15 Chapter 15

(Step, step.)

Ophelia felt the need to look back as her predator came close and matched her footsteps. She was nearing a dead end when a door showed up before her, the light inside the door had outlined the front view which allowed Ophelia to see she had nowhere else to run to.

Taking a deep breath, she turned towards the mysterious shadow only to meet a big cold hand gripping her small arm.

"Child, please calm down...why the hurry?"

Ophelia looked up breathlessly as she heard the voice of the mysterious follower. The duke.

'....why is he here? What about the duchess?'

Ophelia gulped down the lump of terror that had form in her throat. She had strolled breathlessly only to find the mysterious duke whom she had no idea was still around the mansion.

'....Why is he suddenly showing up now...?'

"...p-pardon my rude manners, my lord...I'm sorry to have disturbed you". Ophelia answered nervously but she had to compose herself.

"That's alright...come, let's have a cup of tea in my lobby. You were heading this way right?"

The Duke stated calmly. He had let his grip on young Ophelia loose and offered to escort the young lady to his lobby.

'…so this is his lobby'

Ophelia on the other hand, felt mystified by the sudden offer. She didn't expect it to be his lobby. And something about the duke was fishy and not to be trusted. She had remembered the paper he sent to her last time, only for her to meet the masked man. Was he related to the masked guy? But despite her roaming thoughts, she went ahead and followed the duke.

-

Icarus' state had been disoriented. He had been standing at the door fiddling at the knob repeatedly when he heard Ophelia's footsteps fade away. A wave of relief cast in his mind. At least she got away, but his reflexes weren't settling down.

(Footsteps)

Icarus heard some light steps echoing within the halls. It would probably be a servant daring enough to make noise in his hallway or the Duchess herself. No matter who it was, that person walked in the wrong moment of his life. Icarus, fixated his eyes on the scissors, took it and rushed at the door as soon as he heard the footsteps approach his room. He was beyond his limits and couldn't hold back any longer as the darkness over took him.

The sound of a rushed footsteps echoed along with a tormented scream. At the sudden creaked at the door, the butler had been stabbed in the eye as he passed by without noticing a surprise had been waiting for him.

(aghh!) The butler continued to scream in anguish.

"..Your still here! Then the girl-"

He screamed in pain. He hadn't expected that the young lord could tolerate it this long and thought that he would be looking for the Duchess instead of staying in his room.

Why was Icarus here? His predicament shouldn't have gone wrong due to the abnormal increase of the dark aura radiating from the young lord's room. Was he too hasty with his presumptions?

In a flash, Zachy jolted his knife at Icarus.

If he hasn't made a move on the Duchess, then he could finish off the young lord in her stead. There was no point after all in hiding his identity now. The only choice was to silence the witness.

At the butler's sudden jolt, Icarus turned his weight on his left and swiftly disarmed the man by grabbing his wrist below with force. His senses were heightened as his mind got slowly consumed by the curse.

A few hair strands fell on the floor. Quickly, he pins him down on his back and picks up the knife and pointed it at the disarmed butler.

"...Speak! Did the duchess ordered you to-"

(hahaha) Zachy laughs maniacally.

He had failed. Zachy, he never failed any order, not in the past nor the present. He would make sure the Duchess kills her son, but he had never expected things to turn out this way. He was a sane man, left with not much choice. He respected his master's plans and wishes even at the cost of his life and freedom.

"HA! A butler like you- so you were in this together?" Icarus roared angrily at the man.

He had peered the knife closer at the man's neck and slit it slightly…

(Pluck)

Blood spilled on the floor. Zachy with his body pinned down, yanked with all his might and killed himself by pushing his neck deeply when Icarus had tried to graze him with the knife. The knife cut through his throat, slitting his flesh in which red fluids flowed endlessly.

"...Hahaha.... that girl will pay for this…"

Zachy, in his last words threatened the young lord by mentioning Ophelia. His eyes rolled at the back of his head, blurring his vision into eternal sleep.

'..Ophelia!'

Icarus, pushing through his sanity, felt desperate for Ophelia. The Duchess might end up killing her instead. He ran unto the same direction where Ophelia had gone first. He had seen this place along the time when he knew he had only 2 years left. The only place he was fated to enter as he meets his death and where his darned mother should be.

'The Duke's lobby'