The Duke of Whishipper

Chapter 1: The Lady's funeral

Lady Rina Whishipper passed away.

The young spring's sun rays peeked through the clouds, despite the blowing winds carrying the last pulse of a blistering winter as it casted a cold hue on the mansion topping the Whishipper estate. It seemed lively, bustling with movement and sounds of spoons hitting teacups however, the color that dyed the attendants' clothes was a miserable black that uttered the name of that meeting. A funeral.

Lady Rina's death has claimed its arrival since a while and was expected as well as more than enough to draw people's attention, nobility or not, in 'Matinor city' for a long period. However, currently, it was not the topic of the four maid's conversation up the stair's hallway, gossiping in shouting whispers.

"That was out of the blue."

"Do you think it's a scam?"

"It might be. We cannot be certain now. Although it would be questionable if it turned out to be true."

"I wonder if the Lady knew and hid it."

"Hey, do not throw assumptions about the late Lady!"

"I did not mean to however....Poor young master Eliot! I cannot help but be concerned..."

"The will has not been announced yet. We have nothing but our imagination until then."

"Ha! The crowd of greedy relatives who rushed at the Lady's death bed to secure a seat down at the hall are biting their nails for that will. I doubt any of them is grieving but simply long to snatch their share and be off."

"I would rather if they bit the dust. Be it a scam or not, I am thrilled to see them suffer with contempt due to the presence of the last guest."

A maid nodded in agreement before hesitantly asking.

"Do...you think he spoke the truth?"

The flow of their conversation was cut by a sharp voice.

"Who are you speaking of?"

The maids froze in place, their gazes shifted toward the woman heading from the appear floor. The Head of butlers, Ms.June was an elegant lady with steady steps and a sharp voice, nonetheless, the bags under her eyes and her pale tired face betrayed her condition.
The passing of Lady Rina, her dear friend, had a huge impact on the old Head of butlers. Not to mention how hard she had to work for the funeral, the pain of losing her dear one weakened her.

The looks on the maids' faced turned to worry at her appearance, and one called.

"Ms.June, you should rest. We will take care of things here."

Ms.June smiled tiredly, shaking her head.

"It is my responsibility. I have to deal with the guests personally."

Throughout the period Lady Rina uttered her last breaths, Ms.June took it upon herself to deal with those relatives reeking of fake sympathy and greed. They wore gentle smiles and played on grieving gazes to win the favor of the kindhearted Lady. Until the soul left her body, they perfected their roles to secure a share.
Ms.June could not interfere with the Lady's will however she could stop her relatives from passing their limits.

Ms.June asked sternly.

"Now tell me, who were you speaking of?"

Ms.June caught glimpses of the conversation and assumed it was about the relatives' opinion of the will. She thought about the latter passingly. Whether the Lady had answered her relative's wishes or not, it was known that a great share of the fortune would belong to young master Eliot. Judging by either relativity or sentimentality, the boy was the closest to her in the family. Lady Rina adored him like her own son.

'It might be for the best," did Ms.June think before looking at the hesitating maids. They uttered no word for quite the time, prolonging an uncomfortable silence, until one of them spoke, unsure of how to start.

"He uh...There's a guest who arrived lastly and introduced himself, claiming he had evidence of his identify. He said he is...'Duke Whishipper'."

"What?!"

The maids flinched at the old women's shout. Ms.June was terribly shocked. A terrible terror dyed her complexion as she mumbled.

"Impossible...it cannot be...the contract did not mention that..."

"Ms.June!"

A maid supported the Head of butlers and helped her sit. The woman had a paler face, much worst than when she heard about the death of her dear friend. The maids were puzzled by her reaction. Clearly, she was horrified. They had a shiver run down their spines to her reaction that a fool could see through. However, they had not the time to think through it before Ms.June collected herself, her previously shaking pupils focusing and confusion crept on her complexion. As though a sudden idea crossed her mind, Ms.June asked with suspect.

"How does he look like?"

"You need to rest fir-"

"Just spit it!"

The maid's words were cut by an order, spoken with all patience and calmness lost from Ms.June's words.

The maids, who spent the past thirty minutes serving the guests, had thrown gazes at the last comer thoroughly studying him up and down. Without another second of hesitation, they begun describing in a row.

"He is a youthful man, possibly in his late teens. He has a terribly pale white skin, almost sickly as a corpse's."

"He has a mole beneath his lips to the left. It stood out because of his skin."

"He has a wavy ink dark hair covering his neck but does not reach his shoulders. His eyes...How to describe them?"

"They are yellowish green like a pair of glittering Heliodors."

"Oh lord! It cannot be!"

The maids were startled to silence by the Head of Butler's words.
Ms.June lowered her head and mumbled. It took them a few seconds to understand her terribly low shaking voice.

"He returned...? He returned..."