Chapter 223 - The Smith's

"He isn't..." Rose said as her smile disappeared and she sighed.

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"But my lady please don't worry! Young Master can take care of himself and there is now ay Duke will just let him be."

"...That's the main problem, the Duke just won't let him be...Anyway if that's all then you can go back and rest. I will rest too." Rose said as she didn't want to make the situation more awkward.

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But both of them seemed hesitant to leave, so so kept glancing at each other singling whether to leave or stay.

"Why aren't you leaving? Is there something else you want to say?" 

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"My Lady it isn't related and I don't know if you will care but...there are some rumours about a relation to be established between the Willson family and the Royal family." The maids said as they looked at rose who was raised her eyebrows which meant she intended on listening more.

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"It says that the Willson family proposed a marriage between Second Lady and The second prince who returned yesterday--" 

*Bang* Rose banged her hands on the table and silence filled the room.

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"--What did the Royal family say? Did they agree to it?" Rose asked as she clenched her fists and looked at the knife at the table.

"Th--They didn't reject it *Rose's facial expression darkened* Bu--Bu--But they didn't accept it either! They must have left the decision to the second prince." They said while gathering the flowers, ready to leave while Rose slowly let go of her hands.

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"Will he accept it?" Rose asked as she looked at their pale faces.

"...Probably...because rejecting the Duke would only lose them, not to mention enemies too." 

"I see, okay you two can go now." She said while looking at the window.

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"Then, have a nice day. My lady and please call us if you need any help." Saying that both of them left the room while Rose looked at the door closing.

"Jessica...you are getting on my nerves." 

She said while walking toward the window and opening it wide.

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"Looks like it's time for me to return too. Or else Harris mighty looking for me. No to mention, he too will go mad if I don't stop this stupid so-called engagement." Rose said as she signed the bell in her room and within 5 minutes the butler came running to her.

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"MrButler, are the things I asked for last week ready yet?" 

"Yes, my lady everything is ready but---won"t it bee better to inform the Duke about your arrival to solar?" 

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"No, I want to surprise him and the others. So please don't tell anyone about this not even to aunt. And yeah I will be leaving tonight!" Rose said as she smiled while looking at the butler who just agrees to everything she ordered.

"Solar here I come, away from this prison!" 

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*snizzes*

"Just who is missing me so much today?" Harris sitting in an old library with a cup of tea said as he wrapped the blanket around his body.

"Dumbo, no one is missing you. You have caught a cold thanks to the fun you had getting wet in the rain." A girl with long brunette hair tied in a braid and brown eyes which looked like coffee said as she walked towards him with a tray in which a pot of medicine was placed. (Kelly 15 years old)

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"I wasn't having fun out...*snizzes*...Hah, I must have caught a cold." He said as he placed his hands on his forehead and then at his face.

"Or maybe not? My temperature seems normal." 

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Kelley looked at him and then rolled her eyes, she kept the tray on a nearby table and placed her left hand on his forehead and her right hand on her forehead.

Harris froze in his shot by the sudden contact and unconsciously enough he somehow ended up admiring her beauty.

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"Are you kidding me? You are burning up!" She said while she looked at his face but he seemed dazed so she pinched his face with both her hands.

"Ouch!! What now?" He asked as he touched his cheeks.

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"Have this medicine and rest. You are burning up!" She said as she stood up ready to leave him there.

"Hey! But where are you going?" 

"To my room, of course, ~ or do you think I will stay here with you?" 

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"Well, I thought of something like that...but anyway thanks for letting me stay here," Harris said as he smiled while gulping down the medicine in one go.

"Don't mention it, as a good friend this is the least I can do for you." She said as she smiled while leaving the room.

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"Good Friend...Right," He said as he laid his head down on the soft pillow and looked at the ceiling while showing closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.

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"You must be tired?" Molly who was waiting for Kelly in her room said as she stood from her bed and walked towards her.

"Of course~ I am, since my sister has been busy working and looking after the empire. I haven't got a single day of break." Kelly said as she sat enter the dressing table and took off the earnings and headpiece.

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"Kelly, you know exactly what I am talking about don't you?" Molly asked as she crossed her arms and looked at her.

" And you know too that I'm in no mood to talk about it." She said while standing up and molly grabbed her wrist.

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"Kelly! By letting him hide here you are only getting on the Duke's bad side."

"--And who is going to tell the duke about him? Me, you or these walls?"

"Kelly--"

"Sister, don't worry I won't drag you or our family down with me but at the same time, I won't step back...I wasn't able to stand for Rose and the result...we all have seen it. If the same thing happens to Harris too I may...never be able to forgive myself." Kelly said as she removed her hands from hers and went straight to bed.

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Molly stood there silently and then slowly walked towards her bed and patted her head.

"Okay, I understand your emotion. I was wrong, forgive me but at least change your clothes. They will be uncomfortable to sleep in." 

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"I am very much comfortable, don't worry!" 

"Okay...Good Night." Saying that Molly slowly left the room and walked along the hallway silently.

Their place was bigger than Irene's and smaller than Rose's but unlike other families who had shown thought so much and had bad blood among them.

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Their family was the most normal and healthy one...so both of them felt themselves to be lucky and thought nothing bad will ever happen I them but...life has something for everyone if happiness is there sadness would be too, some get it too early and some too late and they belonged to the second category.

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"Mother..father how have you been?" Molly talked to the pictures of her parents on the walls.

"it's been a year since we had a function in our mansion and also a year since you two left us alone..." 

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Just a year ago, 

On an ordinary day, news came from the office which said about the sudden disappearance of both the count and his wife from the ship which was about to return from the southern kingdom...the emperor and Molly who just got appointed as a knight looked for them day and night but it was all in vain.

Until one day they found their corpse which was fully degraded due to the salty water near the shore of the solar ocean.

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No one was sure about their death, some thought it was murder while some it was just an accident that keeps happening in the oceans.

But for Molly and Kelly, it was like a big terror, as something they never thought of happened.

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And what came after their death was even more heartbreaking to them. Their relatives whom they never even saw before or rarely meet suddenly wanted to take care of them or more like they wanted to take care of the money and property the Count has left behind.

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"Do you know father, even after a year those snakes keep looking and pleading me to give them a share and chance to serve us...how greedy and foolish of them to even think about it. 

I am sure if back then I didn't listen to Irene's advice and take the authority in my hands, then probably both of us would have been in the streets begging around or even worse.." Molly said as she touched their photo frames.

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"And kelly has been going through puberty but I can understand what she is feeling and as her sister, I will protect her and at the same time...I will punish your murderers too.." Molly who always doubts about their sudden death and disappearance finally found clues that prove their death was a well-planned murder said, as a tear rolled down her left eye.