Duchess Mira

Mira woke up with a start breathing heavily. Her head ached while remembering the forgotten past and she saw she is still in Duke Elias clothes and sighed in frustration then she noticed a tear fell down. "Huh? Not again, Mira" Mira said as she wiped a tear from her face. She looked at her looked at the one strand of the white hair that got fallen off her wig with disgust and plucked it out. Then she heard a voice.

"D-duke Elias! You're awake!" A maid shouted as she opened the room. "C-carl call the doctor!" The maid shouted again looking panicked. "What should i do?" She said fidgeting.

"Oh! Sir, h-here drink water" she said as she handed a glass water to Elias. Elias weakly smiled at her and drank the whole glass and gave it to her. "Help me stand up..." Elias said. The maid nodded and blushed at the thought she is going to help him. She was about to help him until she heard Elira's voice.

"S-sir what are you doing you should rest!" Elira screeched at Duke Elias. "You, get more water,warm like the doctor said" The maid nodded at Elira a little disappointed but she needed to listen to her boss Elira, the head maid of the mansion of Islvatoré. Then she closed the door leaving Elias and Elira.

"Elira, How long was i asleep" Mira asked Elira sitting down on the bed. "Four days, my lady." When Mira heard that her eyes widen. "F-four days?! The paper work for Duke Elias is pilled now and the SWORDS-"

"My lady." Elira said sharply. Mira snapped out from her trance and looked at Elira. "You should rest for a few more days. Doctor's orders..."

"B-but the p-papers-"

"Rest." Elira said to her mistress. Mira looked at Elira with sad eyes. "My lady, you're too much a workaholic! See what happens if you work day and night. You collapse. My lady please don't make your friends worry like this. You work hard for our freedom till you collapse please don't make us feel more guilty." Elira said while wiping on tear and going to the door. She looked back with stern eyes and said "Sleep."

"Okay, Elira." Mira said as Elira opened the door. "Oh and Elira..." Duke Elias said. Elira turned to her lord. "Thank you." Duke Elias smiled. Elira smiled back to her Lord and said "I am just doing my duty, my Lord" Then Elira closed the door and left Mira feeling bored.

"How am i, Doctor?"Mira asked the man in front of her who was one of the founding members of SWORDS who is checking her heart. "Well, lady Mira this is your seventeen time collapsing and that is not a good sign." Mira smiled weekly at him. " Sorry for worrying you, Alexander."

Alexander sighed and looked at his lady "It's okay lady Mira but you got to stop over working yourself because look i am starting to get eye bags..." Alexander said pointing his deep newly formed eye bags. Mira laughed a bit and said "You also gained weight"

"Ha, ha very funny my lady. I will never skip my daily exercises you know me for so long to know that." Alexander said. Well Alexander isn't wrong for as long Mira knew him he had a built of a body builder and he looked nothing like a doctor. He looked like a high ranking knight instead of a doctor. "Well, a little of Rest for a few more days and you will be fine"

"Can you shorten it for one day, Alexander" Mira said giving Alexander a pleading look. "My lady..." Alexander sighed.

"Well, this time I need to do something really important. " Mira said as she looked at Alexander's cold eyes. "R-really... i-i need to go t-to t-the south..."

"The South?" Alexander asked clearly confused. Mira sighed and said "Yes, the south Alex. That ugly old man said I am the one who will be the one to inspect and because the Crown Prince is in charge I will be giving him the full report and also a copy for the king."

"Another sleepless night for me then." Alexander said, who is starting to pack his stuff. "Well I am sure we are going to have a meeting soon so please explain it then because as much as I want to know more. I really must go..."

"Alexander."

"Yes, my lady?" Alexander said looking up at Mira. "Tell them their is a meeting tonight I will explain the matter in full detail expect Sebastian told in advance he won't come and please tell Elira to tell the maids to start packing my stuff and oh, we need to make a good excuse for 'Mira' not to appear for a while. Your the doctor here, what do you think?"

"You never had chicken pox right? Well, Elira could just enter your room and pretend. People will stay away too afraid and considering you really have no real friends except for us-"

"Ouch, that hurts Alexander..." Mira said. "Well Elira could just make excuses while I come by every morning and evening."

"Well even if I have no friends at least I have a family." Mira said. "The ones you killed?" Alexander asked.

"No...you guys." Mira said. "Wow, I am family with a sadist... scary." Alexander said smiling. Mira rolled her eyes and suddenly remembered something. "Oh and Alexander the next major operation will happen when I return from the trip and tell Ronald to start spreading the rumor when I am gone..."

"The rumor about count having a illegitimate son that's a criminal?"

"Yes and tell Catrina to send one of her women to manipulate his wife for me when I am away... " Mira said said smiling slightly while she is looking at the chess pieces on her table. 'My next move is when the real conflict happens...'

Alexander sighed used to Mira's dark expression and only Alexander nodded and said "May you have many blessings of the goddesses and the gods" When he left Mira muttered falling asleep slowly "I need to go pass by our old home, Papa..."

"A-are w-we almost there, M-matthan?" Young Mira asked Matthan. "Yes, my lady. My lady..." Matthan said turning his head and squatted down to Mira's height. "Listen to my Lady. By now your Papa is inside a carriage because the scary old man earlier wants to kills him."

"Papa, will be no more and Atha won't see Papa again?" Matthan nodded. "Yes, so here is the plan when we see the carriage run to the middle of the road so they would stop so our men have time to kill them with our arrows. Got it?" Mira nodded. "Good, now let's go" Matthan said carrying Mira and started moving.

"Go down for a while" Matthan said looking up at the trees. Then suddenly at least half a dozen men jumped off the trees and made Mira jumped a bit.

"Is she the master's daughter she looks just like him" Matthan comrade whispered. "I know if she were a boy she would look just like him"

"What's your name?" One of men said smiling at Mira. "Atha"

"What a pretty name... we are sorry to get you involve in this Lady Atha but we are going to save master. Just wait and see..."

"Boss, they are here." One of the guys at the back said. Matthan snapped his fingers and all the men vanished. "Madam when I snap my fingers three times run please." Mira nodded determined. "Okay now please stay behind here" Matthan said pointing at the tree in-front of Mira. Mira nodded and hid. A few minutes passed and Mira heard the horses. Mira's fear grew and grew. Then one of the men screamed "BOSS! IT'S A TRAP! THEIR IS NO ONE INSI-"

Then suddenly arrows from all direction started to hit the men one by one and an arrow was coming forward at Mira and someone suddenly went down from the tree shielding her. The man was the man who asked her name earlier. "L-Lady A-Atha, a-are y-you o-okay? The man said coughing out blood. "MISTER! Noooo!!!"

"why?!?"

"Well because I look cool because a regular human like me is protecting an angel like you..." The man said smiling even though their was blood all over his teeth.

"Mister let's go to a clinic or-"

"My name is James not mister I may look in my late twenties but I am still nineteen " James said smiling. "Ahhh... is so nice to see such a pretty angle before I die. You know? I thought I was going to die alone because who would want a mere commoner like me?"

"J-james..." Mira cried.

"Don't cry, that's what your father said when he picked me up and now I am saying it you. Live, okay? Go to your father before it's too late. Lady Angel, stop crying and smile for me so I will have a happy death, please?" Mira nodded and smiled at James.

James smiled back and said "Ah, my life wasn't worthless at all. I got to see an angel smile lovingly at me."

Then his eyes started to drop and he fell beside Mira. Mira's eyes widen and looked at James who is beside her with tears in her eyes. Then she looked around her and it looked like she came inside one of her nightmares. Her face turned white and Mira screamed when she saw scene in front her.

A bloodbath that covered almost every in of land.