Chapter 156 - 155: The Villain’s Misplaced Anger

Chapter 156: Chapter 155: The Villain’s Misplaced Anger

Eleanore, when returned to her room, immediately goes back to the work Lilith had brought forward, her first task as the duchess of the Lancaster family. Finding a new lady-in-waiting. She looked through those profile documents and found none appealing enough.

She sets it aside for a while and looks at the bright, clear sky above her. It could have been a good, had she not bumped into Caelestis on her way back to her room.

Yesterday’s fight surged into her memory and then suddenly flashed at that kiss they shared out nowhere.

Her fingers traced her lips, and she could still feel the warm sensation he had left on them. She gulped as all her senses replayed that kiss, and was almost lost in it, when Marina appeared with Eleanore’s usual tea.

"Madam, did you find a partner for me?" She asks as she pours tea for her mistress.

"What?" Eleanore is confused.

"The lady-in-waiting? Wouldn’t she be my partner?" She laughs.

"Right." Eleanore picked up the pile of papers again and started to skim through the information. "I just can’t find the right one."

"Should I help?" Before Marina to help her, the double door of the room dashed open.

Caelestis, pushes open the Eleanore room, and finds her looking through some unknown documents on her usual tea table, accompanied by her usual tea.

She turns to his way, wondering why he was here.

"About the confidentiality contract—"

"Yeah, I know. You do not want to break it due to some unknown reason. Got it!" She cuts him off, scanning through that page, annoyed and tossing it aside.

"No, I found this on the couch." He slipped out the old paper from his inner pocket and raised it in the air.

Eleanore’s eyes widened on seeing it there. She pushes out of her chair and somehow, her hand touches the tea and it falls all over the papers. She sighs as she tries to get the tea off them with her handkerchief.

"Are you alright?" He asks, as he sprints forward to her, to check if she is fine.

And turns out, except for those documents, nothing else was damaged and fortunately Eleanore was not injured.

"I’m fine." She turns to Caelestis. "Give me the paper. That’s important." Her voice turns sharp as she snatches it away from Caelestis.

"I know." He grabs her wrist and brings her out of that balcony.

"Eleanore, we should terminate the contr—"

"My lord—" Victor interrupts him.

All three of them in the room turn to him. He was holding the newspaper of the day and looked horrible. He walked to them and passed the paper to Caelestis.

______________________

Seraphine Story Times

______________________

By Pat Pattison

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The Secret Two Months

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Two months, they were only two months. Even then, a lot of things unfolded in those two months. While we are uncertain about the exact duration, we have news as to what is being hidden from us.

My anonymous informant says they visited the Lancaster mansion, when Grand Duchess Eleanore Lancaster was staying there for some reason. Along with her, even Duchess Stella Sinclair, was there.

—||

"What nonsense is this!" Caelestis yells, "Who is this unknown informant?"

Eleanore blankly looks between the two guys who were discussing a matter she was unaware about. Then, in desperation to know what the newspaper’s new headline was, she snatched the paper from Caelestis.

His gaze turned to her and words he didn’t want to say slipped out, "Did you, do it?"

Eleanore hadn’t read a word yet, only the headline and her gaze rose to him. "What?" She asks, cluelessly.

"My lord, what are you saying?" Victor, himself, was surprised by that question.

"No, you wanted to terminate the contract right, isn’t that why you did this? You are that anonymous informant." He had only stated a fact; the only problem was he hadn’t read the whole paper yet. Just two paragraphs and he had concluded it was done by Eleanore.

"I was desperate to get my friend back, but that doesn’t mean I would breach a contract or something. Have you lost your mind, Caelestis?" She yells back.

"Oh, it looks like I have. How come you are always involved in everything that happens?" He grabs her arms; his eyes widened in rage.

Eleanore hissed by that sudden force, the newspaper crunched in her hand and just enough anger surging in her veins. "Get your hand off me." She says in a gritting voice.

"First you answer me, did you—"

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Caelestis?" Hael enters the room, completely surprised by the situation that had unfolded in front of him.

Hael had arrived at the mansion, just seconds ago. Immediately after reading that ridiculous newspaper, they both ran here, preponing the event when they were going to finally let go of what happened three months ago.

The louds quarreling noises of Caelestis and Eleanore were audible all the way to the first floor, thus Hael stormed up and heard most of what was going on.

"Let go of her arm, this instant." He orders, and Caelestis, surprised but listens and lets go of her.

Hael stands in between them, protective towards his sister. "What the hell even happened? Why are you treating her like that?" He questions.

"Hael, she broke the confidentiality contract."

"No, I didn’t." Eleanore retaliated.

"Yes, you did. That’s what the newspaper says." Caelestis argues.

"No," Victor finally speaks up. "The newspaper has not specifically named anyone."

Caelestis swirls around Victor with a face telling him, he knows that too. "That anonymous person is Eleanore."

"No, it can’t be her."

"I know, you see her as your elder sister or whatever, doesn’t mean you have to support her when she is wrong."

Victor gets angry on hearing that. He picks up the paper that had fallen from Eleanore’s hand and throws it to Caelestis. Who fortunately grabs it on time, not letting the poor paper slam to the ground again.

"Read the whole fucking paper first." He shouts and storms out of the room.

Surprised by that reaction, Caelestis decides to read unwanted news.

||

Turns out there had been an assassination that had taken place before they arrived. The duchess had only just awoken from her long slumber, and she was put to sleep again, using poison by the infamous villainess of the social circle, who had turned good for a short while.

The Grand duke, who loved the duchess at that time, blamed the grand duchess, who is now his wife. She in return shut him off with a slap that he must have never forgotten till now.

Later, the grand duchess ran away and acted as if she was kidnapped and then a huge fight was waged between the two pillars of the Seraphine. She came back home, completely fine with the antidote of the poison she had given.

Gaining the trust of not just her brother and the current duchess of Sinclair but also won the grand duke over, thus becoming his bride.

If you look upon it, doesn’t this sound like a well-planned plot, to win over her lifelong crush. Turns out all of this worked, and the great villainess won the prince she had craved for all her life. We—

||

Eleanore pulls the paper from him, before he could read anymore ahead. While he remains in shock and guilt of why he had to react so soon, she reads through.

"Are you for real, Caelestis?" She shouts at him. "What makes you think, I would have that Pat Pattison publish such rubbish about me?"

Caelestis’, gaze lowers in shame. "I’m sorry. I reacted too soon." He looks up in hopes that she would forgive her. "I was actually going to terminate the—"

"I’ve heard enough. Now leave me alone." She interrupts him.

"No, Eleanore. Please listen to me." He tries to grab her arm but Hael stops him.

"Is this how you treat my sister?" He asks, absolutely shocked by how Caelestis loves to blame Eleanore for everything and that hasn’t changed at all.

"Hael, I made a mistake. It was entirely my fault. Please, forgive me."

"I am not the one you should be apologising to, damn it!" Hael shouts out in frustration. "Are you a child Caelestis? Why can’t you stop arriving at conclusions without grabbing the situation? When?" He covers his forehead with his palm and sighs.

"Hael—"

"Eleanore is going back with me." His words send shock waves through everyone in the room. He could no longer trust Caelestis, with his sister’s safety.

"Elle, dear. I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have been angry with you, and I absolutely shouldn’t have left you alone with this man." He turns around to her.

Stella comes forward and holds her hand. "Elle. Come along, let’s go back to the Sinclair mansion. That is your true home."

Caelestis’ eyes shift to Eleanore and their gaze meets. He was anxious about her decision. He wouldn’t be able to stop her if she decides to leave, because after all it was all his fault. He has no excuse and has no right to stop her.