Third Person's POV
"...the thought that she still believes I am unconscious and may be worrying about my well-being troubles ."
His heartfelt concern was evident and his worry was unfeigned this ti. But while he awaited the duchess's response, Virelle's expression darkened ever so slightly.
A strange irritation bubbled within her and even she couldn't quite understand the reason behind it.
Why am I feeling like this?
She frowned as she beca annoyed at her weird thoughts.
Brother Ethan is just worried about his master, nothing more.
But even as she tried to rationalize her emotions, she felt a continuous and inexplicable frustration gnawing at the back of her mind.
Her thoughts twisted as she mockingly scolded herself.
Just because his master is a woman, I'm reacting like this? That's ridiculous. There's no way they have that kind of relationship. I must be overthinking.
Shaking her head, she forced herself to push those thoughts aside. anwhile, Ethan felt an unsettling sensation prickle at the back of his neck for a second as though soone was watching him with murderous intent.
He discreetly glanced around as his gaze flickered between Virelle, who was shaking her head, and Velcy who was still rubbing her temples most likely from the aftereffects of the bat's screech.
Was I mistaken? He frowned but before he could dwell on it, the duchess's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Oh? Did you really et your 'Lady' Virelle in the morning?"
The amusent in her tone was laced with sothing far more dangerous that sent alarm bells ringing in Ethan's head.
His eyelids twitched involuntarily. His soul sense reached out instinctively and brushed against Virelle's presence.
He sensed her brief mont of shock, and she masked it instantly and resud her usual composed deanor.
Suppressing his growing unease, he responded with feigned confusion.
"Yes, Lord Altheria. I t Lady Virelle in the morning.
It was then that she told about the events of the past week including the destruction of the Blackwell family after they ambushed us, the rescue of Velcy, and my own fall into unconsciousness."
He maintained a steady gaze and carefully asured the duchess's reaction without making it obvious but her expression remained enigmatic.
He couldn't tell if she was simply teasing him or if there was sothing far more profound hidden beneath her words.
This little girl, deliberately pretending to be mysterious and powerful in front of this big brother. This big brother has already seen your true form, little girl.
An annoyed thought crossed his mind but his face was filled with confidence as he affird his stance.
The air between them was thick with unspoken tension as an invisible ga of wits played out in the silence.
Virelle, on the other hand, felt her irritation rising again though she still didn't understand why.
She stole a glance at Ethan and her eyes lingered on his expression as he faced the duchess. There was sothing about his sincerity and the way he carried himself with such earnestness that made her chest tighten involuntarily.
Her fingers clenched slightly at her sides and her nails dug into her palms as she tried to suppress the strange emotions bubbling within her.
Brother Ethan… she thought, her mind racing. Why do you care so much? Why do you always have to be so… sincere?
The duchess let the silence stretch and the tension in the air thickened like a fog. Finally, she broke the quiet with a soft chuckle though her voice quickly turned serious and her tone low and commanding.
"I see," she mused, her words laced with a hint of amusent. "Then I suppose we should discuss what truly transpired while you were unconscious.
But before that," she paused as her gaze swept over Virelle and Velcy in the clearing, "we need to be alone. What I am about to say is not for everyone to hear."
Ethan's eyes widened slightly though he kept his expression neutral. He gave a calm nod as his mind raced with questions but he followed the duchess without hesitation.
She moved with an eerie grace and glided across the floor like a dark wraith and her silhouette blended seamlessly with the shadows as she led him deeper into the castle.
The sunlight streaming through the windows seed to dim as they left the bright halls behind and stepped into the cool and dimly lit corridors of the castle's interior.
As they walked, Ethan couldn't help but notice how the duchess's shadow seed to twist and writhe, almost as if it had a life of its own.
She looks scary when she moves like that. It's a good thing I know she is alive and not a ghost lady. Her gait reminds of the urban legend about the won who died pregnant and beca a vengeful witch with twisted feet in my previous life.
These thoughts aligned with him the mont he entered the darkness of the castle and was far away from the bright sunlight.
He shook his head and tried to dispel the unsettling thoughts.
She's not a ghost, he reminded himself. She's alive.
But still… sothing is unnerving about her.
In the darkness, he finally seed to have found his solace, and his heart cald down from all the previous upheavals.
The chaos of the outside world seed to fade away, replaced by the quiet stillness of the castle's interior.
Yet, even as he found solace in the shadows, a part of him still remained on edge and wary of what the duchess might reveal.
Outside, in the clearing, Virelle stood frozen and her eyes fixed on the spot where her lover and her master had disappeared.
Her chest felt tight and her heart was pounding in her ears as a sense of unease settled over her.
She didn't like being left out, especially when it involved Ethan. The thought of him alone with the duchess and discussing secrets she wasn't privy to made her stomach churn.
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