Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 109: Meeting The Duchess (1)

Commander Fred had returned to the duchy a day after the incident, hoping Caleb would have already made his appearance. But that was not the case.

He could only face his mistress and hope that Caleb would eventually show up. It’s been four days since the incident, and there was still no word from Caleb.

Duchess Silvia Erindor was in her office, going over work as usual. From time to time, she would call her commander to find out about Caleb, but there was still no news of him.

’Hah... I can’t believe Fred of all people lost a person like that.’ Silvia sat back in her chair, her gaze lingering on the ceiling of her office. ’I wonder what he’s up to.’

She recalled the things Fred told her about Caleb, further solidifying her desire to have Caleb all to herself. The duchess realized the Royals were also actively searching for Caleb.

Some officials from the Crownlands arrived two days ago, and the duchess had to host them while they carried out their mission.

These officials even visited the Genesis Guild in hopes of finding anything useful about Caleb. The only thing they learnt was that he had been seen with a particular party that was dissolved about a month ago.

They managed to get a name and even found some of the former members of the party, questioning them and learning all they could about Caleb.

Naturally, this was something the duchess herself had done some time back, going as far as investigating the town Caleb came from; this time focusing on the person instead of his crimes.

’He’s completely changed ever since that incident with those goons, huh.’ Silvia mused thoughtfully. ’It’s like he became a completely different person.’

The duchess wasn’t sure how true that was and she didn’t care. All she wanted was to understand the kind of person Caleb was. From the looks of things, that seems to be unlikely.

A sudden knock on her door snapped her out of her thoughts. She responded and her butler, John, hurried inside.

"What’s the issue?" The duchess asked. "You look to be in a hurry."

"Everything is fine, my lady." John replied with a polite bow. "Your person of interest is here in the estate."

"What?" Silvia got to her feet, her expression lighting in joy. "Where is he?" The duchess wasted no time and made her way to the door.

"He’s in the waiting room on the East wing." The butler replied, falling a step behind the duchess. "I took the liberty of making sure the officials didn’t see him."

"Great thinking, John." The duchess flashed a sly smile.

However, she quickly came to a stop, seemingly coming to a realization.

"My lady?" John called out, clearly confused. "Is there something you forgot?"

"Yes, John." The duchess replied, looking over her appearance. "I haven’t prepared myself to meet him. Give me a few minutes, John."

With delay, the duchess turned around and headed for her private chambers, leaving the servants and guards speechless. She moved so fast that her people thought she was running from something.

Already understanding the thoughts of his madame, John did not linger around and made his way to the East wing of the estate. He had to make sure Caleb was being well served.

.....

"Thank you."

Caleb mouthed a word of gratitude to the servant who brought him and Jess some refreshments while they waited for the duchess.

"Of course, Mister~"

The servant bowed politely and walked towards the door, the gentle sway of her hips deliberate and misplaced.

Jess looked at the serving woman until she disappeared, her expression not very kind. She didn’t fail to notice how the woman looked at Caleb, and the way she tried to make herself noticeable.

Caleb’s looks were not average at all, and he seemed to be getting more handsome as the days went by. Coupled with his confident demeanour and commanding presence, it was very difficult to not get noticed.

"This place is nice." Caleb said as he took a sip of his beverage. "Do you ever want to live in a place like this?"

His question was random and out of place. Still, Jess turned her focus to Caleb before looking around the room. The catwoman had to agree, the room was impressive, and so was the entire estate.

The receiving room gleamed with a quiet grandeur. A massive crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, scattering soft light across the polished marble floor.

Elegant paintings of what Caleb assumed to be some heroes and nobles of this lineage adorned the stone walls. Plush velvet chairs in deep crimson were lined in the room, positioned around a small centre table.

"The place is nice, sure." Jess replied, not really impressed. "But as an adventurer, something this grand is not in my taste."

"So you won’t live in a place like this if I ever buy one?" Caleb questioned with a knowing smile.

"I-I didn’t say that!" Jess retorted like she was being misunderstood. "I-If it’s you, then there is no issue."

"Is that right?" Caleb chuckled at her cute reaction.

’She can be this flustered over simple things like this too.’ Caleb mused. ’Her attitude towards me really changed when I got back.’

Jess wasn’t pushing him away like she used to, and she tended to get flustered over the smallest things. The biggest change was her allowing Caleb to rub her ears whenever he wanted.

A knock came at the door, turning their heads over. They watched as the butler who brought them here closed the door behind him.

"Mr. Zane," The butler approached and bowed politely. "The Duchess will be joining you shortly. If there’s anything you desire, please let me know."

"Oh, sure." Caleb replied, gesturing for the butler to have a seat. "You can sit down."

"I wouldn’t dare, sir." The butler politely refused the gesture. "Thanks for offering."

John couldn’t sit down while his madame was not seated. His job required that he stood most of the time, ready to assist his madame at a moment’s notice.

He moved closer to the door, where he stood to wait for the arrival of the duchess. The butler took a moment to take another look at the mysterious man who had been on the duchess’ mind for a while.

Caleb was in a black turtleneck, trousers and boots. The sweater brought out his well-defined muscles and stature, and his unique eyes and hairstyle made Caleb one hell of a male specimen.

’Yep, the duchess will definitely find him worthy.’