Evil Duke, Please Be Gentle!

"At least you have a brain here!" Andrew sighed audibly. He was afraid that Eli would refuse this time too.

His father had already called a long list of girls for the competition of empress. He did not care whom his son would marry if it was not Eli.

"I still did not like you. So, if you speak too much, I will break your mouth." with his eyes turned darker, Leo glared at the man with cold eyes.

It did not look like they wanted to improve their relationship.

"Leo, I was not considering the offer. So you should not worry. I was just going to re.." Leo tilted his head and looked away from Andrew.

"If you are not considering it, then you should."

"......" his words stunned the girl who was looking shocked. Her eyes widened and her face looked petrified when his eyes softened.

"You are not leaving the empire or going anywhere far away. The estate of the duke and royal family is so close that it only took two hours to come and go.

And if you would be happily married, then it would only give relief to your father. And I am sure that you will care about him equally even if you get married.

So, what are you worried about?" He kissed her forehead gently as he caressed her hair as if trying to give her assurance.

"But Leo.. The condition of my father..`` She stopped as she did not know if she should speak in front of Andrew, they were still trying to keep his condition a secret even from the vassal families.

"I know but it is not going to change with or without your marriage. You can always come and meet him. Right?" he tilted his head and stared back at Andrew who nodded his head without any hesitation.

"Of course, she is the empress. Who would dare to stop her.

In fact, with the marriage, she would only get powers. Powers to bring changes and support her family further. I will swear on my name that I will always take care of her." though Leo did not want to believe in Andrew, he knew that Andrew cared most about Eli.

With the continuous words from Ethan, it was only a matter of time when the vassal families would ask them to let go of Eli.

He was lucky that he had married Evangeline before the truth came out so they could not send him away.

But it did not stop them from passing sarcastic comments about his origin and how he was greedy to take the whole family.

It has troubled him but not upto the limit when Ethan tried to insult him and tell him that he was not part of family but a greedy leech who was trying to get everything for himself.

He did not want Eli to face all these difficulties too. If she would be the empress, no one would be able to look down on her and he was sure that his father would want that for her too.

"What help do you need from us?" With those thoughts his resolve got stronger and he looked at Andrew with a supportive glance finally.

"First, we have to change her family. I will send a few knights tomorrow. They will escort her to her new family.

She had to live there only for a week before I finished all the formalities and then we will get married."

"She had to change her family? Why? Do you not have the courage to accept her as she is?" Leo gnashed his teeth. He could not believe that Andrew was asking Eli to go to a fake family as a fake daughter.

"I have the courage to bear every consequence. But I did not want her to listen to the sarcastic comments all her life.

You know it best how difficult it is for you? Why do you want her to go through the same conditions?"

"......" they both glared at each other as if they would break each other\'s skull and kill each other right there.

"Both of you. What are you doing? Andrew! Leo!" Eli moved and stood between them as she kept one hand on Andrew\'s chest while the other on Leo\'s chest and created distance between them.

"I am the one who will make the decision. What are you fighting for? Do you think you both have the right to make decisions on my behalf just because I love both of you?" she glared at both men who were fighting for her but did not think it was necessary to ask her what she wanted!

"You both do not have any right to decide for me. Both of you leave. I need some peace." she stared at one and then at another with cold eyes when a tinge of guilt passed through their eyes.

"Eli!"

"Just leave Andrew. I know that you are worried about me but you have to give me time. It matters about my whole life.`` She continued to stare at both of them but none of them left.

They kept hoping that she would calm down and then they would convince her again. Typical man!

She glared at both of them one last time as she turned and left her own room. She was tired of their actions and did not want to explain them anymore.

She walked straight to the room of her father. Though she knew that he would not be able to listen to her, she still wanted to tell him that she loved him and did not want to leave as his daughter.

She noticed that the whole area did not have any single maid that surprised her. She was sure that Leo had asked more maids to be around.

She held the knob and a frown formed on her lips.

"Why is the door locked?"

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