Darkness' Touch

Chapter 24: A morning inside the Arkwright Household

"Why are you still standing there?" Duke Alton looked back at her with his stern gaze which snapped her back to reality.

"Right." she hurriedly followed the older man. 

The door of the study opened and she was greeted by the figure of the man standing on the side of the entrance. It was no other than her personal knight, Clerivan, who stood there like a statue as if he was a dog guarding a treasure.

It took him no less than a second to notice them and respectfully bowed his head. The Duke just gave him a nod of acknowledgment before continuing to walk.

"How long have you been standing here?" Avy asked him, raising her brow, she even took an effort to sneak out so that he would be able to sleep a little longer and he still ended up going back to his duty so early in the morning.

"An hour, Mi'lady." he answered

The lady just furrowed her brows at him, he was standing there for an hour without moving yet he still look like he can take down a bear. She brushed off her thoughts and went after her father, the knight walking behind her.

Meanwhile, in the dining hall, the two young boys were already seated on the chairs, waiting for the arrival of the Household's lady. They were, of course, informed about the Duke reaching the estate the night before but they weren't really expecting him to join them since taking Ciel's words, his father is the type of person who tends to skip breakfast to finish everything he has to do. 

The sound of the dining hall's door opening was a signal for the two that someone entered, they swerved their necks to the direction of the entrance with bright smiles, getting ready to greet Avy. But the first face they saw belonged to the last person they were expecting to come, the Dukedom's head, Duke Alton.

"Good Morning, Your Grace." the servants bowed their heads as they greeted the Duke politely. 

"W-welcome back, father." Ciel stammered, he was completely caught off guard by his arrival, and so was the Prince. 

"Why are you not eating when you have the food in front of you, Ciel? Your Highness?" the Duke asked sternly as he sat down on the end of the table, looking at the two boys who were sitting next to each other, their food still untouched.

"We were waiting for Sis-- for Lady Avy, My Lord." Light answered.

"I told you not to wait for me every morning, you idiot duo. The food is getting cold." Avy intruded with her knight, startling everyone with her sudden remark. 

"Did Raux cook the dish he promised to make?" she asked her maid who was also inside the dining hall, Mariel went straight to help in preparing the hall after reading the note that her lady left, saying that she will be staying in the Duke's study for a while. 

"Yes, Mi'lady." Mariel replied, referring to the whole roasted chicken that Avy requested during her training as a reward for her running for hours on the training grounds under the scorching sun. 

"I figured he was a man of his word, but this is beyond my expectation." Avy happily settled down on a chair near her father where the plated chicken was, she looked at the lavishly prepared dish in front of her and didn't mind the stares that everyone was giving her.

By everyone, that includes the Duke who was looking at her with blank eyes. Was she always this cheerful whenever she eats? He then glanced at the two young men who just started eating as if they were already accustomed to seeing Avy act like that.

"I was not aware that you love chicken so much, Avy." he stated.

"It's just normal that you don't know everything about me, Father." Avy responded, taking her eyes off the chicken and shifting her gaze at the Duke who was quite surprised by her answer.