Chapter 20: Why is she smelling like him?

Raphael’s POV:

“Lower your voice, Raphael!” But without a flinch, Arnold met my fiery gaze with his pair of cold eyes, sounding very curt from his tone.

He clenched my arm that was grabbing his collar, before he growled back at me, “Don’t forget that you are still talking to your elder brother! I can’t believe it, you raised your arm at me for a worthless black-slave girl like her? Why are you so bothered about her after all? She’s just a black slave gifted to Dad by Her Majesty, so what is that making you so concerned for her?”

His brazen grumble rendered me speechless for a moment, as I couldn’t figure out, how could he not possess the slightest compassion towards a defenseless weak girl.

Indeed I was in the same class as Kara, but before I could recognize my actions, my eyes used to follow her around from afar. Her soft smile, and strong determination to prove her worth had caught my attention for a long time.

But how could my twin brother be so different from me? Instead of protecting someone vulnerable like her, it was the second time he dared to take advantage of her misery…and I couldn’t let it subside anymore.

I unleashed my hold from his collar and grumbled with a sad sneer, “Right now, I feel remorseful to have an older brother like you, Arnold! Since we were young, we were taught to be chivalrous towards women as the children of Grand Duke, but…I didn’t know you would rather choose to become a sickening assaulter…”

The bitter sneer on my face irked him to the extent that Arnold tried to argue with me deliberately. But I moved a few steps back from him, before growling aloud, “I will find Kara anyhow, but from now on, don’t even dare to go near her. Consider this as your last warning, Arnold. Because if you disobey me this time, I am going to tell Father everything about what have you done with her yesterday…and I am sure it won’t end with a lighter punishment this time.”

“Hey, Raphael! You are going too far now! I don’t understand why are you being like this for a black-slave!? It wasn’t entirely my fault, she took off on her own when I had clearly asked her to stay inside my room!” He shrieked at me, trying to express his vent towards my decision.

But I didn’t want to waste a single minute anymore.

Despite Arnold calling me from behind, I rushed out of the room aimlessly, with my thumping heart filled with concern. My eyes returned to their usual form and color, but my heart wasn’t calm at all.

While I had deliberately wished that she had run away from this place, I didn’t have the slightest clue that Arnold would try to do something so awful to her!

First I started looking inside all the rooms on my floor, and even rushed down to the first floor, to check inside the servant rooms as well. When I thought about that powerful drug that could make her lose control over her body, a deep fear dawned inside me.

What if Kara had run outside the manor and fallen into the hands of any vicious criminal? What will I do now if it’s already very late?

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

Suddenly my feet halted when my Lady Mila’s rang as an echo in my ears. I felt a shiver crawling down my spine when I lifted my head to gaze up at the 4th floor where Dad’s room was located.

My heart wasn’t prepared to think of such an exaggeration, because I knew I could have complete faith in my Dad. He never bothered to have any side-affairs, nor he ever bothered to look at any other woman after Mom passed away.

But now, I couldn’t understand, why did I felt the extreme urge to go and check on the 4th Floor once, before heading outside the manor.

When I hurriedly rushed upstairs this time, holding my scared and anxious heart uptight, the sight ahead of me froze me in shock! Kara was walking slowly with limping body language, from the direction of my Dad’s room. Dolled in a good quality linen white dress, she had a white scarf wrapped around her neck.

Her face looked a bit plump and exhausted, but she rather seemed very calm compared to what Arnold tried to do to her last night! But why was she coming from the direction of my father’s room? Perhaps, was it Dad who rescued her last night?

With countless question roaming aimlessly in my mind, I rushed towards her in the speed of light. She didn’t seem to notice me arrive first but when I reached closer to her, my steps suddenly halted again, sensing a familiar essence.

Wait… Why was Kara smelling like my Dad’s favorite shampoo?