Zoella

Part 89

Under the sun's scorching heat, Zoella made her way to the lake. Even with the windy breeze and the shade of trees she walked under, Zoella still could feel the heat around her.

'Why didn't I take the damn umbrella? Good job my idiotic self!'

At this point, Zoella felt the urge to return to the dorm and got the umbrella but she was already halfway there. So, she chose to keep walking, trying to ignore the heat as she did so.

Not long after Zoella got her bag full of herbs, she finally arrived at her destination.

Before her eyes, a silhouette of a familiar man came into her view. As usual, he wore a white shirt paired with black trousers and black boots. If she didn't know any better, Zoella would still think he's just your average Knight.

Sensing her gaze, the man slowly turned around to face her. His hazy golden eyes started to glint when they met her amethyst. But there was also a hint of worries in them.

Usually, Ezekiel would greet her as soon as their eyes met. Now, he was stilled. He waited for Zoella's reaction after she found out about his identity. Ezekiel still didn't know that Zoella had already known about him long before the founding day.

Seeing Ezekiel freeze in his place, a mischievous idea came to her mind. Fighting back a smile, Zoella cleared her voice and bowed down to him.

"Greeting to His Grace, Grand Duke Lucelence."

After a while, Zoella heard something rustling. When she looked up, Zoella gasped when she saw Ezekiel was down on one knee with a terrified expression across his face.

"Wait, what are you-"

"You do not bow down to me, Zoella. And please, don't call me that."

Ezekiel cut her off before Zoella could finish her sentence. His eyes didn't meet her anymore instead they were glued to the ground.

Looking at him reminded Zoella of a puppy with his ears drooped. It was cute but she also felt bad immediately. She just wanted to mess with him a little bit so she didn't expect this kind of reaction from Ezekiel.

"First, let's get up. Come on."

She gently took his hand trying to make him stand. Ezekiel didn't budge but his eyes weren't glued to the ground any longer.

"You told me not to bow but look at you go down on your knee."

She muttered while trying to pull him up. Obviously, her effort was useless considering how much bigger Ezekiel's body was compared to hers.

"I will bow to you and get down on my knees as much as you want. However, you will never lower your head before me, Zoella."

It was a promise and Zoella was aware of that.

His golden eyes still lingered on her violet. The way they looked at her made Zoella feel something tickled inside.

"Just get up, now. I was only messing with you, Ezekiel."

The moment his name rolled out of her lips, Ezekiel's face lightened as he finally stood in front of Zoella. And this time, he could finally take her figure perfectly in his eyes.

She got taller by the time they hadn't seen each other. Her hair had grown longer than when they met at her debutante. Her eyes were still full of light. Fortunately, there were no wounds or scratches on her body.

Truthfully, Ezekiel had been really worried when he saw Zoella follow Hayes to William's tent to report. He knew that Zoella could take care of herself but he was still worried.

"To tell you the truth, I was planning to tell you about my identity but that's not how I want it to be."

Zoella's lips curved into a thin line.

"Well, if it makes you feel better I already know about it since I was preparing for my debutante. And I figured you have your reasons to hide it so no hard feelings."

She shrugged her shoulders. Then, the same thin line formed on Ezekiel's face. His tense shoulder slowly relaxed.

The two of them sat by the lake in silence. Zoella didn't know how to break it since Ezekiel looked like he was contemplating saying something. Frankly, she had a lot of questions in her mind but she kept quiet and waited for Ezekiel to say something first.

"When I realized you didn't know about me being a Grand Duke, at first I was surprised. And then I was happy. Because I can be Ezekiel around you."

"..."

"I've been living as the Grand Duke for so long that I almost forget that I am also Ezekiel. A human. Sure, I can be myself around Prince William since we're related but even then there were times when I couldn't."

Ezekiel's glum eyes widened as he felt the warmth enveloping his hand and his heart. He took a glance at their interlocked hands and held them tighter. Somehow, just holding her hand made his heart feel lighter.

As for Zoella, she already heard all kinds of rumors including ones about Ezekiel. Even if she knew that rumors tended to be exaggerated, she still couldn't imagine how hard his life was.

He was still young but he already had a lot of enemies after him. His own uncle drove him to war hoping that Ezekiel couldn't survive. And even after Ezekiel brought them victory, they condemned him as a blood-crazed tyrant but continued to use him to fight monsters.

The more she thinks about it the more she agrees with Hayes's opinion about nobles. They were absolutely disgusting.

"You're really strong... both as the Grand Duke and Ezekiel. You might not know but a lot of people are grateful to have you, including me. "

Ezekiel's forehead crinkled. He often heard people felt lucky to have him and usually they said it if they want him to do something. But, grateful? Ezekiel never heard it from anyone after his parents passed away.

"Thanks to you, the soldiers who fought alongside you can return to their homes safely, the citizens don't need to worry about the monsters and I'm sure your people never lack anything."

"..."

"They respect you not because they are afraid. It's because they are grateful to you."

The moment Zoella's words reached his ears, Ezekiel felt like he could finally see things clearly.

If he thought about it, the Knights in his household always seemed really excited whenever he chose to train with them. The workers never trembled in front of him and always talked to him with a kind tone. And, the people in his territory always had warm expressions on their faces whenever he went for inspection.

Ezekiel always thought they acted like that because they were afraid of him or because he was the Lord. However, he realized that was not the case. Ezekiel would know if someone was afraid of him but he never felt that from his people.

"Thank you for always giving your best and becoming a part of my life, Ezekiel."

Zoella gave him a warm smile that made his heart skip a beat. Just like in the past, she always knew what to say to make him feel whole again. Slowly, he dropped his head on Zoella's shoulder, basking in her scent.

"Can I... stay like this for a while?"

Zoella's smile became wider. She leaned her head on his and said.

"As much as you want."