Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"..." Arden blinked as he did not understand it was a sarcastic comment or he was serious! The man who had even called him for work in the middle of the night was asking him to take a leave, not for a day or two but for a week.

"My lord, I have already apologized. Please forgive me!" he pleaded as he was sure that his boss could not be this benevolent.

Leo frowned, which word of his told Arden that he was asking for an apology.

"I do not need an apology. I just want you to apply for a week of leave right now and just vanish. If I come to see your face before this week ends then I will throw you out of the palace forever!" he grumbled as he let go of the man and turned to leave.

Arden blinked a few more times as he looked at the leaving man with a shocked face.

Now he could only wish that his boss was telling the truth and would let him work after a week.

Leo turned to look at the door once again. It had already been twenty minutes since she had gone. Did she not need to eat? Then why was she not here yet!

"Would you stop staring at the door? Even a lover will not stare so much at his beloved!"  muttered Evelyn as she rubbed her forehead and shared it with Leo.

"What does it have to do with you? Why are you in such a bad mood!" Leo stared at his sister who was behaving strangely. She looked like she would beat anyone whom she would see.

"Why? What did I say? No one likes me even if I open my mouth. Sometimes I feel that I am not the real daughter of the family as no one loves me or takes me seriously!" she muttered as she took a deep breath and stood up from her seat.

"Since that is the case, then I better stay away from both of you!" She gave one last glance to her siblings and left from here.

"What is going on with her? Why is she so angry?" asked Leo as he tilted his head and looked at the leaving figure of his sister and then turned to Eli who was looking confused too.

"I do not know. But it is the high time that i should know!" she spoke softly as she stood up and followed Eli.

Leo frowned as he looked at both of them leaving and shook his head.

"Phew, I am finally here." Before he could stand up and talk to them, Evan came in with hurried footsteps.

"See i am not late, i have managed to come here in less than 20 minutes." she took a breath of relief as she sat in front of him and then looked at the empty seats.

Leo's gaze instinctively went to the sand watch in front of him that had already been empty for a while indicating that it had already been more than an half an hour. But he flipped it and filled the watch again.

"Mmmm" his eyes scanned the sand that started to fall again and the girl beamed.

"See! I have been trained to follow your time now." she replied with a proud voice like a kid who had got good marks in the exams. Her big animated eyes looked at him as if she was waiting for his praise.

"Hmmm, you did good!" He felt strange as he had never praised anyone before, so he did not know how to do so.

She felt like he was being stingy with his words too, but at least, he had not passed any sarcastic comment to her, so she would still take it as progress. With that thought, she beamed but was surprised to see the empty seats again.

"Where is everyone?" as far as she remembered they always have their meal together. Except the aunt who had started taking her meals in the room and did not come out ever since the incident with Aurora had happened.

"They are busy! But I am here to give you company!" He stretched his lips and tried his best to form a warm smile on his face as he looked at her but all she felt was goosebumps on her skin!

"..." she only saw two kinds of smiles when it comes to Leo.

One that was full of disdain that says, "you!"

And the second that was full of evil, that says, "you are going to die!" but the smile he had on his lips right now was different but at the same time scary that she felt like all the hair of her body rose in alert form.

"What.. What is it?" she blurted out as the fork fell from her hands and she stared at him with alert eyes and he frowned.

He was passing her a gentle and warm smile as she liked. Then why was she asking like he had announced her death punishment!?

"Nothing! Just finish your meal. So that we can leave! We are getting late!" she nodded her head and bowed it to stuff all the food in her mouth.

But in reality she was trying to avoid his face that had strange expressions today. She did not want to get in trouble.

He waited for her to look above with a warm smile on his face that his muscles started to turn stiff but the girl was so busy digging food that she did not spare a single glance to him that soon turned his smile into a scowl.

All the nerves of his forehead started to pop as he looked at her and in the end he could not help but scold her,

"Evangeline! Are you a pig! How much are you going to eat! It has been so much time yet you are still eating! Did you forget that we have to leave in half an hour?"