The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

Wilfred burst through the front doors, the hinges groaning under the force of his entrance. As soon as Rosaline stepped into the foyer to greet him, he turned on her, his face a terrifying shade of crimson.

”Don’t you dare show me your face!” he roared. ”What kind of filth have you been spreading about the Duke and Duchess? Do you have any idea of the humiliation I just had to endure because of your wagging tongue?”

His voice was so loud that Susan, who had been in the kitchen supervising the tea preparations, came running into the hall, her face pale with alarm.

”Dear, what on earth happened? Why are you so angry?” Susan questioned, her gaze darting to Rosaline, who stood frozen and trembling as if she had seen a ghost.

”Why didn’t you teach your daughter any sense?” Wilfred’s voice only rose in volume. ”I went to the Duke’s mansion to secure our future, and instead, I was humiliated. The Duke has proof that Rosaline is the source of the rumors about him and Eilika! Is this what she has been doing in the name of finding suitors? Sabotaging a Duchess?”

His chest heaved as he pointed a shaking finger at Rosaline. ”Her jealousy has not only insulted the Duke, it has cost us everything!”

”Wilfred, calm down, okay?” Susan suggested, her voice hushed as she tried to manage his volatile temper. She gripped her husband’s arm firmly and guided him toward the sofa, forcing him to sit. With a sharp gesture to a nearby servant, she signaled for water to be brought immediately.

”Eilika has gotten wings,” Wilfred muttered, his face contorted with fury.

Meanwhile, Rosaline hurried out of the room, her eyes stinging with tears of both rage and fear. She had never seen her father this shaken.

”What do you mean? Did she refuse to help us?” Susan asked, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as she dismissed the remaining servants from the hall.

”Since she became the Duchess, she has forgotten who she is. She refused to help me at all,” he muttered, the glass clinking sharply against the wood as he lowered it onto the table. ”She actually had the audacity to sit there and teach me how to do ’right business’ with ’right means.’ As if I haven’t spent my life providing for her!”

He leaned back, his hands still shaking. ”The girl I used to command is gone, Susan. She spoke to me as if I were a commoner begging for scraps. And the Duke... he was right there, watching it all like a hawk.”

Wilfred stared at the floor, the memory of Roman’s fierce defense and his own knees hitting the palace rug burning like a fresh wound. He still couldn’t bring himself to mention the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of the Duke’s young son.

”How could all of this be possible?” Susan asked, her brow furrowing in disbelief. ”We were certain the Duke wouldn’t even look at Eilika. It turns out she is ruling that house. You have done so much for her, Will. Shall I go and talk to her once? Surely she will listen to her mother.”

”No. He has debarred our entry into the mansion,” Wilfred stated, his voice flat and defeated.

”What? Why? We are still Eilika’s family! How can the Duke do such a thing?” Susan stared at her husband in total confusion, unable to grasp how their leverage over Eilika had evaporated so completely.

”He said if we set foot there again, we’ll be imprisoned,” Wilfred muttered, rubbing his face with trembling hands. ”He doesn’t care about family ties. He only cares about the Duchess. And Eilika... she just sat there and watched it happen. She didn’t lift a finger to stop him.”

”Wilfred, don’t tell me you said something cruel to Eilika,” Susan said, squinting her eyes in deep suspicion as she studied his guilty expression.

”Huh?” Wilfred faltered, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. ”Well, I was angry. I started reminding her how much we did for her despite the ugly scar she carries. I wanted her to remember her place.” As he spoke, he realized he couldn’t hide the truth about the chaos that followed.

”Young Master Roman heard me. That boy has a fierce temper just like his father. He rushed in and defended Eilika, screaming at me not to say another word to his mother. Susan, I fear we have lost the golden egg. I thought marrying Eilika into that household would bring us fortune and happiness, but look at us now, shut out of the Duke’s mansion like common thieves.”

He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head in regret before reaching out to take both of Susan’s hands in his.

”I want to believe that Rosaline wouldn’t have done something so foolish. I should not have shouted at her earlier; I was simply pissed,” Wilfred stated, his eyes pleading for Susan to understand. ”The Duke accused Rosaline so openly, with such certainty, that it made my blood boil. I took my frustration out on the wrong person because I was terrified of what he might do next.”

Susan pulled her hands back from Wilfred’s grip. ”I told you not to anger Eilika anymore. She is the Duchess now. Also, ugly or not, the Dowager Duchess chose her for a reason. You should have known better than to bring up that scar,” she stated firmly.

”Honey, the way Eilika looked down on me, on us, made me lose my temper. She always tries to blame me, acting as if I were the reason behind that scar,” Wilfred sneered, his bitterness resurfacing.

”But you were,” Susan remarked. ”If she hadn’t saved you that day, you could have lost your life. You owe her your safety, not her resentment.” She stood up, looking toward the door where Rosaline had vanished.

”Both you and Rosaline are the same. You two need to learn to check your anger according to the situation. I will try to talk to Eilika myself. Her wedding is in two days; it is the perfect chance to smooth things over.”

”The Duke has already said we are banned from entering the wedding,” Wilfred pronounced, his voice hollow.

Susan’s eyes widened. She stared at her husband, finally realizing the scale of the damage he had done. To be banned from a royal wedding was not just a family slight; it was a public social execution.