Ginny felt goosebumps break all over her body, as she hurriedly retreated. In fact, she would have run out of the room if not for Keith closing the door behind him, to add to the injury he did it with such an innocently apologetic expression that Ginny couldn't even bring herself to say anything.
F*ck, get her out of here. She wasn't the one to lose control of her emotions, nor did she like cursing or saying vulgar words like the one she just said right now, after all, she was a noble lady through and through, even if she was exiled but right at this moment, she wanted to scream and rave.
She knew that the Duke of Terranova was a crazy bastard who cared about human lives as much as he cared about the ants walking on the ground of his territory but this was seriously too much! He actually severed the head of a maid? Just like that? No wonder Greta had such an awkward expression when she said that the maids who were hired were fired a few days ago.
So, this was why Madam Regina laughed so much when she heard Greta say that the maids were fired.
All of them knew that this crazy dog chopped his maids like he was chopping carrots and onions! Ginny had tears in her eyes but she couldn't even bring herself to cry, she was afraid that her tears that became pearls when she cried would attract that mad hound's attention and who knows maybe the next head that might roll on the ground will be hers?
"It's alright," Greta whispered as she pulled Ginny who was trying to look for an escape route like a cornered rabbit in the den of a big bad wolf. " The duke doesn't punish anyone without any reason, these maids must have done something to deserve this."
Deserve what? Being beheaded at the prime of their youth? And what exactly did they do wrong? Did they fold the mattress on the wrong side of the bed? Or did they leave a corner that wasn't mopped properly? What crime could be so big that he actually killed them?
"This is why I hate women," said a cold and grating voice that was all too familiar, the sound of the blade of the sword being dragged on the floor echoed in the room causing Ginny to shrink her body into an even smaller version of herself. Why did Leilani didn't know that the duke wasn't only a crazy mad dog but also a man who hated women with all his guts?
As the man who was hidden in the shadows emerged Ginny felt all the air escape out of her lungs. Because the man who was standing at the centre of the room was none other than the man whom she called a —— jerk.
It was destined! Today her head was going to roll on the ground as well! She silently wept and prayed that Leilani would have enough humanity in her conscience that she will take care of her father.
The duke raised his sword and tipped the chin of the black-haired maid trembling on the ground with the tip of his sword. " Why are you trembling? Did you think that you would have been fine after trying to poison me? Shouldn't you have known this better than anyone that I am immune to all poisons?"
Ruined makeup, and messy hair like a bird's nest, the maid looked up in shock. It was clear that she had no idea about this little information. The duke looked at her shocked expression and chuckled, " You really are the stupidest of all, did my brother tell you that I wasn't immune to Carinatus poison that's why you brought this one here, right?"
The maid didn't speak, she just stayed put trembling like a little pup that was going to be devoured by a wolf twice its size. " You are a step too late, I recently developed an antidote to this and took it, and now it does not affect me. I knew that my dear brother wouldn't sit still after his last failure, and see was I not right?"
" My lord, I did not…"
" Shh," said the duke as he raised his sword and carefully dragged it along the side of the maid's face making her scream. " I hate women who lie, especially who swagger in front of me with a face that's full of deception yet pretends to be full of devotion."
Ginny sucked in a breath as she unconsciously took a step back, though the duke wasn't saying those words to her. She felt like they were a wake-up slap to her face—— she too was here on the premise of deception, to win the trust of the duke and steal those books….if she was found out, would she be the one who would be dragged like that black-haired maid as well?
Because she wasn't watching where she was going, she stumbled as her back hit the big vase that was standing in the corner of the room and fell with a loud smack, which was followed by a loud scream. Stunned, Ginny swirled her head around and saw that the tip of the duke's sword was now digging into the eye of the maid..but that wasn't what caught her breath, it was the duke… his silvery eyes were glowing red because of the mana that was flowing in his body, the anchor-shaped earring that she remembered was today replaced with a cross one.
His rings glinted in the dark blue flames that were burning in the holders and his gaze was locked on her like a predator.
He straightened up and pulled the sword out of the woman's eyes before parting his lips and rasped, " Midnight, lunch."
As soon as he said from the top of the stairs where sat the throne four and five wolves descended, heading straight to the maid who was trying to drag her body away in a futile attempt to save her life.
The leader of the group of wolves took the lead as it circled the maid taunting her to move faster, the latter shivered and tried to crawl out of the room when the biggest wolf lunged at her ——
But what happened after that she couldn't see because her vision was blinded by the tall figure that came to stand in front of her. Ginny raised her head and her gaze met with those silvery orbs that flickered with such smugness that she wished he could slap him before running away.
Because she had a feeling that if she didn't run away, her head will be rolling around the floor.