Life Becomes Duke's Beloved
Ibu?

.

Abela flinched in her seat. Bloodstains littered the front of her dress. The Armand soldiers scattered to where they were. They were so late, no one would have expected that anyone would dare to infiltrate the famous Duke Armand residence.

Abela caught Bastian's gaze across the table, "Good throw" Abela said.

"No wonder I've always been great."

"Is that? What's your aura level?" asked Abela curiously. He wanted to drink some more tea, but the teacup and its sweetness were already mixed with blood on the table.

"New level eight."

Abela raised her eyebrows hearing that, she let out a dry laugh.

"Good, my level is only twenty-eight." Abela again focused her attention on tulips lined with matching colors in the middle of the flower garden.

"Mom don't want to move out of here?"

"No need, it's beautiful here" Abela replied sounding like a daydream.

"exceptively? Mom just saw one waiter slashed, two hands floated and blood splattered."

Abela looked back at Bastian, she propped her face up with one hand. "You're so great. You're not even afraid to kill him."

"I was really worried when the knife almost hit Mom." Bastian said coldly but Abela knew she was honest.

"alright. Thank you." Thank you." Abela stood up, soiling the floor of the gazebo with blood dripping from her dress.

"Dad said mom lost her memory. So why don't we talk for a minute."

"Alright, but this blood is getting sticky. So let's meet back when I've changed." Abela did not look back after that. Making Bastian's forehead slightly wrinkled.

"He doesn't look like a mother" Bastian murmured softly. "What do you think Sid?" ask Bastian again to someone who appeared from behind.

"For someone as gentle as a madam, seeing him was very calm even when a servant was injured. It's unusual young master. She wasn't even surprised to find out she had lost her baby." Sid looked down at the ground not daring to look at his master.

"I'm also surprised to see you didn't do anything just now." Bastian had not yet stared at the bodyguard who was clearly ordered by his father to look after Abela.

Sid is still flinching. He is unable to answer. He was too fascinated with the satisfied look on Abela's madam's face earlier when the maid almost stabbed him, as if he had waited a long time back then.

"Unfortunately, only the Duke can punish you" Bastian said before walking away.

...----------------...

"So as you know I've lost my memory." That was the first sentence Abela spoke while sitting with Bastian in the recreation room.

"I know," replied Bastian calmly.

"All right." Abela is so awkward. He wants to go home and lock himself in his room.

"Mother ...."

"Yes?" Abela looked at Bastian curiously.

"Does a mother feel nothing when she hears that she has lost her baby?"

"No." Abela replied without thinking, "I don't remember my feelings back then."

"Is that?" Bastian suddenly fell silent. He was quite confused by this situation. Abela used to be the one to get closer first.

"I don't know if I'm still like your mother or not. I hope you have no expectations, with my situation being like this." Abela finally conveyed what was in her head. He didn't want to be burdened by other people's expectations of him. Bastian was a bit surprised to hear that sentence as if Abela was able to peek at the contents of his head.

"Not necessarily. Do what you want." Bastian finally replied in a flat tone.

"Yet your uncle has planned who will be the hostess. And it wasn't me."

"I mean the daughter of Wilhemn? You're angry about that?" Bastian almost laughed but managed to hold it in.

"Why should I be angry about that?" Abela raised her eyebrows.

"Content ... You sound really riled up. Is mom jealous?" Bastian smiled in anguish. He looks a lot like his father if he expresses that.

"No. I'm not jealous or anything. I just feel a little disturbed. Because your father keeps coming at me."

Finally Bastian's laughter sounded louder.

"He was like that" replied Bastian. "I don't know what you're gonna do. But I don't think uncle can force it" he continued.

"Eitherway. Not my business either." Abela answered indifferently. "I just want to get home quickly."

"Sorry, I can't get you home before you get there. He could be furious. Especially because of what happened today." Bastian asks for Abela's understanding which nods but still looks unconcerned.

"When your father comes, we must fight again" Abela murmured with a small smile from the top of her cup.

Bastian no longer said anything he just nodded and escorted Abela to her room for a break when Abela asked for it.

...----------------...

"There's a monster that's lost control again, what's going on?" The king asked everyone gathered in the same room as him.

"Many people believe that their place of residence has been a lot of disturbing." A noble with a wise face replied, he slowly stroked his long beard.

"I'll check it out. Don't worry too much." Armand answered all the nobles' gazes to him.

"Nobody can be sent there anymore, Your Majesty. No one is strong enough," continued a person with sneaky eyes on the very seat of the table.

"Cardinal's right." Armand looked at his brother with a glance for him to immediately stop this discussion and immediately ordered him to go to the eastern region.

"All right, as you want. Duke Armand will go check the eastern region." The king will dissolve their meeting. But the cardinal raised his hand to call attention.

"Yes?" ask the King briefly.

"Your highness. What about the marriage between Duke Armand and Wilhemn's daughter?"

"Something like that, will not happen" replied the king decisively.

"But your honor, their daughter was sent here on a peace mission. So ...."

"I reiterate once again. There will be no marriage. Armand will not marry that princess. If his contingent indeed dares to threaten our peace. Then of course we won't stay silent, will we, Cardinal?" The king called out to the cardinal in a very cold tone. Make everyone who's there bow down. Except Armand.

"You can go home. And Duke, we need to talk," said the King looking at his sister seriously.

"Then we say to Your Majesty, may victory always belong to our country." The wise-faced man represented everyone to farewell, they saluted before exiting the room one by one.

"I heard there was shocking news today," said the King finally.

"Yes, there's a rat coming into my residence" Armand replied sounding tired. He leaned his back against the hard back of the chair, made of teak wood.

"Is the Baroness okay?"

"Yes, Bastian came at the right time," Armand replied as he closed his eyes.

"You don't seem okay."

"When I'm okay, your majesty. Over and over again, I almost lost her." Armand opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling with a golden ornament on his head.

"Pick one, you want to have a formal conversation or not with me. Combining it makes me think you're hurting me." The king said in a joking tone.

"Sister, I can fight a thousand times. But don't ask me to marry again" said Armand no longer talk to his king but to his brother.

"I won't do it, just calm down. So just focus on recovering the baroness. Is he that bad?"

"This morning I split the dinner table because it hurt me enough. In his lost memories, my existence might also be lost in his heart." Armand didn't take it too seriously, he meant to joke around. But her brother's pitiful gaze somehow made her feel even more pitiful.

"Don't pity me, I'm fine, '" said Armand rather raucously.

"Alright, go home."

Armand just did a salute and exited the room in silence. Trying not to think too hard on the way to his residence. Armand was pensive inside the carriage that was speeding without any orders. Apparently it wasn't just him who was worried about Abela.

...----------------...

"Where's Abela?" ask Armand when he got home and greeted the butler and his servants.

"Your room," replied Tony.

Armand's footsteps sounded impatient to meet Abela immediately. He would have run again, if something had happened to Abela.

Armand opened the door not softly at all, making Abela who was struggling to change her dress surprised. Abela intends to take a nap and change into a comfortable dress.

"About? Can't you knock on the door!" abela shouted loudly. Making everyone who followed behind Armand shocked.

"Wouldn't a single servant help my guest change clothes? He looks troubled." Armand ignored Abela's screams and spoke to Tony.

"I'm sorry Sir, I will ...."

"No need." Armand cut off Tony's words and told them all to leave. And shut the door of his room. Staring at Abela who was halfway through opening her dress.

"Why not call the waiter?"

"With the incident in the gazebo earlier. You don't expect me to believe in people I don't know, do you?" Abela raised her eyebrows.

Armand did not reply, he approached Abela and told Abela to turn around with a hand gesture. And help Abela open her corset.

"You met Bastian?" Armand asked as his hands were busy loosening the corset strings of Abela.

"Yes, he looks a lot like you" Abela replied.

"Is that so? A lot of people say she looks like her mother" said Armand, who inexplicably made Abela curious.

"Who's mother?" Abela was standing facing Armand.

"I'm flattered if you're curious." Armand's gaze was still locked in Abela's eyes, while his hands were busy undressing layer after layer of clothing that Abela was wearing. With one more pull. And Abela left only underwear.

Finally, Armand's gaze moved to his hand that was still grasping the last layer he had removed. Then it went back up towards Abela who had been on her back. His hands were raised to hold his hair together and tie it. Armand gulped his saliva looking at Abela's nape as her hair blushed.

"You're going to sleep?" ask Armand a little raucous.

"Yes. Don't fuck around." Abela said it with a firm tone.

Armand simply smiled, threw the last layer of Abela's dress and walked up to her. Helping Abela raise the rope of her nightgown from her shoulder to her shoulder.

"I don't know ... I didn't promise .." whispered Armand right in Abela's ear.

...----------------...