Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"Who cares to stay here anyway! But I will not go with the allegation of being a thief!" she rolled her eyes and folded her hands. It was one thing to be called a wicked lady, but if she was disgraced as a thief who would give her work and what if the knights put her in prison too. This was more than she had bargained for!

Her eyes instinctively moved to the man who was waiting to hear these words eagerly! What if he decided to accept the allegations to get rid of her and offered her a reward in exchange! Her simple gaze became a glare when the thought crossed her mind.

Leo felt her glare and looked back at her only to see her lipsing, "don't you dare to offer me a reward to accept the blame!" he blinked! When did he say so? And how did she know how to do this perfectly?

"I can not believe that you listened to her! A thief! Did you all forget that you work for the Thawyne family? Huh?" Gabriella fumed as she looked at the hesitating knights, never in the past had it happened that her orders were not followed instantly! 

And yet when it came to this brazen thief! No she could not let her stay here even for a second or slowly she would corrupt everyone here. Only god knows what underhanded method she had used to get the support of the knights.

"I have already told you, I have not stolen anything. You just can not blame me randomly on your whim, what proof do you have that I am a thief." she replied with a frown. She still did not understand why she dragged her and had been called thief again and again. She didn't even know what she had stolen.

"Ha! Proof. It is too easy to find that.`` Gabriella looked at the maid nearby her with a meaningful gaze and the maid stepped forward and stood behind Evan, "let her check you! I am sure the earrings would be hidden in your dress!" Evan took a deep breath and nodded.

She turned towards the maid and raised her hands so that she could check her easily. 

"There is no jewellery in her dress, madam." The maid bowed her head and replied respectfully as she was afraid that she would be punished for not finding earrings.

"Then she must have hid them in her room. I must say you are smarter than i had thought" Gabriella pointed and shook her head, "go and check her room, Aurora go with them and help them while keeping an eye that they did not try to protect her.'' Aurora gleamed, but in the next second she hid the evil glint in her eyes and brought a worried expression to her face.

"Yes, aunt. Do not worry, I will make sure to find the earrings for you.`` She nodded her head and both of them walked towards Evan's room.

"Aunt, maybe you have kept the earrings somewhere else and forgot. Shall I check your room so that we can be sure. After all, this is about the respect of Thawyne family."  Eli only spoke when she felt that the temper of her aunt had lowered a bit. Her voice was full of respect and she chose her words wisely yet the aunt only turned and snorted.

"Ha! So you do know that the Thawyne family had some respect, yet you brought a girl from nowhere and gave her equal status. Do you even know who her mother is and what her father used to do? What if she belonged to a criminal family?" she mocked and looked coldly at Eli who stumped for words. Of course, they had done a background check. 

But it showed that her father did not work while her mother had died long ago. Her family runs through her earnings as teaching music to kids and selling vegetables in her garden. 

If it had been past, Eli would have assured her aunt, but after tasting the food, and knowing that the girl used to have a luxurious meal in her house, she was not sure anymore.

Her eyes instinctively moved to Evan who was fuming yet her eyes were clear and she felt a tinge of guilt for not supporting the girl!

"That is it! I have told you not to drag my late parents in the argument. If you want to do an investigation then you are free to do so. I am not afraid of that. You can ask anyone in the town that we were a respectable family." her chest heaved up and down as she controlled her temper and spoke politely. But the insults were only increasing as much as she was trying to control!

"Aunt, the earrings were found in the cupboard of her room." Aurora came running followed by the maid, but when she saw Leo, she slowed her speed and walked demurely, yet the radiance on her face could not be hidden. She was dancing gleefully in her heart.

Gabriella raised a brow at Evan who was stunned beyond words.

"What will you say now, little girl? If you haven't stolen anything. Then, where did this come from? Do not tell me that earrings had their own legs and they preferred your room more than mine.`` The sarcastic tone was enough to flare Evan further. She pursued her lips and her eyes narrowed on the maid who had inspected her room.

The maid trembled and bowed her head with fear.

"What! Are you trying to scare the staff so that they did not go against you! How disgusting!" her glare did not go unnoticed by the aunt who rebuked her once again for her small acts.

Gabriella turned to look at Leo who had not spoken a word since the start and asked in a solemn voice, "since you are the heir of the family, I leave the decision to you. Will you do justice or take her side once again?"

"........"