𝐎𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 (𝐈𝐛𝐦𝐥𝐚𝐝)

Chapter 17

A few days later, Luciana didn't meet with Leonia or Phileo. She only lock herself in her room as Mina would bring her meals everytime.

Phileo didn't know what was happened between Leonia and Luciana and focus on someone who will come to the dukedom later. While Leonia still feel guilty about it but she still respect Luciana's wish.

Luciana would study in her room or play by herself. She look at the rabbit doll that she love and hugged it.

"It's been awhile since I saw them. Father never care about me and I'm building the walls between Leonia." Luciana thought before she stands up.

Usually, Manuce would play together and guard her inside the room but today he is needed for the Knights. So, she's alone inside the room and she want to go to the garden.

Luciana wear her own coat by herself and take her favorite bunny doll. The body is white while the eyes is red orbs like her own. It's have been together with her since in the orphanage.

The children who always bully her like to snatch it away but she managed to hide it away from them since it's from her parents before they leave her alone.

Luciana open the door and looked around. The hallway were quiet and no one is around so she quickly close it and walking out of the room.

She walking alone and ignored the suspicious stares from the servants when she walked past them. She continue to walking until she arrived at one of the gardens in the mansion.

Luciana looked up to the sky and sighed loudly as she feel her burdens slowly lifted up from her shoulders. Her eyebags was kind of obvious but she don't mind it.

Luciana stare at the snows in front of her and hugged her bunny doll closer. "Leonia become the successor now and I don't need here anymore." Luciana thought.

"Should I run away to somewhere else and leave everyone else here?" Luciana thought, looking down at her feet. She gently kick some snow away.

Luciana really want to run away but at the same time, she didn't want to since she already close with everyone for seven years.

"Where should I go...?" Luciana mumbled slowly. Without knowing, someone approached her.

"My Lady?" Someone suddenly said make she flinched. Luciana quickly looked behind and found unfamiliar man. The man with long white hair with dark red eyes color, staring at her while panting slightly like he just running.

"Who are you? This garden is forbidden for everyone." Luciana asked him with a glare and looked at him in suspicious.

The man smiled at her and bowed slightly. "I'm Adrian Kieran, Marquis of Kieran household, greet The Lady of Boleoti." Adrian said bowed at her.

"A-Ah, I'm Luciana Boleoti. Hello, Marquis Kieran." Luciana quickly gripped her dress and bowed at him before continued hugged her doll.

"Kieran? That ghost Marquis who never appeared at society suddenly revealed himself? In here?" Luciana thought in confusion.

"Is... My Lord lose on your way to meet... Father?" Luciana tried to asked him but she can't decided to continue call Phileo 'Father' and tried to talk formally to someone since she's not The Duke's daughter anymore.

"Oh, no. It's not that. I just want to walk around for awhile before meet with Phileo." Adrian said with an angelic smile. Luciana froze when he call Phileo by his name.

"Is he someone who really close with Father?" Luciana thought in confusion as she titled her head at him. He laughed at her cuteness.

"Can I ask why is My Lady is here alone without an escort?" Adrian asked her. Luciana froze and tried to give her excuse.

"Ah... Uh... I just want to take a fresh alone." Luciana said to him. "It's still dangerous to young girl like you, My Lady." Adrian said kneel in front of her.

"You are adorable, Lady." Adrian said with wide smile. Luciana stare at him in wide eyes. "I-I... Thank you." Luciana mumbled to him.

"Father never compliments me like this. What is this feeling?" Luciana thought, hiding her red face with her bunny. Adrian saw the bunny and widen his eyes for second before smiled.

".... Ah, she's the one. Her eyes also..." Adrian thought before give her an eyes smile.

"Do you know who I am, Lady?" Adrian asked her. Luciana shake her head at him. "Other than Ghost Marquis, I don't know." Luciana thought.

"You'll know later." Adrian said smiling widely. Luciana stare at him as she feels something different from him.

Meanwhile with Phileo.

"Where is he?" Phileo coldly asked Adrian's assistant. "Marquis said he want to go walk for awhile before meet Your Grace." Noah, Adrian's assistant said to him.

"Walk? He suddenly appeared after hiding himself for seven years, only want to take a walk here?" Phileo coldly glared at him.

"My apologies, Your Grace." Noah said in fear. "Adrian, you idiot!" Noah thought inside his head as he cursed the Marquis.

Flashback.

The moment Adrian come to Boleoti's dukedom, he immediately walking out of the carriage make Noah surprise.

"My Lord?!" Noah call him in shock. "I'll go and search for her first." Adrian quickly said to him.

"Then what about the Duke?!" Noah asked him. "Just say that I'm taking a walk." Adrian said quickly walking away, leaving his poor assistant behind.

"I should resign to him since years ago!" Noah thought in anger.

Flashback end.

"Adrian, if you didn't come here sooner, The Duke will gonna kill us." Noah thought with tears falling. Even Rupert understand his feeling right now.

"Tsk. He never change." Phileo mumbled and looked outside the window. He suddenly caught something make he froze.

Luciana and Adrian was talking with each other from outside. He looked around and didn't saw any escort with her.

"What the hell is that girl doing?!" Phileo thought in anger before quickly walked out making the two assistants surprised.

"Your Grace?" Rupert quickly followed him along with Noah. Phileo walked to where Luciana was.

"Luciana Boleoti." Phileo coldly call her full name make she jumped. "F-Father?" Luciana said in surprise when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" Phileo said glaring at her. "I-I just want to take a fresh air. I'm sorry..." Luciana said looking down to the ground.

Adrian stand up properly and glance towards the girl. He raise his eyebrows when he see that she was trembling in front of Phileo.

"Go inside. I'll talk to you later." Phileo said to her. "Yes." Luciana said bowed at him before walking away.

"I'll see you later again, Lady." Adrian said patting her head make she stopped and turned at him. She looked at him with red face before slowly nodded to him.

Phileo looked at them in confusion before turned at Luciana. "Lucy, go before you get cold and get a Knight to guard you." Phileo said make she realized that he also there.

"Yes, Father." Luciana said quickly walking away. Not before glance at Adrian who wave at her. She shyly wave back and walked inside.

Noah stare at her when she walked past him. He can saw the glimpse of her red slit eyes. "It's her. It's truly her." Noah thought.

"Now, you. I need to talk with you." Phileo said turned at Adrian in front of him and stare at him in the eyes. Adrian quickly smile at him.

"Long time no see, Phileo."

"Adrian..."