply regret having even imagined. Given the traumas you've been through recently, I understand that you have every right to respond to me with anger and indignation. I know I was a stupid man, Isabela."