"You have returned?" Duke Alexavier inquired, his gaze fixed on the Duchess as she entered the room.
"You? Why are you here? I specifically declined your request to enter," the Duchess retorted, her anger simmering beneath the surface.
"And I declared that no matter how vehemently you refuse, your heart yearns for my presence. So here I am, fulfilling your unspoken wish," the Duke replied, a playful glint in his eyes.
"This is not my wish, nor will it ever be," the Duchess spat, her voice laced with venom.
"Why this anger, wife? Are you perhaps afraid that a moment of gentleness might spark love for me?" Duke teased,leaning closer.
"Gentle with you? Don't jest, Duke! Such a thing is inconceivable!" she scoffed.
"Because I haven't forgotten the year I spent locked away, starving and parched, while my husband lavished attention on the princess," she hissed, her eyes flashing with bitterness.
