The Duke of Mountbatten

~Leo~

The steam clung to me like a second skin as I stepped out of the bathroom, the luxury of a long, hot bath finally chasing away the past two months' relentless grind. As I walked from the parlor room to the closet, the smell of freshly baked bread and fried eggs infiltrated my senses.

Where the hell was my coffee? I needed to fire my incompetent chambermaid right away. After checking the mail she left for me on the dresser, I ran my fingers through my damp hair a few times. Mr. Gilbert, my dresser and personal advisor, should be here soon. Tossing the towel aside, I reached for a crisp white shirt. 

An unwanted moan resonated through the bedroom. Sprawled across my four-poster bed was my sister's friend, with her lustful gaze brushing over my naked body with no modesty.

What the fuck was she still doing here?

I wanted her gone before I got out of the bathroom. She was a good fuck, but I was done with her.

"Get out!"

"Leo, you treat me like I am some poor filthy wench."

"I don't sleep with wenches and maids. Leave."

A pout marred her voluptuous lips. "Oh, come on, Leo. You were so horny for me last night. Are you telling me you don't want these anymore?"

"No, I don't," I replied without looking at her. It wasn't like I was deprived of sex. Incredibly wealthy and prominent women would strip for me at the snap of a finger. 

"Leo, just look at me once---"

"This is the last time I am asking you nicely. Leave. Now!"

Her eyebrows lifted slightly as if in shock before fear took over. Grabbing her belongings, she scuffled through the doorway as quickly as she could.

This was getting old. I couldn't stand disobedience. I disliked overconfident people who oozed with such a smarmy attitude.

Why did every woman think she was so special that I would want more from her? 

They must be confusing me with my father. Love was his weakness, a debilitating disease that crippled his ambition. I wasn't like him. Power, legacy, unlimited wealth... these were the things that fueled me. There was never any room for the mushy nonsense like love, caring more for someone else’s happiness, prioritizing their needs over mine, ugh! Such bullcrap.

"Your Grace..."

A tentative knock on the door was followed by the entrance of my perpetually flustered chambermaid, Mrs. Finch. She brought a bowl of sliced fruit instead of my coffee. The fried eggs had been sitting out while I was in the bath, so they were, of course, cold. Before I could unleash a tirade, the door swung open wider, revealing a hurricane of energy in the form of my nephew, Nico.

"Uncle Leo!" he shrieked, barreling past Mrs. Finch and launching himself at me. A laugh escaped my lips as I scooped him up. Ah, how I adored this cute little rascal.

"Whoa there, buddy?" I chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"Don't call me buddy anymore. I named the new black stallion Buddy."

"Ooh, did you mount him yet?"

He shook his head in disappointment while adjusting his little woolen hat.

"Mother won't let me. Can you talk to her? Please?"

Ugh, I'd rather try reasoning with a huge boulder than with my twin sister. Mabel was super adamant and set in her ways. She was another reason I would marry no one for love. My parents searched far and wide to find the best possible suitors for her, but she believed in some loser ass's words who professed his undying love for her.

Mabel had a tendency to forget that she was a Royal with a fortune that could buy a small kingdom. Men flocked around her all the time for all the wrong reasons, just like how fortune hunters and gold digger women swarmed around me. Even if I was the ugliest Duke to have ever walked this planet, my wealth and power would have blinded them.

My poor sister learned it the hard way. After one failed marriage and then a heartbreak with another man, she'd sworn off love altogether. Now, all that pent-up affection manifested in smothering my adorable nephew. She hired and fired many nannies, tutors, and trainers for him throughout his seven years of sheltered life.      

The last nursemaid she hired to take care of Nico finally seemed to work out. Until that is, I realized she was about as trustworthy as a fox in a henhouse. My enemy strategically placed her in close quarters to spy on me, to seduce me into sleeping with her. She took every opportunity to just wander into the hallway and make her way into my suite with the excuse of Nico wanting to see me. She had the body of a nymph, definitely worth fucking a few times.

But here's what my enemy didn't know about me: I didn't dabble in affairs with maids and broke women. Their oppressed financial condition, lack of proper etiquette, and the dearth of cultural experiences were all major turnoffs to me. My conquests, a carefully curated collection, hailed from the finest lineages, women polished with etiquette and conversation as exquisite as their jewels. Marriage wasn't about passion; it was a strategic game, and these women were the perfect pawns.

No matter how charming these ladies of class and elegance were, I made it a point not to sleep with a woman twice. I couldn't afford to repeat my father's mistake. Emotions and attachments were for the weak. He kicked the opportunity of becoming the King of Arcadia to the curb for love and hauled us all this far north with harsh winters and cold rains.

Uncle Damien, who was the Crown Prince of Arcadia and my father's eldest brother, was brutally assassinated. Uncle Stephen, who is next in line for the crown, is quite incompetent. Everyone knew it. Whispers filled the court, a chorus of agreement that my father, with his sharp mind and charisma, was the true king in waiting. My grandfather is still holding on to the throne to this day for him to change his mind and claim his destiny.

I got my father's good looks and political savvy. But I was shrewd enough not to prioritize dumb rat shite like love and passion over my aspirations. Love makes a fool out of you and allows others to use it against you. It's a big liability. I love Mabel and Nico to pieces, and it was the first thing my enemy tried using against me to bring me down.

Pushing loved ones away was, of course, not an option, but controlling my romantic entanglements? That was a battle I could easily win.      

One thing remained constant: I wanted no claim on any woman, and no woman would ever have any claim on me.