Romanoff Dukedom: Repentance (5)

With both of his hands now gripping the steel bars, Ius gave Zarya a dirty look.

He was grinding his teeth as if he was chewing his frustrations. He shook the bars with everything he got with the intention of breaking them down. However, the Duke grabbed one of Ius' wrists to loosen it up.

"Ius, this is not the right time to lose your composure. We came here to talk." The Duke said, pulling Ius' arm away from the bar.

The young man looked at his father, his eyes begging the Duke to set him free. But his own actions opposed his deepest desire. Ius didn't resist his father's hold, and soon, he took a step back. He took his grip off from the other bar and lowered his head.

Ius' shoulders shook, his fists clenched so tightly that they'd become pallid. He couldn't voice his frustrations out for there was a myriad of them.

Duke Romanoff gave a glance at his son, then to the young lady. The man knew that the two were in the springtime of life. Because of that, they had the tendency to become narrow-minded.

Be that as it may, he couldn't dismiss the fact that they had experienced more hardships than anyone of their age. Only, they allowed their emotions to control them.

"Young lady, I've come to inform you that we will be punishing Ius Romanoff for killing one of the Romanoff Wolf Clan's Grand Elder. The deliberation will begin early tomorrow morning."

Zarya turned her head towards the Duke, remembering to give the slightest respect to the man who went out of his way to keep her enlightened of what was happening.

"I'm grateful for your consideration, My Lord. However, punishing your son won't let Erwin come back to life."

Once she had given her reply, Zarya went back to the corner and sat down. The wetness of her garment didn't bother her so much as to Ius' presence.

The Duke, in the meantime, thought about Zarya's response. He didn't expect her to be delighted by the news, but he had anticipated her to be at least welcoming.

Duke Romanoff sat on the ground, much to Ius' surprise. He knew that his father loathed anything that was filthy. The smallest speck of dust on his belongings would prompt him to call the Butlers to reprimand the servants on his behalf.

Even before they entered the prison, Ius had doubts that his father could stay within the unclean environment of the lower floors.

"Zarya, can you come here?"

At the outset, Zarya had reservations about the Duke's order. But she soon followed and sat in an area nearer to the Duke. Once she was settled, the Duke held his hand out.

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Vartos, one of the Grand Elders of the Romanoff Wolf Clan."

Zarya cautiously lifted her hand to shake the Duke's, introducing herself subsequently.

"Zarya," She said meekly, "Varsavis Clan."

"Varsavis Clan? I've never heard of such a clan."

"It's a clan that's been annihilated by the Orschettas. We're considered the weakest, so we didn't garner that much attention."

The Duke nodded at Zarya's explanation prior to giving his son a glance. He then tugged at Ius' sleeve and urged him to take a seat.

Though Ius didn't do so right away, he paid attention to the conversation between the Duke and Zarya.

"Tomorrow, you will be summoned to the deliberation as an offender. You've violated a lot of the Romanoff Dukedom's house rules. However, your offense against the wolf clan is much greater."

Oddly enough, the Duke was speaking to Zarya as if she was a child. Ius had never heard his father assume that kind of mellow utterance. For some unknown reason, it was calming to him.

"But I'll assure you now that I will protect Missus Dorothea. That's what the Duchess also wants. The Missus had been serving us for several decades. We have no intention of letting her go. We are also aware of her beast nature from the very beginning."

Zarya's lips trembled at the Duke's words. Once again, tears came falling down her eyes. While she was grieving Erwin's death, she was worrying over Dorothea's condition as well.

And for certain, Dorothea was more broken than her. After all, Erwin was Dorothea's lover. They never had the chance to be united in a ceremony because of the conflict between their clans.

Knowing that Dorothea would be protected by the Duke and Duchess of Romanoff, Zarya was the most relieved that she had been in a few years. She immediately bowed her head at the Duke.

"Thank you, My Lord. Thank you… At least, Erwin will be at peace through Dorothea's safety."

"You're very much welcome, Zarya."

The Duke went on and took out the handkerchief from the inside pocket of his suit. He handed it to Zarya, but the young lady only stared at it.

"Please take it. You should wipe your face while you're at it."

Nodding at the offer, she took the handkerchief off of the Duke's hand.

"As I've said earlier, I came here to ask you some questions. Would you mind answering some of them?"

"If I can't answer the question, I will keep my silence, My Lord. Please ask away." Zarya gave her rejoinder as she was tapping the side of her face lightly with the handkerchief.

That instant, Ius finally sat beside his father. However, he didn't pay any glances towards the lady. His gaze was just focused on the ground, observing the march of ants and the occasional emergence of centipedes.

"Alright, to begin our conversation, why don't you tell me your story, Zarya?"

"Story, My Lord? At what particular point in my life?"

"Perhaps, the period that will be relevant to Erwin's case? I want to know what kind of life Erwin had gone through."

Zarya lowered both her handkerchief and her head. She caressed the surface of the cloth, remembering the first time that she met Erwin.