"Every child you encounter is a divine appointment."
— Wess Stafford, President Emeritus of Compassion International
Chapter 5: Duke Avaleon
I have little knowledge about the duke... And worst it came from the gossips in the town.
Rumors says he eats kids... I mean he's a monster, countless nobles feared him even the king himself.
Why? Because the said duke is the hero of mankind, a monster in the battlefield, he killed thousands of people and showered in blood.
He has too many connection and little appearance in public.
Terrifying and merciless, he's called the monster of Avaleon.
And he's in front of me.
I stared in his pink eyes and he stared right back to mine... We stayed like this for 2 minutes until someone walks in.
"Ah... Greetings your grace the duke of anemos, hero of mankind" mother fate immediately greeted and curtsied.
The bow she made is what normally people in the church does when greeting a noble or the king.
When closing the feet the foot must tap on the right foot like a soldier, Right hand on the chest where the heart lies and the left hand rotating ones and stop in front showing the palm upward, and bows not too low nor to short... Not too fast and not slow, gracefully and fully of confidence. That's how people in this world's church bows.
The duke didn't answer and just wave his hands, mother fate accepted it as a return on her greeting and fixes her posture.
"Ezu go on greet the duke" mother fate gently said and i complied, with utmost confidence and determination i hop of the chair and did what mother fate did.
"Greetings your grace the duke of anemos, hero of man kind. I am Suzue Reed Proclaimed as the Child of the church, it's my honour to meet the man respected by the king himself"
After greeting i immediately fixes my posture and beamed.
I never felt accomplish in my entire life. And i would not forget about this .
"En... It's nice to meet you too" i felt him patted my head making me giggle.
I never thought the duke that everyone calls a monster can be gentle.
I guess.. Rumors cannot be trust right?
"Would you want to join me for a tea Duke?" I ask eagerly and he just stared at me and eventually nodded i cheered internally and sat on the chair.
I watch him gracefully walks on the opposite seat and sat down with grace.
I never thought that someone could be this graceful effortlessly, now i have the sudden urge to become like him.. I wonder how would the world react?
"Here you go Ezu, Your grace"
I stared and memorizes the movements mother fate makes when preparing tea, but then got distracted when i notice her hands slightly shaking.
"May i prepare the tea instead mother fate?" She stared at me and smiled before agreeing.
Because the table is too wide and high, i stood on the chair and i heard mother fate gasp in shock and was about to stop me when the duke waves his hand, a sign for her to stop.
"Careful young lady" the duke said but i ignored him and reaches for the teapot and gentle pours tea in the cup, i'm shaking not because of nervousness but because of the heaviness of the cup .
When i'm done with the duke's tea i went to mine and did the same action i did earlier but ended up failing, because the next thing i know, i couldn't handle the heaviness of the teapot and it slipped in my hands.
"Ah"
"Oh my"
"..."
I don't know why but i found myself crying... I know it's not because of the spilled tea but because of something.
It probably finally sink in into my mind that i am now in a different world, with no one familiar, no hadley to follow and no reason to live.
Why am i here? Why did God gave me a chance? My wish is to become smart.. Why did i feel like i'm still stupid?
"Wait duke-"
My crying cease when i felt my self being thrown in the air, i stared at the face of the person who throws me.
I landed safely in his hands and he throws me again, i didn't know why but i started giggling.
And the giggles turns into laughter.
After being thrown a couple of times and when my stomach started hurting from laughing i beamed at the duke who carries me on his arm.
"It's just a tea, let's start over again"
Ah... He's right..
Let's start over again.
.
.
.
"Bye bye~!" i wave at the duke who's now preparing to enter the carriage.
My smile widen when i notice him looks back at me and a hint of smile carves on his lips, he wave back and entered the carriage.
I wave enthusiastically while wrapping my hands around priest gabriel's neck.
Priest gabriel is the adopted son of the priest who saved me from the forest, if you are wondering where's priest right now? He died 3 years ago, i didn't cry though so i didn't shared you the experience of that event.
Anyway Today was fun.
"Dk you like the duke ezu?" I heard him ask while we were walking back to my chambers.
I nod "En! The duke was so kind~ he didn't get mad when i spilled the tea, and he was so handsome like a... Like a prince!"
Priest gabriel laughs and kisses my cheek
"Well he was indeed a prince... He's the illegitimate brother of the king"
Well i know about that.
"But why is he not the king?"
He smiled at me and we both entered my room
"Well it's because the duke married a commoner, the former king doesn't like commoners but he was a great leader. When the king found out that the duke wants to marry a commoner he was enrage and ordered someone to sent the female away"
So the duke's father killed his lover..
"You wont understand it for now, you should go to sleep"
"En" i close my eyes and waited for him to walk out the room, when i heard the door closes i sat up and stared at the window.
The sun is setting causing the whole town to be engulf with warm orange light, it's a sight for sore eyes.
Come to think if it, the duke also has a face that makes you drool... He was very handsome and has a posture and grace of a real noble.
He stands like a king, he sits like a ruler... He is indeed a hero of mankind.
I wonder why he's in the church?
.
[Third person]
"Sire, i found out the background of the said Child of the church" a man wearing an armour said while handling him a folder.
The man with gorgeous features accepted the papers and leans on the chair. His hair is white and his eyes were pink.
He opened the folder and reads the content before sighing.
"Is she your child duke?"
"No"
"Oh" the knight was disappointed but then hid it with a pokerface before bowing and walks out the room
"Castiel" the man standing on the door kneels in front of him .
"Your grace"
"No one shall know about the child, dispose this and erase the traces that would point to her parents"
Castiel was confused and startled but didn't retorted anything and followed the duke's order.
"Yes your grace" castiel left the room, while walking he opened the files and his widen when he saw the content of the files.
He rushes towards the kitchen and burned it.
"Father?" A timid voice could be heard outside duke avaleon's office.
"Come in" a tiny girl with light blonde hair and grey eyes, her features weren't the same as her father, a sign that she took after her mother's.
She entered the room while staring everywhere but him.
Duke avaleon remembers a certain kid with a pair of link eyes and white hair, she wasn't nervous or scared around him, when the first time she stared at his eyes it wasn't an eyes for a kid but for a critic.
She was observing him, criticizing him, the second his eyes landed on him it's full of expectations and amusement and then when he tried to calm her down from crying.. It turned to amazement and adoration.
Her eyes are full of emotions yet it wasn't the emotion she really feel but the emotions she wanted to show .
She was very interesting.
"F-father... I .. I .. I-"
"What is it?" The girl flinch because of his cold words and her eyes become teary.
Duke avaleon wanted to scold her but refrain himself, he knows she's just a kid she doesn't know that much... But that thing kid was a kid too .
I guess every kid isn't the same.
"I have my own a-ability... But th-the priest said it's being sealed... I-i don't understand.. Wh-what's a red joker?"
Duke avaleon stared at his daughter when he started to notice that she felt uncomfortable he closes his eyes and waves his hand,
The girl immediately left the room in relief, she was disappointed that she couldn't find anything about her ability
The girl felt disappointed but her father felt different... Duke avaleon couldn't feel but massage his head from an incoming headache.
One by one... His problems appeared.
And he felt like it's not his lucky day today... A certain pink eyed girl pops in his head and a smile carve in his lips.
"I guess.. Today's not that bad"