Chapter 12 Marriage

Chapter 12: Marriage

"Y-your Excellency! The Duke" The all-mighty bastard a while ago became an annoying little puppy and bowed when the Duke arrived. It seemed like he has become someone in a higher position.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a low voice and I realized that he was talking to this red-eye guy.

"I found a spy and it seemed like she's here to extract information from our estate so she has to be punished immediately!"

"Lower your sword." He said while his eyes now is looking at the sword pointed on my neck and I don't know if I'm imagining it but his eyes twitched and I could see his jaw clenching. What? What? Did I do something wrong? Is it really bad to trespass on your territory?

"But milord, she might be a spy--"

Our eyes widened when he hoped down from his horse and hit the red-eye guy's sword with his causing it to fall due to the impact. The red guy seemed to be at loss for words because his sword seemed to be broken.

"Ah!"

I unconsciously let out a small shriek when he gently touched the small wound on my neck.

"She's my guest. Touching her would be equal to disobeying my words. Don't let it get to you just because you've been numerous privileges."

Unable to follow what's happening, I just found myself being carried by him towards his horse. He carefully put me on his horse and gently sat behind me. Shit, why can't I do anything? Emily, did you consumed a paralyzing poison?

I subconsciously touched my neck and felt a piece of cloth wrapped around my neck. It somehow sent a lot of tickling feeling in my stomach.

He didn't speak. He didn't even ask what I was doing here and we just rode in silence. That's when I noticed that he has three knights behind him except that bastard a while ago.

He stopped the horse even before we enter the estate. I was about to ask him why but he removed his black trench coat and covered me with it.

"No one must know that you're a noblewoman."

And so we were able to enter the estate without a fuss. I busied myself in scanning the surroundings. What I expected was a barren and impoverished land but it seemed like the opposite. There were a lot of stalls where merchants sell variety of goods. Kids were even flocking and playing around. The houses were just like the normal ones but differs in colors. There were blue, red, yellow and even green. What is this a rainbow?

There has not been a single sight of huts or broken houses. It seemed like he has became a great lord over the years. Or maybe it's the great talent of the Duchess herself. Now I'm getting curious about who she might be.

"Here we are." I was taken aback by what he said and realized that we were already in front of a huge castle. A huge castle fit for a duke like him.

I didn't hesitate when he offered his hand to assist me in coming off the horse. Then the servants and the butler all lined up. He was about to carry me again but I awkwardly smiled at him.

"I can manage myself Your Excellency."

"Your Excellency welcome back." His butler stiffened when his eye landed on me and beside him I saw a brown-skinned man who's also bowing to the man beside me. He's wearing a knight's clothes so he must've been his personal knight. Wait, his master was outside the territory and he was just left here?

"Master you've returned." He flashed his intimidating eyes on me and I pretended to flinch to show him that I'm scared but when his eyes left me, I went back to my blank face.

"May I ask who is the man beside you Master?"

"She-- He's my guest so treat him well. Prepare a room for him but we will have a conversation my office for now."

"Yes master." The butler obeyed his Master's voice but he can't keep himself from being curious.

"Hal!"

I was busy appreciating the detail-oriented interior design of the receiving area when a black-haired woman wearing a revealing red dress went near His Excellency. Oh, she might be the Duchess. Well, she isn't the Duchess, right?

I was about to greet her but she seemed to not notice me and jumped out to hug the Duke. Well, that was not-so ladylike. But I can't help admire her beautiful and silky straight black hair, it's as if she has not experienced any stress in her whole life. How good would that be if it was me?

"Where have you been? I've grown tired waiting for you. The maids said you were busy eliminating monsters in the Labyrinth Forest--"

"Get off of me."

My eyebrows shot up when I heard him shoo his wife away. What the hell was that?

"B-but Hal, it's."

When the Duchess got away from him, he immediately took my hand and dragged me into his office. There I met the Duchess' glaring red eyes.

"Milord, we have spotted yet another suspicious figure roaming around the gate of the territory."

"Oh, that's my company… M-my brother."

I said in a small voice as I point and secretly glare at Gray who was caught by the collar. This bastard, I thought he had left me alone. But that forest really gives me creeps though.

"Give that guest a room on the second floor and let him stay there until I call for him."

"We'll be in the office. Butler, don't let anyone enter the room until I say so." He said as we got inside.

I immediately crossed my arms and creased my eyebrows on him. But he just guided me to sit on the sofa and he sat on the other one in front of me.

"I never thought you could be that harsh Your Excellency. Banishing your wife like that--"

"She's not the Duchess, Lady Emily." He said as a matter of fact.

"Oh, then where's the Duchess?" He sighed and avoided my eyes as he answered me.

"I-I'm not married yet."

Ho? Really?

"That's… You've became an experienced liar Your Excellency. For you to deny it…" But he didn't react to what I'm saying. Holy… So he hasn't had any wife yet… It's been five years already.

"So why aren't you married yet Milord? Honestly, there are a lot of girls who would line up outside the castle just to be able to stand beside you but…" Then my eyes landed on the half mask on his face.

"That's my issue to solve My Lady. But I'm just wondering and have been wanting to ask why a married noblewoman like you is wandering in the forest full of monsters?"

Married?

Ha! Why does this conversation full of misunderstandings.

"Your Excellency, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm also not married yet." And will never will.

His eyes widened and his cheeks were flushed. So what part of what I said made him so flustered?

"S-so what about the Duke of Kingsley? I thought you…"

It seemed like news travels slow in this estate or he might have never bothered himself to read about me. Well, what kind of man would be so into gossips or rumors.

"There has never been an engagement." I proudly said because that's the truth. It's just a news created by men and power.

"I neither had the time nor the infatuation to entertain him because my mind was preoccupied with a shameless boy who just kissed me out of nowhere after illegally trespassing our estate."

Then he avoided my eyes as if he remembered and realized whom I was talking about.

"What a shameless man indeed."

"I'm happy that Your Excellency could understand what I feel. That is why I came here to ask him to take responsibility."

His smile faded and has the nervous word all over his face.

"Take responsibility?"

"Yes, I'm asking Your Excellency's hand in marriage." That's when his eyes widened and his face paled like a paper. His golden eyes shook and tremble when I mentioned the word marriage.

"Come again Lady Emily?"

"I'm asking Your Excellency to marry me."

"Do you understand the gravity of your request Lady Emily?" He said as if he detested the very idea of marriage.

"Yes milord, being married to you means I have to be a competent Duchess so as not to bring shame upon your na--"

"That's not what I mean. When you marry me and become the Duchess, you won't be able to get out of this estate until you are reduced to ashes."

"After seeing just the glimpse of the territory, I have come to realize that all the things that I will be needing can be easily accessed through the merchants in the market. And i'm not actually a people-person so there's not so many friends I have outside."

"You won't be able to visit or even invite your family to our wedding so no one would accompany you here."

You'll be here all alone by yourself. Is what he's trying to say.

"Well, I can just write and send letters to my family and friends. Sending letters aren't illegal to do in here right?"

He looked at me as if he can't believe how well I'm refuting everything he says.

"You seem to have a lot of things left to do and you coming here to marry me will only hinder you in accomplishing it."

"I can still do it even if we're married, will you forbid me so?"

Wait a minute, it seems like this conversation has happened before. Ah yeah! With that bastard, only that the roles have been reversed now and I'm in the persuading side.

"Lady Emily."

"What?" I was taken aback when I noticed how near his face to me is.

"You seem to be not taking my words seriously--"

"What are you talking about Your Excellency? I've been taking your words seriously even before you started talking so what did I do so wrong?"

He tried to step back but I immediately pulled the strap of his mask causing is to fall to the table. He was shocked and seemed paralyzed when I removed it and he wasn't able to stop me when I cupped his face.

There I saw what he was trying to hide with his mask. In his cheek was a vertical scar as long as a thumb. It was an ugly thing that stained his beautiful face. It was like an accidental stain that dirtied an aesthetic painting.

"How did you got this scar?"

I can't help but be curious since the last time I've seen him, he had not any scar on his face and this might have occured few years ago.

He tried to shake my hand off of his face but I gently touched the scar on his face making him twitch.

"It must have been uncomfortable. I'm sorry." I was about to remove my hands off of his face but he shook his head so I gently cupped his scarred cheek.

"It's not uncomfortable for me but you might find it disgusting or scary." But I shook my head.

"You must have gone through a lot just like me."

I sadly smiled at him as I recalled something which I've been forgetting ever since it happened.

I want to get away from that bastard and I don't want him to hurt my family. So as soon as I heard about you and your situation I tried to take advantage of it without even considering your feelings. I needed a status which I can use to defend myself and a place where his hands and eyes can't easily reach. And the Halsted territory came into the picture.

"You're Excellency, I apologize for my impulsiveness, I have been inconsiderate and insensitive. So let's just forget that this conversation ever happened."

I'm an evil and crazy bitch but after knowing his circumstances, I can't bring myself to force him to marry me just so I could protect myself and my family. That alone is unfair to his part so let's just pretend that this never happened.

"Still I want to thank you for preparing a place for us to stay and for accommodating us." I was about to reach for his mask when he spoke in a low voice.

"Should you really marry a monster and be imprisoned in a cage for the rest of your life?"

Be imprisoned for the rest of your life. How can use such harsh words to describe himself and his own territory.

"Your Excellency. I have never seen a monster inside the castle from the moment I stepped inside." He then looked up to me with his empty and lonely eyes.

"Monsters are found in the Labyrinth Forest where His Excellency has saved me from being harmed. So I am sure that the one in front of me right now is the Duke, himself and is not a monster." But then he laughed sarcastically and looked outside.

"You may not find it disturbing, but some people did and they can't help but call me a monster."

"But just covering with it a mask is not enough to change their perception of it."

"I know. Nevertheless, I want to be recognized as the lord of the estate and not a monster. I want to show them that my face isn't everything about me, but not everyone can see that."

"You don't need everyone to see that part of you. Sometimes you only need few ones. After all, we can't please everyone. But even if one or two appreciates your hard work for them, then I think that's enough."

"How about you? Are you also part of that few ones?"

"Your Excellency…"

"See whether you can stand to live with the monster in front of you for the rest of your life. See whether you won't feel lonely even if you don't get to see your family forever."

"As I said Your Excellency, I'm going to marry the Duke of Halsted and not someone who's claiming that he's a monster when I can clearly see that he's just a normal being who got physically scarred for life."

He sighed and silence reigned over us when he spoke again.

"Three days, please stay here for three days and till then I will ask for your decision." He said and so I agreed and left his office.