Chapter 18: Floating Rumors!

Raphael’s POV:

“Young Master, did you hear the rumors floating inside the manor?”

Lady Mila’s words startled me a bit when I was grooming myself in front of the dressing mirror. After our mother passed away when we were only 10, Lady Mila, the elder maid of our manor after Head Lady maid Martha, took great care of both me and Arnold. She equally cherished both of us, but I grew a bit exceptionally attached to her more than Arnold after my mother’s death. I knew she was one of the few persons in the manor whom I could trust completely.

Her words made me turn my face around as I muttered to her, “What rumors?”

“Well,” she was changing the curtains of my room, but pausing her work she gulped and made a surly expression while speaking, “There has been a strange rumor circulating among the servants and guards of the manor since this morning.

“A newly hired young maid has claimed that she has seen the Grand Duke carrying someone unconscious wrapped in a blanket from the unused 3rd floor storeroom to his bed room in the early dawn. It might be…Master’s secret lover…”

“What?” Her words stirred a gush of anger inside me.

Both I and Arnold had to witness Mom succumbing to her lonely death without having her father by her side even during her last moments, only because of giving birth to twin beta sons, instead of an Alpha heir to continue the lineage.

My mother was a strong-hearted woman, and even on her deathbed, she had asked me to look after Dad, perhaps she used to trust my rational judgment more than Arnold who’s usually more impulsive than me.

But when Dad returned to the manor from the news of her demise, I had seen him mourning from painful regret. It was hard for me to forgive him at first, but years have passed since then.

As I observed his sincerity towards both of his sons, I felt to know my father, the Silver Duke Orville who was set to be the next Alpha of our pack wouldn’t even bother to glance at any other woman, no matter how they approach him. I believed, perhaps, this was his only way to atone for the wrongs he had committed against my mother.

But now hearing the corrupted allegations on his puritan-like character, I felt quite triggered. “Who the hell is spreading those groundless rumors against my Dad?”

“Please calm down, Young Master!” Lady Mila quickly handed me a glass of water as if she was observing my face had reddened from anger.

“I believe they must be just groundless rumors, Lady Martha has already badly scolded that maid, and I believe she will never run her mouth again unnecessarily. I am sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uneasy, Young Master. I do know well how Master has always fulfilled his duties towards his sons as a liable father. There’s no point in doubting him at all.”

“Be careful so that such disgusting words won’t get outside the manor, Lady Mila. I won’t let anyone tarnish my father’s reputation.” I scowled, exhaling a few heavy sighs to calm myself down.

After a brief silence, I lifted my gaze outside towards the garden hut visible from my room window, while asking her, “Lady Mila, have you seen that black-slave since yesterday?”

“Black-slave?” She scrunched her brows and shook head with her disgruntled expression, before she answered, “Why do you even bother yourself about that lowly black-slave? No, I haven’t seen that young girl anywhere, maybe she’s been roaming outside the manor yard or something?”

Even though warm sunrays were glistening outside, the temperature was still freezing, making me worry about Kara, if she actually had survived such a cold night!

It has been after a year when fate led me see her again after she had suddenly dropped out of the class one day. She was quite a meticulous student, somehow I used to admire how she would always beat my score in the Spanish lessons.

I don't know how to define these emotions…but there wasn’t a single day when I didn’t think of her when she suddenly dropped out of the school.

But, shall we call it an ironic twist of fate that we met again, but this time she was a wolf-less weak black-slave gifted to my father by Her Majesty.

Yesterday I was already disgusted by Arnold’s actions when he tried to assault her, but Father came back in the perfect timing before I was about to do something to stop him. When she was sent outside as a punishment in the garden hut, the first worry that struck my mind was how would she survive such a freezing night with such thin ragged clothes.

Unable to stop myself, I even rushed to give her a warm blanket which could help her, but the hut was empty, and the doorknob was broken. It further worried me thinking where she could have possibly gone, but a part of my heart keenly wished, it would be even better if she could just run away from the manor.

Even though I was almost awake for the whole night while chit-chatting with my aunt Tilin, I couldn’t stop thinking about Kara.

“Hey, Raphael?”

But a sudden familiar voice retrieved my senses back as I saw Arnold was standing at the doorstep of my room. His hairs were a little messy, and bearing a tensed expression, he signaled Lady Mila to leave the room with his fingers so we both could talk alone.

“Raphael, have you seen that black-slave anywhere from last night? Her name’s Kara…right?”

His sudden abrupt question took me aback, as I asked him with a stiff tone, “Why? Why you are looking for Kara, Arnold?”