Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"Do you not trust me, Eli?" the words stung her heart like it was stabbed by many daggers. She felt the bleeding. She had only loved him and trusted him all her life. And look what she had achieved by that.

Even her stone hearted brother was concerned about her since the royal family had announced the marriage between the crown prince and the princess of the southern kingdom. Yet the man had the audacity to ask her if she trusted him.

"There is a thin line between trusting someone and turn blind eye. I am not blind, your royal highness." she replied as she looked straight into his eyes. The flare in her eyes was telling Andrew that she would not give up and would not accept his any excuse or reasoning.

"Eli, i want to tell you something." he started and she raised a brow. She looked above and blinked her eyes a few times and then looked at him with a calm face.

"I am listening to your royal highness." He looked at her with hesitation. The emotional Eli was better to talk to even when she was getting angry at him. He knew that she was showing her true emotions. But he had no idea what was running in the mind of blank Eli who hid her emotions well.

"This is not the right time. You have to trust me and accept my decisions for now. I will.." ha! She wanted to applaud him. He was asking her to trust him yet he was not trusting her even a bit.

But what could be the matter that he was looking so grim? Was it related to their marriage or the princess? The sudden announcement to marry the princess of southerning kingdom was suspicious though or was she just thinking because she still hopes in her hearts. No! She shook her head. She could not be weak for her family. She would not let her emotions rule her mind.

"My lord, your subject completely trusts your rule. You will be a great emperor." She bowed her head and replied formally not to her fiance but to the ruler of the empire and Andrew knew that he had lost the battle of hearts. But he was not ready to give up. If she would not agree then he would force her but will marry her no matter what!

Before he could say anything, they heard a commotion and saw a knight bringing Blaze into the garden.

Eli frowned as she looked at all the nobles collecting in a corner.

"If you excuse me, my lord. I have to check what the commotion was about." Andrew sighed but nodded. He knew that they were not going to reach a conclusion even if they argued all the time.

She bowed her head again as she left while he continued to sit there for a while. It took him a few minutes to collect his thoughts. He had never thought that he would lose Eli. In the past years whenever he got the training of being a better ruler, she always stood by his side as she trained herself for being a better empress too. She was like a shady tree where he could get rest whenever he felt tired.

In the nights when he jumped the wall and reached her chamber, they spent all nights sitting on the roof while counting stars and planning their future. While dancing formally in the royal parties, he often urged her to run away in the garden and she always shook her head as she wanted to fulfil her responsibility.

He had always called her stiff and strict and that she was a rock who did not know how to be emotional or enjoy. Yet she was the only one whom he went to whenever he felt alone and she was the one who handled his every tantrum.

Taking a deep breath he shook his head. Why was he even thinking about all this. He would make sure that she would stay like that with him in the future too either willingly or non willingly.

He stood up as he looked at the commotion. He was sure that it was caused by that young girl.

"At least, there is someone to amuse me so that I do not feel pain. I wonder how all the nerves of Eli popped up whenever she looked at this troublesome girl." a smile bloomed on his lips as he mumbled this. He had not taken a step further when a knight jumped from the tree.

"Your royal highness." He raised a brow as he looked at the knight who was kneeling with one leg in front of him.

"My lord, the younger sister of the lady, was trying to listen to your conversation. She even tried to climb the tree to come closer but failed miserably." Andrew blinked but then laughed heartily when he heard that. He could imagine the fuming Eve trying to climb the tree while cursing him all the time.

"It is alright. You do not need to guard against any member of Thawne family. They would never harm me." 'even if they cuss me and glare at me all the time.' he added in his heart when he remembered the red face of Leo and Eve when he had asked for talking to Eli privately.

"Your royal highness, did it include the new girl who is announced as the future wife of Sir Leonardo Thawyne?" Andrew turned silent when he heard the question.

Through the eyes of the girl were clear and she looked harmless he knew better than anyone that it could be a deception. While ruling the nation with his father he had learnt to not trust anyone easily. So, he shook his head.

"I want to know each and everything about her as soon as possible. And I even want to know why she was announced as the new duchess of the Thawyne family."