"Lady Isabelle"
Duke Vladimir greeted her with excitement.
He sat down opposite to Isabelle.
Crossing his legs, he spoke.
"How you been, my lady"
He said it with a wide smile as if he was trying to pull out something from Isabelle.
"My lord, I been okay, I am glad you thought about me and came this far"
Isabelle put down her cup of tea on the table.
The maids brought a cup of tea for duke Vladimir.
And some biscuits.
Taking a sip from the cup, he said,
"Why, Joseph is sitting on the coach?"
"Joseph lives here, he can sit wherever he wants, my lord"
Duke nod in agree to the reason.
His's eyes landed on the file of documents, Isabelle was holding,
"You are working on the village documents?"
"Yes, we are going to be called in the council soon for discussion"
Isabelle lifted up her gaze form the documents to his blue eyes.
The Duke Vladamir has long straight black hair, reaching upto his shoulders.
He got blue fox likes eyes,
His iris coloured in blue and his pupils black, as if his pupils were blocking the blue light from entering and something malice hid in his eyes.
The definition for his eyes is 'A Solar eclipse'
He wears one sided earrings and a silver coloured ring with a big blue Ruby in the middle of it, he wears the ring on his thumb.
He is someone who is named with so many crimes.
But there was no proof to tell that it was his doings.
Duke Vladimir is someone who really famous between girls of any age and he has a tattoo in his lower back even if it against the law.
He is called by many names.
'The blood lord Duke Vladamir'
He picked up the cup of tea and brought it close to his lips, taking a sip.
"Then you must heard about the east Village incident?"
"A mysterious fire burned the whole village and some villages become dry and uncultivated because of no rainfall"
"Yes, I did, don't worry, my lord, I will find it out soon what actually caused the fire in the forest"
"There is some connections between with fire and the king"
The duke said.
"Yes, I think so, as the king suddenly execute all of his servants"
Isabelle stated the facts.
"The council will be interesting"
"Yes, We haven't seen the king's face for days"
Lady Isabelle said in a amused tone.
"Yes, my woman, it will be entertaining at the council hall"
After saying that the duke took few sips from his cup.
"You won't change, duke Vladimir"
"Please, call me Vladimir, my beauty"
"Your fans will murder me, my lord, if I call you by your name"
She said in a joking way.
"They can't and will not, you are not someone who is seen in regular hours, my lady"
"Still, we are not in close relationship, my lord, Please do understand"
The duke stood up and leaned lightly over to Lady Isabelle.
He held Isabelle's soft locks with gentleness, letting it slide form his hands.
He whispered softly.
"Then, let's be one" the duke said in a teasing tone.
"My lord, please Joseph is here"
"I don't care, and he never leaves you alone"
He sat on his sit again, sighing.
Her eyes travelled at the documents persent on the glass table.
"The king has played his game, now it is our turn to play our roles"
Isabelle picked up a biscuit from the plate and crash it into pieces, all pieces falling into the hot tea.
"The game will be super interesting"
"I am looking forward to the meeting, my Queen"
"I am too, my lord
The game must go on"
She took a sip from her cup of tea.
Next day.
Isabelle is getting ready to go at the Palace.
Her right hand Joseph is accompanying her in the council meeting.
Before stepping outside the castle, she called Andrew to leave her to the doorstep.
Untill she reach the carriage.
"Andrew?"
Isabelle called him.
Gaining Andrew's attention to her.
He looked up to her.
Waiting for her to continue.
"Don't go outside from the castle, okay?"
Isabelle commanded him a weird request, he can't even go outside even if he wanted to, then why she commanded him this?
"Don't go outside, stay indoors inside the castle"
She patted him on the head and headed towards the carriage.
The carriage was waiting for her.
Joseph opened the door for her to enter.
She was about to climb up when Andrew called her.
"Do you have to leave?"
His eyes pleading saying not to go.
Isabelle turned around facing him.
"So you do know, that for Joseph to stay you need me to stay"
She said chuckling.
Isabelle was smart and not a fool, to believe that he is going to trust and accept her this soon.
And if it is not her then he was calling Joseph to stay behind.
Andrew turned his gaze down and suddenly he ran to Joseph and hugged him.
Surprising Joseph, for the first time, Joseph had a expression on his face not just a rude straight face but a true expression.
"I am not going to murder him"
Isabelle said laughing.
"You can rest assured"
Andrew let go of him and turned around to Isabelle
"Really?"
He was doubting her!!
"Yes, my dear, go inside the castle"
After Andrew went back inside with the butler, Joseph and Isabelle took their leave too.
The Council Chamber.
In the room there is a long table and chairs surrounding them. Guards outside the big double doors.
The king and Ministers are gathered in the room.
The Minister who is loyal to the king is sitting at king's right hand side and other Ministers are sitting round the table, in order of their rank, but one sit was empty in the front of the table.
The empty sit was beside the King's loyal Minister.
"Where is Lady Isabelle?" One minister complaints.
"The Lady is running late"
"Yeah, Lady Isabelle is high in rank than us, but she should fear the king"
"The Lady is making our king wait"
"Lady Isabelle must have something important" Another minister speaks, protecting Lady Isabelle and trying to calm the situation in the Council Chamber.
"What can be more important than the state affairs" One more minister speaks against Lady Isabelle.
"We need to start the meeting, my majesty" the loyal minister instructs.
"What rubbish, you all know that there is still time in the meeting" The duke Vladamir speaks silencing the room.
Lady Isabelle enters the room with Joseph, standing beside her.
"Long live, the King" Isabelle took her bow and sat down in her sit.
Duke Vladamir sits opposite to Lady Isabelle.
"Now that everyone is present, let's start the meeting" The king orders.
"Your majesty, may I present first?" One minister from the east side of the kingdom requests the permission to bring his report in front of other ministers.
"Yes, please go ahead with your report" The king grants the permission to the minister of the east.
"The rivers in the east Villages are drying up, soon there won't be any water for villagers to drink"
"For how many days, you think the drinking water will be in the villages?" The king's asks the minister of the east.
"2 weeks, If used wisely, my majesty"
"My majesty, we need rain" one minister from the south suggests.
"Rain" The king says the word in a low tone.
"Yes, your majesty, we need rain in the villages"
"Anything, I need to fear about?" The king asks in a worried tone.
"Yes, my majesty, in some villages, condition is the worse"
"And how is that?"
"In few days, there will be no drinking water left for the villagers and no food as the water in the main river is drying up, so the crops will die"
"How many villages are in this condition?"
"4, my majesty"
"We need to provide food and drinking water in this 4 villages" The king says.
"Give that matter to me, your majesty" The Duke speaks lighting the problem.
"Forests are burning because of the rising temperature in some villag–"
Then suddenly the ministers stop due to the sound of giggles.
Ministers attention falls on Lady Isabelle in disbelief that how can Lady Isabelle, a important member can laugh in this matter.
Seeing Lady Isabelle giggling in this situation, quiets the ministers.
Duke Vladamir watches the giggling Isabelle in amuse.
Silence fills the whole room.
"How cute" Lady Isabelle says in her giggles in a low tone.
"Lady Isabelle?" The king calls Isabelle.
Her gaze travels to the king's eyes, staring right into his soul.
"The fire in the east Village, my majesty, how interesting right?" a evil smirk appears on her beautiful, goddess like face.
The tone in the speech is normal to everyone, but in King's ears, the tone was like, Isabelle was challenging him and she will expose a secret to everyone present in the room.
In fear that she will read him from within, the king moves his gaze away from her.
"We will end the meeting here" The king orders.
He stands up and leaves the room.
Later on, Lady Isabelle and other ministers also stands up and bow down in the respect of the king.
After the king leaves, other ministers start to leave too.
Duke Vladamir and Lady Isabelle is together, leaving the palace and currently there are walking in the corridors of the palace.
"My lady, can you tell me, why you were giggling?"
He asked feeling amused and as if it was something entertaining.
And he needed to know the plot.
"The ministers just told me a really funny story"
Isabelle's lips curled up in a smirk. Her eyes glittering in excitement and joy.
"Story?, my lady"
The Duke Vladimir questioned in confusion.
"Are talking about the fire"
His blue eyes staring down at her.
"Yes"
She gave a light nod.
"I will call you on tea, what do the grace say? We will talk about this there?"
"I will be honoured, Lady Isabelle, so when are you calling me?"
He stopped his steps and his eyes sparkled in excitement that Isabelle invited him in her castle.
He thought,
'Finally'
"I will write your grace, a letter"
She too stopped her steps and turned around to face him.
"I will be waiting for your letter, Lady Isabelle"
He leaned close to her, his breath hot on her soft skin and his eyes staring at her pink lips.
Which she opened to say,
"I will take my leave, my grace"
Duke Vladimir watched her retreating back and mumbled to himself.
"One day, Isabelle"
In the moving carriage.
On the way back to her Castle.
Joseph is sitting opposite to Isabelle.
"Do you know why I kept Andrew in my room, Joseph?"
"Of course, no my lady, but I do guess something bad had happened"
"Yes, The monsters, ghouls and many all came together, surrounding my castle"
"When, my lady"
"When Andrew was in a eternal sleep, I think he opened some kind of portal to another world"
"Then with the help of his body, the demon's wanted to leave this world and wanted to enter another"
"Yes, Joseph, because of the shield you made around the castle, really saved the day"
"My lady, I do have a question?"
"Yes Joseph, ask me"
"Why I fell sick after that kid's Incident?"
"Hmm, I do have the same question, it could be that his powers are kept seal and that's the reason of your sickness"
"My lady, I did not get you"
Joseph asked confused.
"Andrew don't even know why he feels so familiar towards you and without his notice he is sucking away your powers"
"Then, this means that his powers are sealed somewhere and so his body will bring or make a new power inside him'
"Yes, Joseph, you got it right"
"These woods are so beautiful, they have large leaves, anyone can hide in this unknown woods" Isabelle is looking outside the window.
"Joseph, The palace is very big, the king might have some trouble finding his way, why don't you give him a lookout"
Joseph makes a fist and place it on his chest and gave a light bow to Isabelle, he stands up from his sit and opens the door of the carriage and then jumps out from the moving carriage into the woods.
A evil smile appeared on her beautiful face, her lips curled up in a smirk.