Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"Oh, that! My lord threw Evangi on the ground. That was why her clothes were muddy." 

"......" though Carl was so nonchalant about it, aunt Martha looked stunned.

Only in the morning had she thought that the couple was kind and gentle, especially Leo. He was looking so regal and noble that she felt Evan was lucky. But was he a violent man!? If that was the case, then it would have been better if she would have married Martin.

She held the hand of Evan and dragged her behind her and then turned to look at Leo with narrowed eyes.

"My lord, why did you throw her on the ground?" her behavior was like a mother chick that was trying to fight for the baby chick. She even picked the pan from the table and pointed at him.

"...." was the lady trying to scare him with a pan that was smaller than his hands. But the look in the eyes of the lady flustered him for the first time. He felt like his mother was glaring at him after he had made a mistake.

"That. I was helping her out of the carriage when my hands slipped!" he muttered with a blank voice but his eyes had traces of panic and worry.

"Oh! So that was what happened!" she took a breath of relief and let go of the pan as she nodded her head in understanding.

"Carl, you should not pass these kinds of comments that lead to misunderstandings!" She gave a stern look to the boy who looked confused but as he stared at Leo but did not say a word when Leo gave him the same look.

"I will send the horse tomorrow." he lipsed and Carl who was about to open his mouth after a pause smiled like a cheshire cat.

"I apologize for my mistake, aunt Martha. I will pay more attention in the future!" he bowed his head and finally the topic died.

But when Leo turned, his eyes met the narrowed eyes of the girl who had an evil smile on her face. At that instant, he knew that she was going to tell the truth when he sighed and whispered, 

"You will get double the rewards once we reach home!" with that the girl's eyes gleamed golden and she even forgot about his presence. Her eyes shone and her eyes started counting on her fingers and he did not need to be informed that she was trying to count the money she was going to get after reaching the home.

For a moment he felt a strange tightening in his heart as he watched the smile on her face.

'Did she even care about anything else except money?'

Though when he looked at her behavior with others, she did not seem to care about their financial status or robbing them. She only tried to extort him as much as she could.

"Come here and sit, or the dishes will turn cold." she pointed at both of the men as Carl was already sitting without waiting for anyone's invitation.

"Oh dear, you need to change your clothes. Come with me, I will give you a dress. It might not fit perfectly but it would be much better!" Evan looked down at her dress and then nodded.

Even the mud had started to dry leaving strong patch marks on the dress. The man was really brazen. He didn't know how to behave with the girls at all. She was sure that his wife would cuss him daily like her and eventually beat him one day if possible.

Once left alone both men stared at each other with narrowed eyes.

"My lord should have a strong grip. How can a girl slip out of your hands that easily!" The voice may sound calm and harmless but his red eyes were showing that he was infuriated. "You know there might be a chance that your things would be stolen from you if you will not hold them tightly!" Martin added as he picked up the glass from the table and took a swig of it.

"You do not have to worry about my belongings. I am sure that they will stay with me till the end. But you seem to be dependent on the shop to earn your livelihood. What if it did not exist? Where would you go then?" Leo titled his head as he passed a cold look to the man whose eyes flickered.

"Eh! Where would the shop go, my lord?" asked Carl who did not get a word of their conversation except the last line.

"Nowhere if you concentrated on it rather than the wives of others!" Leo did not even turn to look at Martin when he passed the comment as he struck Carl who nodded solemnly taking it as the advice from a senior.

"You do not have to worry about it, my lord. My brother takes good care of the shop and us. He is a fine gentleman and a very hardworking person!" Carl looked at his brother with shining eyes. 

He had grown up admiring him all this time. Whenever he had been worried about anything, he had found Martin standing at the backbone of their family.

Just when the words left his mouth, Evan returned back with Aunt Martha who nodded her head.

"Yes, Martin is the most eligible bachelor of the town. He is the richest, most handsome and also the kindest and most hard working. He is a fine gentleman that has grown up well. 

Sigh! Now that Evan is married, I am worried about who will be the best partner for him!" She took a disappointed sigh as she looked at Evan as if she had betrayed all of them and even Leo turned to look at her, hoping that she would deny any kind of involvement with the man.

"Aunt, even if i would have been unmarried, you know that his mother would never agree to it!"