Chapter 2

The little red haired girl dangling upside down from the tree on her tied feet blink her two big red round eyes multiple times before looking directly at the Grand duke. She tilted her head and looked confusedly at the duke, the Grand duke followed the girl's head and also tilted his head.

Now the girl and the duke are both looking at each other's red eyes with amused and fascination.

"Who are you?" Leon asked the girl as he glared at her, but to his and the knights surprised the girl growled like a wild animal.

"Ha" The Grand Duke snorted, "You dare to growl at me, you insect." Leon with his finger flick the girls forehead, the force was enough to make the girl's forehead turned red.

"Who are you?" Leon asked the child. The girl did not answer, instead she jerked her head to the side "Hmp!" Leon was about to flick the child's forehead once again but the child opened her mouth and bit the Grand Duke's finger!

"Grrr!!" The girl growled yet again as she held tight to the duke's finger with her teeth, Leon showed no emotion of being in pain by what the child did, his face remained stoic as his forehead flinch in slight annoyance.

[Calm down, Leon. You cant kill her.]

The Knights Gasp at what they had witnessed. None of them could believe that a child dare to hurt known Beast of the Ruby Kingdom.

"Your Grace!" Brion shouted, he pulled his sword from his side and was about to punish the girl but the duke raised his other hand indicating not to interfer.

"Let Go." Leon said to the girl with his firm and cold voice that could make every man tremble in fear.

But to his surprised the girl looked at him straight to his eyes with clearness and bravery. Her eyes did not even waver not an ounce of fear can be seen in her bright red eyes.

The Grand Duke Leon Viosta was amused at what he saw, it was the first time when someone showed no fear infront of him. No matter how hard he tried he could not contain his smile or grin.

[This child just kept on breaking every record in my book] The Duke thought amusedly.

Brion flinched when he saw the Duke smiled, he thought he was just seeing things so he looked at the other knights. Their eyes was wide opened in shock therefore Brion confirmed that he was not hallucinating.

[The Duke Smiled! the Duke really smiled!] Brion on his head shouted like a mad-man.

"Brion."

"Yes, Your Grace?"

"Cut the rope."

Without a second thought Brion cutted the rope that was tying the girl, he first cut the rope on her hands then her feet. He was about to catch the girl from falling off the tree when she spined on the air 380 degree landed on her own two feet without a trouble.

The duke stared at his finger, small bite marks was visible on two of his finger.

"Now, beasty tell me your name." The duke said but the child was not answering the duke.

[Maybe she cant understand me?]

The duke sigh at this thought, the child sat like how an animal would and her demeanor was like of a wild beast.

The duke chuckled.

[Little Cub beast.]

"Hey! stop!"

From a distant a shout from Jace got the duke's attention. He turned around only to see the fat man from before was running at his direction.

But when he saw the little girl he stumble backward on his back, as if he was terrified.

"Your Grace please forgive this old man for lying, I was only looking after your safety for that child is a monster who bite and attack people like an animal!" The man shouted as he bowed his head low enough for his forehead to reach the ground.

Leon only stared at him with blank expression.

"Your grace, let me take care of him." Jace said.

"Youre the animal!" the little girl shouted, for a brief moment Leon has shock.

[So this little cub does knows how to speak.]

Leon looked at the child with furrowed eyebrow. "So you do know how to speak. why did you not do so earlier?"

The child looked at the duke straight in the eyes, but jerked her head off to the side, ignoring the duke.

Jace gasp in shock at what the girl did. But Leon only chuckled in amusement. Jace seeing Leon's reaction was confused and conflicted.

But when Jace thought that he couldnt be more shock he noticed that the girl had red hair! Jace looked at Brion as if saying 'is she the duke's daughter?' But much to his dismay Brion only shrugged his question off.

"You insolent child! where's your respect?! dont you know who this man is?! is the Grand duke of the Ruby kingdom!" the man still kneeling on the ground shouted at the little girl.

Just like what the girl did earlier to Leon she growled at the man, she got down on two feet and two hands, she was about to attacked the man but before she could the duke quickly grabbed the back of her long shirt and lifted her up.

"let me go!" the child shouted as she try to break lose from the duke's grip. The duke looked at the child's eye and with menacing look. The duke's eye changed from red to a beautiful yet deadly golden color and glared at the girl.

The child flinch as she tremble in fear but much to Leon's surprised she did not looked away, she held her ground and looked Leon directly in the eye.

[Maybe I over did it.]

The child stayed silent and stopped her struggling for she knew that this man is more powerful than her.

"Are you the one who manage this orphanage?" Leon asked.

"Yes your Grace, my name is Felix and I along with my maids are the one who takes care of this orphanage and the kids."

Leon hissed, [Took care? what part of the orphanage did they took care of?]

"Tell me everything about this child." The duke's firm and cold voice sent shiver down Felix's neck.

[Why is the Grand duke interested in that animal?! If ever he found out that I...] Felix gritted his teeth in anger as he lowered his head even more.

"That child first came to the orphanage two years ago your grace, an elderly woman from the southern city found her laying on the grassy ground deep in the forest as she was looking for medicinal herb."

The duke looked at the girl once again, now that she's quiet Leon noticed an incredible amount of bruises on her body, she's thinner than the children Leon saw earlier. Her tiny body was covered in bruises and scars from her face all the way down to her feet.

Leon felt a pinch in his heart.

[What the hell is this feeling? why do I feel angry?] for the known beast of the kingdom it was the first time feeling something like this, it was as if he could feel this girl's pain.

"Your grace!!"

Leon snapped out of his reverie when his knights shouted, he didn't notice that he has released a big amount of his black mist. The knights, Felix and the little girl all was struggling to breathe.

For the first time in his life seeing the little girl grab for air sent him to panic.

"Are you ok?" Leon asked the girl as he quickly gathered the black mist back to his body. The girl kept on coughing.

He scoop her up with his arm and placed her near his chest, as the little girl grasp for air she unconsciously cling her tiny little hands on the duke's neck.

In that moment the knights was convinced that the little girl that the duke was holding in his arms is his love child.

Leon looked at the girl snuggled in his arms right now, her eyes are half open one look and you can tell she's tired.

"Who hurt you?" The duke asked the girl.

[You did duke!] The knights synchronized answer can be heard in the room.

"They did, Fat Felix and all the maids!" The girl answered with all her might as she pount at the orphanage's owner, the knights was confused as to why the girl gave that answer, but Leon knew why.

"You ungrateful brat! your grace please pay no mind to her, she is lying straight to your face!" Felix said in anger. Leon paid no mind to him, he looked at the girl once more.

[What they've done to you must have hurt more than the black mist.]

"Do you want to leave this place?"

"Yes."

"Jace." Leon called. "Prepare my horse, were leaving."

Jace and the other knights was confused but nevertheless they obeyed the duke their loyalty to the duke was much higher their curiosity.

"Brion."

"Yes your grace?"

"Clean this place up."

Brion without a word nodded in response to the duke.

Leon along with the little girl walked passed them all, when they arrived inside the orphanage building once again the maids and the children were all gathered in one spot, his other knights guarding them making sure they wont escape.

When they saw that the little girl was being carried by the duke, their eyes widen in shock and confusion but it didn't last long for in just a matter of seconds it was replaced by disgust, anger and jealousy.

"Y-your grace? may I asked why you're carrying that child?" One of the maids asked, the duke with strong killing intent in his eyes look at the poor maid which made her lose all strength in her body and slammed to the ground.

The duke ordered one of his knight to get the little girls documents in this orphanage, the knight followed without hesitation.

Outside the orphanage, Jace was already waiting for them with a horse. Leon carefully rode the horse, he place the little girl infront of him with two of her feet on the one side of the horse.

"Will you kill them?" The little girl asked.

"Yes. Why? don't you want me to kill them?"

"Kill the adults not the kids." Leon chuckled at her response.

"Why? the kids were glaring at you."

"They were just victim like me."

Jace who was listening to their conversation was shock at how the little girl talked to the duke, but what surprised him even more is that the duke doesn't seems to mind.

"Nothing is for free you know." The duke said, the girl furrowed her eyes in confusion. "I have nothing to give you old man." Leon flinched at what the girl has called her, but decided to ignore it.

"How about your name?"

"I don't have one."

"Do you want me to give you one?" Leon asked, the little girl think for a second before nodding her head in response.

"Leonna Viosta. Daughter of the Grand Duke Leon Viosta."

-