Chapter 40 The Late Duke

A few minutes after Killorn left, Ophelia climbed out of bed and decided to look around. The first door she opened was an enormous bathing room that widened her eyes.

Ophelia was in awe of the beautiful decoration of large sinks, vanity mirrors, flowers here and there, an enormous porcelain bathing tub crafted from tiles near the corner of the room, and even a private section on the far end with a door that led to a lavish and separated toilet.

Ophelia was amazed when she turned on the sink and clean water ran from it. She let out a breath of disbelief, for not even Eves Mansion had such sophisticated plumbing. She couldn't imagine how difficult the work must've been with Mavez Dukedom being deep in the mountains.

"Not even House Eves c-could've afford this kind of s-sophisticated plumbing," Ophelia mumbled, as this kind of luxury was reserved for the werewolves and vampires.

Ophelia shakingly touched her mouth in disbelief. Just before the abduction, she never stuttered by herself. But now, it has become an uncontrollable thing. Truly, the auction house had traumatized her in more ways than one—starting with her worsneed speech pattern.

"My lady?"

A soft knock came from the entrance. Ophelia quickly poked her head out and was unsure of how to respond. Usually, the maids barged into the room, irritably got her ready, and left without another word.

"O-oh please wait!" Ophelia shouted, running into the closet and pulling out a white sleeping gown. She hurriedly slid it on and ran for the bedroom entrance.

"Y-yes, please c-come in," Ophelia said, hoping the other person heard.

Cora stepped into the room, accompanied by a younger woman who appeared in her mid-twenties. Cora bowed her head in greeting and the maid instantly followed afterwards. They had their hands tucked in front of them, but Ophelia noticed the other maid carried a tray of morning items.

"Good morning, Madam."

"G-good morning," Ophelia stammered, but quickly cursed herself internally. If only she could control this tongue of hers.

"I couldn't properly introduce myself yet, Madam." Cora dipped in a slight curtsy. "I'm Cora, the head housekeeper. I oversee all the servants of the Dukedom."

"I-its nice to m-meet you," Ophelia stated.

Cora offered her half a smile. "You are our utmost priority and I will serve you with great loyalty. Shall you require anything, please tell me."

Ophelia slowly nodded.

"This is Janette, she will be your personal maidservant and will tend to your every need from now on, Madam," Cora introduced. She elegantly gestured to Janette who bowed once again at the introduction.

"It is a pleasure to serve you, Madam."

"O-oh, w-welcome," Ophelia said with a shaky smile whilst shrinking back awkwardly. She was fully aware of how naked she was, but neither woman seemed to mind.

Janette slowly blinked at the kind words, her heart warming. She didn't know what to expect from the Madam.

"Our Alpha specifically requested a human girl for you, Madam."

Ophelia shifted her attention to Janette. A human? She nearly perked up at the thought, even if it felt a bit isolating. Also, Killorn thought of her? She could barely contain her smile at his thoughtfulness and glanced to the ground in an attempt to hide it.

Cora's strict expression softened only momentarily. She was more bewitched, than curious of the Madam's tender expression at the mention of their heartless Alpha.

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Janette stoked the fireplace with new wood quickly, for she had seen the Madam trembling from the cold of Mavez. Then, she presented the water basin with perfume oil and newly spun cloth for Ophelia to be cleansed from neck to toe.

"O-oh, how pretty…" Ophelia admired the elegant dress that Janette chose for her. She could hardly look away from the material that must've cost a fortune. Her heart skipped at the idea that Killorn was spending too much on her.

"It is made of silk imported all the way from the East with lovely shards of pearls, you will resemble a meadow of lavenders with this gown, my lady," Janette calmly explained with a gentle smile.

"I-it must be e-expensive…" Ophelia whispered.

Janette was surprised that an Eves woman would worry about prices. House Eves was a powerful family that almost every human was well aware of. It wasn't everyday that humans seized such control and power in a world where vampires ruled in the government and werewolves made up of the militia power, leaving humans to the rutt of work.

"The Duke truly treasures you, my lady. Prior to your arrival, he had Cora buy out rolls of fabrics here and there from merchants and ordered the best seamstress our town had to offer."

Ophelia's heart jumped at Janette's explanation. Killorn did that for her? She was not only touched, but worried. She heard they replaced the castle furniture and there were a lot of renovations to be done in the estate.

How did Killorn make that much money in such a short span of time? She remembered at their wedding, Killorn had to borrow her brother-in-law's tuxedos and that was five years ago.

"Is there a problem, my lady?" Janette gently asked whilst fastening the corset and helping the Madam slip into the new gown.

"O-oh, I-I wasn't aware the D-Dukedom grew so much a-and the castle so grand," Ophelia attempted to elaborate. She wasn't sure how much Janette knew.

"You mean you didn't hear, my lady?" Janette responded. She picked up the comb and gently ran it through the Madam's hair. She was fascinated by the beautiful strands of silver that were almost white as snow.

"N-no?"

"The Mavez Dukedom didn't always look this lavish and well-fed. In fact, I'm sure you saw that neighboring place just three towns over from ours? The impoverished area that is now owned by us?"

Ophelia shakily nodded, remembering the inn and her decision to have the carriage gifted to them.

"The Mavez Dukedom used to resemble that place, my lady. We were famished with no resources and one of the poorest towns an empire had ever seen, but for the past two years, the current Duke made the wisest investments and taught all of our new warriors the art of monster extraction to sell these pieces. He's rebuilt the community in a short while as an Alpha, and we've flourished with great prosperity—all thanks to the Duke's generosity."

Ophelia's breath hitched. In the past two years that Killorn had been quiet, all along, he was trying to rebuild his home.

"All of the townsfolk are eternally grateful to his saving grace. Our Duke is well-versed in monsters and has taught many extractors to make extremely clean cuts with pieces sold at the highest price, with the most excellent one teaching the younger generation."

Ophelia didn't know. She was shocked by the confession and glanced at Janette, who had finished tying her hair in a braided bun. She was surprised by the lavender ribbon that hung from her silver locks, for Matriarch Eves never allowed the color to be worn.

"Our late Duke left us with nothing, but cruelty... He would often hurt the servants," Cora murmured.

Before Ophelia could ask more questions, Cora continued her explanation.

"However, with Duke Killorn's wise investments, our mines, and the money from selling monster parts to merchants, we had enough money to build inns, taverns, bakeries, schools, hospitals, and many more. Duke Killorn, my apologies, Alpha, is one of the reasons we're being well-fed and can sustain ourselves for years," Janette continued.

Ophelia blinked. She realized Cora frequently used Alpha, but Janette the human used Duke.

"That is why the Mavez Pack's surrounding areas lack monsters, making us a safe location for trade, and with our daily extraction team, merchants flock to us like birds to fresh bread, my lady," Janette explained.

Ophelia could tell Janette truly respected Killorn. Her placid eyes would light up at the mention of their town's history. Ophelia was personally touched by the story, for she didn't know until now.

Killorn worked hard for his people—and he earned a lifetime of gratitude and respect from it. The only question was… what happened prior to his regime? Just how horrible was the late Duke? If Ophelia asked, would Killorn even tell her what happened?

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Author Note (June 17, 2022): After being knocked down by a fever, flu, and food poisoning, I've made it back! It's been a crazy few weeks for me and I'm still recovering. Updates will be 1 chapter for this month and resume to double updates in July. Thank you for your patience and understanding! I really appreciated your warm wishes, thank you <3