Instant Confession

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She poured him another cup and reached for the pen and paper she had packed along with the tea. "Yes. We must have terms and conditions so the other won't feel uncomfortable. Also, I have a reason for my request of us being lovers. I do hope you will listen to me." Aelia peeked at him, waiting for him to answer so she could proceed accordingly.

"Alright, go ahead." Ezekiel answered patiently as he helped himself to another slice of cake.

The lady beamed before starting to talk about the situation which had occurred at the party and how she had approached his grace in hopes of removing any rumors which would make others look down at her and her family. She also explained how she wanted to take revenge against Javier. "So, that's the reason for all of this. Of course, you don't have to agree! It would be great if you did but I would not want to force you.. Also! You can be with whoever you want during the time period you are 'with me' I won't stop you from meeting someone you love. And this engagement will only be for a few months or a year maximum. We can break it off later." She finished, nervously waiting for his response.

"Hm.. I agree with this. I'll be fine to let you use me. But just so you know, if I'm with you, I'll only be with you. I have no interest in anyone else anyways. And another thing, since we both will end up marrying someone in the future why not just get married in the end instead of breaking off an engagement? We will be together due to mutual benefit. I'm sure we would be great marriage partners."

She was taken aback a bit, she had not expected him to talk about marriage. Aelia thought of it for a while. 'Hm.. he is right. Breaking off an engagement is quite complicated and it is often used as a way to shun the lady's or the lord's families and them after they do so. Plus, I'll probably end up getting an arranged marriage as I don't quite trust in love anymore.'

The lady remained quiet for so long that his grace started to worry. "Aelia, it's fine if you wish to break off the engagement later on. I was just asking you since I would not wish for you to be shunned after the annulment. It is totally up to you and I am willing to do as you see fit."

Aelia's train of thought was broken and she mulled over his words in her head. "Ezekiel, I have been pondering about this since last night but aren't you being too accepting? There is no reason for you to help me at all. I do not quite understand. Your response to this exact question was that I am pretty but I doubt you would do all of this if it was just about looks. Please, be honest like how I have been with you."

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Ezekiel had gotten up early in the morning and had taken extra care of his attire and looks. Everyone residence from his butlers to his maids to even the footmen, they were all curious as to why their master seemed to be so cheerful. Yet at the same time, they were all happy for their master as he had been in a joyous mood since last night. Regardless of the reason, they all wished his grace to be happy as he was kind and good to them all and was not needlessly cruel like most nobles. He then left as quickly as he could to visit a flower shop. He wanted to get the lady a bouquet of flowers as a gift and had spent the night going through a book about flowers and their symbolism. Hence, the man bought pale red and pink carnations for Aelia as he felt that these flowers portrayed what he felt for the lady. He wished to be able to subtly tell her about what he thought of her without scaring her off. Ezekiel smiled to himself as he conjured up her reaction in his mind. 'She would be surprised to see me give her this.' He chuckled as he stepped into his carriage. His journey to the Marquessate of Perez was one filled with anticipation and impatience. He wished to arrive as quickly as possible but of course it took a good fifteen to twenty minutes to arrive there. Upon arrival he got out immediately, if anyone saw him they would think he was going to go put out a fire due to his urgency. As he entered the door he met Marquess and his three sons. He had informed the Perez family of his visit last night so it was not much of a shock to them and they had prepared themselves to welcome him at the door. After greetings were exchanged, he was just about to ask for the lady when she rushed out of nowhere and grabbed his arm, dragging him upstairs. Ezekiel was surprised then got flustered as Aelia shut them in her room. He knew she was not the type to do anything of such but he couldn't help but think of scenarios or how other people in the house would misunderstand as they were a man and a woman alone in a bedroom. Shaking such thoughts out of his head, doing his best to calm down he decided to ease the awkwardness he felt by giving the flowers to her. Although the reaction was not the same as that he had imagined, he still enjoyed her response. Then it was his turn to be was pleasantly surprised as Aelia responded with flowers which she had got for him in return. His eyes widened slightly as he felt flustered, never had he received flowers from anyone. Ezekiel was glad that she was the one who was the first in giving him flowers. A thought flickered through his mind. He remembered what white roses meant. White roses symbolised eternal love. As a result his ears and the back of his neck went red and hot, forgetting the other meanings of the flower which were more suited as to why Aelia had picked them. He calmed himself down, glad that she had changed the topic and sat down. His grace was further amazed by her sincerity as she placed the tea she brewed and cake she baked upon the table. 'She really is amazing, kind, and considerate. This is just making my feelings grow even deeper.' Along the conversation, he complied but also gave her his own idea. Although, it was selfish and had ulterior motives he could not help but propose such an idea. It would be mutually beneficial as he said, but more so for him. Immediately he regretted letting the words come out of his mouth and did his best to salvage their chat but was met with a question he wished not to answer.

"It's because I have had feelings for you since a long time." He sighed, confessing to her. The Grand Duke wished not to hide something so important from her.

'Well, if she pushes me away now, I would understand.' The man looked down at his hands which were placed on his lap. He nervously waited for an answer, making up his mind that she would be uncomfortable and that he would be kicked out. Ezekiel dared not to lift up his head to look at the lady, he wished not to see any look of contempt or disgust on her face. He could feel her gaze on him but he was too afraid of what he would be met with if he looked up back at her. The Grand Duke waited for her to say something, anything.

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