Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"Your highness, please think again about your decision!" Theo could not understand Leo.

He was sure that Leo was fighting for the position before leaving and now.. He did not even want to stay in the palace.

"What if others come to know about it? The nobles would mock and the vassal family would take advantage of the condition!" he begged when he heard Leo smiling.

"I have planned all of that. You can say that Evan is pregnant and wants to enjoy vacation so I am taking her out for our honeymoon. And father was tired of a lot of work, so he is taking a break in the summer palace too.`` Then he looked at all the staff waiting for them.

"I hope you all can keep your mouth shut too. After all, you are part of the family." they all bowed in unison when Leo smiled back with a look of relief.

"Is there anything else that worries you, Theo?" he asked when the man sighed. He felt he was going to explode with all the pressure and burden.

"My lord. The family is already broken, this place is deserted and now you want to leave too?" the man was on the verge of breaking down, "who will i serve, if you all will leave?" he asked in a hint of frustration.

The ever so calm and stoic Theo could not handle it anymore.

"Do you have any idea how much this family meant to me and his highness. Are you really going to break the last part of it just like that?" he shook his head as a smile out of frustration and disbelief left his lips.

"If his highness would wake up in such an environment, I am sure that he would wish that he would have never woken up. You all have lost your minds." if the words would have been spoken by a butler in the nobles families any other time, he would have been killed in the name of treason.

But this time Leo just sighed.

"I will manage the work. You can come to me with any problem. And I will keep visiting whenever I have time." he patted the shoulder of the old man who looked defeated.

It looked like he had aged a decade in a few minutes and did not have the strength to argue anymore as he just nodded his head in defeat.

Leo went to take his father in his arms while Evan followed him with luggage in her hands.

Only Jenna was following them with the rest of the luggage.

"Thank you everyone for taking care of me. I am glad that I get the chance to meet all of you and have such a great time here!" It felt like their king and queen were going into exile.

They all felt their heart was filled with grief. They wanted to cry and beg but they knew it would only weaken the willpower of their masters and hurt them more but it would not be able to change their decision.

If they wanted to do something for their master, it was to let them go with the respect they deserve.

Leo bowed his head too in front of all the staff, that shocked them, "I apologize if I have ever been rude to you or hurt you by any chance but I still ask for your favor to take care of this palace and my brother who still needs your kind efforts."

They all nodded their heads, though they never took Ethan as their true master since he had never been attentive to them and his lover had pressured them and blackmailed them but they wanted Leo to leave with ease.

The couple smiled at them as they held each other's hands and crossed the entrance of the palace.

Their back was straighter and they have the same spark in their eyes that made them no less that a king and queen.

Their aura was so noble and regal that the knights and staff were not able to take their eyes away from them.

They sat in the carriage when Theo helped Leo in taking his father inside and soon the carriage started and left.

Ethan, who was watching the whole scene from the window of his room, felt like a coward.

He could not bear it anymore as his knees gave away and he fell on the ground.

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When he was young, he was always hungry but when he looked at the other kids that had all the desserts in their hands, he felt envious of the smiles of their families and the warmth they were sharing instead of food in their hands.

And now.. He had such a large palace and a big treasure that could defeat the emperor but he was all alone and cold in this vast palace.

He heard the sound of footsteps but made no effort to stand up or walk to the nearest chair.

He continued to sit on the red carpet while looking at the void.

Theo knocked the door but entered when he did not hear any response. Though he knew that the child was naive, he was sure that Ethan never meant any harm.

If any, he could blame their fate. He was a bit surprised to see Ethan sitting on the ground with lifeless expressions on his face but sighed in the end.

He walked and held the boy in his hands.

"Ethan, you need to be brave now! Since only you are left to keep the name of Thawaynes." said the old man with a sigh as he patted the shoulder of the young man who was trembling and crying like a young kid.

"I know it is too much for us to ask you. But you have to be strong enough that no one would be able to look down on Thawnyes like the past. You have to make the name stronger so that everyone will be proud of you."