20~ The Duke's Flippant Nature

[Celia's POV]

The duke was smiling as he gazed down at her, while she stood there, dumbfounded and stock still because what else could she do? What else could she say? She was too shocked because this was so unbecoming of someone in his position.

"Why are you always going places where you should not be?" He asked. Celia's hands were pressed to her chest and she could practically feel her heartbeat as well as the rapid pounding of her heart.

The duke's hands were on either side of her head, trapping her from leaving. Celia tried to push farther back, as much as possible. The stone cold wall, seared against her back, her sweat-slick skin making it harder for her to stay still.

"I am waiting for an answer, Miss Heart," he said when she failed to respond.

Celia gazed up at him, this close she could see the black flecks in his blue orbs, the hint of smoothness of his skin, and a sick palor to the texture. She could smell a sweet scent coming from him and it made her feel light-headed.

"I…" she croaked out when she realized that she had been staring too long.

"You were practically running down this hallway and had Artemis not alerted me then you would have been in danger, do you know that?" He murmured and for some reason, she couldn't feel his breath on her.

'Ah, Celia that is not what you should think now.' She chided herself.

"I… I saw someone, I know," she replied finally but averting her gaze. She turned to look at the far end of the hallway that was immersed in darkness and then looked at the other side, and realized how long she had run.

"And whom did you see? Because no one lives in this part of the castle." There was a hint of intrigue and amusement in his tone.

Celia did not know how else to answer so decided to tell the truth. "I apologize for assuming, Your Highness. I saw someone that I knew, that is this woman went missing a week ago. She used to be a baker, but now no one seems to remember her."

The duke stepped back, and Celia felt the coldness that he left. She looked at him, startled. She was uncertain if he looked angry or surprised because she could not decipher from his slightly wide eyes.

"Miss Heart, do you think I would invite just anyone to this Ball?" He asked, completely taking her off-guard.

"What? No…I…" Celia trailed off and shook her head. "I did not mean that."

The duke stepped closer again and this time he was closer than he was before. She could see the anger in his eyes, the thin line of his reddish lips.

"I would appreciate it if you honor and follow the protocol of being a guest. You should not forget your pace, Miss Heart. Am I clear?" He said and his voice had suddenly lost all the humor. What just happened? Why was he so angry?

Celia was chastised nonetheless and nodded and bowed. Well, as far as she could without touching the duke in any way. "I apologize profusely. I… I should have been less reckless. I will reflect on my behavior, Your Highness."

By the end of it, she was trembling because she knew the consequence of being on the wrong foot with such a person.

"I hope so. I did not expect Doctor O'Neil's woman to be so errant, though," he said, stepping back and the lightness in his tone had returned.

Celia looked up at him, shocked. "What? No… you are wrong…"

She bit back a gasp when he hooked his fingers under her chin and tilted her head so she was looking at him. "The necklace, Miss Heart is not any ordinary kind. He knew what he was doing when he gave this to you."

Her heart pounded, both from the information and from his touch. His fingers were cold, not icy cold but as if he had been outside without gloves.

"I do not know why he has chosen you, but I expect you to uphold his reputation." He let go of her and Celia swallowed, realizing that her throat had gone dry. His eyes narrowed slightly before they went back to normal.

She wanted to say that whatever he was thinking, whatever was being implied was not true. Lucian might have some fondness for her but it is out of mere kindness. She knew there could not be anything to their relationship because of her gory secret.

"Come back after some time, and I do not want this conversation to reach Doctor O'Neil's ears. Am I clear?" He asked, the tightness and iciness in his voice was back.

Celia nodded, feeling something heavy settle in her chest. She was not sure why. "I…I will keep this in mind, Your Highness."

The duke did not say anything further. He turned back and left her to ponder on the conversation in that dark and cold hallway. Celia heard his steps retreating and she stared at his back until he had disappeared into the ballroom. She slowly sank to the floor, now thankful for the support of the wall. She couldn't seem to calm her thumping heart as she mulled back on whatever happened.

However, she did not get to think over the duke's words and actions for much longer as she heard Lucian's voice. She gazed at him, almost running to her until he was kneeling in front of her.

"Celia? What happened? What are you doing here? Vla- the duke told me that you were here." His eyes moved rapidly over her face in concern.

'Here is a man who cares for me, who gave me a piece of jewelry which might be invaluable and hold more meaning than I have imagined,' Celia thought bemusedly.

He reluctantly touched her shoulder, unlike the duke who hadn't thought twice before invading her personal space. The thought of this man being so kind to her made her heart flutter.

He helped her stand, and belatedly she realized that she was shaking.

"Let us leave now. It is getting late already," he murmured, sounding annoyed.

Celia did not know what else she would do at the Ball anyway, so she gave a dazed nod. She held onto his hand as they walked down the hallway but then she heard―

"Celia...…" She stopped in her tracks.

Someone just called her, right? It was…

She turned around to see Mrs. Jonathan standing at the far end of the hall, visible even in the darkness. Her mouth was agape and her eyes big and bulging.

"What happened?" Lucian's voice made her jump. She blinked and confusedly turned back to see the older woman who was still standing there. She looked back at Lucian who had been looking in the direction of her gaze, but by his expression, she could tell that he was not seeing the older woman.

"What happened?" Lucian asked again and Celia knew she must have shown some kind of expression because she was slowly realizing that maybe whom she was seeing was not a human but a spectre.

"Let's…let's go," she said shakily and almost dragged Lucian out from there.

'This can't be… I thought I stopped seeing them ages ago,' was the thought she could only think as they stepped back inside the Ballroom.