There was once a saying that days were like petals of roses—soft and vibrant, capturing the essence of fleeting beauty. Each moment could slip away like the gentle fall of a petal, just as time danced swiftly, turning seconds into minutes and hours. Before you knew it, the day would benevolently fade, and weeks would have already passed without you noticing.
A perfect example of the deafening silence that covered the duke's domain. It had been a week since Sebastian had gone to the palace. In the days that followed, he was usually found in the hunting grounds, reveling in the thrill of the chase as he killed his precious prey on the spot without mercy. But today was different. Instead of the roaring of his large-caliber double-barreled rifles, a heavy silence enveloped the landscape, as if the very air held its breath. The vibrant sounds of nature—the rustling leaves, the distant calls of birds—were muted, and this sudden silence brought an unsettling stillness to the duke's servants. The weight of their unease pressed down on them, as if a calm enveloped the place before the storm.
*BANG!*
The sharp noise of the door echoed as it struck the frame of the wall, revealing a man with hair like midnight—medium-length, layered with a naturally slightly messy texture and a slightly off-center part. He wore a monocle over his right eye, which visibly showed his narrowed gaze of disdain. His brow arched in disbelief, a piercing look that spoke volumes, as clear as day.
As he looked at the gun rack on the wall, a glare met the untouched polished rifle. Even the head of the moose Sebastian collected was nowhere to be found, leaving the place with a neatly peaceful ambiance.
"Your silence is utterly deafening!"
Keith voice was loud and clear enough for Sebastian to hear, but instead of responding, Sebastian shrugged him off, engrossed in his paperwork, scratching with a pen on the documents spread before him.
"Pray tell, where is the man who declared that skills must be sharpened daily, akin to a knife, if one wishes to prevent them from succumbing to the ravages of rust?!"
Sebastian scoffed.
"Ha- How cruel of you to wish that I should butcher every animal in my sight."
His response made his blood boil, with anger surging from his gut.
Isn't that your doing?!
Keith then let out a heavy sigh, too deep to sound like an escaping deflated balloon, filled with the frustration of countless unspoken hatreds he felt from Sebastian.
"HA!- Just!… just stop playing around with my papers and shed blood in the field for all I care!"
A smug smile formed on his lips.
"Hmm… Do I look like playing? It has just occurred to me that toiling over these papers was, indeed, quite fun!"
This time, his patience snapped as if he had any to begin with.
"But that is my work, milord!"
"Don't worry, as your dear friend, I won't deduct a penny from your salary."
It made him roll his eyes.
Like I care!
At first, he thought it was fun playing Sebastian's game, believing he could officially rest and leave all the work to him. But instead of clearing the panda-like bags under his eyes, he encountered the greatest misfortune of his life. After a week, his complexion was more akin to that of a corpse, thanks to a certain someone he could only wish were buried in the grave.
"I shouldn't have gotten myself involved in this if I knew it would go this way!"
Sebastian didn't argue back; he simply fell silent.
He set the pen down on the table and clasped his fingers together, resting his forehead against them. Slowly, he then lifted his head, letting his hands slide down to support his chin, looking utterly bashful.
What a sight!
He almost barfed.
"I have a friend of a friend-
Before he could finish, he simply cut him off, wearing a straight face.
"Milord, you don't have any friends except for ME."
Sebastian cleared his throat, the sound cutting through the soft murmur of the room. As the secretary, who was also his only friend, settled into a chair and poured himself a cup of tea.
"Have you, perchance, found an unaccountable fondness for someone, as if your gaze were drawn to them by an invisible thread?-
"COUGH!"
"COUGH!"
"God! That burns my tongue!"
When he looked at Sebastian, that's when he knew it was a serious problem.
"Look, everyone knows I'm as apathetic as a rock beyond compare. I don't feel anything for anyone, so I wouldn't be able to help you…"
Hopeless as it seemed, his eyes suddenly narrowed as he recalled the day Sebastian visited the palace. He had been gone for nearly five hours, returning to the car with his ears flushed bright red.
"Milord, where have you been?!"
"You leave me in a state of great distress upon hearing that the queen has beheaded a servant following his meeting with you!"
Back then, his silence consumed the entire journey as they returned to the duke's dome, only for Sebastian to act out of his character the next day.
"....….."
"But I believe I could give you appropriate advice based on my knowledge of this matter."
He then placed the cup on the table, wiped his lips, and spoke elegantly.
"Have you recently fallen for someone?"
His question left Sebastian in a tight spot, seemingly unsure of what to say.
"But it was a friend-
-And I'm your only friend."
"No! What I mean to say is that I have made a friend!"
At that moment, it sparked his curiosity, leading him to suddenly ask Sebastian a question.
"A lady from which family?"
Sebastian paused.
"It was a man…a kind, beautiful man."
He didn't answer, but a frown of concern could be seen on his forehead.
"Milord, I think what you feel is just an affection towards a friend."
He states, without any further assumptions, yet the way Sebastian continues to dig himself into a hole fills him with concern. The persistent look of distress on Sebastian's face only deepens his worry, as if each word is pulling him further away from clarity.
"It is what I believe as well! Yet I find myself unable to sense even the slightest trace of that tingling, suffocating feeling in anyone!"
"Then let's just say you like him. But does he even like you?!
Silence fell in the room.
"Do you truly believe he could ever be interested in a man, and the heir to the dukedom, no less?!"
He was left speechless, as if a cat had just cut its tongue out of its mouth.
"Not everyone thinks and acts as you, milord. I believe it might be best to remove the frog from the boiling pot before it is too late."
Sebastian groaned in confusion, running his fingers through his hair. He stood up and leaned against the table, trying to find clarity amid the chaos he felt in his chest that was affecting his mind.
"Keith, I think you don't understand!"
This time, the look in his eyes was no longer playful; it was sharp enough to pierced through anything, as if he was finally fed up with Sebastian's words.
"No! I fully understand it all milord!"
"No you-
"Sebastian! That's enough! Leave my office at once! And please refrain from uttering such words, especially in the presence of the Duke!"
Sebastian straightened his posture, as if the weight of Keith's words had knocked some sense into him.
"HA! It was fun hanging out in your office…."
He stopped as he reach the door.
"Oh! And I think you should put some ointment on your neck. It must hurt after being bitten by a mosquito."
Sebastian casually stated as he strode out of Keith's office.
Meanwhile, amidst Sebastian's sudden change of character, a rumor began circulating in the Duke's domain, reaching everyone's ears like a great haste of the wind
"I heard that the young duke has finally found his love in the palace! A friend of mine saw it with his own two eyes!"
"That's ridiculous!"
Her voice echoed through the halls before a servant maid covered her mouth.
"Lower your voice."
"Anyways! Is she pretty?!"
"No, words can't define her!"
Suddenly, an elegant feature of a shadow appeared behind them, revealing the duchess with an eerie expression on her face.
******
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