Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"Is Aurora telling the truth? Did you inform her about the incident of spices during dinner?" his cold gaze was burning but what affected Gabriella was the truth.

Though she had always been strict and cold towards the family, she had always worked for only their betterment. Not even once had she lied or tried to hurt the family members intentionally. But Evan! 

She was not part of the family so it would matter if she told the truth. She bit her lips and did not reply for a long time.

"Aunt, what are you waiting for? Tell him the truth or he will continue to blame me!" the urged voice of Aurora churned her gut but she still did not say a word.

"That.. i!" Leo tilted his head as he looked back at Aurora who was giving the best actress performance. Her smearing makeup over her face due to her tears and her wet eyes would make everyone feel pity on her but he felt nothing but disgust!

His frosty glare trembled her and she bowed her head but it only made her look more vulnerable.

"Arden!!" his cold voice with a mocking voice was confusing everyone. 

They could not believe that Leo was twisting the truth and blaming an innocent girl just to save Evan. they developed deep hatred towards the woman who was sitting beside their god! They glared at Arden too when he was called by Leo!

If he also supported this foolish girl then they would beat him later!

"Yes, my lord." Arden came forward and bowed his head respectfully and walked out of the main hall only to come back with two maids later.

Both maids were crying and looking white as if they had suffered great torment.

Hearing the sound of screams and footsteps everyone turned to look at the door as Aurora. Her face drained all its color as she looked at the faces of maids. They were the ones who had helped her..!!

Her eyes widened and for once she was thankful that the knights were holding her at her place or she would have staggered and fell on the floor.

"My lord. Please forgive us and spare our lives! We beg you.. We are innocents!" They both kneeled in front of Leo and begged for their lives. 

"My lord!!!" they bowed their heads on the floor as they pleaded for mercy.

"What is happening here?" finally finding her voice back, Gabriella asked in a cold voice as she looked at the pathetic state of maids. She knew that Leo never interfered in the internal affairs and had never punished the staff before except knights.

Both maids trembled but did not dare to raise their head and reply to Gabriella.

Leo's dark eyes were staring back at Aurora but even she did not dare to raise her head and look back. If she had doubts before, everything had been clear now. He knew! But how! 

No! If she would deny there was no way that they could blame her! All she had to do was to deny them from recognizing them and then there would be no proof against her. They were trying to frame her! Her hands clenched into a fist and her eyes filled with determination.

"These are maids that have mixed the spices in your foods. They had used a layer of salt on your dishes, so that when the food is served to you its taste changed. While all the other food was perfect. 

It is a great way to not get caught. Too bad! Their scared faces gave them away." he looked at the maids who had told him that Eli was the one who had helped Evan in serving the food!

The plan was perfect! It would have created rift between Evan and Eli and Leo would have been torn to decide whom to trust and whom not to. While the real culprit would have enjoyed it from the sidelines.

His whole aura turned further gloomy when he remembered how they had lied with their innocent faces.

"Tell everyone the truth or else I will make sure that even your family would suffer for up to seven generations!" The maids trembled when they heard the cold and low voice of Leo. 

As if the death god had issued a summon, they shivered only by thinking about it and stood up on their feet.

"The lady aurora had come to us after breakfast and asked us to serve the food to the matriarch in these special dishes. She told us that these are special dishes and the matriarch would only eat food served in that.

So we readily agreed as we did not want to irk the matriarch. Later when the lord came to ask us about the meal, and we heard about the incident from other maids, we felt strange but the truth came out when the dishes were washed and it started to release a strange odor and layer of spices. 

When we went to ask the lady, she blamed us instead and we were scared so we stayed silent this whole time!

We did not know the truth, my lord. Or we would have never dared to go against you. We have been loyal servants since the start. It had been 10 years since we had started working here. Please spare our family lives, my lord!" tears started to fall on their faces as they joined their hands and pleaded from everyone. But no one said a word.

They all were stunned when they heard the word of maids and looked at Aurora with shock. But the girl did not have an ounce of guilt or fear in her eyes.

"Ha! To think that you will make such a foolish story to support Evangeline? Weren't the dishes of the aunt the same color and size? How did they even feel that they are special and why would they believe me?" she asked in a confident voice even when her heart was jumping out of her ribcage.

"So, you were not the one who ordered the special dishes?"