Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

There was no way Eli could win with her now when she had been demoted to the post of future queen. Today she would insult her to show how she had been treating them coldly all this time.

"So you will not let me meet his highness, no matter what! Are you not afraid of the consequences when he comes to know that you did not let me meet him even when I continued to wait for him for the past two hours?" asked Eli again without caring in the world what the maids were thinking about her.

She knew that their loyalty only belonged to the power. And since she had lost it, there was no way they would see her in good light, no matter what she did.

"Of course, I am not worried since I am only following the orders of my master. If he would have told me that he did not want to get disturbed by anyone except the daughter of the duchess, then I would have surely let you go in. but since that is not what his highness said, i can not let you go in!" she replied haughtily as if she was the owner of the area and only she could decide who will go and meet and who will not.

The sound of footsteps took the attention of both and Eli turned to see Adel was coming with flowers in her hand with a sweet innocent smile on her face. Her face was radiating with morning glow and her hands were holding a beautiful bouquet.

"Good mor.." the smile on her face faded when her eyes fell on the cold face of ELi. but she soon controlled her emotion and smiled again, 

"Hello, sister. I was not expecting to see you here early in the morning. Are you waiting for his highness?" she continued with the same warm expressions on her face as if they were long lost sisters. 

But Eli did not even spare her another glance as if she was not talking to her but someone else.

"I am not your sister." came her cold voice with a small frown on her face and then turned to sit there calmly again.

Adel's face turned red with humiliation. Her hands clenched into a fist yet she continued to smile warmly on her face, "oh my! Did I cross my limits? But since we both are going to be the wives of his highness. Would it not be better if we live like sisters rather than enemies?" her voice was soft and dejected as if she was hurt by the harsh and cold behaviour of Eli towards her.

She instantly got the sympathy of maids that were looking at the whole scenario and immediately realised that their new empress was a kind and pitiful soul while the queen was no less than a witch who did not care about anyone.

"My lady, even if you did not like the princess, you should be respectful towards her. After all, she was going to be the new empress. The legal wife of your husband."

"Yes, my lady. Even if you did not care about her, you should at least care about your future in the royal palace. The expenditure and power of the queen was decided by the empress only." 

Soon a few of the maids came forward and started lecturing Eli as if it was their responsibility to get justice for Adel who smirked. Her eyes were filled with evil glint as she looked at the scenarios from the sideline.

'You are not only cold, but a fool Eli! You would never be able to get the appreciation and respect of any of them with that frost face of yours!' She was feeling better now that she saw Eli getting insulted and lectured by all the maids of the palace. Even the maids knew where their loyalty should lie

"Insult you say?" Eli finally raised her head as she looked at all of them. Her cold eyes and evil smirk was enough to shake everyone of them, "what did i say except that i am not her sister? And how did that can be counted as an insult. Huh?" she asked in a calm voice. Her face was neither panicked nor not angered. She did not seem to be affected by their harsh words at all.

"But I am impressed that the palace staff of the crown prince think that they have the right to lecture me even if I am only the queen? Did you forget that even the queen had the right to throw each and everyone out of you. Not only that, I can even put you in prison in the name of insulting me!" she asked with such a sweet smile on her face as if she was asking their names. 

But most of them trembled. If it had been anyone else they would not have felt scared but they knew what Eli was capable of! Moreover she did not forget anything. They all gulped and looked at each other with fear, as if asking silently should they apologise to her. But Adel could not let that happen.

She was enjoying the mini show provided by the maids. She was proud how they all love her while detest Eli and they were even ready to stand for her. But if they realised now, would it not mean that they were accepting defeat and they would never take her side in the future?

"Sister, even if you do not like me, you should not take out your anger on the poor staff. If you want you can punish me anyway you want but please do not drag innocents in it!"

[Hello readers, I am adding one more tier like every month of 10 new chapters. So, the story would not show updates for the next five days from 1 Jan to 5th of Jan. I hope you will kindly wait.. Thank you.]