"Your Highness!"
I heard someone say something and could even feel the rush of their steps, but I was still on the floor bowing my head.
"What happened?" Bisnna asked as she went rushing to where I was.
I looked at her as I felt my body shaking.
She helped me to stand up and went to the nearest chair and made me sit there.
"What happened, Your Highness?" she asked as she looked at me as she was pouring some water into the glass.
I shook my head as I was trying to hide what Lady Crizelda did to me.
Why did I have to be in this novel when I will just get bullied here by some people?
No, I said in my last life that I wouldn't let anyone do the same to me back then.
"Are you okay, Your Highness?" Bisnna asked as she looked at me.
I tried hiding all the emotions I had and smiled at her.
"The duke said that he will be coming later in the evening to check your condition." Bisnna spoke, and I simply nodded in response to her.
My mind feels blank; all I think is, how can I survive here in this world?
In this world, I would die seven years from now.
I sighed as I looked at birds that were flying in the tree that I can see here inside this room.
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Later that evening, Bisna told me that Duke had already arrived and that he wanted to eat with me.
She dressed me up along with the other maids.
They led me to the dining room, and I moved with a robotic grace.
The dining room looks very fancy; the duke was already there and was waiting for my arrival.
I look at the food that was served on the table; I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
When I was still Zairainah, eating food was a luxury to me.
I always skipped eating meals just to save for my brother's debt.
Remembering how he just abandoned me and left all his debt in my name makes me feel angry at him. I know that falling in love was good, but he was so toxic when it comes to love that no matter what the woman demands him to buy, even though he doesn't have any money, he will try to pay and buy it for her.
"I heard that Lady Crizelda went here to resume your classes with her." The duke broke the silence and brought me back to the present while we were eating.
I just nodded at him as I was concentrating on eating.
"I told her to give you a rest, but it seems like she reported a while ago that you were the one who insisted on it," the duke said as he grabbed the glass of his wine beside his plate.
I couldn't help but grip the fork and knife that I am holding; I haven't even met her, not until this afternoon.
"She also told me the reason why you fell into the pond, is it true?" he asked calmly as he looked at me straight in the eyes.
I didn't know how to react or what to do, as I know what really happened.
Navia pushed Camilla into the pond, but what was not in the story is how she fell into the pond.
"Why did you push Lady Broxstin?" the duke asked as he looked at me while trying to calm himself by sighing deeply.
"I-I didn't know...." I said as I looked at him.
"Didn't know? The other noble families there told me that you were angry because she was with the crown prince," he said as he gripped at the glass bottle.
I looked down on my plate as I felt my heart racing in nervousness.
I am scared. What if the Duke hurts me like they did back then?
Will he also tell me, like what Lady Crizelda said, that I should have died with the duchess?
"You..." he said and I closed my eyes as I saw his hand approaching me.
I stood up as my eyes were still closed and bowed my head.
"I am sorry. I—I won't do it again." I said as I cried while I bowed on the floor.
I don't want to die. I know the duke still doesn't have any affections towards Navia, as Declan is still alive.
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The duke looked surprised at what happened...
He was just about to reach for his daughter and tell her that she didn't need the crown prince attention.
But he was surprised at what happened.
His daughter was kneeling in front of him while she was shaking and crying, asking for forgiveness.
What happened?
Before they came here to the capital many months ago, his daughter wasn't like this.
Navia was once a joyful child, but ever since she witnessed her mother die, she has become aloof and distant from everyone.
That's why he was worried that when Declan enters the Academy, Navia will be left alone in their house.
Kalleon decided to bring his children here to the capital, as their mansion securities here are even tighter, and besides, he wanted Navia to have friends that's why he even hired Lady Crizelda, who was a well-known teacher for the noble children for girls here in the capital.
But all he got was always a negative report from Lady Crizelda telling how his daughter behaved when he was not around.
He admitted it; he has never spent some time with his children ever since his wife was murdered, as he was busy catching the culprit behind the assassination of his family, which cost his wife's life.
When Marquis Broxstin invited him to a party for hunting, he said he could bring his daughter, but when he came back, he saw his knights were trying to save his daughter.
Kelleon felt his world crumble when he saw her lifeless; that's why he asked what really happened, as he wasn't around there, but his knight said that she was just punishing some maid and that's why she fell.
But no one told him what really happened.
Lady Crizelda came to him in the afternoon when he arrived at their estate and there she told him that his daughter jumped in the water as she couldn't bear the humiliation that she got when she pushed the Marquis daughter.
She was also the one who reported all the things his daughter was doing, as he asked her to take a look at her whenever he wasn't around.
But why is his daughter acting like this?
She was still kneeling in front of him and crying.
Kalleon eyes widened when she suddenly collapsed on the floor.
He scooped her up, but when he did, he heard her grunt like she was in some pain.
He told Gasper to fetch the healer, and they arrived not too long after.
The doctor examined his daughter, and he seems to be frowning, which made him feel nervous.
Kalleon saw the doctor lift his daughter's clothes, and he was about to yell at him when his eyes widened at what he was seeing.
"What are those?!" he said as he raised his voice while pointing at marks on his daughter's stomach.
"It seems like the lady collapsed because of stress and trauma..." he said as he looked at me and sighed.
"I know you won't hurt your daughter, Your Grace... but these bruises were new and it seems like they came from a hard thing," the healer said as he was looking at his daughter.
"I didn't hit her," he said absentmindedly as he looked at Navia's sleeping face, which looked like she was in pain or something.
The healer told him to give Navia some rest to heal her bruises and to let her body have some energy.
Kalleon's hands form into a fist when Navia moves a little bit but grunts in pain.
"Gasper, gather everyone in the living room and tell them to come no matter what they were doing," he said as he was glaring.
It seems like there was some snake in his household who hurt his daughter.
He went closer to her and caressed her face.
"I'm sorry, I—I didn't do anything," his daughter murmured in her sleep, which made him more furious and eager to find the person behind all of this.
Kalleon decided to get up to let Navia rest, just like what the healer said and he marched out from the room.
His face looks like he was ready to kill someone.
TO BE CONTINUED------->