The Duchesses

Chapter 61 : Meeting Anastasia

The House of Smith is on fire, as their Duchess went missing after returning from the Imperial Palace. The Duchess has never done this before, as she is never the impulsive one, to begin with. However, everyone lost track of her, even Lord Apollo.

So they decided to keep this fact among themselves, not letting the news of the Duchess going missing for losing her mind and not getting chosen by the Emperor. Although, that is not the case.

Lord Apollo knows about the engagement news spread all across people already. So, he waits by the house until midnight, thinking the blonde woman might need alone time. But, if she isn't coming, Apollo will find her. Even if he needs to face Duchess Medea and asks her.

The blonde woman he is looking for is sitting next to Countess Hera as they stare at the moon. Duchess Natalie came in a gloomy face that Hera couldn't understand over what happened but soon recovered back when the ruby eyes met with hers. The Countess might be oblivious to some things, but she is attentive to someone's body language, especially about feelings. She empathises with people more than they could have known.

That's until she decided to ask what was going on delicately, not wanting the Duchess to push her away. The Duchess of Light couldn't deny it, slowly asking Hera to not freak out over some incident.

"Emperor Atticus used his absolute authority to arrange a marriage between Medea and Ares. So we can't do anything but to oblige about it," Natalie finishes her words as the emerald eyes fill with multiple feelings at once.

"Is it because of me?" the emerald eyes, blaming herself for what happened.

The Duchess of Light lets out a small chuckle. Hera must blame herself a lot for that. She is probably mad because she is helpless as well as the others. In her mind, she is the start point when everything went to the south this time.

"No. No one blames you for what happened. You aren't the wrong one and never will be. It is one of Ares' schemes to gain his purposes," Duchess Smith said, looking at the emerald eyes and patting her head.

The emerald eyes turn her gaze from the moon to the woman next to her. All of her life, she had never seen this side of her. The soft look of the ruby eyes, which she always sees in coldness. Strangely enough, it kind of reminds her of certain amethyst eyes. Both women are the same, yet different at the same time.

However, it is different for tonight. The ruby eyes are dim in the moonlight, her gaze on the moon full of sorrow and longing as her usual rosy lips are paler than usual. She looks out of her routine, although she puts a tough facade in front of Hera.

"Do you love someone, Lady Natalie?" the Duchess, tense a bit at the sudden question; however, she chuckles bitterly at it.

"Why are you suddenly asking that question?" Duchess Smith tries to avoid her question.

"I am curious. People said you love Ares, but you don't look at him with love," the emerald eyes continue to look at Natalie's side profile.

The Duchess of Light nods at her explanation, humming over it.

"Yes," she simply said.

The Countess draws nearer to Aurora as she breathes in the cool night air with her eyes closed. But then Aurora thinks about the woman she loves but can never have: a wonderful person Aurora knows she can never be with. Besides, who is she, anyway?

She is a girl who accidentally entered this world and landed in the body of her best friend, who promptly falls in love with her. But, of course, it doesn't help that there are two men in the world: one psychotic and obsessed with her, the other loyal to the point that he would die for her.