His Highness, Whose Enigmatic Heart Beckons

The Grand Duke and his advisor had finished discussing his decision for the young man, the sun had set and he was already dry from the bath. He didn't expect this discussion to be so long. and it's been a while since he talked to his advisor.

As the Grand Duke straightened his clothes and adjusted his hair, he could not help but recall the events of the day. The memory of the kiss was still fresh in his mind, and it made his heart race every time he thought about it. He was confused and surprised by his own reaction, and he could not help but feel ashamed that he had let his emotions get the better of him. He remembered the way the commoner had looked at him, and the way the young man's lips had felt on his own. It was a moment of vulnerability that he had not experienced in a long time. He sighed and looked back into the mirror. 

He was a mighty ruler, strong and powerful, yet he had allowed himself to be overcome by such a simple thing as a kiss. He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. He needed to be a leader, not a foolish child who was led by his desires. He took a deep breath and resolved to put his duty first and his own desires second.

It's already evening for this to solve further, The Grand Duke decided to postpone this issue for tomorrow. 

The thought of the past event made him want to isolate himself, he refused to eat at the dining hall, the servant had left him his dinner for him to eat inside his chamber. 

The Grand Duke spent the night sleepless and restless as the memory of the commoner's kiss haunted him. He was deeply conflicted about what had happened, and he couldn't decide how he felt. Part of him felt violated, while another part felt a strange sense of desire. He didn't understand how a mere commoner could have such an effect on him, and he was ashamed of his own weakness. 

He lay alone in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind racing with thoughts. He couldn't decide what to do. On the one hand, he wanted to find the commoner in his custody and apologize for his outburst. On the other hand, he was afraid that if he saw the commoner again, he might not be able to resist the temptation. 

As the hours passed, his mind grew more and more troubled. He was torn between his duty as the Grand Duke and his own personal desires. He knew that he had to make a decision, but he didn't know what the right thing to do was.

The Grand Duke decided to show the young man kindness and generosity despite the harsh words he had spoken earlier. He summoned a servant and instructed them to fetch fresh clothes and a bath for the young man, indicating his willingness to set aside his pride and allow the young man to regain their dignity. 

Elias was brought to a private chamber, where he was presented with the clothes and a bath was prepared. He was grateful for the Grand Duke's kindness and accepted the new clothes and bathed himself. The Grand Duke hoped that this act of kindness would help to heal the damage done by his earlier words and he could finally sleep peacefully.

The next day, The Grand Duke woke up early despite sleeping very late. He summoned a servant and instructed them, "Call for Percy, and tell him, I need the record of the young man named "Elias Acker" when he arrives. I want him to present it to me with the most detailed record of this person's background."'

The servant bowed and quickly went off to do the Grand Duke's bidding. They ran as fast as they could to find and inform Percy of the Grand Duke's request. 

Percy, who was just finishing up his morning routine, quickly got dressed and headed to the grand Duke's chambers. He arrived to find the Duke pacing back and forth, clearly anxious for the report on Elias Acker. 

"Your Highness," Percy said with a bow, "I have the document as you requested." He handed the Grand Duke the report, which contained a detailed background of Elias Acker, including his family, education history. 

The Grand Duke read through the report with a stern gaze, his eyes scanning the pages rapidly. Finally, he looked up at Percy and said, "Thank you for this report, Percy. You have done well. Now, I must decide what to do with this young man," He said, "You may leave."

With that granted permission, Percy simply left with a bow. 

The grand duke felt that this description and name was quite familiar, who's Elias? Why does he feel very familiar with this name? but he couldn't find out who Elias was in his buried memory and spent his time pondering it deeply until he was called for breakfast. 

Luxe sat beside him, she didn't speak and ate neatly with her lady-like manners. As a royalty, she was taught to be formal and respectable and was more enlightened than every child in Landroich should have. until this day, she was Kaiser's cousin, and Kaiser's fiancee.

As they ate their breakfast together, Luxe could sense the grand duke's deep thoughts in his mind. She was a skilled observer, trained to detect even the slightest change in mood or demeanor.

She knew that something was troubling the grand duke, and she was determined to find out what it was. After they finished their breakfast, Luxe spoke up, "Your Grace, is something on your mind? You seem preoccupied today."

The Grand Duke looked up from his plate, surprised to be called out so bluntly. He hesitated for a moment before replying coldly, "Yes, Luxe. I must admit that I feel as though I have encountered that name before, but I can't seem to place it. It's not just the name, but the person associated with it seems familiar to me as well."

"Who? the young savior?" She asked to clarify it, her eyebrows knitting lightly. 

"Yeah." He wiped the corner of his lips with the clean handkerchief, "I suppose this does not concern you anymore, so let us not talk about it."

With that, the grand duke simply left Luxe in the dining hall, completely ignored by her fiance. She threw her spoon on the ground due to her anger which made the servants flinch abruptly. 

"Your highness Luxe." the voice spoke from Luxe's behind, Luxe was caught off guard and cussed, "Who are you? Why the hell are you here? how are you permitted in the dining hall?!" she shamelessly yelled at the advisor.

This woman.. is such a hypocrite. thought the advisor, he didn't speak for a moment and let the young lady spout nonsense to him.

The advisor held up both his hands, trying to placate Luxe's aggressive demeanor, "Your Highness, I mean you no harm. I am just here to inform you that the Duke has summoned you to his chambers. He wishes to discuss the matter of Elias Acker further with you."

Luxe crossed her arms, her anger momentarily quelled by her curiosity. "What more is there to discuss? He already knows what's up with that rat." 

The advisor nodded, "I understand that this situation may be difficult for you, Your Highness. If your highness wanted to get the Grand Duke's attention, try to help him at least once. But rest assured, the Grand Duke only wishes to gather as much information as possible about Elias. He values your opinion and perspective on the matter.""

Luxe snorted, but nevertheless, stood up from the table, "Fine. I'll go speak with the Duke. But I want you to know, advisor, that I am not happy about this situation. Not one bit." With that, she stormed out of the dining hall, leaving the advisor alone.

Luxe was furious. For years, she had been Kaiser's closest confidante and most trusted advisor. She had been there for him during his lowest moments and had always put his needs above her own. And now, he was giving all of his attention to a commoner named Elias.

She tried to keep her emotions in check as she walked to his chambers, but her heart was pounding with frustration. Every step felt like a struggle, and she had to constantly remind herself to keep her composure.

 When she finally arrived at his door, she took a deep breath and knocked. "Come in." The Grand Duke's voice called out. Luxe took a deep breath and entered, her heart racing as she stepped inside. 

The Grand Duke was sitting at his desk, his eyes focused on a document in front of him. Luxe's eyes quickly scanned the paper, noticing Elias's name on it. 

She felt a pang of jealousy, which only made her anger grow, "What is this, Kaiser?" she spat out, pointing to the paper, "Why are you so interested in Elias?" Kaiser looked up at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

"Luxe, I am simply trying to understand this individual better. He may hold the key to solving a major problem." he said calmly, but Luxe could sense the intensity in his eyes. 

"Why do you care about this young man who was in your custody? you've never done this to your prisoners! Sooner or later he will be beheaded because he violated you!"

"You never cared about me like this." Luxe said, her voice quivering with hurt. She had always known that Kaiser's attention was often divided between his duties and her, but she had never realized how much it had bothered her until now. 

"Are you done?" Kaiser said coldly and blunt, putting his quill down, "Scram at once."