Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

He stood up and adjusted his shirt. He would never let her stay here and be bullied by those snobs and greedy bunch of women. He had no problem with her studying here but at the end of the day, no matter how late it was, she should return home.

"Your silence was the reply I needed. She can study here, but not stay here for the rest of the month. Since there is nothing left for discussion I will take my leave. If you change your mind about her stay in the academy, do write a letter to the duke palace." 

The woman only looked at each other and did not reply to him. They were already breaking the rule by giving her admission, if they even allowed her to go back home daily, many nobles would question them and they were not sure if they would be able to handle the chaos. 

When he was sure they would not object any further. He turned and forwarded his hand towards the girl who was surprisingly silent all this time. It did not suit her nature at all. She either spoke non-stop or glared at him all the time. But looking at her, sitting there in daze, he raised a brow as if seriously asking her what was wrong!

She finally raised her head, and looked into his eyes. Her eyes were filled with strong determination. As if she had already decided what she wanted to do now.

"I have no problem staying here." she looked at him with her eyes that were filled with complex emotions, but her tone was resolute. She would not bargain over it.

Leo felt his chest stuffy. His hands moved to the button of his shirt and he opened it. He tried to take a deep breath again but the stuffy feeling did not know. It only increased as he continued to look into her eyes.

"My lord!" came the voice of Miss Parker who was closer to their age among all three of them. They all could feel the shift in mood. The atmosphere had turned somber all of a sudden.

The eldest lady waved her hand, and the count bowed and left with a sigh of relief. He did not want to be part of the argument anyway.

Leo looked at Miss Parker when he heard her voice. A sneer formed on his face. Why was he even worried about her when she did not care about her well-being by herself? Yet he could not force himself to allow her to stay there till the end. He closed his eyes in defeat and shook his head.

"I will not allow that even if she did. And as the rule my permission is required for her admission and acceptance. The condition is still the same, she can attend the academy, but she would not stay here." his tone had gone several degrees colder that they all shivered. They looked at each other but nodded their heads in unison.

"But why can i not decide when we are talking about my admission.'' Evan could not believe it! Why did she need the permission of Leo for getting her admission. They were not related by blood and they did not have any other relation too. As he had said that it was only a promise that they would get married and promises could be broken anytime. Then on what basis was he getting the right to decide her future.

She felt infuriated with the bias she was facing since the death of her father. First she was forced to stay in the duke castle and marry their son. Then they took her house and everything that belonged to them. Because of that she had to flatter him and now he had got the right to rule over her life. Her breath turned uneven when all these thoughts hit her at once. 

Her eyes were glaring at all of them as if the whole world had wronged her. Miss Parker felt bad for the girl, her eyes filled with pity.

"Relax Evangeline. Why don't you sit down first then I will explain to you." 

Evan closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm down herself. She sat down but did not speak a word. Her whole aura was still gloomy. This was the first time Leo had seen her furious. Though she often glared at him, it was never that serious. He felt a bit guilty to take her life's decision forcefully but he knew that explaining would not work on the stubborn girl!

He was doing all this to keep her safe. She did not know these nobles were like hawks! They would devour her without even knowing her. If she ended up in lifetime imprisonment for the crimes she had not even done or even hanged to death then he would not be surprised. Even the thought was enough for his whole body to turn frosty. His whole face darkened, he felt like he was burning with rage.

"Because your whole family had died and as your future husband, all the decisions related to your life would be taken by me!" there was no warmth or care in his voice. It was frosty and hard. As if he was announcing her a death sentence, there was no mercy in his voice. Her eyes snapped open as she looked at him with the same cold eyes that were matching his!

Miss Parker, who did not even get a chance to speak a single word and explain it to her, closed her mouth awkwardly. The room was full of snow as they both continued to look at her coldly

"Why don't we decide it with a calm mind. Let's take a break and make the decision after two days One of us would personally come to the house of Thawyne to get the reply. For now why not i arrange a tour of the academy for you and Evangeline?"

"..........."