Chapter 22: Would it be a wise decision?

Orville’s POV:

As soon as I let Kara escape from her first intense encounter with Tilin, she stormed inside my room and closed the door behind her with a loud ‘thud’. When I averted my cold eyes on Tilin, I could vividly see her dark brown pupils burning with rage, which was solely fixated on me.

“I had always thought that you detest having those black slaves near you, Grand Duke. Then could you explain, what she was doing inside your room, behind the closed door?” She asked in a scary low rumble, walking a few steps closer to me to close the distance between us.

But I turned my face away and took a sip of cold water while trying to control my tone as I spoke to her, “I believe, this is not what you may have wanted to ask me by coming here, Tilin. You may speak now.”

It seemed as if Tilin noticed how I quickly changed the topic when she implied Kara again. Her face darkened with anger before she howled at me, “You’re right. This is not what I had wanted to talk about. Then, I will come straight to the point now.

“How far will you go to avoid me, Grand Duke? I have already known for quite some time that you consider me a pushover, but…will you go as far as escaping from your room so that I cannot come to see you? Don’t you think you’re being too cruel to me?”

I could vividly sense the desperation in her tone which made me a bit irked now, when the memories from last night flashed on my mind!

Turning around, I met her gaze and sounded stiffer than usual, “I had already told you countless times before, that you shouldn’t try to invade the boundary I have built around me. Yet every time you do that, and when I urge you to stop…like always you blame me for avoiding you, Tilin. You know, that’s been always the problem with you!”

Probably this was the first time I had answered her in this crude tone, that made her eyes teary when she whispered, trying to walk closer to me, “I know I am being brazen…but I have always loved you with all my heart, Grand Duke. I know I shouldn’t say this to you especially when you were once married to my dead sister, but…I don’t think I can control my feelings anymore.

“Both Raphael and Arnold love having me around here, so if you could just give me a chance…I would love to dedicate my life to you…Grand Duke…”

Gazing deep into her tearful eyes, I could sense the sincerity in them. But I could never feel anything for Tilin, no matter how hard she tried to persuade me…especially after I knew how dangerously her obsession revolved around me.

So I tried to hurt her deliberately with my question, “Then, to win over my heart, did you consider drugging me last night?”

Immediately her face quickly changed color, turning pale from shock. Her orbs rolled big, and keeping a brief silence, she muttered, “D-Drug? What are you talking about?”

“Bethem brought the wine to me which you had sent through him last night, and just after having one glass, I got severely drunk! The burning sensation in my body was making me suffer, and I was even struggling to breathe! Strangely enough, I had never been drunk before from a glass of wine in my entire life, so why yesterday?”

Hearing my harsh rumble, Tilin stood awestruck for a brief moment before tears oozed down her cheeks. She started weeping, covering her face with her palms while trembling, “I…I can’t believe this, how could you put such an awful accusation on me, Lord Orville? How could I ever put you through so much trouble, when…I have always loved you deeply! How could you trust me so little?”

Honestly, I didn’t expect such a reaction from Tilin. I thought even if she had tried to drug me, she would furiously try to oppose my allegations, but now watching her sob bitterly had started to make me guilty.

Tilin bore quite a resemblance to Dilin in her facial features, and now watching her cry made me feel as if I was doing something unfair to my dead wife.

When I moved a step closer to her, she retreated a few steps back and started crying even harder, “Is that why you ran away from your room last night? You already labeled me as a culprit before even asking me if it was true or not…is this how much you hate me?”

“Calm down Tilin, I didn’t mean to make you cry.” From her tone, she sounded quite hurt which had started to make me feel even more guilty than before. I walked a few steps near and patted her shoulder, to console her, “The wine was sent from you, so I had fairly assumed it must have been you who attempted to drug me…but I know I should have thought about it more rationally. I am sorry…”

“Then…how did you spend the night all alone?” Sensing my touch, she moved close to me this time and asked in a curious tone, while looking into my eyes. “It must have been a really hard night for you if you were drugged, isn’t it so?”

“I…endured it with my willpower.” Without having any choice, I lied blatantly while averting my gaze from her. “I am alright now, so, you won’t have to worry for me, Tilin. And I am sorry, I can’t reciprocate your feelings. I also apologize for doubting you before…”

“I am already tired of your rejections…but if you’re truly sorry to me…then I have a request.” Tilin gently wiped her tears and held my hand without lifting her gaze off me.

“Let me stay here in the manor for now. It’s also the place where my beloved sister had spent her last years of life. I truly miss her…so at least if you let me stay here, I will feel more at ease with Raphael and Arnold around me.”

Hearing her plea, I stared blankly at her for a few seconds. Initially whenever she had requested me this, I had always bluntly turned her down. But now, when it was my fault to doubt her without any proof, I had no spare choice but to agree, “Alright, you can stay.”

Even though she gleamed with happiness from my answer, my heart was filled with concerns rising inside. Would it be wise to let her stay here when my life is at a fateful crossroad with Kara? And if she isn’t the culprit, then who had tempted me with that strange drug last night?