The Echanting Duchess

Chapter 21: A Stubborn Woman and a Foolish Man

"Ha, recovering quite well? I must say you're quite funny, my wife," said the duke with humor and sarcasm in his voice. His unscrupulous and carefree character was now back. Gone was the serious and dangerous one.

"It is not in my intention to jest, duke. But if you find that funny, then do as you please," Atallie calmly replied.

"Ha, you are really a stubborn one, aren't you? Keeping up a strong front yet your appearance could not even be paler," Duke Calex said. His tone was deep, mocking, and sharp.

"Whether I'm stubborn or not, it has nothing to do with the duke, don't you think so?" Atallie raised her head and met the duke's penetrating gaze with her cold yet glinting amber eyes.

Silence stood still inside the room.

And for some reason, the duke's temper raged up the more calm and still the duchess appeared. Because of this, the duke's aura subconsciously stirred and surrounded the entire room, making the atmosphere heavy and stuffy.

Duchess Atallie already sensed the sudden shift. It was so sudden that her pitiful and currently weak self fell victim involuntarily to the assault of the merciless aura, making her uncomfortable and her already messed up condition was even stirred.

"Cough!" The aura was merciless and sudden that Atallie almost spat out blood. With her head down while holding her breath and trying to force the blood back down, she could only silently endure the pressure and the pain.

Goodness! This fool!

I'm already so weak and here you are flaunting your exceptional strength!

Atallie could only utter such words in her head while trying he rest not to glare at the foolish duke.

"Cough!" Atallie let out another cough. If this will continue, might as well just faint right here and then.

Duchess Atallie could feel her strength rapidly losing. But before it finally ran out, Duke Calex who was too preoccupied with his thoughts and messy mood, finally get back to his senses after hearing the second sound of coughing from Atallie.

His thick yet sharply pointed eyebrows furrowed as his face became dark.

"Woman! See how stubborn you are! Pretending to be strong yet you're already coughing like that!" Duke Calex dissed. But he was already on his feet and shortly arrived next to Atallie.

Atallie looked up and saw the duke already in front of her. Then, in just a blink, she was swept up from her seat. Before she could even utter a word, Atallie found herself being carried in the duke's arms. Her usually cold and indifferent eyes shook and a different glint seemed to gleam underneath those beautiful amber orbs. Nevertheless, her body reacted and she wanted to push away the duke.

Duke Calex clearly saw what Atallie was trying to do. But upon seeing her initial response, his rage lit up even more. "If you move further and I hear you speak a word, see if I won't throw you out in annoyance!" he said, gritting his teeth as he looked down at Atallie who was just about to retort.

Because of the sudden shift in the duke's mood once again, the poor Atallie fell victim to the tyrannical aura once again. This time, she was directly hit as she was being carried by the duke.

No one knew what exactly Atallie was currently feeling and thinking about while being in the arms of the duke before the darkness fully engulf her as she lost her consciousness.

Inside the duke's study room.

The three men were once again gathered and were now even seated together.

Duke Calex was glaring at the lazy-looking man with long black hair and deep black eyes with a mystifying aura around him who was almost horizontal on his seat.

"What's wrong with her?" Duke Calex sternly asked the man.

The man who was dressed in all black with a bold blue cape glared back at the duke and said, "Your Grace, if you want to torture me, just give me a mission or send me back into the wilderness! What are you even thinking about making me diagnose someone whom I could not even read nor touch? If it was not to question my ability, what is it then?" Sebas, the duke's wizard spoke in annoyance.

"What do you mean? You still found nothing wrong with her?" Duke Calex asked. His index finger rhythmically tapping sharply against the table.

"Nothing, Your Grace," Sebas answered with a straight face. He was actually bothered by this situation. However, no matter how bothered or curious he was about the situation around the duchess, he could not and would not touch any of it without the permission of the duke.

"What's her condition now?"

"Her Grace passed out. Your Grace already knew that she was currently so weak and sick yet you never intended to control your raging aura around her," Sebas said with a sneer. "She is sleeping now and will probably wake up tomorrow," he added.

Duke Calex glared at Estian. But he knew that he was in the wrong this time. He truly failed to control his aura while he was being frustrated and angry towards the duchess unknowingly.

But realizing one's own mistake was better than hearing someone boldly pointing it out at your face.

In the end, Duke Calex has just let Sebas go. For he knew that it would just be a waste of time for him to argue with the eccentric wizard.

Now that the issue about the duchess' health reached an impasse wherein they could only observe and see what could happen, Duke Calex's thoughts turned to another issue that still needed to deal with.

"Estian," Duke Calex turned to the still and quiet man seated across Sebas.

Estian, the good butler of the duke's estate, upon hearing the duke called out his name became more alert, anticipating whatever that the duke might need from him.

Looking at the handsome yet stern-looking face of the duke, which was becoming more hard and cold at each passing breath, Estian could tell what the duke might be asking from him.

The atmosphere inside the room became stiff and heavy as the silence descended in the midst of them.

Only the rhythmical tapping of the duke's finger on the table could be heard. They were sharp and crisp, only adding to the severity of the current atmosphere.

The duke's aura was also changing, becoming more ruthless.

But when the atmosphere was just about to be suffocating enough, both Sebas and Estian saw how an unusual glint quickly passed through the deep and dark eyes of the duke.

With his tone, low, deep, and grim, Duke Calex finally spoke, "Tell me, what's with the man named Del."

And that was how the usual quiet Estian almost made his tongue and mouth numb from talking and answering every query and question of the duke about the so-called best friend of the duchess named Del. All his written reports were not for naught as they also came useful to satisfy the duke. Even his personal opinions and observations were squeezed dry for the contentment of the duke.

Sebas excused himself in the middle of the narration and reporting, thus Estian was left to suffer alone under Duke Calex's brutality.

In the end, Estian had to drink cups of cold tea after speaking nonstop for far too long.

Duke Calex only let him go when he could not speak any other information anymore.