The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

Rosaline slammed the newspaper onto the living room table with a force that made the porcelain teacups rattle. Her mother, Susan, froze mid-sip, startled by the anger on her daughter’s face.

”What has happened, dear?” Susan asked, slowly lowering her cup.

”Mother, Eilika is having a grand wedding!” Rosaline hissed, her voice trembling with envy.

”What do you mean?” Susan frowned, her confusion deepening. ”Why would she have a grand wedding? Aren’t they already married?”

”The Duke has planned a magnificent celebration,” Rosaline explained, her eyes scanning the headlines again as if the words might change. ”Rumors had been circulating in Varos that he despised Eilika, but this article says the wedding plans have quashed those rumors entirely. It says only the most elite and inner circle are invited this time.”

”What? Eilika didn’t say a word to us about this,” Susan muttered, her face turning pale.

”And why would she?” Rosaline snapped. ”Didn’t we demand she get married and get out of this house just so you could find a better suitor for me? And look at her now! Eilika has become the beloved wife of Damian Kingsley. You promised me he would kick her out within weeks, but that didn’t happen. Instead, love has bloomed between them. Mother, I feel terrible. You have no idea how differently Eilika treats me now, she looks at me as if I am beneath her!”

Susan sank back into her chair. The ”discarded and unwanted” girl they had pushed out the door was now the most powerful woman in the province.

”Maybe they are simply holding this ceremony to save face—” Susan started, her voice trailing off.

”No, Mother,” Rosaline interjected, her voice sharp with bitterness. ”Damian is head over heels for her. Ever since they returned from that honeymoon, the distance between them has vanished. Why wasn’t I the one selected to be the Duke’s wife? I should have been the most powerful woman in Varos today,” she muttered, crossing her arms tightly.

The heavy silence of their envy was broken by a servant clearing his throat at the arched doorway. ”My Lady, an envoy has arrived from the Kingsley mansion.”

”Send him in,” Susan commanded, standing up and smoothing her skirts. She shot a look at Rosaline, signaling for her daughter to do the same and maintain a shred of dignity.

The envoy, a dignified middle-aged man in the Duke’s formal livery, entered and offered a stiff bow to both women. ”His Grace, the Duke, has sent this invitation to the Duchess’s family for the upcoming nuptials.”

He stepped forward and presented the heavy, gold-embossed card to Susan. She accepted it with a fake smile. ”Our thanks to the Duke for his thoughtfulness,” she murmured.

However, curiosity and a need for information got the better of her. ”May I ask, why has this sudden wedding been announced? After all, the Duke and Eilika were married some time ago,” Susan stated, keeping her tone humble and masking her true feelings.

The envoy didn’t blink, his expression remaining as neutral as stone. ”The previous ceremony was a private matter of state and contract, My Lady. His Grace has expressed that such a union deserves a celebration befitting the true status of his wife. He wishes the world to see that his wife is not merely a Duchess by title, but the undisputed lady of his heart and home.”

Rosaline’s grip on her chair tightened so hard her knuckles turned white.

”Is there anything else?” the envoy asked politely.

”No,” Susan replied, her smile tightening as she forced herself to maintain a facade of grace. ”We shall be there.” She glanced at Rosaline, who was visibly fuming, her face flushed with a dangerous jealousy. ”Please, take a seat. I will have the servant bring tea.”

”My humble apologies, Lady Susan, but I cannot stay for tea,” the envoy replied, his tone professional and distant. ”I have a long list of invitations to distribute before the sun sets. I must take my leave.” He offered them one last crisp bow and exited the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

The moment the envy was gone, Rosaline’s composure shattered.

”Why is Eilika getting everything? First the title, then the Duke’s heart, and now a wedding, the whole Varos is talking about!” she cried out. ”Mother, is there truly no way for me to enter that mansion? No way to secure a place there?”

”The Duke has no brothers, Rosaline. So, no,” Susan said, letting out a long, weary sigh as she looked at the expensive gold-leafed card in her hand. ”But I have told you before, Damian Kingsley was never the perfect match for you. You forget he has a son from his previous marriage. You would have started your life as a stepmother.”

”So what?” Rosaline muttered, her voice trembling with fury. ”I would have found a way to deal with that. I would have thrown that boy out of the mansion and made sure he was forgotten. Anything would be better than sitting here watching Eilika live the life that should have been mine!”

Susan looked at her daughter’s twisted expression and felt a chill. ”Be careful, Rosaline. What if someone hears you? You have truly lost your head,” Susan hissed, glancing toward the hallway to ensure no servants were lingering. ”Your father is already in discussions regarding your marriage to the Earl’s son. You will be a Countess, no less than Eilika, in the eyes of society.”

Rosaline shook her head violently, her earrings rattling with the movement. She couldn’t shake the stinging humiliation of being the ”leftover” sister. ”I am going out. I need money,” she demanded.

”Only last week I gave you a whole pouch of coins, Rosaline,” Susan stated, her protective motherly tone finally fraying at the edges.

”I spent them,” Rosaline snapped, her eyes flashing with a mix of defiance and boredom.

”Wait here,” Susan sighed. She disappeared into her bedroom, returning moments later with another heavy, velvet-lined pouch. She pressed it into her daughter’s hand with a lingering grip. ”Spend this carefully. Between the household expenses and your father’s debts, we are already tight on money.”

”Then ask Eilika,” Rosaline muttered, snatching the pouch and tossing it into her silk handbag. ”She is loaded with Kingsley gold now. Why should we suffer while she plays queen?”

Without waiting for a response, Rosaline swept out of the room.