7 #07-Sylver Cielo's Secret

Hearing Ruby Alasdair's words, Sylver Cielo froze. 

He gave Ruby a murderous look and let go of his arms around her waist. Then, Sylver took out his sword and pointed it at Ruby's neck. The sharp tip of the sword made a scratch on Ruby's white neck and made it bleed. Even so, Ruby didn't scream for help or anything like that. She wasn't afraid either. 

This is her father's mansion. Sylver was a rational man who would not kill a Duke's daughter in the Duke's own mansion. So, what Sylver is doing now is just a form of threat and intimidation from that man to Ruby.

No one knows about Sylver Cielo's secret. To protect the people he loves, Sylver always does anything, even the most extreme things. When he married Elaine Scott, the daughter of a Marquess from a neighboring empire, no one in the Graziano empire knew about it. Sylver deliberately married secretly at Marquess Scott's mansion, in the Bliss empire. 

Only Emperor Graziano and his Empress were present at the wedding. Also some of Sylver's close friends including Hanz. Sylver was forced to carry out the marriage in secret because he didn't want anyone else to know. The man had many enemies who wanted to kill him. If anyone knew he was married, had a wife, or even a child, Sylver was sure that all his enemies would make his wife and child his weak point.

When Elaine Scott had to die giving birth to Theodore Cielo, Sylver Cielo felt like his world was collapsing right before his eyes. The man felt devastated. However, he promised in front of the dead Elaine Scott to always love and protect their son. Emperor Graziano also decided to introduce Theodore Cielo before the nobles as his nephew, not the son of Sylver. He said the child was the illegitimate child of Sylver's Father who was the Emperor's cousin. 

Sylver's father, Duke Bertrand Cielo, had no problem with this. He is quite sorry for the suffering that Sylver had to face and is willing to do anything to support him, even if it means destroying his good name for the sake of his grandson's safety. Meanwhile, Sylver's mother, Duchess Eva Cielo, has long passed away.

"How do you know about that?" Sylver asked in a very cold tone.

Ruby swallowed hard. There was no way she could say she knew about Sylver's past because she was the one who created that man's past. Ruby took a deep breath and pointed at the sword stuck to her neck.

"Before I explain, wouldn't it be better if you moved your sword away from my neck first?" Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "So that I can be calmer when I speak before I bleed out from being injured by your sword."

Those words made Sylver freeze and his purple eyes focused on the bleeding scratches on Ruby's white neck. For God's sake! Sylver didn't realize that he had hurt the Duke's daughter. 

"I—"

Ruby waved her hand and walked toward the table beside the bed. She opened a drawer and took out a white handkerchief from there. The woman might look calm but in her heart, she was cursing all the harsh words she had ever known while living in the modern world. Her pink eyes focused on Sylver again.

"I was there when you married the late Duchess Elaine in the Bliss empire."

Ruby's sentence made Sylver freeze again. He clenched his jaw and looked down. How could he miss something like this? Ruby even knows about Theodore. That means the woman in front of him knows a lot about the secrets of his life. Dammit! How could Sylver expose Theodore to danger? What should he do? Should he kill Ruby to protect Theodore?

Ruby was silent. Her eyes scanned Sylver Cielo. The man must be panicking now. In his head, there must have been a plan to kill her because the man saw her as a threat. Ruby sighed. She would die in two years but that didn't mean she was willing to be killed by Sylver Cielo to speed up her death. Hell, she even wanted to change her fate of dying at the age of twenty-two!

"Don't kill me."

Sylver blinked and looked up. He could see Ruby standing while looking out the veranda of her room.

"What?"

Ruby glanced at Sylver. "You intend to kill me, don't you? No matter if you say that you are interested in me because I am very different from the rumors you heard about me, if it is for the safety and peace of life of Theodore Cielo, you will kill me."

Sylver was silent. Ruby Alasdair was much sharper than he thought!

"I will die soon so let me live a little longer."

Sylver froze. "What do you mean?" he asked sharply.

Ruby was silent. She approached Sylver and stood right in front of him. The woman had to look up to meet the Duke's eyes. Then, Ruby smiled faintly. A smile that looks very sad and tired. Sylver swallowed hard. Why is that woman making an expression like this?

"I won't tell everyone about your son whose identity you're hiding," Ruby said, changing the topic. Sylver groaned in annoyance upon realizing that. What did Ruby mean when she said she would die soon? "He is your little brother you just found, isn't he? Your father's illegitimate son, nephew of Emperor Graziano. I will think like the other nobles regarding Theo's identity." Ruby stared firmly at Sylver. "But, don't ever get involved with me or bother me again."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes." Ruby nodded firmly and pointed at the Duke's handsome face. "And I won't hesitate to spill the beans about Theodore if you dare bother me again."

Sylver's hands clenched tightly at his sides. "What if fate brought you and me to meet? What if fate gets me involved with you or something? I can't control things like that, Princess Ruby!"

"If that's what fate wants, then I can't do anything either," Ruby said. She sat on the edge of the bed. "But, as much as possible, act as if you don't know me, Duke."

Sylver took a deep breath and massaged the bridge of his nose. His plan to find out and get to know Ruby Alasdair more actually turned against him. The man glanced at Ruby who looked down. The woman pressed her neck with a white handkerchief she took from the drawer, making Sylver gasp. She knelt and took the handkerchief from Ruby's hand.

"What are you—"

"At least," Sylver said, cutting Ruby off. He looked up and his purple eyes stared directly into Ruby's pink ones. "Allow me to treat you because I'm the one who hurt you like this."

Ruby blinked and looked away. Then, her pink eyes widened. She looked back at Sylver, making the Duke frown.

"Princess?"

"Is Theo planning to go for a walk this afternoon?"

"Yes." Sylver frowned even more. "How did you—"

Ruby immediately grabbed both of Sylver's arms. "Stop him!"

"Yes?"

"Your son! He is in danger!" Ruby stood up from the bed and ran out of the room. She ran down the hall of Alasdair's mansion looking for Richard. Behind her, Sylver also ran.

"What do you mean, Princess?" Sylver asked in a voice shaking with panic and anxiety. His mind suddenly went blank because of the information from Ruby. The woman's attitude was very strange in the Duke's eyes. "Princess!"

Ruby ignored Sylver and opened the door to Reynold's study with a hard push. In the room, Reynold and Richard jumped in surprise.

"Ruby?" called Richard and immediately approached his little sister.

"Brother, I need your help!"