Angelus Carduus

Chapter 25: Family

Not far from the empire, there was a large high class mansion.

Loud footsteps echoed through the mansion before bursting the doors open.

"Dear, did you hear about some rumours?!" a middle aged woman with a high voice asked, her heels clicking against the marbled floor loudly.

A middle aged man looked up to his wife and nodded. A frown formed on both of their faces.

"Valeria is still alive?"

"Yes and it seems that her relationship with the duke is even better now."

The man rubbed his temple, "The doctors already estimated that she should be dead by now. Why is she still alive?"

"I don't know but dear maybe we can still convince her!" the woman said optimistically but the man sighed at her suggestion.

"What is there to convince? Years ago she already disagreed and even threatened to cut off ties with us if we didn't comply with her."

"But..."

"We can't do anything about it but we can still continue with our usual option we have been doing for years now." the man added on, not letting her speak.

The woman's eyes lit up after hearing his words. She walked over to him and pressed a big kiss on his cheek,

"You're right honey! We can still do that! Valeria always agreed to it as well."

The woman then clapped her hands, "Oh! Why don't we visit?"

The man smiled at her and nodded, "I'll schedule it so in a few days we will go to the duchy."

-

"Your Grace!" Myra burst into her office as she was checking the monthly usage of money in the duchy.

"What is it?" Valeria asked, not lifting her head up from the reports she had been looking through.

"There's a letter for you and it is from your family!"

"Family?" Valeria furrowed her brows, finally looking away from the reports and on to the letter Myra had in her hands.

She took the letter from Myra and cut the letter open. She unfolded the letter and read through the contents of it.

The frown on her face never left even when she finished reading the letter. She suddenly felt annoyed by the letter but she didn't know why so she ignored it.

"My father and mother are coming in a few days." Valeria said, folding the letter back and tossing it aside.

She stood up, slowly so she wouldn't feel dizzy and stretched her body.

"I will go tell the duke now." Valeria muttered and left her office.

She walked to where Aelius' office is and knocked on the door. The door opened and revealed Lucius.

"Oh Your Grace! Are you here to see the duke?" Lucius asked cautiously.

Valeria nodded, "Yes, I need to tell him something."

Lucius' eyes widened, "..Tell- tell him something?"

"Yes."

Lucius fidgeted a bit before letting her inside. Valeria saw Aelius mumbling quietly to himself as he signed a stack of documents.

"Aelius," she called out and immediately she got a response.

Aelius stopped everything he was doing and looked up. His dull eyes before this now had a small shine in them as he got up from his seat and walked over to her.