"Don't worry, nothing is happening, you just need to train with James in secret, because he is known to be dead from now on." He said smiling at James, which that made James had goosebumps.
"Hahahahahaha, I always liked that thought, but are you really going to kill me now?" He asked leaning towards the duke, which that made the duke smirking, the duke leaning towards him as well, Eleanor gulped in fear, the killing tension was so high.
"Don't worry, not yet, but maybe soon." He leaned and whispered into his ear. "We will both die." James widened his eyes, the duke was the most powerful knight in the imperial, no one could take him down not even James, James was surprised to hear that and leaned back on his seat looking at him.
"Then it means it's time to be serious again?" James asked again, but this time he was angry but still smiling.
"W-wait wait, what is going on? Serious again? Serious about what exactly? Father, please share this information with me too, if it is about them, I want to know it all. Please share it." Eleanor asked but her eyes were widened and serious, the duke sighed and smiled.
"Yes, it's about them, I think we got finally a lead to who might be behind all of that, I already confirmed it back at James's house. So, if we entered his house back then, we would be already dead." The duke explained, she relaxed her face and nodded.
"I see, so they were the same people that were behind that night." She clenched her fists which it made it bleed.
The duke sighed and grabbed her hand, making her hand relax.
"It's okay soon enough we will capture them. But you need to be trained first, by everyone in my crew, we already made half of them, I learnt you, now it's James's turn and then him." The duke said relaxing his body on the carriage and smiling at Eleanor.
"Wait hold up, you mean HIM?" James asked with a questionable look. The duke just nodded.
"But you declared him dead, if you go to him, he will get so mad, yup that's it I'm not coming with you." James just started to shook his head while he crossed his arms in his chest.
"He won't be happy when he sees us again, not at least if we can explain, but he won't listen at all unless it's someone else." James looks straight at Eleanor. Eleanor looks at him in terror.
"What the hell? If you two are so scared of him then why are we going there?" Eleanor asked looking towards the duke furrowing.
"He will help you become another person in a matter of time." The duke said as he leaned back in his seat and the carriage stopped. The butler opened the door and grabbed Eleanor's hand, after Eleanor got down, she turned and looked at the duke.
"Can I bring Maddie and John with me, when we go and visit you father, father?" The duke looked at her, he got out and looked at her.
"That is a must, of course they are coming with us." Eleanors face brighten up and started smiling.
James looked at them and smiled.
"Stop spoiling her so much. She-"
"Stop nagging my father, then maybe then he will listen to you." Eleanor shouted from afar giggling.
"Her and her attitude." James said laughing angry. The duke busted out laughing.
"But seriously, are you sure you want to send her there?" James asked as they both walked towards the estate.
"I don't have any other choice, they will go after her soon enough, they are the emperor's dogs, and Martin is one of them." He said as he clenched his jaw. James looked pissed right now.
"Do you have a plan?" James asked the duke. As they entered the estate, all the maids greeted the duke and James.
"Prepare a room for James, and prepare the training grounds." The duke commanded. The duke turned towards James and looked him in the eyes deadly.
"We need to teach her all the defenses that she needs so she can protect herself, we have to put our soul on this matter." James just listened nodding his head.
"Then we need my sister to help too." James said as he grinned.
"Wait, you mean HER, but she is busy with her children, right?" The duke asked, but James shrugged.
"If I would say your name, she would come with the children." He began laughing, the duke thought for a second then there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." The duke commanded; James just grinned at the thought of the duke being already high in status.
"Hello father, mister, I have to speak to you with some matter." Eleanor said as soon as she entered.
"What does concern you, Lea?" The duke answered, she held the posture of a knight, she was about to talk and the duke didn't let her talk.
"Sit down Lea, you're not here for the duty." Eleanor nodded and sat next to James.
"So, there was a letter from the imperial palace, they will hold a ball, so we were invited on the last minute. But before thinking of anything I thought about a plan." The duke looked Eleanor confused.
"A plan? A about what?" The duke asked, James as well straightened his posture and leaned towards the table.
"Well, we were talking about the imperial dogs earlier, so I thought that what if they know that I'm still alive and they are watching me closely, so we go in there like we don't know anything, but we secretly keep an eye on them" She looked towards the duke with serious eyes.
"Continue." He said interested.
"Then I will go outside for fresh air, they might follow me behind so I take one or two of them out, then I will come inside and look for James and tell him to get rid of them, so I go and search any clue that there were them that tried to kill my mother, take them and return." She said as she leaned into the couch.
The duke just stood there analyzing everything she just said. James was amazed by the plan that she just made.
"It's a good plan, I won't lie, but are there any odds?" The duke asked leaning towards the table resting his elbows on the table.
"Odds you say, well there are two odds, the firs one is that the prince will be there, but the second one is that, the general will be there." The duke widened his eyes.
"The prince you say?" The duke asked as he looked over at James and smiled.
"Don't give me that creepy smile." James said as he shivered.
"Why not? You know what's about to happen." James stood there, after some minutes he beamed from happiness.
"Hohoho, finally, so we are not going to the gramps." He said laughing.
"No idiot, we are going to grandfather." The duke sighed rubbing his eyes.
Eleanor busted out laughing, James just stood there confused.
"No mister, we are going to grandfather, but what father meant was that it was time to get more serious than before." Eleanor was holding her stomach from the laughing she did.
"At least she understood, but either way we need to be ready for the worst-case scenario." The duke said as he got up and called for Maddie.
"Yes sir, did you call for me?" The maid said as she bowed her head.
"Yes, I did, call the best seamstress and a seamster." The duke commanded and she bowed leaving.
"Father, what if I propose one more plan?" Eleanor said as she stood on her feet.
"Yes, of course you can." The duke said turning towards her.
"What if-" She stopped midway.
"What's the matter?" The duke asked approaching her.
She stood there without moving until the duke shook her, she came to her senses soon after.
"Are you okay?" The duke asked her with concern in his face.
"Ah yes, sorry about that, I thought someone was at the front door in the yard." The duke widened his eyes and went to the window looking, there indeed was someone trying to sneak inside.
"Well done, Lea, I don't know how you are so good at noticing these things." The duke said as he took the sword and put it on his torso, opened the door of the office and went outside straight to the front door.
"Noticing what?" James asked confused as Eleanor went to the window.
"Footsteps mister, if I concentrate, I can hear them about to a mile away." James stood there shocked.
Im so sorry for the delay, work has been pretty busy lately!