Chapter 5 Her Visitor

Chapter 4: Her Visitor

"H-Here, Y-Your Grace. Please drink it to ease the shivering you are feeling." I handed Duke Sylvester a hot drink. My hands were a bit quivering when I reached the cup to him.

A subtle smile appeared on his lips. "Thank you. You're so thoughtful." He wrapped his hands in the cup. "I shall thank you as well for the clothes."

"I-I'm happy to help, Your Grace." I eyed the tunic he was wearing right now after I took him into my home. The clothes were from my deceased adoptive father. I kept it somewhere safe, which is the same goes for my dead adoptive mother's clothing. I am relieved that it wasn't torn when I took them out.

He took a sip on it. Then he gasped after a moment. "Wow! Your corn coffee tasted spectacular!" he exclaimed. "All of the corn coffee I have tasted, this is incredibly tasty. If you are in my pack, I will have you stay in my manor only to prepare me this corn coffee," he exclaimed again.

I smiled shyly. "I'm glad you like it, Your Grace." That was the first compliment I heard from a nobleman and an Alpha at the same time. It was making my heart flutter that someone, aside from my adoptive parents, complimented me about the way my corn coffee tasted.

He looked up. I got to see the unique colors of his eyes. "I don't know your name. It is unfair that you already know me, yet I do not know about yours."

I looked at him, surprised. "Y-You want to know my name?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes." He nodded.

I blinked, still processing his words. He wants to know my name? Does a nobleman wish to know my name? What? Our Alpha never asks our name... He never even knows our name because we were his slaves. It wasn't worth his time to get to know us.

"Is there something wrong about asking your name?" He tilted his head.

I shook my head. "N-Nothing specifically, Your Grace." I gulped, not wanting to say what was on my mind. "M-My name is Anais. Anais Marlee," I introduced myself.

He smiled. "Anais..." he mentioned my name as if he tasted it. He chuckled. "I will remember your name."

I lowered my gaze when his eyes were staring at me, which suddenly made me uncomfortable. I am just not getting used to a noble person staring at me. I felt like he was just looking down on me. Moreover, his gaze seemed so intimidating, even his aura.

The aura of an Alpha and an aura of a nobleman were making me overwhelmed already. I am not sure where to place myself and make myself comfortable with him around.

"Shouldn't you be wondering why I am here in your pack?"

"Pardon?" I glanced up at his question.

Duke Sylvester sipped his drink before he spoke. "Aren't you supposed to alert your Alpha Grant that a strange wolf was wandering around his pack and managed to trespass unnoticed?" His expression changed to smug.

"I—"

"You are the type of a person who won’t say a thing, I surmised."

Shocked, I was taken aback when he butted in and made a flabbergasting remark. "H-How can you tell?" I asked, almost panicking.

I hadn't talked much yet, so could he tell me my behavior? Just how keenly and wise he was!

He leaned. Then he drew a malignant smile. "You would have alerted Grant by mind linking him the moment you knew that I am the Duke of Ascian who was in front of your door, Anais."

I blinked at how he noticed the details. I even shivered down my spine when he pointed that out. He was right. I would have told my Alpha but would our Alpha pay heed to me, an Omega?

"You are vigilant, Your Grace," I said politely. I didn't want to say that Alpha Grant never cares for his Omega subjects. He only sees us as slaves who worked for his plantation.

"Additionally, you have never informed your Alpha that I was there at the Norlow River. I wonder why you did not do that..." he asked, nipping his chin while scrutinizing me with an ironic smile. "Could it be..." he paused, making me feel more anticipation of what he was going to say next.

The way he scrutinized me right now, it was as if he could see the answer from me just by looking at me. His mischievous expression was already making me agitated. I could tell that he already knew the answer, but he was just prolonging for anticipation... The reason is—

It was to make me uncomfortable!

What the hell!

I slowly inhaled and exhaled before I showed a gentle smile. "I wonder what words you will utter, Your Grace." I need to calm down. I should make my heart at ease because he would hear how nervous I was.

Damn it... Why was his stare making me feel uncomfortable? It was as if he already knew the countermeasures and knew the outcome.

Duke Sylvester chuckled at my words. "My, my." He stood up and halted in front of me. Then he lowered his face with a broad smile, so our faces were even. "I appreciate your motto, 'less talk, less mistake,’ Anais, but..." he paused. In a matter of seconds, his expression changed to a stony-faced one which caught my breath. "That is not cute anymore." He curls his lips to a smirk. "Stop protecting your Alpha when he only treats you all as slaves when it should not."

I remained speechless because he had frightening expressions. One moment he was smiling so wide, then the next was his expression turned to a cold one. It was making me have goosebumps every time he could shift his emotions from a beaming one to a grim expression.

I snapped back when he placed his hand on top of my head. I glanced up, seeing his beaming eyes and smile.

"Worry not, for I will not interrogate you, Anais. But I know you will tell me what is behind the slavery of Grant Thompson soon."

That made me feel relieved. Should I say 'thank you, Your Grace' from that?

He gently patted my head before he stood straight. "Hmm... It's still raining hard. But I have to go back right now before the pack guards see my footprints..." he said, not talking to me but himself. He looked at me. "I shall take my leave. Thank you for your corn coffee." He chuckled. "You already fell silent there."

I furrowed my forehead. How could I talk again when he was more frightened than I had thought? I couldn't tell when I will meet his stony-faced expression again... He was unreadable, a bit arrogant, and could quickly shift his emotions like some sort of psychopath.

"Y-Your Grace!" I called when he was about to leave. He turned at me while he was holding his wet clothes.

"What is it?"

I took a deep breath, wanting to confirm something Polly said. "Is it true that... the reason you came here for seven consecutive days is because of the account records of Alpha Grant's plantation?"

Duke Sylvester had a slight surprise reaction but curled up a grin. "Ho? So, someone has already spread those words?"

"I-I only heard it..." I muttered, feeling agitated.

His Grace chuckled. "I don't mind at all." He shrugged.

I looked at him, surprised. He didn't mind it? Is he implying that what Polly said was true after all? But he didn't admit it...

"Oh, I remember something, Anais!"

"Yes, Your Grace? Is something the matter?"

"I was wondering why you are alone here. Where is your mate? Your parents or siblings?"

I blinked, a bit uncomfortable to answer it. "Um..." I cleared my throat and chose to answer anyway because I don't want to appear rude in front of the duke. "I have no mate yet. I have no siblings as well. And my parents... my adoptive parents were already laying cold on the ground," I said meaningfully. I didn't want to express the part that they were already dead. I just hope His Grace would understand my meaning.

"Oh, I see. I apologize for being insensitive."

I gasped softly, surprised. He immediately picked up my message.

"H-How about you, Your Grace?"

He had a perplexed look. "What about me?"

"I was also wondering why you are here. What if your Luna is looking for you?" I castigated myself as to why I even said that. Of all things I need to say, why did I ask about the personal matters of the duke? Damn... "F-Forgive me—"

"My Luna was already laying cold on the ground."

That shocked me. What? She's dead? How bold I was! I was about to kneel before him when he ordered me to cease not to do it.

"B-But I didn't know, Your Grace..." I begged to plead. I had no idea that Duke Sylvester had a deceased mate already. All I did in my life was not to know all the aristocrats, but I am already regretting it right now. I should have listened to the people who gossiped about them so that I wouldn't act on my own accord and pay heed to my words.

"It is fine, Anais. You may rise." I did as he told me. "It is nice meeting you, Anais. 'Till we meet again." He smiled before reaching the door to open it. "Make sure to hide my footprints at your house, alright?"

He bid goodbye and saw him transform into a massive gray wolf. He picked up his clothes with his mouth before he turned at me, nodding his head.

I remained speechless when he was out of my sight. Then I snapped back when I remembered he said that I need to hide his footprints. I immediately moved while trying to process what had just happened.

The image of his different types of expressions illuminated my mind. I knew I could already tell that he was not just a duke with a dukedom. He is something else.

That cunning look... It was more frightening than I thought.

'Be careful, Anais. He is someone we cannot trust,' my wolf said.

I nodded and agreed. "I know that. I just hope I was thinking wrong about the Duke of Ascian..."