THE DUKE & I |[ Kim Taehyung FF ]|

| The Departure |

The cold winds was mildly blowing. Curtains flapped as if they wanted to wake up Timmy, our beloved Duke.

"Hmph" groaned Tim in his sleep. He rolled to the left side of the bed, ran his finger through his hair with his long masculine fingers. His ears were a bit pink because of the cold winds. He wakes up and sat on his bed for few seconds.

"Who let the windows open?" He mumbles to himself. He fastens his night robe sweeping himself near the windows to shut it close. Just as he was about to close the curtains his eyes fell on y/n's balcony. Y/n with her hair up in a bun was reading a book. All of her concentration was in the book, she cared less that she was being stared at. She sat on the couch that was placed in the balcony, her feets were covered in shawl. And her face gave a peachy hue. Timothy couldn't help but stare, he didn't knew that a soft smile spread across his face. What's she even doing in these chilly morning, he thought. Then the clock struck 6:00 and it gave a loud sound. The sound interrupted Y/n's reading and she turned her gaze towards the guest chamber where the Duke was residing. The Duke sat down in a hurry, to hide himself from y/n's gaze and his head bumped the huge window. "Ow" he cried out.

"Turn off your alarm your grace!" Y/n shouts at the top of her lungs.

Tim crawls back and turns it off. How he wished he hadn't stared at y/n. Oh! How he wished he would vanish then and there. With a tinge of embarrassment Tim closed the curtains of his room and informed his brothers to freshen up.

Y/n kept turning her pages until little Louie barged into her room.

"Y/n." She wailed.

Keeping a bookmark in her book, she gets up from the couch.

"What's it Louie?"

"Mama went to the farm with Lizzie and they left me here." She sniffs.

Y/n bends a little and picks her up in her arms.
"Aw! They'll  be back soon honey. Until they come, do you want to accompany me to the breakfast table?" She asks wiping her tears which appear like dew drops on a flower in a early winter morning.

Louie nods.

Y/n closes the balcony door, dragging her shawl, she slides downstairs. Still there was no trace of Mama and Lizzie on the table. The Duke and his brothers day nearly and were gossiping with papa while brewing their morning coffee.

"Morning papa." Y/n arrives near the table and makes Louie sit beside her.

"Morning honey." Papa replies back applying cheese on his bread.

"The Duke and his brothers will be leaving after breakfast." Continues Papa.

Y/n chews her garlic bread simply nodding at her father.

"Thank you for the hospitality sir." Neh expresses with gratitude.

"Yes sir, we loved the food..." Jake remarked.

"The manor, the garden, and everything." Cuts James.

Papa looks pleased. " It is nothing compared with how you treated y/n back in Edinburgh." Papa munches his bread, looking at all of them and resting his eyes on Tim.

Tim coughs.

"Water" y/n offers.  Tim hesitates but takes the glass from her. He chugs the water in one go and drops his fork.

They all dropped their fork and the breakfast hour came to an end. The ceramics were collected, glasses were taken, table cloth and table runner were taken off from the table. Because it was Saturday.

Boots clacked and the sound continues to the main gate. Carriages stood at the door along with the brothers admiring the manor for one last time. Y/n's heart thudded when one by one they murmured goodbyes to the siblings, promising to be back again. She knew she wouldn't be getting anything but she had this slight hope of looking at him in the eye.

"We had a wonderful stay sir, thank you for all that you did for us, we will never forget your kindness." With a sparkly eyes Tim expresses. He didn't utter a single word to y/n but his one last gaze said it all that he won't be coming back for her again. Meanwhile, y/n was desperately waiting for another glance at him fighting back wave of regrets.

"Do visit us again." Said the old Viscount with a benevolent tone.

Again. Again itself was ambiguous, it never had it's exact denotation. It has several Yes and No as it's result, where always No was the outcome.

Tim and his brothers just nodded, with a eye-ish smile.

"Wait"  came a panting cry. There came mama and Lizzie running. With hair slightly undone, and apron around her Lizzie ran ahead of mama like a whirlwind. The servants laid numerous baskets inside the carriages.

Tim hurries back to them "you didn't have to!" Resisting them a little.

"This is all we can give sir, we grew them with love and I bet you'll love the strawberries and apple pies that I packed for you. And most of all you'll love blueberry jam. I prepared it from my favourite recipe." Lizzie wipes her sweaty face which appears coral pinkish.

Tim patted her curly hair, and bended over a little "I am certain that they would taste sweeter than they actually are." Lizzie's happiness knew no bounds. "Thank you madame." Tim spat out with utter affection. Mama lowered her head nodding with a slight yes.

"We will be off then (Tim looks at papa). Permit us to go sir." Holding his ba d forward.

"Do visit again." Papa stresses on the word again shaking the Duke's slender hand. Tim chuckles giving him his teethy smile and when his eyes met y/n's he gulped that smile, turned his back.

With this, the brothers got into the carriages one by one. While the Duke took over the first carriage.

Then they galloped and galloped until they were out of sight. 

The entire manor went back inside with Lizzie shouting in glee "The Duke of Edinburgh appreciated my effort." She began jumping like a little fairy around their ballroom.

"Will you please stop dancing." Jo throws a cushion at her.

"Don't get jealous." Lizzie sticks w tongue towards Jo. Jo chases after her for a nice beating.

Meanwhile, our Y/n plops on the sofa massaging her forehead with the help of the index fingers. Grief was burning inside her and making her red. The Duke's departure making her certain that she ain't got a chance. Perhaps her siblings would start troubling her again about the suitors. Or else...?

Dear Readers,

I am so so sorry. 😔🌼💗💗 Sorry for updating this late. Loads to tell you. Your author got a job, yayyyyyyyy😭🥂🥂 and she'll be teaching undergraduate students. And also your author has qualified the NET exam (double yayyyy)🥂🥂She will be exploring more of literature and will fall deep into it. I missed all of you whenever I wrote something. I missed our oppas too. I hope they are fine and healthy.🌼