The Unseen Duke broke both doors off their hinges and sent them flying forward. As they tumbled down the short staircase leading down from the doorway, they banged and screeched noisily.

He strutted his tall, lanky figure down the steps with grace and elegance. His eyes were closed and his chin was tilted up towards the roof in a haughty, holier-than-thou fashion, as if there was no one greater than he.

Garbed in a rich, royal blue outfit fit for a prince, The Unseen Duke was a sight to behold. His thin moustache curled up in perfect, circular patterns on either side of his face, and his long, thin beard that came to a thin point a few inches from his chin had been brushed a few times too many, causing it to become a tad frizzy.

But what stuck out the most to Remi was how pale and sickly he looked. His skin was nearly without pigment, which was odd, considering how tanned most people in the city were. No one was that pale—the overbearing sun simply wouldn't allow it. There were also deep, dark bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in ages. He looked like a walking corpse—with a good fashion sense.

When the duke was only ten or so feet away from Remi and Melee, he snapped open his eyes.

They instantly honed in on Remi, and narrowed into angry, almond-shaped slits.

"The familiar strawberry-blonde hair characteristic of my enemies greets my eyes, assaulting them with unpleasantness. A revolting sight indeed," The Unseen Duke monologued, as if he was telling a story. "Well, do go on. Introduce yourself, Designer. I know you're just dying to become acquainted with me."

Remi arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "Do I know you?" she asked, feigning confusion with her wide eyes and slightly furrowed brows.

The Unseen Duke stumbled back in surprise, as if some force had hit him. He clutched his chest, appearing wounded. "Oh enemy of mine, how your words wound me. For it is I, Duke Guatus."

Remi tapped her chin, pretending to think about it. "Nope, sorry—not ringing a bell."

Without waiting for a reply, she sauntered on over to the plush couches on the far side of the huge, cavernous room, leaning back and propping her crossed legs up onto the clean coffee table. Her dirty shoes left marks.

"The insolence!" Duke Guatus exclaimed, clearly offended.

"Can I have my money now?" Melee asked, filing her nails in boredom.

The duke ignored her. He walked up to Remi, but she didn't even look his way. "Some call me The Unseen Duke," he finally growled, desperate for some recognition.

Remi pursed her lips, leaning back and closing her eyes, making sure her shoes left as much of a mess as possible. "That sounds vaguely familiar, but I still can't place it. Let me think on it."

Quite a few seconds go by. "Are you done thinking yet?"

Remi opened one green eye to peer at him. "Oh, right. Yes. Sorry, I forgot you were still there."

The duke's thin lips twisted into a sneer. "How dare you sprout such lies! I'm a legendary figure, with my perfect complexion and meticulously groomed facial hair. There is no one more handsome than I. Therefore, my presence is unforgettable."

Remi inclined her head. "Did you say something, Moustache?"

"The gall!" he shrieked, before taking a deep, calming breath in an attempt to soothe his bruised ego. The way his mouth formed a small 'o' shape as he breathed in and out was quite comical.

"And to answer your earlier question, yes; I vaguely remember you as one of many people who had a bit of a tiff with my father."

"A tiff?" the duke yelled loudly, tugging angrily on his beard.

"Indoor voice, please," she cut in, scrunching her nose in distain.

By now, Duke Guatus had turned red in the face, and Remi could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. "Do not proceed to tell me what to do or what not to do in my own house! And it wasn't a mere tiff, you uneducated wench!"

Remi shrugged, shifting around to get into a more comfortable position. "That's how Father always described it. Don't shoot the messenger."

"Well, he described it wrong! Speaking of, I'm glad I finally got the right one this time," he added smugly.

Remi immediately froze. "The right one?"

Pleased he'd finally got her attention, and smug he now had the upper hand, Duke Guatus began walking across the room as if he was a model on a runway, full of confidence and grace. "Yes, the right one. Levi Goldridge's daughter. You all have similar hair, so it wasn't really my fault for taking the wrong one."

Remi's expression hardened, and she fixed a glare on him—a white hot glare that could have burnt a hole through the back of his head. "If you've done anything to Bliss . . ."

"Why don't you have a look for yourself?" the duke grinned, twirling a strand of his long, slicked back hair, prancing back up the stairs and through the now wide open doorframe.

He tossed a lumpy sack behind him towards Melee. It clinked and jingled, probably filled with a lot of money.

Remi instantly stood up and followed him. If he was holding Bliss, and if he hurt her in any way . . . well, the result wouldn't be very pretty. She would get them out of here no matter what it took, now that it wasn't just herself that she had to worry about.

"You're walking into a lion's den," Melee called from behind her, but Remi didn't stop—couldn't stop.

If there was even a chance that Bliss was here, Remi would take that chance.

"You see," the duke began once more, dramatically waving his arms around as he spoke. "I thought I was bringing in you, when in reality I'd brought in some other Goldridge who isn't able to help me at all."

Coolly, Remi replied, "And what is it that you need help with?"

"Becoming an immortal beauty, of course. What else?" he sneered, tugging on his beard as they walked.

Remi couldn't help but roll her eyes. Immortal was such a simple word. It didn't speak of the incredible lengths one must go to in order to give someone that immortality. Besides, Remi had never done the procedure herself, though she'd listened to her father gush about it time and time again, and hence knew the theory behind it.

It wasn't just a simple, one time procedure. The work she would have to do was on an incredibly small scale, and very complicated. She could give him the potential of immortality through giving his cells telomerase—and hence the ability to multiply endlessly—and through other factors, but that didn't prevent him from getting an ailment or disease that could kill him. It also didn't stop him from aging, as that in itself was an entirely different, very complicated procedure.

The dukes and duchesses and lords and ladies that were hundreds of years old have had to repeatedly call upon the services of the Goldridge family whenever they fell ill or caught something lethal. Sometimes their family or friends would have to call in if they got murdered so that they could be brought back to life. In other words, there was always maintenance work to be done after the fact. Living longer than one was supposed to was a very complicated procedure, and entirely different from the simple way Duke Guatus had made it out to be.

Not to mention all Remi would have to do in order to stop him from aging further.

The simple thought of having to do all that work without a guarantee that she and Bliss would make it out after the fact stole away her energy.

"And why would I help you?" Remi asked with an arched brow. "You kidnapped me, and say you've kidnapped my cousin."

He regarded her with an air of arrogance. "You will help me because I have your cousin. She'll be leverage."

His words made Remi grit her teeth, but she kept her face blank. "You still have yet to show me proof that she is indeed here."

"How's this for proof?" Duke Guatus chuckled, pulling open a heavy door on the wall and walking inside.

Remi gasped. They were in a small observation area, looking through a screen of glass into a cell chamber. A cell chamber that held a small, strawberry-blonde haired figure, curled up into a ball.

Bruises littered her shaking body, and one of her eyes looked so swollen that Remi doubted the poor girl could open it if she tried.

"How dare you!" Remi whipped around, fixing a white hot glare onto the amused duke.

Armed guards streamed into the room, surrounding him.

He simply shrugged. "I dare. And if you want to keep your cousin's head on her shoulders, you'll play along with the fun night I have planned for us."

"I'll do no such thing."

"Then I'll kill her. Is that what you want?"

Remi bit her bottom lip. She hated the position she was in. She couldn't leave now that she'd seen with her own eyes that Bliss was trapped here, and even though she didn't want to cooperate with the mad duke, Remi knew she would.

Right up until the moment she brought him down.