The Duke's Passion

Chapter 624  Out of character

Claude slumped on top of a tower on the border of Monarey. He didn't know where to go after walking out of the guild, but he found himself in this place. Leaning against the window, he looked up at the pale moon, letting out a sigh as realization struck him. "I shouldn't have said all that," he mumbled with a deep exhale, running his hand through his hair. "That is a little out of character." As everyone knew, Claude wasn't the type to lash out at others. Be it then or now, he had always acted maturely. The reason no one underestimated him when he took charge of Monarey at Samael's behest. But tonight... he acted like a whiny little boy. "Am I becoming Uncle Klaus?" he wondered, snickering in ridicule, knowing that wasn't true. Klaus had nothing to do with his actions. He shouldn't blame his uncle for that. "Foolish people," came out a murmur, letting out another exhale. Two weeks. It was only two weeks since he became a part of that guild. A member of that huge family. But Claude, whether or not he admitted it, had some attachment to them. Be it to Peter, who would talk to him like an older brother. Gai, who would joke with him carelessly, Betty, Karen, Penny, and everyone. They were warm people and Claude often fall for such types of people easily. He longed for it. Monarey wasn't just cold because of its climate, but Claude had been walking on a long winter. That was why he sought even just a bit of warmth. "Nightwalkers..." he whispered, eyes fluttering ever so tenderly. "... if I don't do something to them, those foolish people will march to their deaths. Did they think Quentin and his people are that easy to deal with?"

They probably don't, he thought. He believed Penny and everyone in the guild only sought revenge from the pain of losing their families in the hands of those felons. Little did he know, their pain and agony were deeper than that. Claude stared at the moon for a long time before he got up to his feet. He didn't plan to go back to the guild and apologize. Although Penny, that strange girl who shamelessly called herself a man — just because she was the leader — deserved an apology, Claude had his way of apologizing. It was not words, but action. "I can't move if I am stuck in there all day and night," he mumbled, gazing in the pub's direction, far away from his vantage point. "Three weeks. I need to prepare."

With that being said, Claude jumped out of the tower, heading to the Earl's estate. He was gone for quite some time. It was still different if he could move on his own to help Klaus with it. After all, his uncle was more about brawn. Although Klaus could be smart sometimes when things were serious, two heads were always better than one. *****

One full day had gone by and Claude didn't return to the guild. Penny snapped her eyes when Peter knock on the bar counter to get her attention. "Leader, don't worry about him." Peter sported a kind smile. "He's a local here. Those people won't easily catch him."

"That's right. Third is a bit weak, but I'm sure he can run." Gai, who was sitting on the stool next to Penny, nodded in agreement. Penny let out a sigh. "He is my son. Of course, I know he will be fine. He had survived this long. That means he has his own survival methods. Still, I wonder if he hates me." Another sigh slipped past her lips.

"With the time he is here, I doubt." She turned her head to Gai while the latter pivoted on the stool, elbows propped against the bar counter, eyes on the nearly empty pub. Tonight, the pub was open for customers. But like usual, only a few people came into a rundown pub like this.

"Third will come by. He is young and emotional," Gai continued, cocking his head back, eyes on Penny. "It's probably a shock to him hearing the word war. This empire went through a lot before it was established as an empire. Wars here and there, so he probably had a glimpse of what it looks like."

Gai's brows suddenly rose as he shifted his eyes to the newcomers entering the pub. A man and a woman looked like lovers as they were holding each other's hand and released it once they were inside. Penny, seeing Gai focus on something else, looked back. She cocked her head to the side, eyes on the figures approaching the bar counter. For reasons unknown, her eyes lingered more on the woman clad in a commoner's coat. She was... gorgeous, she thought. With her hazel hair tucked inside the coat, one would wonder what she would look like running through the grassplot under a dazzling afternoon. The towering man with her still had his hood on, so she could barely see his face. Still, by his great physique, Penny knew he wasn't any less than the woman. Penny didn't realize she was staring too long until the woman sat one stool away from her and smiled upon noticing her gaze. "Hello." Penny flinched when the woman smiled sweetly. "Uh, I, good evening." Lilou chuckled as she gazed at the woman for a moment. Her attention didn't linger on her longer when her husband leaned closer to her ear. "I don't remember going to a pub with you," Samael crooned, bumping his shoulder against her. "This is a first."

"Feels like our first date."

"Mhm. Good times." Samael raised a finger at Peter and ordered two glasses of whiskey. He raised a brow, leaning forward to see through the person sitting on one stool from Lilou's other side. They heard Claude was on a mission and was in disguise. They just came in to cheer on Claude like proud parents. Obviously, they heard about the guild and the girl named Penny.

'Hah... so this is the leader, huh? She feels weird.' he thought, having this strange impression on Penny, he couldn't point out what exactly. 'Did my nephew approach her because he felt it too?'