Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

Hannah felt awful. She held her knees and took the position of a fetus as she cried.

All her life, she was devoid of warmth and when she got it, she lost it that easily.

She had never felt that she would be hurt by Ethan since she never spent her emotions on him but who would have thought that she would be so heart broken by his actions.

It would have been better that he would have taken her innocence but leaving her like that and looking at her as if she was filthy broke her heart.

How much time had passed when she heard the knock on the door.

She wiped her tears and turned to look at the door instantly. She should have known that he spoke all that in anger.

He would never mean it. But she would not forgive him that easily. He had to make an effort to make up for her.

With that thought in her mind, her eyes sparkled but she did not open the door or reply.

The door was knocked again with a bit of impatience when she frowned. She was about to get up to not test her luck much when she realized that her clothes were soiled and she was bare till her waist.

The door did not knock this time but opened on its own. But instead of Ethan, there was a maid who had a look of annoyance on her face.

"Did you not hear the knocking on the door?" she asked in a harsh tone as she walked in.

She had a tray of food in her hands but her face was sour as if she had eaten something bitter when she looked at Hannah.

"The spare clothes are in the cupboards or are you waiting for a maid to help you in changing your clothes?

Do you not feel any shame by standing naked in front of others?" spat the maid with a disgusted look on her face as she looked away.

Hannah felt humiliated aain when the maid look at her as if she was a cheap prostitute who loved standing naked and show off her body to the public.

"Wait! Are you still waiting for the master to come here so that you can seduce him again?" asked the maid with a sharp look on her face and teasing tone,

"Too bad! He had already let to meet lady Elizabeth with lady Evangeline.

Your spell is over now, the master has gained his senses back." she said with a smirk on her face as if she was the one who had gained the powers.

Hannah knew that maids have never liked her because of her arrogance and the special treatment she had gained from Ethan.

But she had never thought that one day she would be trampled by them.

"Ha! So why are you getting so joyous? It is not like he had chosen you after leaving me? Now get lost." she spat back with arrogance. She was not going to accept her defeat so easily.

"You!'' The maid looked at Hannah with pure hatred but hid it and left the room.

Ethan had only asked them to keep an eye on Hannah and make sure that she was fed and taken care of. It would not be good if she would fight with her for now.

But that day will come soon. With that thought, the smile on the face of the maid returned.

"Tsk! I am not low like you to spend my time on seducing others.

I would rather earn and live a happy life with the person I love rather than scheming and plotting all my life being a rich man's wife." she stared with a proud look on her face and then gave her a meaningful glance and shook her head.

"But greedy people like you would neve understand the bliss of being loved." she scoffed as she placed all the food on the table and picked up the tray again.

"The food is here. Eat well and rest. I will take the dishes later." with that she turned and left looking at Hannah with a pitiful look in her eyes.

Bliss of being loved! The maid was right. Hannah would never understand it since she was never loved.

She had thought that she would be fine as long as she had money and power!

"Ha! Can love feed you and keep you warm? Could love ensure the safety a palace could give?" she shouted out loud but it was more for her than for the maid who had already left and the door was closed again.

She could not go out, Hannah had figured that much but she had never expected Ethan to go and meet Eli after locking her into the room.

What if Evangeline had taken advantage of her fall and convinced Ethan to go with her. The woman was more shrewd than Hannah had thought.

"That could not be. I have to think of another plan." she bit her nail as she stood up and walked to the cupboard. Since she was going to stay locked for a while, there was no sense in crying all the time.

It would be better to find a dress and then eat food so that she could think better.

With that thought, she took out a dress from the cupboard. The dresses were not for maids but they were old and rough as if old clothes were kept there.

At least they were not torn. With that thought, she picked up the best dress among them and changed her clothes after that she went to the table to eat her meal.

They were simple but warm dishes that she had eaten all her life yet it looked so distant since she was enjoying a luxurious meal with Ethan for the past few months.

She only realized now how much she was pampered by him.

Taking a deep breath, she took a sip of the soup.

"Cough cough! The food is spiked!"