The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

The moment Damian stepped inside the drawing room, his gaze sharpened. His wife and his mother were seated on the sofa, wearing tense expressions. Across from them sat Elias’s wife and her son.

"Your Grace," Elias’s wife, Aleesia, rose to her feet the instant she saw him, abandoning all decorum as she rushed forward. "Please, I beg of you, show mercy to my husband. I have been waiting for hours to see you."

She pressed her palms together, weeping as she pleaded for her family’s survival. Beside the sofa, her son kept his head bowed, bearing the heavy weight of his father’s treason in silent shame.

Damian did not acknowledge her. His cold eyes shifted past the kneeling woman, locking directly onto the head butler standing near the threshold.

"Who permitted them entrance into this residence?" Damian demanded.

The butler immediately lowered his head, unable to meet the Duke’s gaze.

"I did," Georgia said as she met her son’s eyes. "They have been waiting for your return since early this morning. You did not even allow them the courtesy of visiting Count Elias in the dungeons."

"Elias is no longer a Count, Mother. And you should not have defied my explicit orders regarding his treason," Damian stated. "The crimes that man has committed are beyond any hope of forgiveness. He orchestrated two separate attempts on my life, and he has done far worse things in the dark than you could ever imagine."

Turning his cold gaze toward the weeping woman, he delivered his final verdict. "Lady Aleesia shall leave with her son immediately. She must return home and await the formal judgment. Her husband will not escape the executioner this time."

He then walked away, ascending the grand staircase without casting another glance back at the room. Eilika stood up and turned around, but Damian had already disappeared down the upper corridor.

Aleesia broke down entirely, her shoulders shaking with heavy sobs until her son gently held her up, supporting her weight.

Before leading his mother out of the drawing room, the young man bowed deeply and thanked both Georgia and Eilika for granting them the audience with the Duke.

Once the heavy doors closed behind them, Eilika turned to her mother-in-law. "Mother, Damian is right. We should not interfere in his affairs. Besides, you know yourself how severe the crime was this time."

"I did it only because Aleesia is a wife and a mother, nothing more," Georgia affirmed, her expression softening with a weary sigh. "As for my son’s anger, it is entirely justified."

"Did I miss something?" August asked, stepping into the drawing room and immediately noting the tense expressions on their faces. "Aunt Georgia, if you require my assistance with anything at all, you know I am always at your disposal."

Georgia managed a polite smile. "There is nothing for a prince to concern himself with," she asserted, maintaining her composure. "Eilika, I am retiring to my chambers. Inform the staff to serve tea for everyone here."

"Yes, Mother," Eilika nodded, watching quietly as her mother-in-law exited the room.

"I believe Damian might have told you who ignited the fire at the estate. That is why you all seem so troubled," August remarked, crossing the room toward her.

"What do you mean, Your Highness? Have they discovered the culprit?"

"Yes. It was Liliana’s former maid. She despised the fact that Damian moved on so quickly," August stated, letting out a dark chuckle.

"What?" Eilika whispered, stunned by the revelation.

Before she could press for more details, she noticed the head butler approaching them with a cautious bow. Eilika composed herself and instructed, "Please send tea to Prince August’s chambers, and ensure a tray is taken to the Duke’s study as well."

The butler bowed deeply and immediately withdrew to inform the kitchen staff.

"Turns out you were kept in the dark," August said, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You have inherited an enemy, Eilika. But I wonder if there are even more. Damian neglected to dismiss the servants who once swore allegiance to Liliana."

"Your Highness, even now I find myself unable to decipher your intentions. I cannot tell whether you are a foe or an ally," Eilika stated, her voice laced with a suspicion.

"For you, I am an ally. I could never bring myself to be your foe, could I?" August replied, a slow smirk spreading across his lips before he turned and strolled away.

Eilika furrowed her brows as she watched him leave. Turning toward the grand staircase, she made her way upstairs to check on Roman, whom she had instructed to go to his chambers earlier.

As she approached the nursery doors, the boy’s attendant stepped out quietly and spoke in a hushed whisper, "Your Grace, the young master is settled at his desk doing his lessons at the moment."

"Nice," Eilika replied, a brief look of relief softening her tense features. She turned toward the Duke’s chambers and intercepted a maid who was carrying the tea tray down the corridor. Taking the silver tray into her own hands, she dismissed the servant and quietly stepped inside the room.

As she set the tray down onto the mahogany table, the latch to the adjoining washroom clicked open, and Damian stepped out. His dark hair was still damp at the brow, clinging slightly to his forehead, and his linen shirt remained half-unbuttoned at the collar.

Mindful of the lingering threats within the palace walls, Eilika discreetly inspected the tea first, ensuring everything appeared untampered with before pouring a fresh cup for her husband.

"Prince August told me that a maid started the fire in the estate which resulted in the explosion," Eilika replied.

"Yes. I’ll be going in the evening to see her," Damian answered. "Forgive me. It was a negligence on my part."

"You didn’t know anything like that could happen in the future. So, don’t apologise," Eilika said softly, placing the cup on the saucer.

~~~

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