Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

Could she believe such gentleness? Could she trust the words of an enemy?

They were standing on the opposite side of shore. Could they even meet ever.

His eyes had the sincerity that would move mountains but would it be enough to cover the sea that separated them.

Choosing him meant giving up on her family and her life? Could she be so selfish for love?

She looked away. She did not have the right to decide when so many things were at stake.

"Hannah, I do not know what is burdening you but I would neve know if you will not confide in me.

And if we could not trust each other, how are we going to claim each other? And without the feelings. Would it even mean anything?" he asked as he traced her collarbones with his finger when she shivered.

A strange sensation started to form in the pit of her stomach. She leaned in to his touch. Have his fingers always been this warm?

She wanted more of that touch. More of him. Lust started to creep in and her eyes closed but the smooth and velvety touch did not stay for long.

She felt his finger moving away and then left behind.

"I am helpless when it comes to you." she could see a look of defeat in his eyes that confused her.

"I did not understand why you were thinking so much when I did not care.

I am ready to give myself to you." she puffed up her cheeks. She should be worried as a woman.

In this male dominated society, how worse it could be for a woman to lose her innocence. More than that, she would suffer if she were to get pregnant by them.

Many nobles have enjoyed young women defiling them and then leaving them. Sometimes they do accept their illegitimate child but most of the time, the kids were discarded too.

Leaving both of them to suffer in this cold world.

Though she could ask him to marry later if she became pregnant, he was always free to refuse her.

"Because I am not that kind of man. If you think that I have no morals then you are looking for the wrong person." he spat coldly on her face and then let go of her.

"If you think that we can talk like civilized people later, then come to me. For not you can leave." he stood up from the sofa and left her cold body alone there.

Without giving her a second glance, he took off his coat and laid on the bed. Closing his eyes, he closed all the lights.

Only silence and desolation mocked her. She continued to sit there for a minute or two before standing up and walking out of the room.

Just as she left Ethan opened his eyes and stared at her leaving figure with a lack of warmth in his eyes.

He stood up and pressed the bell of his room. In a few minutes, Theo entered the room and bowed his head.

"Have you done all the preparations?" he asked as he opened the files he was studying before she came and started signing them.

He did not read them much. Though he had learnt how to read, these kinds of documents are often difficult for him to understand.

"My lord, I will request you to think about it again. Your decision may affect the whole palace!" he was speaking in a soft but determined voice when Ethan chuckled, but his laughter had no warmth.

"I never thought that one day I would say this, but Theo, you are wrong.

My decision would restore the peace this palace used to have.

I was the one who brought calamity here so it is only right that I would leave and let everyone have their previous life.

Evelyn left, Eli left, Leo will leave the way i have behaved with him and if it happened Evangeline would follow.

Father is sick. What else would be left in the palace except walls if that happened?

Do you want Thawynes to end just because of saving me?" Ethan felt that his heart was getting clawed, his chest was panning.

He could feel his hands trembling over the document leaving a big stain of ink there.

"But master!" he closed his eyes and leaned on the chair. It would have been better if Theo would have just let him go.

The more he tried to stop him, the more Ethan felt reluctant to go.

"The report on Hannah. Are my doubts correct about her?" he asked in a desolated voice when Theo hesitated but nodded his head.

"And about those drugs?" his voice turned colder and defeated. Theo could see how Ethan was struggling to keep his composure and felt bad for the kid.

He had never received love and warmth and the single person who promised that love to him was betraying him.

She was a leech that was eating the whole family with her fangs.

"I have already gone to the best physician of the empire and checked the details with him.

The drugs are lethal. They work like slow poison.

I did not know who the lady had given them but I replaced them with sugar cubes after getting them colored as you have ordered." he said in a concerned voice.

It took all his efforts to call that girl lady when all he wanted to do was go and imprison her and then torment her to know who had ordered her.

"And you still want me to be here? If i stayed here, i would be responsible for.." his words failed him. He pinched the space between his brows as if the burden was eating him. Who knows who was having those drugs.. Eli! Evan or his father!

"it would be better that I stay in the summer palace with Hannah until the whole family gets better and united.

I am sure Evangeline would handle the matter better than me. You do not need me anyway."