"Your already twenty-four years old. Why are you still not married?"
The dark-haired old man eyes was filled with worry and stress when he asked his son, sitting across him from the table.
"Your childhood bestfriend already has a growing family while you, who have been recognized as a material husband by all of the ladies haven't even have a single lover or a single child."
He slammed both hands dramatically onto the table and continued, "Why can't you just give your old man a single grandchild while I am still alive?"
The old duke suddenly began sobbing loudly, causing the servants outside the room to sigh in familiarity. He somewhat realized that maybe he didn't have a chance to have a grandchild at all because of this cold hearted son of his.
Meanwhile, Duke Azrael Pancratius sat calmly across from him, his sharp blue diamond eyes filled with annoyance, as he looked at his father, former Duke Alenjadro Pancratius, childish personality while his face was filled with annoyance, and he frowned when he realized that his father will never leave him alone until he had what he wanted for.
He had fought wars since childhood, faced countless assassins and bandits, handled political schemes.... Yet nothing exhausted him more than his father's daily complaints about marriage.
'How long do you need to keep on whining and crying about this useless matter?'
Azrael was starting to get more annoyed with his father and he massaged his temple in irritation. Just as he was about to stand up and leave, the door suddenly opened.
"ALEJANDRO PANCRATIUS!"
The former duke instantly froze while thw former Duchess Milidian Pancratius entered the room with an elegant smile that hid terrifying danger.
"Alejandro! How many times do you need to trouble and disturb your son's work?!"
"Bu-but honey!"
"No but's, let's go! Remember that we have to go to the King palace's today."
"Yes honey."
The duchess grabbed her husband by the ear.
"Ow! Ow! Milidian, my dignity—!"
"You lost that years ago."
Azrael silently watched as his mighty father—the hero once feared on battlefields—was dragged away helplessly by his wife and he followed his parents so that he can say his farewell to them formally.
For the first time that morning, he felt slightly relieved. His father was afraid of his mother even when on their first encounter inside the academy, so he was a bit grateful that his mother came to stop his father from annoying him more.
Before leaving, Milidian turned toward her son with a gentle expression. "I'm sorry about your father's behavior, Sweetie."
"You have nothing to apologize for, mom"
The former duchess looked at her son, her face was full of worry and stress, especially after thinking that her husband trouble her hardworking and loving son.
"Then we have to get going now, be sure to eat a lot and don't stress yourself too hard. Okay sweetie?"
"Yes mom, you don't need to worry about me." Azrael gave a faint smile then continued, "Besides, I'm twenty four now I can take care of myself now."
"Nonsense," she immediately replied. "You'll always be my baby."
Alejandro, still being dragged away, tearfully pointed at Azrael. "And you still haven't given me a grandbaby!"
"Move." Milidian glared towards Alenjandro and drag him inside the carriage.
"Yes dear…"
Azrael and his parents say farewell to each and Azrael watched their carriage disappear into the distance before quietly returning inside the mansion.
The moment he entered, his assistant, Leon, approached him with a serious expression. "Your Excellency."
"What is it?"
"Marquess Sorendell sent urgent information from Morris Village."
'Morris Village?'
'That name sounded familiar.'
Azrael paused then look at Leon, signing him to continue with the report. "Marquess Sorendell inform us that there are some noble gathering tonight to sell slave children inside the Poltrate warehouse, Your excellency."
"..." Azrael didn't respond and his face began to darken when he heard this news. This made Leon startle in fear when he saw the Duke's cold and serious look in his face.
"Who would do such things to children?" Azrael murmured but his face become more intimidating than before which made Leon more frightened, especially upon thinking on what will happen on those people involve once they are capture by the Duke himself.
Leon unconsciously stepped back because anyone who knew Duke Azrael understood one thing:
The calmer he sounded—
The angrier he was and the dangerous he become.
"Leon." Azrael called Leon with his cold voice that sound intimidating to hear which made Leon to be frighten a little when he saw the Duke's current mood.
"Yes, Your Excellency!" Leon answered in panic.
"Inform Marquess Sorendell that we will go there right now and tell him to keep on observing the current situation and keep us updated."
"Yes, Your excellency."
"Also inform General Adepth to pick some knight to accompany us today and make sure to prepare our carriage."
Leon only nodded as his response when he saw the Duke being more serious about this matter and he quickly left to do all the orders the Duke gave him.
Duke Azrael waited patiently for Leon to return. A few minutes later Leon came back while being nervous on making the Duke wait for him in one hour.
"Took you long enough."
"I'm sorry I took long enough to return, Your excellency. General Adepth had a hard time picking the best knights to accompany you today."
"So how's the thing I ask you for?"
"Everything is ready, Your excellency."
"Great, now let's go. I don't want to let this matter slide and let them do this stuff to those innocent children."
Leon stared secretly at the back of Azrael when he turned around. Leon had know Azrael since childhood, he has been assistant after the former duke had found him during the war. He lost his parents but the couple took him in and treated him like a son, but, Leon couldn't take this all for granted so he decided to become the assistant of Azrael.
Azrael Pancratius, the ruler and the current head of the Pancratius mansion and land, which was famous for their great sumpreme leadership and their dangerous nature in terms of providing great justice for those who broke the law, was also famous in four ways. The Pancratius family are also been known for having a blue diamond eyes that shines in the dark like a crystal.
First was his handsome look like a real Pancratius, second was his heroic nature that everyone like about him, third was his great performance in swordmanship and leadership, and fourth was his violent way of providing great justice like a real Pancratius.
He has a very dark hair that been sharp diamond blue eyes that shines brightly in the dark like a crystal. His light and pinkish colored lips were just the right thickness and size, his nose and chin are both sharp and the right height, and his neckline and jawline are all well built because of his training.
His masculine body can also be seen through his thick white blouse with three bottons are unbottoned, he also wore a very dark blue pants and black pair of derby shoes that had been paired by a very long black socks.
Duke Azrael family also belongs to the one of richest and the most powerful Dukedoms in the whole empire of Elvirium Empire. Just like what the Former Duke, Alejandro, said. Duke Azrael is known for being the most popular and perfect husband material in the whole empire making his childhood bestfriend, the crown prince, jealous of him when they where just in the academy.
Duke Azrael has also been acknowledge by the whole empire as a genius because at the age of eight, he mastered swordmanship and also started to join beside Duke Alejandro in any war making him the youngest noble or knight to win any war.
Leon didn't notice that he was in a daze for a while that he didn't heard Azrael talking to him about the current happening in the Morris Village.
Duke Azrael noticed that Leon doesn't seems to respond to all his words so he turned bacm and saw that Leon was still in a deep thought. Azrael sighed and he walked towards Leon then snap his finger infront of his face making Leon startled upon noticed that Duke Azrael was infront of him this whole time.
Leon took a step back a little away from the Duke, but Azrael saw this scene and tried his best not to let out loud so he looked away. Duke Azrael composed himself and tried to keep his calm and serious expression infront of Leon. "Are we going now or not?"
Leon was frightened when he heard the Duke calm and serious voices while talking to him but he calm himself down and looked towards Azrael. "My apologies, Your excellency. Let's get going now."
"Very well then." Leon walked past Duke Azrael until he reached outside the building and he waited for the Duke beside the carriage, while the Azrael put on his dark blue colored coat. After putting on his coat, Duke Azrael walked towards the carriage while his personal butler, Paul, opened the carriage door so that both him and Leon can get inside.
Duke Azrael and Leon got inside the carriage and their carriage started to head towards the Morris Village.
'If I remembered clearly, it is said in the book that Morris is the name of the village on where the male lead came from, maybe the male lead had been raised on one of the orphanage there.' Azrael thought.
After a few minutes of traveling, they arrive to their destination and a few knights waited for the Duke to get outside of his carriage, Leon opened up the carriage door and let the Duke outside while the Duke looked at all the knights infront of him.
"I order every knights here to arrest everyone who is inside even those who you think is in the highest rank and bring them all to me at once." Azrael cold voice can be heard by every knights and after Azrael ordered all knights, they immediately follow Duke Azrael ordered and all of them went inside the warehouse then a few minutes a large ruckus occured inside the warehouse.
Leon approached cautiously.
"What about the children, Your excellency?"
Leon looked towards the Duke and asked calmly about what the Duke's going to do to all of those poor children who got involved.
"I want you to find some safe place or some good orphanage for those children and make sure that they can find some nice family in the future."
"I'll do as you ordered, Your excellency."
A few minutes later, all of the knights had captured all of the nobles and a few commoners who are involved on selling children inside the warehouse. All of them have a terrified expression when they saw the Duke serious and cold expression face to face while they were all tied up.
"What are you going to do to all of them, Your excellency?" The chief of the knights, Sir Rowan, asked Azrael.
Meanwhile, Azrael looked towards each of the people who got captured but his whole face darken when he thought about what they did to those innocent children in the book.
"Throw every single one of them into the mansion prison," Azrael ordered coldly. "I'll deal with them personally later."
"Don't tell me?!" Sir Rowan was startled when he heard the Duke plan for those people and he felt a little bit worried when he realized what the Duke meant by those words.
The captured nobles trembled in horror and everyone in the empire knew what it meant when a criminal landed in Duke Azrael's hands because no one escaped unpunished in his hands.
"Bring all of them inside the mansion torture room and don't let anyone of them escape until I get there."
Duke Azrael only ignored all of them begging for mercy and Sir Rowan only nodded and ordered every knights to bring all of them to the mansion.
A few knights left to do what Azrael ordered and a few minutes later, all of the children that been involved inside also came outside the warehouse.
Duke Azrael started to get ready to leave and Leon was left to ordered a few knights who had been left to bring all of the children to a nearby orphanage when Duke Azrael heard a commotion.
"LET ME GO!!!"
A sharp and loud screamed of a young boy came from behind and everyone turned their heads towards the source of the scream.
Everyone saw a knight trying his whole best into stopping a young boy from trying not to go to an orphanage and when the knight noticed that everyone was looking at him, even the Duke, struggling with a single child, he felt a little bit flustered.
When the young boy saw that the man let his guard down, the boy bit the knight's hand with all of his might and strength as his opportunity to escape.
"Ow! You little—!" The knight grunted in pain as he tried to grab the boy again.
The boy ran very fast with his eyes close as he didn't know where to go when he was about to open his eyes he bump into Duke Azrael and he was caught by him into a warm hug.
"Duke Azrael!"
The boy opened his eyes in surprise when he heard what the knights called this man and he looked with full of surprise towards the man. 'Isn't this the name of the scary and handsome Duke that everyone's talking about?'
'The terrifying duke everyone feared…Was unbelievably handsome.' The child thought again and he stared at Azrael with curiousity.
Azrael looked calmly towards the boy and he felt that the boy looked familiar to him so he quickly scanned the boy's full facial look and his hair and eyes color.
Azrael was stunned when he realized that this kid is going to be the male lead in the future because this kid fit the description of the book of the male lead when he was a child, both the male lead and this kid had dirty blond hair and a blue diamond color eyes.
'Weird, why does the male lead had a same eyes that a true Pancratius should have?'
Azrael was full of doubt when he saw the color of the male lead eyes but all of his doubt banished when he get back to his sense and saw the male lead looking at him.
"Leon.."
Azrael came back to his usual expression and called Leon's name coldly waiting for him get over there. Leon also heard this and he quickly went towards the Duke's side.
"What is it, Your excellency?"
"Bring this child also to the orphanage with all of the rescue children."
Azrael handed the boy to Leon but the boy only looked grumpy when the Duke didn't tried to keep him and now handed him for him to get taken to an orphanage.
"Ofcourse, Your excellency."
Leon obediently followed the Duke's ordered and took the boy away from the Duke but when looked closer towards the boy, he was so surprise. 'This boy is the only person who didn't been scared or cried when he was near the Duke but most importantly.....His eyes and his whole facial look is the exact same as the Duke even...He has a color of the eyes of a real Pancratius!.'
Leon was stunned that he didn't noticed that the boy was planning on escaping into his hand then a few minutes later, the boy stomped his foot very hard and he accidently let the boy escape because of the pain.
Azrael turned his back and headed to the carriage when he was stopped by the male lead with an arrogant tone in his voice.
"Hey mister!"
The duke stopped and he turned around to face the small child infront of him while everyone froze on the spot.
The child boldly stood before the most feared man in the empire without the slightest fear in his eyes then said:
"I want you to take me with you and train me!"