Haven And Chaos

60) Being the Archduke

***6 chapters away from the end of book 1****

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GALE'S POV
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The cold shower woke every sense in my body, reminding me that this little vacation was stretching longer than it should. I had to get back to the city and take care of other important cases before I was summoned in the palace.
I wondered why the edict had come this soon. It said that the matter to be discussed was extremely important and had to go there as soon as possible.

I had a bad feeling about this.
I wasn't one to give in to my gut feeling, yet, somehow, I could feel the dread spreading through every part of me.

I sighed, temporarily deciding to forget about it and enjoy the moment.
My eyes fell on my and immediately, images of Maya sucking it a while ago flashed before my eyes. She had taken at least three-quarters of my dick, all while glaring up at me so sexily.

Was that how she looked when blowing other men?
My chest tightened at the unanswered question. 'Maybe I should run a check on her previous partners,' I told myself. 'Only for safety reasons,' I convinced myself. Making it sound acceptable and wasn't at all digging into her sexual life out of my curiosity.

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"We caught the collector, my Lord," Chris informed.

I sipped my coffee and continued staring outside. Staring at the redhead busy weeding the flowers in the garden. She was still as clumsy as before, getting dirt on her face.

"Where is he?"

"He's been delivered in the barn as planned. What should we do with him?"

I took another sip. "Make him confess everything. It'll be good if you leave his face intact. I don't like a bloody face in my court."

"What of the baron? Should we arrest him? He is sure to send someone to retrieve his collector."

I eyed Chris, telling him to use his brain without saying the words. He bowed. "I'll tend to it right away."
I gave a little nod and threw my eyes back out but the person I had been watching was no longer in sight.
I frowned moving my gaze from one spot to the other, looking for Maya. I had taken my eyes off of her for a few damned seconds and she had already hid.

Was she waiting for such an opportunity to escape me?

I heard myself laugh, half amused and half mad. "Don't be so smart my dear fawn."

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Her hot scowl bore holes on the side of my face from her intense glare. I didn't need to look at her to see it.
"Why are you so hostile to your employer? You do know I can fire you for such a bad attitude?" I taunted her out of boredom.

"Tsk!"

I shot my eyes at her, surprised by her boldness. Did she think that just because she was on her periods I'd go easy on her?
She was lucky that I was in no moods to deal with her attention-craving mood swings which might have been fueled by her current phase.

"Why are we going?"

I smiled slyly looking at her. "To kick out a dog."

She paused and thought for a moment but didn't lessen her glare. "And why are you taking me along?"

"You're quite chatty today... And why should I not? Have you forgotten so fast of that favor you asked for?"

The displeasure in her green eyes dulled before she looked away, evading my sharp gaze as I reminded her that at the end of the day, she needed to get on my good side if she wanted any favors.
"It's a free show, so why are you so worried? Not like I'll drag you out here to kill you. That would be such wasteful."

She didn't complain anymore during the rest of the ride.

As the car entered Syra town, the glaring difference in infrastructure compared to that village was like water and oil. Even if he had used the funds to develop this town, it still didn't excuse the fact that he was suppressing numerous villages to fatten his pockets.

I glanced at Maya and caught the relaxed and dazzled expression she had on as she stared out the open window. One that she never wore when facing me.

I had the urge to pull her closer and ruin her mood for no reason, but we were now in public and I was entering this town as Archduke Gale. And the astonished eyes falling on my official car reminded me that I had to act as the leader they feared and respected.

Ten more minutes and the car drove through the majestic golden gates which were held open by my men. According to my orders, his residence had been raided and every possible evidence seized from the account books to every last penny in his safes. His businesses weren't spared either. It was a total crackdown meant to shut this case and set him as an example.
From him, more selfish houses would be investigated and I'd make sure those bastards paid as much as they took.

The car halted just outside the pillars of the baron's porch and my door was quickly opened by Chris.

"Do you want to come out or do you wish to stay in the car?" I asked unbuckling.

But Maya remained quiet and I didn't force her to get out. She'd still have a great view from where she sat.

"My Lord," Chris greeted bowing. And so did everyone in sight. Gawd! I never got used to these gestures no matter how many times I experienced them. Not forgetting the fake pleasantries from people who just wanted to slice me into pieces.

I stepped out into the warm afternoon, feeling 'kindhearted' for no reason.
"My Lord?" Someone yelled desperately, drawing my attention to the three people kneeling on the porch with their hands cuffed behind them.
The staff stood a distance, watching helplessly while being monitored by my guards. "My Lord! I have been framed! Please seek justice on my-"

I darted him a scowl, frustrated by his fake innocence.

Rolling up the sleeves of my blue shirt, I walked over to the family. "Hello there."

"My Lord," the baron bowed, almost smacking his forehead on the rough floor. "My Lord, please, spare us. We don't know why we're being-"

"Here we go again," I sighed squatting. "Hey?" I lifted his head by his chin. "You say you've been framed, right? Then tell me, who did it?"

"I...I... It must the Count Victor. He always wanted to have control over this town."

I wanted to laugh so bad.
"Since I came all the way here to carry out this investigation, then I must be colluding with Count Victor, right?"

Fear took over his eyes, making them enlarge to almost explode. He quickly cowered away from me.
"This... How dare I slander the archduke?"

"Come on Dad! Do you think we'll be spared even if you roll in the mud begging for mercy?" His son spoke up with some confidence. His tone said a lot more than his words did. He sounded tired of everything.

I smiled glancing his way. "You're a smart kid. Filial enough to hide your father's sins, yet grown enough to realize that there is no escape from this."

He just glared at me for a while before looking away.
My eyes came back to the baron as I rose. "Hand over the baron seal willingly before I extract its location from your very bodies."

As soon as I uttered these words, the baroness began sobbing. "This is your fault!" She screamed at her husband. "You greedy pig. I told you to stop this years ago. But you just couldn't listen. Now look at the mess you've brought upon all of us!"

"Don't shout at me, woman! Weren't you smiling showing off the diamond jewelry you bought? Didn't you brag about your children attending food schools? So why are you blaming me right now, huh?"

This was the reality of most relationships. They all came crumbling at the slightest shove and threw blame all over.
I turned my head towards the car, meeting Maya's gaze. She quickly snapped out of my sight, but I knew she had received my message for her family would one day be in this situation.