Ink: Living Life as Serena Gleis

VII: Duchess' Fall and the Duke's Regret

"Where have you been?" The Duke's voice echoed through his office. As usual, I am kneeling infront of him.

I still haven't totally overcome the old Serena's habits and response so hearing the Duke's raised voice still makes me tremble.

"I-I just wanted to take a walk, your grace." I responded. My body won't let me look up to him, instead, it forces me to look at the ground.

"I'm kind enough to let you wander to my manor, you ungrateful bastard." I am sure that he is pissed. But why tho? It's impossible that he's worried about me.

"Rise." He ordered.

I stood up quickly, finally having a sight of the Duke. He is looking at me intently, from my feet upto my head. He stood up from his chair and walked towards me.

"I ordered the servants to treat you better, how come you still look like garbage?" He asked. For the whole month he was away, I never had a proper meal. Noelle serves Caspian now so no one brings me food, I have bruises here and there though they aren't that noticeable as the maids and the Duchess are smart enough to hit me where it'll not show. On the top of that, I am severely underweight, my body is too small and thin for my age.

"Are they neglecting you?" He asked, his voice right now more aggressive than ever. My body won't cooperate with me. My knees instantly fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry, father. Please forgive me." This wasn't me. The old Serena is acting up again. The Duke's eyes softened......

Am I seeing things?

This is impossible.

The softness in his red blood eyes went away in a millisecond. Maybe I am just seeing things as there is no way that this evil man has love for his daughter.

"Answer." He ordered.

"I-I haven't had a proper meal since you are gone." I said, truthfully.

The Duke did not utter a single word and walked towards the door of his office. "Follow me." He said. I complied and followed him.

We went to the great hall of the manor, he sat on his throne-like chair and I stood beside him.

"Call every single soul in this damn house." He ordered Pierre, his right-hand man. Pierre bowed and left. After a couple while, all the servants are here, as well as the Duchess, Emyr and Caspian.

"Oh my, what's these all about dear?" The Duchess asked as she sat beside the Duke.

"I ordered you all to take care of my daughter, didn't I?" He calmly said but his eyes tells a different thing, it's pooling with rage and bloodlust.

And daughter? 

Where did he go and changed the way he thinks of me all of the sudden? I am just a bastard in his office earlier and now I am his daughter?

"How come she never had a proper meal since I was away?" He said, his voice are getting louder.

"Dear, aren't you overreacting? Let me hand—" The Duchess tried calming him down but he stopped her talking.

"This is your only job but you failed to do so." The Duke said coldly. The Duchess are shocked, I mean everyone is shocked. The Duke was known to be crazily inlove with the Duchess. So, this behavior of the Duke to her is new.

"Behead every servant present." The Duke ordered.

No.

I looked at all the servants and they started kneeling, begging for their lives. I saw Noelle too.