I Owe the Villain

Chapter Four

After Lory and the Duke met in the garden, she didn’t try to walk back to the mansion anymore, she lost her patience to him, and just the sight of the Duke would make her lose her sanity.

Lory was busy damping the dirty bed sheets with water. After a minute, Bernard came and gave her food while apologizing for forgetting to tell her the schedule for every meal, hence informing her afterwards before he returned to his duties.

Lory sat under a willow tree, eating while gazing at her laundries from time to time. She misses her life at the country side the more she gazed at the tranquil waters of the lake.

“The Duke is indeed cruel for saying those rude things to me, but can I blame him? I scammed him,” she mumbled, getting upset as she recalls her situation.

She puffed some air out of her mouth to soothe her anger.

‘I need to think this through,’ she thought out of the blue.

“In the first place, how did Lory Arguzas scam the Duke and why did she scam him. Of all people, why him?” Lory whispered in the thin air.

‘And why can’t I remember reading a character in name of Lory Arguzas in the novel?’ Her inner self questioned.

“One billion gold? I’m going to be insane,” Lory muttered, feeling upset. “Ah! There’s no point of recalling something I cannot even remember!” She yelled to herself as if she was mentally disabled.

‘For now, I need to work and survive, ignore the characters, and should not meddle with them anymore. Lastly! I should try to avoid the Duke and to not even anger him!’ Her soul declared.

Time went by so fast that Lory saw the painted blue sky turned into a hue of orange. Night is coming but she hasn’t finished the laundry yet. Her forest green iris gazes at the two large baskets of laundry. She finished all the bed sheets but not the other clothes, and her hands are starting to hurt.

But she hardened her heart and gathered her remaining strength to finish the remaining dirty laundries.

“Well, at least my head has not yet in the arms of the Duke for display,” Lory whispered, frowning. Continuously, she finished the two baskets around eight-thirty in the evening but has failed to have her dinner in the process. Collecting the three empty baskets, she marched back to the cottage with bad muscle cramps.

Early in the morning, the head maid has called her for assistance. She was wearing an old clothes, pale in color and wrinkled one. Her soft and wavy hair were messily tied in a bun with a rubber band and her skin has gotten paler than usual because of the cold night.

Passing the garden, almost running, she prayed that she won’t meet the Duke along the way, but it seems like fate is not on her side. Lory halted as she saw the Duke beside the fountain practicing his swordsmanship in a usual and repetitive manner.

Lory bowed her head.

“Good day, Duke.” She greeted politely, agitated as she glanced at the sword before she straightened her posture and excuse herself from him.

Strangely, the Duke did not bat an eye on her, did not talk back and did not scold her about the debt she had. When she arrived at the kitchen, everyone is busy preparing.

‘Huh? Is there a celebration? Why is there so many food? I don’t remember reading in the novel that Zyon is a glutinous monster?’ Lory thought.

“There you are,” a lady in her middle thirties has pat Lory’s shoulder almost causing her to jump from the sudden gesture.

“Yes ma’am?” She uttered having no clue of what is going on.

“We need to prepare the clothes for the Duke. In the afternoon, before evening, he will have to attend a royal banquet for the celebration of summer festival in the kingdom. Make haste now and follow me!” The head maid uttered without properly introducing herself.

“And all these foods for the Duke?” Lory asked.

The head maid chuckled softly.

“Oh no, the Duke won’t be able to eat all of these. Actually, Lady Aelin Eruña has accepted the Duke’s offer to be his partner for the banquet tonight. And she will visit here today for a short while, you know, to chat with the Duke,” the woman whispered.

‘What?! I never read that Aelin has accepted any request from Zyon. And she never visited the Dukedom before!?’ Her mind exclaimed in disbelief.

“Now we must go!” The lady said, interrupting her thougths.

“Ah, right!” Lory responded as she followed the lady.

As they exited the kitchen, they passed through a long and wide hallway with an exquisite design and furniture, there has never a time that they hadn’t passed an enormous windowpane with a vase of roses in the hallway.

‘Has Zyon a fan of flowers? Or this is his plan to win the favor of Aelin?’ Lory doubted. She was greatly puzzled while digging so deeply in her memories that in the novel, Zyon is not fond of plants and flowers despite that the Dukedom has the most iconic garden in the entire kingdom. It’s because, Zyon’s mother, the late Duchess has treasured the garden, so despite his nature, he decided to preserve the garden.

However, regardless of knowing it, Lory cannot set aside this rare and crazy scenario.

‘Zyon, as a monochromatic character in the novel has not in the entire season of the story became a flowers-and-sweet-dude, the cold man has never been possessed by sweetness in par of Willie Wonka and the chocolate factory’s famous desserts featuring Oompa-loompa in his entire life! He is obsession and fire! But perhaps this is his way to win the heart of Aelin? But there’s no scenario in the novel that narrated this! So what’s happening? Has the author finally overturn the entire plot? Or I missed something as a reader? —But that’s impossible! I read this novel dozens of times!’ Her soul spouted in a tone of discomfort. ‘If there is a change in the plot, there is no guarantee for an extra character like me to live longer, not that I have a huge debt to the villain itself!’

A few walks after, they have arrived in front of a luxurious close door. Bernard approached them with a sweat on his forehead.

“His Grace has just finish his training in the garden, you must prepare the bathroom for the Duke’s bath,” he muttered.

‘Damn. Even the chill butler has lost his coolness because of this,’ Lory’s mind commented.

“I understand,” the head maid answered before she glanced at Lory.

“Go and fetch the necessary things needed for the Duke, I will fill the bathtub in the bathroom,” she ordered.

“Ah, yes!” Lory answered before she hurriedly went on her way.

‘There’s no other solution for this bizarre phenomenon but to see what will happen!’

After she collected the bath essentials, Lory sprinted her way back. After knocking thrice, she entered the room and closed the door behind her, but in a nick of time, all the bath essentials had escaped her embrace and fell right on the floor.

Lory’s gaze fixated on the Duke standing a few distance in front of her.

He has a body that looks like it was sculpted by Michelangelo, every curve of his muscles are built for war and for victory. No scars despite the battles he encountered in the past. His broad shoulders, his manly chest and the wholeness of him is something that cannot be underestimated.

His deep blue iris darkened when their gaze met.

Now, he looks like a god who has turned into a human in rage that he was caught by a mere mortal. A mystical being, a creature who has the power to lure anyone to him. A dangerous man that can either ruin you or make you his slave. A great villain indeed.

The Duke in his nakedness has consumed her mind before she felt the heat on her cheeks and before she could close her eyes. Immediately, she turned around but before she could open the door to exit, big hands had slam and shut the door bringing a loud thud in the room like a sword slashing the thick silence hence those strong arms that had caged her like a helpless bird prevents her to run away.

“Should I just gouge your eyes? How come whenever we meet you have never done anything right in front of me?” A threatening voice whispered behind her.

“I didn’t mean Duke! I didn’t see anything! The sun is very bright I failed to see you!” She muttered not daring herself to face him.

Lory is certain that behind her, the Duke is still naked.

“Sun?” He mumbled before she heard his menacing low chuckles. “The curtains are closed so where is the sun you are talking about?” He continued saying.

Lory was dumbfounded almost forgetting how to breathe.