Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"No! No! His highness did not force himself on me. I just injured my hands incidentally and my sleeves got torn due to.. Due to my own mistake. It had nothing to do with his highness." her face turned red and her eyes turned glassy as she said so, just like a person who was completely in love and had her first kiss.

"............." her statement was like lightning that had hit everyone around her. They all looked at her with shock and then their eyes instinctively went to her smudged lips and her wrist again.

Surely it was a sign of forced kiss and holding too tight. Did his highness kiss the lady too hard that was why even her dress was a bit torn from there. Did he even try to..? 

Their minds went crazy with the thoughts of what happened! But Adel kept looking at only one face she wanted to see changing!

Her eyes were fixed on Eli but there was still no shock or anger, not even jealousy. Adel frowned as she looked at the woman who was still sitting with calmness. A slight smile could be seen forming on her face that stunned Adel!

"...."what kind of lover was she! Did she not care that they both kissed and that also her man forced himself on another woman! Was she as cold hearted as others say or did she never loved the crown prince as it was a political marriage. That was why she wanted to break it that badly! 

Her mind seemed to swirl with so many thoughts that she could not fathom what was going in her opponent's mind.

"Can you repeat what you said?" Just when she had thought that Eli would not say a word about it, the lady stood up and walked towards her slowly.

"......" So she was only trying to test my confidence. Too bad! She gave up too easily.'

Adel faked shock and then shook her head with flushed cheeks. Her red face and embarrassed eyes bowed down, "what are you talking about? What is there to repeat? I did not say anything. The lord did not force me to kiss him. The dress was torn accidentally and my lipstick was smudged by myself accidentally." she replied while biting her lips.

A smug smile formed in her heart as she imagined the ashen face of Eli in her heart but when she looked at her widening smirk from the corner of her eyes, she frowned.

Even the maids were behaving strangely. They did not support her or say anything against Eli this time. In fact, they were standing there shocked like a statue. Was Andrew kissing her such a big matter that they all went crazy!?

She looked at all of them as if they were crazy but before she could ask the reason to them, all the hair of her body stood up when she heard the cold voice behind her,

"What did you say?" she swore she had never felt like that. It felt like the demon from the Netherlands had come to take her life then and there.

'Why! Why was he out of his room now when he had decided to not come out after the argument with his father?' She closed her eyes and cursed her luck for that.

"I am talking to you, Adelaide!" His voice was sharper and colder. The authoritative aura was so strong that maids were finding it hard to stand there. Their knees were giving up!

She knew that she could not run away, especially when she looked at the twinkling eyes of Eli. She did not want to run away. She could not let her feel the taste of winning. Giving a death glare to Eli, Adel turned with a meek face towards the man who had come to take her life,

"Your highness, what do you want me to say again?" she asked in a soft voice feigning ignorance. She was never going to lose anyway. Even if she gave an explanation that he had not touched her at all. They would only think that she was trying to save his image since he was furious with her.

And if he gave the explanation, they would think that he was a man who could touch a woman but did not accept it publicly. It would only prove him as scumbag. Who was taking advantage of Adel yet wanted to stay innocent in front of Eli.

Eli! Only she was the one who did not believe in her but it was fine too. Others would only think that she was feigning ignorance because she was jealous. And if the rumours moved to the central palace and fell in the ears of his majesty, then no one would stop their marriage. Then who cares what Eli thinks and she would convince the man slowly to love her only.

She could almost see their first night together in front of her eyes that she forgot the anger of Andrew for a minute. Andrew narrowed his eyes on the face of the girl who was giggling like she had gone crazy.

He stood up only to close the door when he saw it ajar. He did not want to hear the gossip of the staff when he felt that he heard the voice of Eli. 

He was so anxious to meet her that he did not wait for the maids to escort her in and opened the door himself when he heard her asking something from Adel while ignoring his presence completely. 

He thought that she was angry with him and wanted to apologise when he heard Adel spouting the nonsense. Was it already not enough misunderstanding between him and Eli that the woman was trying to sow the seeds of discord.

He could not help the desire to strangle her then and there and get rid of the problem for once and all.

"Who do you think you are to raise your finger on me. huh?"