Chapter 8 - Move

"You must marry me," Duke Kleo said to Lyra, more like convincing himself. 'Right, that's all we have to do for now. She cannot escape, not after she has awakened me from a deep sleep without desire.'

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. His stout body immediately darted to approach the door, finding the waiter delivering breakfast for them.

"Serve additional food," he ordered, leaving the waiter who had left to prepare his order. When he turned around he saw Lyra still slumped on the floor, the skirt of her dress fluttering, looking scattered.

He almost reprimanded her, inviting her to sit down and have breakfast together. 'We're getting married anyway. So we should get to know each other soon,' he thought casually. Until then he saw her running away from her position. His heart skipped a beat as if a bullet had hit him.

'She can't run can she?' he thought anxiously. 'What's this? What is this feeling I'm having?' His chest ached as if something was brutally ripping him apart. He didn't want her to leave, not that morning, or not forever.

His feet that were running so promptly finally came to a sudden stop, like a jet that suddenly braked. His body almost hit anything in front of him, if only his maneuvers were bad. His eyes saw her talking to a man. No, she was complaining!

"I beg you, My Lord. Save me!" she said, shivering. Her narrow shoulders looked pitiful. "This must be a mistake. I was just drunk last night. If you testify for me then maybe I will be forgiven."

The man, Baron Jason, looked up at Duke Kleo. His eyes widened, then approached to say hello like a cowardly knight.

The Duke knows about Baron Jason, a nobleman who always gets bullied by other nobles just because his status is not as high as theirs, as well as his miserable love life.

'How did she know him? Do they have a relationship?' the duke thought, involuntarily rattling.

"Good morning, My Lord," Baron Jason said, bowing while holding his chest. "I didn't think we could meet here."

"Good morning," the duke nodded, half-heartedly, then glanced at Lyra, who was trying to hide behind the baron's back. "Do you know her?" he nodded at Lyra, watching her back stiffen for a moment.

"Oh, yes," Baron Jason nodded. "She is one of my acquaintances. Do you know her too?"

Lyra whined, tugging at the hem of the baron's clothes, making the duke even more inflamed.

'Is she used to having physical contact with men?' Duke Kleo thought.

"Such as that," the duke replied. "And now I still have business with her. So do you mind if I take her?"

"Of course," the baron said very casually.

Lyra suddenly rebelled. "My Lord," she said to Duke Kleo. "I came to this hotel with Lord Jason," she continued, squinting in fear as she saw his face darken. But she didn't care. She had to get out of from there. "Last night we drank together. Then I got drunk…"

"We'd better talk inside," the duke interrupted. "You don't mind, my Lord?"

Baron Jason nodded, then followed Duke Kleo who led him. They were now in the duke's chambers, sitting as if they were going to have a very important meeting, a meeting about Lyra's fate.

"So is it true that she came with you here?" Duke Kleo asked, giving off a murderous and predatory aura. It seemed he was bullying Baron Jason instead of Lyra, which he had to deal with first. He has his considerations.

"Uh, ye-yeah." Baron Jason rubbed the back of his neck lightly, awkwardly. "We promised to meet here because of the issue. After that, we had dinner and drank together. I was drunk and can't remember anything else. When I woke up, Miss Lyra was not in my room."

'So her name is Lyra,' the duke thought. "Shouldn't you be careful, Lord Jason? Meeting an unmarried girl in a hotel could lead to bad rumors. And you're not even married yet."

Baron Jason became clumsy, not much different from Lyra. "Our issue is rather urgent, My Lord." Then his face looked up as if he had just had an idea. "But how come she can be with you?" Then he turned to Lyra. "Where did you sleep last night?"

"I…" Lyra failed to continue her words. Now she turned to Duke Kleo. "That proves I accidentally entered this room, My Lord. I'm drunk. I don't remember anything."

"Hey, what exactly happened?" Baron Jason asked her, but he didn't get any answer.

"So I beg you, will you forgive me this time. I have no bad intentions. I didn't do it on purpose."

"Lord Jason," Duke Kleo said, ignoring Lyra's pleas.

"Yes, My Lord?" the baron answered, wondering.

"If there is a man who fucks a woman, even if he is not on purpose. What do you think he should do to be responsible?"

"I-I think the man should be punished as well as marry the woman, My Lord."

"Then what if the conditions are reversed? What's a woman supposed to force a man to do sex?"

Baron Jason covered his mouth quickly, turning to Lyra like he was being slapped. All he got was a lowered face from her.

"Y-you mean, did she…"

"Please focus and answer my question, My Lord," Duke Kleo interrupted.

Baron Jason gulped, then cleared his throat. "I-I think that woman should be punished, My Lord, because she is forced to fuck a man. Gosh, is there really such a woman?"

"Did you hear, Miss Lyra?" Duke Kleo snorted at Lyra. "You must be punished. So do you still want to ask for forgiveness from me?"

"But… but I wasn't conscious at the time, My Lord."

"If you unknowingly kill someone, will that allow you to revive that person again?" the duke sneered. "And after you committed a crime against me, does that mean you can restore my condition to the way it was before? (condition when I don't want you yet)"

Lyra couldn't say anything, her lips pursed. Though she thought Baron Jason could help her, she was wrong. Now she saw, sadly, that the baron had left her, leaving her to face this punishment alone. Her life was ruined, everything fell apart.

"Are you going to punish her, My Lord?" Baron Jason asked Duke Kleo when he came out of the room. His face looked worried. "You're not going to punish her are you?"

"It's like you said, that the guilty one must still be punished," the duke said casually. "So I'm still going to punish her."

Baron Jason looked sadly at Lyra's figure from a distance, then he lowered his head, backing away to return to his room after Duke Kleo closed the door.

His sad expression still hadn't changed for a very long time, until he was finally inside his room. His sadness turned into a smirk. "I told you, My Dear, you couldn't belong to someone else if you didn't marry me." His eyes glanced at the door behind him. "If I can't marry you then you must die. Duke Kleo will make that happen to you," he continued.

It was Baron Jason who trapped Lyra. He was the one who made her have to be trapped in the intimate night with the duke, with the hope that she died, as a consequence of having rejected his proposal. But without him knowing life sometimes can't go according to his will.

Away from the baron's room, Lyra sat down deeply, fiddling with her fingers. The breakfast dish was in front of her, but she was reluctant to touch it.

Duke Kleo snorted, "Hurry up and eat your breakfast or you'll make me lose my appetite! We have to get back to Wereal in an hour or else we'll miss the train."

"B…but I don't live in Wereal, My Lord. I live in a village called…"

"Do you think you can stay at your house now? I knew you would run away. Therefore I will take you to my palace." Duke Kleo chewed his meal roughly, accidentally seeing the bite mark on Lyra's shoulder. His gaze turned pitiful. 'Looks like I was too harsh on her last night. Surely her shoulders will turn blue,' he thought.

***