12~ Refusing The Duke

[Celia's POV]

When Artemis returned to escort her out of the royal chambers, Celia hardly knew how she had managed to walk out without buckling on the floor. When she finally left the chamber, Artemis very visibly expressed that he would not see her out completely, and then left. Celia managed to not collapse on the corridor again. She somehow stumbled down the corridor, her mind still a haze.

She would have to come back again? As if coming here once wasn't enough. She clenched around the strap of the satchel so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She felt furious with Enzo aka Lucian. She wanted answers from him. Why would he involve her in a feud with his brother?

She belatedly realized that she had reached the main hall that led to the main entrance.

'Better to leave before getting summoned once again,' she thought to herself.

However, as she was about to leave, she heard a girl's voice, "Miss."

Celia stopped in her tracks, her heartbeat ratcheting up. What now?

She turned apprehensively. "Yes?"

The girl looked pale and timid with mousy hair tied back in a bun, wore an olive dress, and had a somewhat clean apron tied around her waist.

"Master… master is asking for you," she said with a stutter.

Huh? How did she even?

Celia found it strange, to say the least. Did she miss her walking past the royal chamber?

"Me? Are you sure? I just…" she began but the girl interjected, "The Master wishes to have lunch with you."

The duke wanted to have… lunch with her.

To say she was both surprised and scared would be an understatement.

"Please… this way, Miss," the girl said hurriedly. Celia felt trapped. She wanted to run away from here, but she knew that it was not an option. She would be in big trouble if she did so, not only with Enzo but also with the ruler who was suddenly showing interest in her.

"But he is still in bed…" He should be recovering and not bullying common people like her!

But did she say all these aloud? No. What she did was what she always does and that is silently follow the girl, retracing her steps back to the chambers from where she had emerged just some time ago.

"Master, Miss Celia is here," the girl announced in that similar soft voice. It was a miracle that the duke heard her from the far end of the room.

Celia wanted to say that she would like to leave, but her words died down in her throat when the duke emerged from somewhere in the room, draped in a robe. He had Han'd bothered to tie the front so, his bare and chiseled torso was very much visible to both her and the girl.

She swallowed nervously before her eyes flickered to the duke whose eyes danced with mischief. His lips were subtly curved. She quickly averted her gaze and looked at the girl, who also looked very uncomfortable.

"Why are you still here?" The duke asked the girl sharply.

"I…I apologize, Master. I will take your leave now, Master," the girl said, stumbling over her words before she scurried out without a backward glance.

Once they were alone, the duke said, "Pardon me, Miss Wilson―"

"Heart," Celia suddenly blurted out and her eyes widened when she realized that she had not only interrupted 'the' duke but also given a random word which could mean a lot of things if the right context was not given.

"My name is Celia Heart, not Celia Wilson. My employer… they gave me their last name kindly," Celia explained without taking her eyes off the floor.

"I see," the duke replied quietly after some time.

"I… I would love to stay…um… I have work and I have not informed Doctor O'Neil, so…" Celia said, trying to politely decline the offer of a meal. Having a meal here meant just stirring up a silent war, and she knew it.

"You are refusing," the duke said, not as a question, but simply stating it.

Celia nodded although she kept her gaze lowered. She was fully prepared to hear his rebuke and expected nothing but a temper that matched that of Lady Wilson's. But what she did not expect was a rumbling laughter.

When she peered at him, her breath caught in her throat. The duke was laughing, and that somehow had just made him seem more handsome. She felt her cheeks redden. Despite him laughing at her expense, she did not find it in her to become angry. After all, he had rendered such deep whip wounds.

"You know, Miss Heart? You intrigue me," he murmured, looking at her. His tone was still light but there was something in that timbre, that made Celia shudder slightly.

"Fine, I will not stop you. The carriage will be outside to take you back," the duke said. Celia felt relieved at that although she was still surprised how someone like him just let her go when she declined. Were some aristocrats polite, unlike Lord and Lady Wilson?

She bowed nonetheless, deciding to think about it later on.

As she was about to leave, the duke said, "But…the lunch will happen someday."

There was a promise, and for some reason it made Celia's heart quiver. She knew he wouldn't just let it go and since he had ordered her to tend to his wounds, he would find another opportunity. Celia felt faint.

She turned despite the fear that he might see her apprehension, and bowed. "Certainly, Your Highness."

She almost began running once she had turned the corner and the royal chamber was no longer in sight.

When she stepped outside, she let out a deep breath. However, she did not feel relieved. Instead, she felt anxious and more so when she saw Artemis again, standing with an impassive expression behind the carriage door.

"See you tomorrow, Lady Celia," he said with a nod. Celia could only mirror that expression as she entered the carriage.

As the carriage started, and the distance became wide between her and the palace, she couldn't help but go back to the previous questions.

Why were there whip wounds on the duke's back?

How did he even notify another maid to call her back?

What was he playing at with being polite but manipulative?

Celia sighed loudly and slumped back in the seat. Her stomach growled, making her realize how she had not eaten since yesterday.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. She would get something from the baker woman, Mrs. Jonathan.

When she was dropped off outside Enzo's house, she went to the baker's shop instead of going back inside. And there, she received another shock.

The shop was there, but it looked as if no one had even used this place for years. From cobwebs to dust, to old wooden planks, the place looked like someone had just ransacked it overnight.

Confused, Celia went to another nearby shop, and while buying she asked, "What happened to Mrs. Jonsthan's shop? Is she okay?"

The old man stopped before handing her the food she had bought. "Who are you talking about? There is no one by that name here."

Celia's mouth hung open. What?

However, before she could ask further, a few other customers flocked in.

As Celia left the shop, she didn't know if this was the result of visiting the duke, or was something more.