Red & Wolf

2. Something In The Yard

Trains of thoughts ran through Valerie's head as she walked up the cobblestone path, with Lorna by her, carrying the suitcase.

She had returned to her Manor.... The Duke's manor! And if memory serves her correctly, it would be only a matter of few days, before her life were to turn upside down.

It ached her head, and she raised a hand to massage her temples. But realising that Lorna was looking at her lady with a rather worried expression, she lowered it—lest Lorna would raise some sort of fuss.

After all, after Vally was handed to the Duke, Lorna had babysitted the illegitimate girl all her life. She spent her late teenage to her most of the twenties, raising Valerie. And even if Vally didn't realise before, she does now, that making her nanny worry, won't improve anything.

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"How did your trip go?" Asked Duke Rosevelt, before raising the teacup to his lips.

By now Vally had managed to get fresh, putting back all sorts of her thoughts. And then, the Duke had called out for her, in his room.

"Pretty well, in fact," She replied, with a proper lady-like smile plastered to her face.

The ghost of an amazement seemed to pass over the Duke's face for a second. Oh.. Wait. She'd never used to smile properly before, no wonder the Duke seemed so, Vally realised.

Clearing his throat , the Duke spoke, breaking the awkward silence that was suddenly starting to form.

"So as you know, you're turning 18 soon. To commorate that I'm keeping a party where all the Higher nobles are to be invited—Including Jake Arksvine."

Valerie's face contorted immediately.

Jake Arksvine, the eldest son of the Arksvine family and a dire playboy. In the past life, Jake had many a times been caught by her, flirting and even sleeping with other women.. But she'd been too weak. Too weak to love and to retaliate, at his fiancé.

But that was not all. He was also the prime suspect of the Duke's murder, for breaking off Vally and his engagement, and humiliating him publicly . Yet, he got away from his death penalty, due to the fact that he had secret connections with the Royal families. Indomitable bastard indeed.

Valerie heard her father clear her throat, realising that she was just spacing out, again.

But before she could speak, the Duke spoke, "It seems that the long journey had tired you. You may take some rest,"

And with that she was dismissed.

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"You know, you could've just taken some rest in your room, Valerie . Even the Duke pointed out that—"

A questioning glance from Valerie made Lorna shut up. Of course, the little maid was eavesdropping. Old habits die hard, huh?

She wasn't wrong, but she felt a need to rather take a walk, to clear her head. The thoughts of her previous and ongoing life seemed to clash continuously but the autumn breeze in the open compound of the Manor seemed to make her forget most of it.

Autumn. The season symbolizing death. She cherished it for some reason and probably now she realises why.

"No way!" A sudden scream, that erupted from Lorna, cut short the cherishing of the Duke's daughter. She quickly looked up in the way of the maid and then, in the direction she was looking at. Her eyes widened in shock.

Over the lime-shaded grassbed by the path, lay a wounded pup. Not exactly a pup but a bit bigger in it's dimensions to be one. But it's gray fur seemed to be tainted red by some sort of fatal injury.

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Valerie had Lorna and another servant take it in. At first, they thought to rush it to the stables, but realising it would just be the same as keeping it in gallows, she insisted upon shifting it to a spare room in the manor. Mending to the first aid of the pup, Valerie made sure that no one was around, except Lorna, who handed the tray with all sorts of medical supplies.

But that was around the evening. For when Valerie was returning back after attending her dinner, she heard a ruckus in the room.

Lorna wasn't accompanying Valerie that day, like usual so, she felt free enough to go in and clear her doubts.

The moment she clicked open the door and slid in, a clawed hand came for her neck. Fortunately, being an ex-tyrant had helped her to dodge it at her reflex and it was her hand that hand grabbed the attacker by their neck and pinned them down onto the ground—in a straddling manner.

"I knew it!"

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