The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

”Is the Duke drunk?” Eilika asked, her voice barely a whisper. ”Does he want to be my husband from his heart, or is this merely out of duty?”

Damian turned his head slightly to meet her eyes. ”Neither. I simply want to try to be a husband.”

”Alright. I will be looking forward to this outing then,” Eilika stated, though a small, curious smile played on her lips. ”But where exactly will you take me?”

”That, I haven’t decided yet,” Damian answered, looking back out at the moonlit grounds of the palace. ”But we won’t be taking Roman this time. I want the day to be completely ours.”

Eilika felt a flutter of anticipation at his words. The idea of a day without the shield of their parental roles felt both daunting and intimate.

”A day for just the two of us,” she murmured, more to herself than him.

Damian nodded slowly. ”Yes, we need to go out without Roman. Since Louis is here, we don’t have to worry. Besides, Roman is a quiet boy; he knows well enough not to disturb his elders.”

”Damian, tell me about yourself,” Eilika said, her gaze fixed on the vast, dark sky. ”All I really know is that you are the Duke of Varos.”

”There is not much to know,” Damian replied, his voice blending with the night wind.

”That isn’t true,” Eilika countered softly. ”Were you always this serious, even as a child? I heard that your father passed away from an illness when you were only a teenager. Everything must have fallen onto your shoulders at such a young age.”

Damian remained silent for a long moment.

”You already know a lot more about me,” he whispered.

”I heard them from the people,” Eilika chuckled. ”Fine, don’t tell me. Forgive me for touching that topic.”

”Father passed away after returning from a battle,” Damian began. ”The illness started because of an injury he sustained to his knee. It refused to heal, and the infection grew. I was twelve when it all began. So, yes, I had to become the man of the family early. Varos is small, but its agricultural importance is significant; for merchants, it has always been a vital link to the larger cities.”

Eilika stepped in front of him, searching his face. ”That means there were others who wanted the title for themselves. It didn’t matter if you were directly related to the royal family or not,” she remarked.

”Exactly. That is why Louis suggested we squash those rumors earlier,” he affirmed. ”But as I said, I hardly care about them.”

”So, what happened after your father passed away?” Eilika asked.

Damian sighed, a sound that seemed to carry years of weariness. ”Chaos followed. My father’s death left a big void, and several distant cousins and local lords saw a teenage boy as an easy target. They tried to contest the inheritance, claiming I was too young to manage the trade routes or protect the borders. I spent my nights studying ledgers and my days in the training yard, proving to the court and the merchants that Varos would not crumble under my watch.”

Eilika realized that while the common people remained blissfully unaware of the unrest within the House of Varos, Damian had been forced to fight for every inch of his inheritance.

”That is how I found Liliana,” he revealed suddenly.

Eilika’s eyes flickered with a sharp curiosity, a feeling she hadn’t expected to stir in her heart since their marriage began.

”You could say that when I was at my lowest, Liliana was there for me,” he continued. ”She was a friend and a listener, someone who comforted me and even assisted with my work. Though she didn’t come from a noble background, she was remarkably knowledgeable. Since she had lost her father as well, she understood my position perfectly.”

The weight of his words settled over Eilika. She finally understood the depth of his connection to Liliana; she hadn’t just been a companion, but the sole person who had supported him during a time of immense pressure and grief. Liliana had seen the man behind the title when no one else would.

”I should not be sharing stories of my late wife with you. I feel sleepy,” Damian said as he turned to head back inside.

”You can share them with me whenever you feel the need,” Eilika called after him. ”If you think I will be bothered, I won’t be.”

Damian didn’t offer a word in response. He simply walked into the room. Eilika remained on the balcony.

She looked back at the stars, reflecting on the man she had just glimpsed. Eilika realized then why Liliana’s absence still haunted the halls of the palace and the quiet corners of Damian’s mind. Liliana hadn’t just been a wife; she had been a part of his soul, a piece of him that had been torn away far too soon. Watching the steady rise and fall of his shoulders in the dark, she felt a sudden doubt. She wondered if she was even worthy of asking for a love that seemed so entirely claimed by his late wife.

I thought I could replace her, she admitted to herself. But that is impossible. She owns a part of his heart that can never be vacated.

Yet, as the silence settled around her, a softer realization followed. She didn’t need to evict Liliana’s memory to find her own place beside him. She didn’t have to be a replacement; she only had to be herself.

She stepped away from the balcony and into the hushed dimness of the room. Damian was already asleep, lying on his side with his back turned toward her. Eilika moved quietly, extinguishing the lamps until the room was bathed in the soft, blue glow of the moonlight filtering through the glass.

She slid under the heavy silk of the duvet, the chill of the sheets slowly warming against her skin. Sleep did not come easily. Her eyes remained fixed on the broad silhouette of his back, tracing the line of his shoulders in the dark as she contemplated the long road ahead of them.