Saving The Villainous Monster From The Male Lead-Chapter 42 - 41: The Villain’s Gentleness

Eleanore was finally able to see a hint of a smile on Stella’s face. She rarely smiled and expressed her feelings. It has been so difficult to understand Stella but she has managed to know a little about her.

She gets irritated easily if something is not to her liking, like Caelestis insulting Eleanore on breakfast this morning. Her irritation rarely comes out, normally she tries to hide it but right now she is way too annoyed to hide it from the grand duke.

She hates Caelestis to the core now and it seems impossible to make her heart shift. Her rude, brave responses towards him have often scared Eleanore but somehow, Stella escapes Caelestis’ wrath every time.

One thing about her that makes Eleanore want to befriend her and feel admiration towards her is that she has a strong personality. Stella doesn’t waver when keeping forward her thoughts. She is brave, a true protagonist. She deserves to be the female lead of this twisted novel.

"Lady Eleanore!" Stella called on finding her new friend staring at her with eyes filled with admiration.

"Call me Elle." Eleanore said, accepting her as someone closer than just a friend.

"Elle? Is that your pet name?" She asked, wondering why Eleanore was acting so strange.

"Indeed." Eleanore walked towards her cabinet and pulled out a pure diamond necklace for Stella. "If you call me that, it means we are confidants." Gently, she fastens the necklace around Stella’s neck. "It’s beautiful."

Stella’s eyes glimmered, not at the sight of this shimmering diamond necklace but the words that Eleanore just uttered. A friend, a first, maybe true noble female friend. Stella had only imagined having a noble friend. A friend that has each other’s back. This is the one thing she had yearned for but never received and now she had it.

"For real?" Stella didn’t turn around to look at her friend.

Nervous, she just looked at her reflection through the mirror in front of them. Eleanore’s gentle, true smile made Stella realise that this was no scheme or a lie to deceive her. This was Lady Eleanore’s true feelings.

"Of course." She said,

Stella clenched on her beautiful violet dress that she herself had stitched for Lady Eleanore. Her eyes unknowingly welled up in tears, but she suppressed them, ate them up, not wanting anyone present in that room to see it.

"Thank you."

She whipped her tears and turned around to face Eleanore. "Lady Eleanore, I have had many male friends in this noble world. Most of them approached me because they thought I was a beautiful sapphire anyone could have their hands on. Their words, their actions were always fake and they always had an ulterior motive. They were never genuine. I knew it. Until I met the grand duke. He lied so well that even I, who could read people’s intentions easily, couldn’t catch his."

Eleanore remained quiet. She listened to a tigress finally letting go of her tough cover, she wears to ward off all the tigers in the jungle. This tigress, although strong, looked vulnerable today and Eleanore liked it. She was happy that Stella could open up to her.

"Grand duke betrayed my trust. I hope you will not." Stella raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, some streaming down her face, as a heavenly smile sprouted on her lips. "Elle!"

Eleanore smiled back. "Yes."

She hugged Stella, helping her pour out all those years of pain that she had locked inside herself. She wondered, ’How can I give her up to a man so evil, when she is so kind? I do not want to sacrifice her for my life and this kingdom. What should I do?’

Before she could arrive at an answer for that, a knock landed on their door. When it opened, it revealed Marina, who was released from her punishment this morning. She stepped in the room with a jewellery box in her hand.

"The grand duke has sent jewellery for you two." Marina relayed the message of Caelestis.

"I think I like this necklace." Stella said, running her hand down the sharp cut diamonds in her necklace.

"I can’t find a set matching my dress, give me mine. I’ll wear it and return Stella’s back to him. Tell him she liked another. Understand?’ Eleanore, opened her box.

"Yes, my lady." with that she left, without interfering with anything else in that room.

The necklace that Caelestis had sent was not a very heavy one but a gentle subtle, diamond, single line necklace, with a large ruby in the middle. The earrings paired with this set were short studs.

"The earring is a stud!" Stella commented.

"Right."

But Eleanore wore it anyway. She liked the style, it suited her and moreover this was the first gift from her favorite character. If Stella doesn’t wear it, at least someone should wear his gift.

The carriage was ready, alongside it stood Caelestis, probably waiting for Stella. When they came out of the main mansion, the driver waiting beside the grand duke, took his permission to settle down and then climbed up to his chair.

"Be careful and come back safe, my lady." Caelestis said, as he helped Stella climb the carriage. Once she had settled in, Eleanore held the edge of the door to climb up, not expecting any help from Caelestis.

But to her surprise, he held out his hand for her as well. "Stay safe, Lady Eleanore." He said, helping her climb by taking her weight on his strong forearms.

When they both had settled down, Caelestis waved them goodbye and stood in his place until he could no longer catch the glimpse of their carriage. Immediately when the carriage was out of sight, he flushed.

For some reason his palm that had helped both the ladies turned hot after helping Eleanore. ’Why? Is it because it took too much weight?’ He wondered.

House Demaria was very far from Lancaster mansion. Their travel in the carriage was rather quiet but for some reason, Eleanore kept smiling. Her fingers rubbing the palm that had held Caelestis’. ’What is happening to me?’

"You look happy, Elle. Is it because of the gift Caelestis gave or the help he offered?" She asked, feeling awful about this situation.

"No— no it’s not like that." She said immediately to deny the truth that Stella had just uttered.

"It’s all a lie. Don’t get swayed by that. He did the same with me, remember?" She said in a stern voice, reminding her the true side of the evil grand duke.

"Don’t worry, I am over him."

"Who are you trying to convince by saying that? Yourself?" Stella scoffed, very well knowing the answer to that question.