Romanoff Dukedom: The Heroine (12)

Having decided what he wanted to do, Ius faced about and began to saunter towards his mother's office. Since they knew no alternative, both the Head Butler and the Head Maid followed the young man, their steps heavy but quiet.

The Duchess' study was not far-off from Dorothea's. Reason being that the Head Maid was required to attend to the Duchess' needs as soon as she possibly could.

Erwin hurriedly gave Zarya a nod, prompting her to heed the young master's wishes sans any protest. Ahead of taking her leave, she tightly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In times as such, she could only yield herself to the pity of fate.

Once she had gathered her composure, she ran up towards the three individuals who were already making a turn at the corner.

Their stroll was done in absolute quietude. In the stead of their voices and footsteps were the loud beating of their bothered hearts.

Even supposing that it would be a short trip, a couple of minutes at best, Zarya felt like she was walking en route to her doom.

She wanted to relax in the embrace of the repose that accompanied them. But that was harder done than said for the lady. She kept on glancing at the floor then at Ius' back, expecting for the young man to suddenly attack her.

Amidst their walk, Ius broke the silence.

"Mr Erwin, don't assume that I have forgotten that I heard you utter the Snake Clan. It is either you tell me before we meet mother or I'll have no choice but to inform the Duke that you're planning something even if you aren't. I'm sure he'll be delighted."

For once, Ius became excessively communicative with the servants. Perchance, it was his hatred that was doing the talking.

To Erwin's relief, it was too late for him to tattle regarding the snake clan. They had already arrived at the facade of the door to the Duchess' study.

Ius promptly knocked and announced their presence, "Duchess Romanoff, I've brought the Head Butler, the Head Maid, and the maid you've requested to see."

The young man didn't await his mother's answer, pushing one side of the double doors promptly. The instant that the three of them ingressed her study, the Duchess removed her gaze from the documents on her desk and gave it to her guests.

"My son, what are you doing here?" Freiyana queried as she stood up.

The Duchess then walked towards Ius, assaying to read his intentions through his stern countenance.

"Mother, I'm here for an explanation." Ius declared his intent.

"Explanation? Of what sorts?"

Rather than answering, Ius went beside his mother's office table. The Duchess followed his path with a curious look, wondering what the young man was planning to do. However, Ius just stood there as he faced the four.

"Ius, my dear, what is it that greatly interests you so? Care to tell me?

Ius straightened his back and gave his mother the courtesies she deserved. Thereafter, he uttered, "Duchess Romanoff, I will stay in this room until I've heard everything you have to say."

It was obvious that the Duchess wasn't delighted by his response. The smile on her countenance quickly vanished before she narrowed her gaze on her son.

"Ius, I am willing to grant you permission. Withal, you have to inform me why you're being like this. There's only so much I can tolerate. Your impudence is not one of them."

The young man met his mother's eyes and noticed the glints on them. He knew at that point that he ought to discard his stubbornness.

"Duchess, I happen to hear Erwin mentioning the snake clan. You're well aware of how deep my hatred, the Duke's hatred for that clan is. And..." He then threw Zarya a glare before continuing. "That maid, I chanced upon that maid once. Her eyes, they're golden, even more luminescent than mine."

"What did you just say?"

"We have a rule in the Romanoff house to not hire shifters, not even demi-humans, Duchess. The four of us are sentient that only beasts can have golden eyes as a trait."

The moment that Ius was done speaking, Freiyana gave her servants an inquisitive stare. As opposed to what Ius was expecting her mother to do, the Duchess merely kept her silence.

A little while later, her confusion soon turned into mirth. She approached her son and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're as apprehensive as ever, Ius. Don't worry since I know this young lady. She is only a half-beast. Furthermore, the beast side of her doesn't manifest too often. It doesn't affect her in any way at all. Now, are you satisfied?"

Ius was not convinced of his mother's excuses, to say the least. Still, he opted to accept it rather than raising doubts that would infuriate his mother.

"What about the snake clan? Are they making a move? Hearing their name out of the blue is bothersome."

"Erwin must have been so bothered regarding what I said pertaining to the snake clan's atrocities. Isn't that the case, Erwin?"

"Yes, madame," The Headbutler readily caught what the Duchess wanted to do, prompting him to utter an appropriate answer.

Seeing that the Duchess was doing her best in replying to his questions, Ius was aware that he was unwanted in the room. Hence, he dropped his suspicions and said his words of farewell.

"Very well, I will leave the matter for now. Have a good day, mother."

Ensuing his speech, Ius bowed his head to his mother. He proceeded to walk his way to the door, sans looking at the three servants one last time. The instant that he closed the door, he leaned his back on it as he shut his eyes. For a while, he pondered by himself.

Once he opened his eyes, a new resolution was embedded in them.

'They're clearly lying. Do they think I'm a child to believe those nonsensical arguments? I'll investigate by myself then if they have no plans of informing me.'