Chapter 26: Permission

The two lovebirds did not notice that the door was not locked as they were floating in their own world. But the actual reality hit them when Juliet's grandma saw them in an oddly entangled position on Juliet's bed.

"um-hmmmm….. . Care to explain what you both are doing?" Selena spoke from a distance near the door.

Duke immediately stood up from her bed and bowed his head down saying,

"Sorry ma'am, I stepped over my boundaries. If you are angry with us please punish me, she is innocent."

Selena entered Juliet's room and sat on her bed. Juliet was embarrassed to be witnessed like that by her grandma, but she still said to her, "N-no granny, please don't scold him. I was the one who ….."

Duke interrupted saying. "No ma'am, I am at wrong."

"No granny…." Juliet again urged her grandmother.

Selena was already surprised to see them like that. It would not be a wrong thing to say that she was a bit disappointed at Juliet. But right now 'the never ending saga of taking the blame over me' was making her more annoyed. So, she shouted at both of them and said,

"SHUT UP YOU BOTH!!!

AND DUKE GET OUT OF THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW!!!! UNTIL I GIVE YOU PERMISSION DON'T SET FOOT AT MY HOUSE EVER AGAIN!!!"

Juliet has never saw her granny this angry. She knew that what she did hurt her deeply. But everything happened so suddenly that she never got the chance to say her anything.

But before Duke went out of the room, he placed the medicine and food in front of Selena saying,

"Please make her eat this ma'am, she did not eat anything from last night and I am truly sorry for my sins."

He left the room after he apologized one more time.

"N-no, D-duke wait.... granny please.... d-duke...!!!"

"Granny….." Juliet left a whimper as the tears escaped from her eyes.

" I -I am sorry granny.....

I-I couldn't say it to you before but h-he really is not the one who should be taking the blame..... I am at fault..... be-because..... I LOVE DUKE." After pausing for a minute she said again..." I am sorry granny that I was the first one to fall in love with him..... i-i am really sorry.... So, plea-se granny... I b-beg you please.... Don't make Duke leave me.... I-I beg of you..." Her sobbing crossed the threshold level and she started crying very hard.

Selena was not that angry to begin with but she reacted like that out of utter disappointment. She never stopped Juliet from doing anything, even she is not like those reserved and conservative old people, she always gave Juliet freedom and behaved like her best friend rather than a guardian. But even after doing this all for her.... she couldn't became more than a grandparent to Juliet. That wounded her very deeply. Her little Juliet hid something this big from her made Selena question her own principles. Selena was not against their love but she felt betrayed by both of them. Duke was an outsider so, she does not expect much from him but Juliet, she was her own grandchild, so, she never expected something like this from her.

But after watching Juliet's state, her true love for Duke, her guilty state, Selena hugged her and patted the back of her head.

"It's alright, it's alright, stop crying. I am not going to punish anyone here. I-I am just too much disappointed that you hid this fact from me for these long. Last few months, I saw you became very sad sometimes and suddenly becoming happy at the next moment. I watched your mood swings carefully. It's not like I did not guess that you may have going through a rough patch of your life but I could never imagine the reason could be Duke."

"I'm sor-ry gr-anny.... fo-for not te-lling y-you t-this... I -i pro-mise I-I will ne-never d-d-do it again.... so ple...ple...please...." Juliet uttered the mumbled words almost choking on her tears.

Selena patted her back again and gave her a glass of water saying......

"It's fine.... it's fine I am not opposing you two so, stop crying now. You will not recover but get more sick like this...You are hiccuping already... " Selena hugged her again but Juliet was still sobbing in her embrace feeling uncertainty.

"Now look up, look up, let me see how much you look like a puff fish huh?" Selena lift her face and saw she was looking like a red tomato with puffed eyes and red puffy nose. She wiped Juliet's tears and placed the back of her hand on Juliet's head while saying, " you still got the fever, hurry up, eat this and take the medicine. I woke up when I heard some noise from the kitchen. So, eat first then go to sleep. The fever will go down with time."

Juliet ate the porridge and took the medicine. Selena tucked her under the blanket and switched off the light.

Then she came downstairs in Duke's room. But it was closed from outside. She knitted her eyebrows together as she went outside of the house.

There was a sitting bench made of wooden logs at the opposite of the house, Duke was sitting there drooping his head. Selena went there being all calm and composed. As soon as Duke realized a presence of other person there, he looked up.

"I am sorry ma'am" he said while standing in the blink of an eye.

"Do you know what you did was wrong?" Selena asked with a deep voice.

"I know ma'am, I am sincerely sorry for what happened. But…."

"But what?" Selena asked as he paused in the middle.

"I do not regret falling in love with Juliet. I am sorry for falling in love with her first... I was out of my mind to reach for her but I do not regret any of that..... That would be the last thing in this world I would consider as wrong." Duke said dropping his head down towards her.

Selena was relieved to hear these things from him. She smiled in her heart thinking, 'You both said the same thing though'

She thought that inspite of their actions, one thing is true for sure and that is their love for each other is real.

"I do not intend to restrict you guys from being in a relationship. But…. If you make her cry for even a split second in the future, I'll be the first person you'd confront with so, mind it." She said this to duke while pulling his ears.

"I will never make her sad, I promise ma'am." Duke replied instantly.

"And one more thing, Do not call me ma'am anymore. Call me Grandma." Selena smiled after saying this.

"Thank you ma'a… no grandma." Duke hugged her while she patted his back.

"Now go back inside. Though I made sure to fed her but I am certain that she isn't asleep yet. So, go and stay by her side. She became very lonely after her parents' death; I am glad that she found someone in her life to live under the light again." The happiness brought tears in her eyes.

Duke thanked again and ran inside the house.

"May your blessings shine their life....." Selena prayed to the God in a whisper. After all this love story was really and solely depending on him......

My exams are finally over so hope to upload more..... thanks for waiting 🥰... and sorry for this long Break...

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