Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"I have been waiting for you for a long time, your highness!"

The cold that was enunciated from his body was hard to ignore yet the eyes of the duke lingered on his clothes. They did look crumpled and worn in a hurry which was just not the trait of his cold son!

"Why? Do you want to tell me what happened in the carriage?" with a straight face he asked in full serious tone to see the flustered face of his so calm son whose eyes flickered as he raised his head to stare at his father.

But there was no embarrassment in his eyes but a cold and forlorn look that stunned William and three deep lines formed on his face!

"Yes! Something indeed happened in the carriage! And I am here to talk about it only!" looking at the gloomy face of his son and his cold eyes, William knew that the news was not a good one!

Yet he stood up with a calm face and walked towards the sofa. Taking a seat comfortably, he poured water in two glasses.

"Come here, and sit!" He had thought that Leo would follow him when he saw him walking towards the sofa, but a frown formed on his face when he did not see him moving from his place.

Leo titled his head as he looked at the calm action of his father, even when he knew that his father had an idea of what had happened!

He could not help but stare at the face he had seen since birth! He remembers sitting on those shoulders and taking a walk in the garden.

He remembered taking the first lesson of swordsmanship with him!

He remembered his eyes filled with pride when his father had patted his shoulders with compliments when he had ranked first in the swordsmanship contest.

He remembered those eyes filled with worry when he had joined the war and the same eyes filled with tears that were never shed when he had come back from the war safely!

He remembered it all! Who would have known that every feeling, every word, every action of this man was nothing but a mirage!

He had never looked at him as his son but a way to save his dukedom!

"Go and bring the girl back, Leo! She is the only one that could be your wife in this lifetime!" those words!

He had felt those words were absurd! Why was his father so stressed when the girl did not want to marry him!

That time he was just curious, who was the girl who ran away so that she did not need to marry him!

But who would have thought that.. She was the real heiress of the palace which he had taken as his family!

And he could only marry her so that he could be part of it! If not.. He would have no reason to be part of this place!

His hands clenched into a fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Leo! Are you even listening!" he blinked and raised his head to find a disapproving look at his father.

He had always felt weak and sad whenever he had seen that look in those eyes before but now.. Now he felt like his whole existence had been a joke!

Even if he would die, why would the man care!? No! He shook his head. He had decided that he would not come to any conclusion before hearing what the duke wanted to say!

"I am a bit distracted, your highness. I apologize!" he bowed his head a bit as he adjusted his posture and stood straighter.

Taking a deep breath he took steps towards the sofa but did not sit on it! Instead he took the side chair that the nobles that were lower than them used to take whenever they visited the study of their father.

Only higher or equal nobles or part of his family share the sofa with him.

If a frown had formed on the face of William when he had heard Leo addressing him as his highness, dread started to fill his face when he saw Leo sitting on the plush chair instead of beside him on the sofa!

A foreboding feeling started to fill his heart! His son never did things without any reason! And right now his actions were..

He parted his lips but not a single voice came out. For the first time in his life, he did not know how to start a conversation with him.

"Leo.."

"I know, your highness! I know the truth now!"

"Bam!" The glass of water in his hands fell on the floor with a harsh sound and water splattered over his pants but he did not even notice it.

His face turned white just by hearing a simple line as thousands of thoughts started to engulf his mind. The blood from his body started to drain when he saw the hollow and lifeless eyes of his son!

His fingers on the broken piece tightened that blood started to form in his fingertips.

Willaim did not notice, but Leo was noticing every reaction of his father even when he was not looking away from his face.

If there was a single bit of doubt left in his heart! It was cleared by his actions. The piercing pain that had hardly diminished a bit ago started to engulf him again!

He felt it was hard to breathe! But he continued to sit there as if he could not feel anything!

"Leo! What.. what are you talking about?" no! He would not accept it! There is no way that Leo could know the truth and would believe it!

"I met the one who had nurtured Evangeline! Her adopted father. He told me the truth!" He repeated each word after a small pause in a low and calm voice as if he was talking about something mundane that did not matter much or could not affect him at all!

"Who? I did not understand. There might be some confusion!" In the end, William had decided he was not going to accept it and would prove it wrong until the end!

There was no proof and Leo had to accept his words. Whom he would trust, him or a random old man! Of course he is!

It could not be taken as truth until he declined it! There was no way that it could be proven!

A smile full of self mockery formed on the face of Leo when he saw the efforts his father was putting in still hiding the truth when it was clear as day! But for whom? For him or to save his precious daughter from the hardships!

"I have thought so too. Therefore I went to the annex building and checked the portraits mother used to have with her maids! I saw the portrait of Evan's adopted mother there!"

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