The Duke's Passion

"Are you a lady?" 

Charlotte ground her teeth as she balled her hands into a fist. Knowing her short temper, I placed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"Charlie." I widened my eyes as a hint for her to calm down. Charlotte clicked her tongue in irritation before I trudged towards the door of the carriage. 

"My lady, please let this humble one assist you." I offered my hand, still couldn't see her face as she was leaning back. 

The first thing I saw was her beautiful slender hand as she placed them on my palm. Her palm was so smooth I felt the calluses on me could scar her! I assisted her out of the carriage with my eyes, gazing down until she was out. 

Once I raised my head and saw her ethereal beauty, my heart skipped a beat. She was so beautiful — breathtaking, especially now that she was facing me and I could see how small and pretty her face was. 

If only I knew a goddess was riding the carriage, I wouldn't have kicked the carriage. Wait, no! How could I say all that just because she's beautiful.

"I'll be in your care for now," she said with a subtle smile.

I snapped and cleared my throat. "Rest assured we will get you a proper carriage, my lady." 

She only nodded and stared at me. There was something in her stare that gave me this strange feeling, but I couldn't tell what exactly. Regardless, we helped her find a new carriage.

When we finally found a good carriage in which she could travel comfortably, she turned and faced me. She had been quiet the entire time, and this mortal didn't dare strike a conversation with a goddess. I wonder what she wanted to say. It couldn't be she wanted to thank us, right?

"Thank you for your help." The three of us were surprised that she actually thanked us after showing her arrogance to the coachman previously. "And I apologize for bothering you. I hope I can repay your kindness someday."

"It's alright, my lady. We're just doing our duties." Ramin humbled with a smile while Charlotte was still not appeased, but she didn't voice out their dissatisfaction. "Please take care on the way."

"I'll keep that in mind." The woman nodded before setting her eyes on me. "I have this feeling we will see each other again soon, dame."

Well, if your destination was the palace, we probably would bump into each other! Was what I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue and only smiled.

"Until then, please take care of yourself," she added before turning around. I instinctively followed her and offered my hand to assist her inside. That made her smile for reasons unknown as she accepted the gesture.

Once she was seated inside and I closed the door, she suddenly hooked the curtains with the back of her fingers. "A flower that blooms in hell is the most beautiful, yet the most dangerous. I wish you good luck, dame." 

My brows furrowed. Was she talking about herself? Well, her beauty was, indeed, a dangerous weapon. I hope she could meet Stefan or Zero; if she charmed just either of them, it would bring me great relief.

'You're really cruel, huh?' My mind sassed at me. 'Have you forgotten that those two want you so they can kill you?!' 

Well, I was not a hero and saving my own skin first was my top priority. 

The carriage soon started moving and the three of us watched it sped away. Ramin had secretly instructed the local coachman to drive safely, just in case.

"Lilou, what did that vixen tell you?" Charlotte immediately probed as she hooked her arms around mine.

I sported a smile as I turned my head to her. "She told me about a flower, nothing special."

"What? Why would she tell you that?" 

"I don't know. Maybe she likes flowers?" I shrugged nonchalantly and put the woman's remarks at the back of my mind. 

"She didn't tell you that as a hint she wanted you to give her one, right?" Her assumptions made me chuckle. 

"I highly doubt that," I said while shaking my head sideways. The lady didn't specifically say she liked flowers, it was more like she was describing herself as a flower. But I couldn't tell Charlotte that, could I? She didn't like the lady and Charlotte wasn't even concealing it.

"Some noble women are surely strange." Charlotte murmured, and I merely chuckled as we continued our stroll. 

After a while, I glanced at Ramin, who was walking a step behind us. His eyes immediately caught mine, and he raised his brows.

"You're silent." I pointed out. Ramin had been silent after our encounter with the lady. "Did he perhaps know her?"

Ramin came from a noble family and a distant relative of the Remington's, after all. But he shook his head.

"I've never seen her. She is probably a guest from another country." He explained, keeping it short and simple.

"Really? I thought she's a local."

"Well, you can't tell the difference, but we can tell if a person is from this land or not." Ramin shrugged, confusing me a little. For reasons unknown, I felt like his words shouldn't be taken as is.

"Ugh! Enough with that talk about her!" Charlotte grumbled in dismay. "I don't like her! The coachman wouldn't ride that fast in a crowded place if he wasn't threatened for sure! They nearly killed a child in broad daylight!" 

"Alright, there, there." I patted her head to calm her down.

She calmed down, but her pout remained. "If you're a second late, that poor child will die. Even if… oh? Isn't that Kristina?"

Ramin and I instinctively followed the direction where Charlotte was looking at. I caught a glimpse of Kristina, who was wearing a cloak while heading into a street. 

"What is she doing here? Didn't she say she has other things to do today?" Charlotte murmured. "Right! Let's follow her!" 

"No, I think, wait —" I couldn't refuse her as she dragged me with her almost immediately. 

"Charlotte, we shouldn't —!"

"Shh! We'll just check!" Charlotte glared daggers at Ramin as she dragged us to follow Kristina.

'I have a bad feeling about this.' Was what my gut feeling was telling me.