The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

Two days later,

The afternoon sun shone brightly over the open grounds around the cottage. The gentle breeze carried the sound of laughter as the rescued girls played alongside the boys in the yard. Their earlier fear had slowly begun to fade, replaced by the carefree joy of children who finally felt safe.

Eilika stood nearby, quietly watching them.

The sight brought her a sense of relief, yet a faint worry lingered in her heart.

Damian and Maurice had not returned yet.

She had no news of what was happening outside the peaceful walls of the cottage. After a while, she turned to go back inside.

Just then, the distant sound of galloping hooves reached her ears.

Eilika paused. Quickly, she walked toward the front of the cottage.

As the horses came into view, her eyes widened.

Damian was riding at the front.

Dust rose beneath the horses’ hooves as they came to a halt. Damian dismounted smoothly, landing lightly on the ground before handing the reins to one of the soldiers behind him.

Without wasting time, he walked toward her.

Eilika lowered her head respectfully in greeting.

”Welcome back,” she said softly. When she lifted her gaze again, their eyes met. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Damian gestured toward the cottage. ”We should go inside,” he said.

Eilika nodded quietly and briefly glanced at Maurice, making sure he had not been injured during the mission either. Satisfied that both men appeared unharmed, she walked beside them along the cobblestone path leading to the cottage.

From a short distance away, Damian noticed the children playing in the front yard. They were too absorbed in their game to notice the returning men at first, but their cheerful voices drifted through the air.

By the time they reached the main hall of the cottage, Eilika had already begun giving instructions.

”Bring water for everyone,” she told the servants.

The maids quickly moved to carry out the order.

Eilika herself took one of the glasses and walked over to Damian. Handing it to him, she watched as he drank deeply. The long ride back had clearly left him thirsty, and he finished the glass in a few steady gulps.

”I’ll ask the staff to begin preparing lunch,” she said as she rose from her seat.

Damian followed her with his eyes as she walked away.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out.

”Father!”

Damian turned his head slightly.

Roman came running across the hall, his small footsteps echoing as he rushed toward him. Without slowing down, the boy threw his tiny arms around Damian.

Damian smiled faintly and lifted him onto his lap, gently running a hand through his hair. Meanwhile, a maid quietly stepped forward and took the empty glass from Damian’s hand.

The other children stood a little farther away, watching cautiously. The presence of so many armed men made them hesitant to approach.

”You didn’t trouble your mother while I was away, did you?” Damian asked.

Roman shook his head immediately.

”No, Father,” he replied proudly. ”In fact, I made sure Mama kept smiling all the time. I didn’t let her miss you.”

Damian’s expression softened slightly.

”Good,” he said.

He then lowered Roman back onto the floor.

”Go play with your friends.”

Damian glanced toward the other children and offered them a gentle smile, easing some of their hesitation.

Roman quickly ran back toward the other children, and within moments their laughter faded into the yard as they resumed their play.

Damian watched them for a brief second before rising from his seat.

”I’m going upstairs,” he said shortly to Maurice.

Without waiting for a response, he walked toward the staircase and disappeared into the corridor that led to the rooms above.

A few minutes later, Eilika returned to the hall after giving instructions in the kitchen. She paused when she noticed the sofa where Damian had been sitting was now empty.

”Where did the Duke go?” she asked.

”To his room, Your Grace,” Maurice replied respectfully.

”Alright,” she replied. ”Lunch will be ready in about an hour or two. Until then, all of you should take some rest. I have already asked the butler to prepare rooms for everyone.”

Maurice shook his head lightly.

”Your Grace, that won’t be necessary,” he said politely. ”The men won’t be staying here for long.”

He glanced briefly toward the staircase before continuing.

”This cottage is meant to be a private space for you and the Duke.”

”But they can at least rest for an hour,” Eilika said with a warm smile. ”I’m sure all of you have worked hard over the past two days.”

Maurice gave a respectful nod as she excused herself and headed upstairs.

When Eilika pushed open the door to the room, she immediately froze in her tracks.

”Oh, sorry!” she exclaimed, quickly covering her eyes with both hands.

Damian had just begun unfastening his trousers, preparing to change after the long journey.

”I’ll come back later,” she added hurriedly, turning slightly toward the door.

”Stay,” Damian said calmly. ”I’m heading to the washroom.”

He picked up the clean clothes he had already set aside on the cupboard and walked past her toward the washroom. Moments later, she heard the door close with a soft click.

Only then did Eilika slowly lower her hands.

”I always seem to walk in at the wrong moment,” she murmured to herself.

Letting out a small breath, she walked toward the bed and sat down. Damian had already gathered his dirty clothes before she entered, so there was nothing left for her to place in the laundry basket.

Fifteen minutes passed before the washroom door finally opened.

Damian stepped out, his shirt only half buttoned. Fresh droplets of water clung to the strands of his dark hair and slowly fell onto the wooden floorboards beneath his feet. The faint scent of soap followed him as he walked into the room.

Eilika had already risen from the bed the moment she heard the door.

”How did it go?” she asked quietly.

Damian continued buttoning his shirt as he replied.

”Everyone involved has been arrested,” he said. ”The building has been sealed, and the authorities have taken control of it.”

He moved toward the bed and sat down heavily, clearly feeling the exhaustion from the past few days. A small table stood beside him, brushing lightly against his knee as he settled.

”The children will be returned safely to their families,” he continued. ”And those who have no homes will be sent to orphanages where they can be properly cared for.”

Eilika listened carefully, relief slowly softening her expression.

Then her gaze moved over him more closely.

”You didn’t get hurt, did you?” she asked.

Her eyes searched his face and arms as if trying to find an injury he might be hiding.

Damian shook his head.

Before he could say anything further, Eilika picked up the towel lying nearby.

”I’ll dry your hair,” she said softly.

Damian allowed her to do it.

For a few moments, the room fell into a quiet. The only sound was the soft rustling of his damp hair as Eilika gently worked the towel through it.

Her movements were careful and light, her fingers brushing through the strands with quiet patience. The touch was so gentle that Damian slowly began to relax under it.

His eyes closed without him realizing.

The tension that had followed him for the past two days slowly eased away in that simple moment of comfort.

After a while, Eilika stopped. She pulled the towel away and placed it neatly on the chair beside the bed.

Just as she was about to step away, Damian spoke.

”Roman said he made sure you didn’t miss me,” he said. His voice carried a faint teasing note. ”Did you miss me?”

Eilika immediately shook her head. ”No,” she replied quickly as she sat down beside him. ”Why would I miss you? One only misses those who truly care about them.”

Damian tilted his head slightly at her answer, and a quiet chuckle escaped him.

”I missed you, Eilika,” he said simply, his gaze still directed ahead rather than at her.

Eilika’s head turned sharply toward him. For a few seconds, she simply stared at him without blinking.

”You’re lying,” she murmured. Her fingers began fidgeting together nervously. ”Why would you miss me?”

”I don’t know,” Damian replied honestly. ”But I missed you.”

He paused for a moment before adding quietly, ”Perhaps I’m getting used to your presence. Being away from you... felt strange.”

Eilika looked at him again, trying to understand whether he truly meant what he had said.

This time, Damian’s gaze met hers. After a brief moment of silence, he spoke again.

”I brought something for you.”

Her brows lifted slightly in surprise.

”Netham has many markets,” he continued. ”Maurice and I ended up passing through one of them during an investigation.”

As he spoke, Damian leaned slightly toward her. Instinctively, Eilika leaned back a little, thinking he was moving closer. But instead, he reached past her and opened the bedside drawer.

From inside, he pulled out a small object.

It was a delicate silver hairpin, its end shaped into an elegant cluster of tiny flowers carefully engraved into the metal.

”They say this design is quite popular among the women in Netham,” Damian said as he handed it to her.

Eilika accepted it gently. A soft smile appeared on her face.

”Thank you,” she whispered.

She lifted her hands to the back of her head, trying to secure the hairpin into the bun she had tied earlier.

But the angle was awkward, and the pin refused to slide into place. Seeing her struggle, Damian quietly reached out and helped guide the hairpin through the bun.

Once it was secure, Eilika quickly opened the drawer again and took out the small mirror resting inside.

Holding it up, she examined her reflection carefully.

A pleased smile spread across her lips.

”It looks good on me,” she said, turning her head to gaze at him.

”Yes, it does,” Damian replied with softness. He brushed away the loose strands from her cheek to back of her ear.