Chapter 5

In the bright sunny afternoon, a small young girl was putting the dry laundry back into the basket.

Silver hair shining brightly in the sunlight fluttered in the wind as the wind blew.

Amber eyes sparkled like jewels.

She tried to adjust her hairs blowing in the wind.

' Today the Duke is coming to meet me.'

' Well I don't know why he is coming to meet me, but it behooves me if I get on good terms with him.'

' He is the second most powerful person in the Zeren Kingdom.'

' So if I could get his help I can surely escape this hell.'

As she turned back after picking up the dry laundry she saw a tall figure standing near at the back of her.

A gaze filled with warmth was looking down at her.

"!!"

"Hello young lady, how have you been."

Holding the basket of laundry with both hands infront she bowed.

"Greetings your grace, the duke Valore."

She greeted him coldly.

"Am i disturbing you?"

"No, not at all infact it's my pleasure to have an acquaintance with you."

".....If so then I'm glad."

There was no childish appearance in her like day before.

"If the duke does not mind may we talk somewhere else."

"Sure"

They moved to the seatings where the Duke chatted with the Princess Evelyn in the western palace garden.

There was no one around.

They sat accross the round table.

She herself served the tea to the Duke.

"Actually I wanted to have a chat with you since that day but I never got a proper chance."

"I know what the Duke means."

"You do?" He was surprised at her answer.

"Yes, afterall the duke has always been visiting his majesty's office,so I get it how busy you have been."

"And you must have also been exhausted in finding the cure for lady Dahlia."

He answered with the painful expression - "Ah, yes"

"The Duke shouldn't feel depressed, you would surely find a cure for her soon."

"I hope so." He answered with a bright smile contrary to his dull eyes.

"Anyways I have something for you, would you like to have look."

"It would be my pleasure."

Then putting his hand in his waist pocket he took out a palm size case.

"Here take this."

She closely looked at it.

In that case there were candies like the one he gave day before.

She put that case on the table before her pushing it towards the duke and spoke coldly.

"Ah your grace, please forgive rudeness but I can't take this."

"What, you don't like it?"

"N-No, it's not that I don't like it."

Duke saw the crack in her cold expression.

"What is it?"

"It's just that I would not be able keep it if anyone else found it."

"Then don't let them know."

"But-"

"No buts"

Submitting to the Duke, she accepted it with a awkward smile.

"Then I'll accept it."

The Duke smiled languidly.

Watching her, a cheerful smile of certain someone came into his mind.

He looked blankly towards flowers in the garden with a faint smile.

"I guess Dahlia must have liked flowers."

"Yes"

"She once said she wanted to go see the Eastern flower valley someday."

"Rezef wanted to bring her there by himself."

"And right now the Duchess is waiting dearly for that day to come when Dahlia could get out of her room."

"She must be dearly loved by her family."

He answered wryly " Ah, yes"

He felt discomfort as he was talking about love and family to the person who herself has never experienced it.

He kept silent for a while the spoke.

"If you don't mind I would like to have a chat like this with you Time to time."

"And I would also like you to come to our mansion and play with Dahlia when she gets better."

At that moment something clicked in her mind.

Her voice turned cold as before.

"I'm afraid to say this but I can't comply to that."

"And I would also like to refrain you from meeting me any further in the future unless it is necessary."

"What? Why is that so?"

"If I did that I would only be punished, even meeting the Duke like this merely possible."

"But why?"

".... I apologise but I can't answer to that."

"I'm not going force you to do that but I would like to hear the real reason."

"I can tell you that but you have to promise you would not interfere with me in future."

"....Ok" He agreed hesitantly.

"Last time when your grace helped me with the maids I was severely punished and was locked up in my room with no food for three days."

"And the bread you saw yesterday was hardly I was able to get to eat here."

"If you continued to interact with me like this in the future then the maids hostility towards me would only increase."

"Then I can punish them for you, so they won't do that in future."

"Even if you punished them today the next day everything would get back to how it was before."

"They mainly follow the orders of the Princess so they don't feel threatened."

"That's why I would like you to do not concern yourself with me and do not interfere like how you have done in past years."

".... I'm sorry, if I had known better then this wouldn't have happened."

He looked down in the mouth. (Disheartened)

"If we're done talking then should I call Princess, she would be happy to meet you."

"...No, that's enough for today, I'll take my leave now."

"Ah, yes"

"Have a nice day, your grace."

The Duke got up and left with a sorrowful expression.

Only Luna was left there.

' Ugh, I feel shameless for attacking his guilty conscience.'

' I made him feel guilty for things he didn't do.'

...****************...

In the Duke's office.

' How did I get so low?'

' How could I shamelessly pray to god for my own child's wellbeing when I myself I ignored the sufferings of that girl who was just the age of my own daughter.'

' I knew about her situation but then also I never did anything to help her.'

' I was just thinking about my own child.'

' I feel ashamed to be call myself the archduke of Askerin.'

"Knock, knock "

As he turned to look in the direction of the sound he saw Duchess standing at the door.

"Ah, Eartha!"

"Please come in, why are you standing there."

She came in and sat accross the table facing him.

"Is it a lot of work ?"

"Ah, no"

"....But you seem so exhausted."

"Really?"

"Yes"

She looked worried, she held his hands on the table.

"....Today I met her."

"who?"

He spoke with dull eyes "Second daughter of his majesty."

"She was being hit in front of me and I couldn't help her."

"She had nothing good to eat and I couldn't help her."

"She was being harrassed by the maids and I couldn't help her."

"Just because she is his daughter I did not do anything."

He had a painful expression on his face.

The Duke who was a self righteous person, he who never abandoned the weak and helped those who came to him sincerely, was shaking.

The Duchess squeezed his hand softly which she was holding and looked at him with the warm eyes.

She couldn't bear to watch her husband crumble because of his own guilty conscience.

"You should do what your heart tells you, why are you afraid of status and power when you have whole Askerin standing beside you."

From before the marriage when she was a commoner, she was the only one who actively supported him so that he never falter on his path or ever regret the decisions he made.

Her love and support always gave him strength and courage.

She helped him feel comfortable when he suffered from sleepless nights due anxiety and depression.

She showed him the way whenever he got lost in his emotions.

She was the one who kept on pushing him forward either by hook or crook.

"You should do what your heart tells you."

As the Duchess said those words to him, his eyes brightened.

"Then I will."

He smiled languidly.

Few days later, he visited the imperial palace.

When the meeting with the nobles and his majesty, the king was over he came to the western palace to see how Luna was doing.

He did not see her at the usual place where he met her.

A maid with the grey hairs and grey eyes was working nearby.

"You there."

As she heard him calling her she came near him cautiously.

"Greetings your grace, the archduke Valore."

"Where is she?"

"Who, may I ask ?"

"Luna Lumiere, the second daughter of his majesty."

Her face stiffened at the name she heard nevertheless the title which came with that name.

The Duke narrowed his eyes as if observing her.

"Where is she, I want to meet her."

She started sweating profusely.

Averting her eyes she spoke.

"Your grace, she is ill so you can't meet her right now."

"Take me to her."

She hurriedly refused to let him meet her.

"Your grace, she is really ill right now so you ca-"

She felt a chill ran down her spine.

"This way, please follow me."

She changed words as she looked up at his eyes.

The sky blue eyes gazing upon her were menacing enough to make your soul come out of your body.

The maid turned back and showed him the way.

' Huh, What did I just see right now..., gate to the afterlife.'

' Those eyes were literally speaking of death.'

' I feel like an idiot, I was not refusing him but my very own life.'

As she and the duke passed through the corridor he remained silent.

It was the calmness before the storm and the maid understood it perfectly.

As the maids working in western palace saw them walking down towards the basement they quickly ran to call for the nanny of Evelyn.

"The duke is going towards the basement."

"Go quickly, call Madame Owen right instant."

Going down to the basement the maid and the duke reached a room.

Around there were things lying down in boxes and there was shabby door in front which was locked.

The duke understood it precisely what it meant and the maid already got the glimpse of heaven.

"Keys?"

"Madam Owen has the keys of this room."

"She always have it with her."

"She was-"

As the maid was about to explain the situation a shrill voice rang out.

"Duke!!!"

Dishevelled look due to running all the way there she called him out from the back.

"Madam Owen !!" The maid called out.

She was a dress up quite luxuriously.

"Greetings your grace, the Duke Valore, but what made you come all the way down here."

"As you can see it's just an storage roo-"

As she was speaking a cold voice rang out.

"Open the door."

"But duke it's ju-"

"Do I have to repeat myself, I said open the door."

His words were simple contrary to the gravness of the situation.

The fury in his eyes made her realise the harsh reality she was facing.

She did not refute him anymore and moved to open the door.

After opening she stood beside the door and did not enter.

After all who knows when he would strangel her to death.

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