Temporary Crown

28 | Responsibility of a duchess

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It was ten in the evening when Nesta was inside the duke Charles room. the clock was ticking slowly signifying that time was moving. that no matter what, time will always continue. The doctor was there with some servants attending his needs afraid that if they look to the other direction they might make mistakes causing the duke’s death.

Inside this mansion, no one wanted that.

Nesta stood there quietly not wanting to make a fuss. She had changed her clothes and had taken a bath. She felt fresh and all but there was something heavy inside of her. It felt like a stinging pain crawling from her stomach up to her heart squeezing her throat.

She was thorn not knowing what to feel as she kept blaming herself over and over again. This was her fault.

Nesta can only count the time she spent with the duke however, she had thought of the duke as her father as well. Him who had pulled her out of that hell. He was someone she admired and she hoped to save. She should have thought of ways of saving him before coming here.

She should not have given up and just thought of helping Lucien achieve the throne. She should worked her ass off trying to flip the entire continent for a cure that might exist.

She was from the past.

She was given a second chance! she should have made the most out of it but now, she was only enjoying the privileged of being a noble daughter wearing dresses, playing tea, acting pretty and hoping to act well in her role once the duke is dead?

Nesta can feel the hypocrisy coming from inside her. She should have taken more burden and live for her atonement. She had caused this family to be ruined back in the past. Lucien had given and respected her before. It was all in the past. Her memories and her treasures! She should have known better!

Lucien was devastated. He doesn’t want to cry in front of her that was why he left.

Feeling the tiredness, guilt, and fear, coming from her body, Nesta turned around with a promise burning inside of her. She will find the cure no matter what and no matter what it takes. Even if she takes this whole empire as her enemy, she won’t let the duke die no matter what.

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Nesta woke up a little while ago. She was fresh from bath and she can feel her body not tired. Hence, she did not procrastinate and went to the duke’s office. The candles were lit up and it created a certain atmosphere that felt like everything was frozen in time. From her, this looks like a sacred ground for people who treasured the duke.

She was always here.

This room was always full of people and it was always busy. She struggled here and smiled here. This place was a special place for all of her and the duke’s memories, but now, it looked dead and scary.

As Nesta mulled over her thoughts, she turned and walked towards the duke’s table. She sat down on the same chair the duke always sat on. The moment her butt touched the surface of the chair, Nesta felt cold and restless.

She felt chills crawling inside of her. She felt rather uncomfortable as though someone had bestowed her a crown full of thorns piercing through her skin making her bleed. However, such emotions and thoughts do not matter. She had matters far more important that these thoughts. Hence, she throw them all aside.

Without waiting for anything, she grabbed the quill and the high quality paper and begun writing. She begun to penned letters to the vassal about the news and telling them about her, the new duchess.

This was the start of her responsibility.

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The morning arrived. This time, both of Nesta and Lucien had their breakfast on their own rooms. Nesta wanted to have breakfast with him however, it seemed that he was still preoccupied at the moment and needed to gather his emotions.

Hence, she told the servants not to disturb him and check on Lucien from time to time in order to know if he needed something. Just as the maid complied, Nesta went to the bathroom to take a bath.

As Nesta finished her bath, the servants present helped her to changed her dress. She wore a red dress covering her neck down to her toes. It has black and white laces on the end creating a perfect elegant pattern that contributed well to her beautiful face. The maids was awed by her beauty but Nesta did not care.

Nesta then asked the servants to tie her hair into a bun and put some ornaments that she had on her drawers. The servants were asking what was the fuss of the mistress dressing so extravagant now that the duke had been bed ridden however, no one dared to ask as there had been rumors of the servants that the lady had punished.

Lora who was a servants few days ago had been fired with her hands full of bruises and was swollen. No servant would not want to anger the lady as there had been an invisible authority surrounding her now that the young master had been very much obedient of her lately.

As Nesta had finished dressing up, she gave one last order. “Call all the servants inside the mansion. Even the commanders of the knight.”

All the servants turned towards her direction. “I have a very important announcement to make on behalf of our father, Duke Charles.”

The servants who had been distressed lately was filled with anxiety not knowing what to happened. They all have different thoughts and conclusions now because of what had happened to the duke. Nevertheless, they did not question their mistress words. She was now the authority inside this mansion.

All of the servants present bowed before saying,

“As the mistress wishes.”

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