The Duke And I Novels & Stories

she answered. It took a few seconds before the Prince responded. “If that was what you think, I did not have any reasons to object to it,” the Prince said. “Your answer lacked details,” Duke stated. My ears tingled by what the Duke had expressed. I forced myself to smile and look innocent, though I wanted to smack him. Frederick Ivrea, one of those people you do not want to mess with. A valiant warrior--- a perfect description for the Duke of Athenesy. Exterminator of corrupt officials, pirates, and any person who attempts to overthrow the Empire.

I was shocked by what Duke had done; I knew he wasn't doing it for me, but it made me happy that the others around us had stopped whispering about me. "Dear dear, calm down, you are scaring your guests," Duke's uncle said, gazing around with concerned eyes. Duke simply rolled his eyes in anger. "Whatever, I don't care if they are terrified of me," Duke said coldly, not caring what others said or did. "They are free to go, if that is what they want," he added. I have forgotten, the man I married was a very cold and emotionless person. "Anyway, when will this succession ceremony begin since after this I need to resume my work " Duke questioned in an agitated tone in his voice.

She wasn’t supposed to be anyone’s pawn. The Duke’s voice cut through the tension. “Let her go, Isabella,” he growled, his tone laced with menace. He stood tall, despite the blood dripping from his lip, his posture exuding authority. Isabella didn’t even flinch. “You’ve lost, Duke,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain. “Your empire is crumbling, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” Victoria’s mind raced. This is it. The Duke’s empire was on the brink of destruction, and now, it seemed like Isabella was the one to bring it all crashing down.

It was the Christ the King celebration, and he was to chair the fair trade and the commissioning of the grotto that followed the procession, until Fabian appeared with news he had assumed he had dealt with temporarily. “What still holds her death? Why does she still roam the manor?” He stopped in front of Fabian to ask, even when he had been told the reason a thousand times. Fabian just stood in the darkness of the room, staring back at Edric and wishing he could control himself. “I am so close to being the next duke, so close to sitting on that seat of power and dining with the king,” he said aloud as he resumed pacing the room again, not caring if anyone overheard him.

Missing him pulls at my chest like a quiet ache, though knowing he’s away brings relief. We are presented. “His Grace, Duke Noah Wingknight of the Northern Reaches, and Her Grace, the Duchess Paige.” Quiet hangs heavy. After a breath, voices rise - sharper now, buzzing with heat instead of calm. Here they arrive. Curious ones first. Then those who mean trouble. Followed by quiet plotters slipping in behind. “Duchess, we heard such tales of your… resilience in the North. How… rustic it must be.” A lady with sapphires in her hair.

"Duke Everdale" Bloodshot irises looked up from the desk where papers were jumbled and arranged haphazardly. The Duke was in his late forties and had handsome features thus when the butler saw him as such he could not help but sigh and feel sorrow. Their mansion was once an impenetrable castle where not even a bird could enter without the permission of the Duke and two young masters but now it was all a shell made up of nothing but empty hallways.

,I nod. "sorry I get up to pee a lot",I sigh. After leaving I try to head home but Duke stops me. "want to grab food?",I don't meet his eyes. He looks at me and I avert my eyes. "sorry I need a nap",I walk off my guards following. Duke pov

“There's scotch and glasses behind you.” The Duke stood and turned. He grinned as he saw the scotch. “The good stuff, eh?” “I don't go cheap,” Freddie told him. “Two fingers, please.” “This stuff is my weakness,” the Duke said. The room was quiet as the Duke poured out two glasses. He gave Freddie the requested two fingers, and himself three. “I'm going to be blunt.” Freddie leaned back in his chair, cool and relaxed. He sipped on his scotch, but barely had any. “I want to marry your daughter for political reasons.”

A lady with a normal family background would unlikely become the next mistress of the Winters family. Once the group went downstairs, Duke walked up to them. He was wearing a silvery-gray suit, and he looked noble from head to toe like a prince who had stepped out of a fairy tale. Dew stared at him in a daze, and her eyes were filled with obsession.

"She's so cautious, as if she's terrified of disappointing the Duke. And yet the Duke... he is a wild man." Ivan took a long, steadying breath, holding back from saying anything. Vivian stopped abruptly in front of a massive painting draped in a heavy velvet shroud. She turned, a curious, playful smile on her lips. "This belongs to the Duke as well, doesn't it?" Ivan's posture stiffened instantly. "Indeed, my lady. But it would be best if you did not touch it. It is dangerous." Vivian clicked her tongue, her expression turning dismissive. "Dangerous? It's just a painting under a cloth. You expect me to believe that?"