The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

Eilika frowned as she took in August’s state. His robe hung open, baring his chest, but she didn’t let her gaze flicker away.

”Prince August, dress yourself properly,” Maurice demanded, taking a step forward.

August sneered, his eyes flashing with disdain. ”And now, Damian’s dog dares to lecture me on manners?”

”That is enough,” Eilika interjected, keeping her tone polite. ”He is the Duke’s closest friend. Show some respect.”

August descended the final step and stopped in front of her, letting out a mocking chuckle. ”Why are you here? And tell me, how did you track me down to this hole?”

”Desperation makes the path clear,” Eilika replied in a decisive tone.

August circled her, his eyes roaming over her form with predatory interest before lingering on the scar on her cheek, the one his confidant had warned him about. ”What possible crisis could Damian have that he sends his wife to grovel at my feet?”

”He has been poisoned,” Eilika stated, meeting his gaze squarely. ”I have been told you are the only one who possesses the cure. You are a master of botany, and you collect the rarest antidotes.”

August threw his head back and laughed. ”And you think I would lift a finger to save Damian? Pardon me, Duchess, but that is the most ridiculous thing I have heard in years.”

Eilika tilted her head, meeting his cold glare with steady eyes. ”Saving a human life shouldn’t be a transaction, August. It won’t hurt you to do the right thing.”

”Didn’t Damian tell you how he ensured my banishment?” August shot back, his expression darkening with old resentment. ”I was barely more than a boy back then, yet he made sure I was discarded.”

”Prince August, the Duke had no choice but to speak the truth to the King,” Maurice asserted, stepping forward to defend his friend. ”You have been harboring a dangerous misunderstanding about him for years.”

August didn’t dignify the remark with an answer. He simply turned his back on them.

”Prince August, I will give you anything you desire. Please... help me save Damian. I beg you,” Eilika pleaded.

Maurice flinched; seeing the Duchess forced to humble herself this way was physically painful for him.

”I don’t care if he lives or dies,” August declared. ”You should leave and find someone else to play the hero, Duchess.” He turned, meeting her gaze with icy indifference.

”There is no one else,” Eilika insisted. ”I don’t know the full history between you two, but right now, only you can save him. I told you I would do anything you ask, name your price, but please, save my husband.” She joined her hands together, a desperate act of supplication.

”I need the Frost Lily,” she choked out, her voice trembling. ”I was told you are the only one who possesses it. Damian only has a few hours left... Please, Prince August. You are my only hope.”

”Since you are willing to sacrifice anything to obtain the Frost Lily, I will help you,” August stated. ”My condition is simple: Leave Damian’s life.”

”What?” Eilika exclaimed, her breath hitching in her throat.

”You heard me, Duchess. Divorce him. Disappear as if you never existed. That is the price for his survival.”

”Duchess, we must leave,” Maurice growled, his face contorted in anger. ”Prince August has lost his mind. He has no intention of helping us.”

Eilika stood frozen, her heart racing. They had no other option, but this was a fate she had never imagined.

”I possess the Frost Lily,” August continued, ignoring Maurice. ”But know this: one flower is not enough to neutralize the poison. To purge the venom completely, he needs two. If you do not agree to the divorce the moment he recovers, I will withhold the second flower. He will die, and it will be your fault.”

Maurice stepped forward, his hand clenching into a fist. ”Prince, if you have even a shred of humanity left—”

”Shut your fucking mouth,” August snapped as he glared at Maurice. ”I have no humanity left for any of you. The choice is yours, Eilika. Divorce Damian and vanish from Varos, or watch him die.”

”I will do what you want. But we need a written agreement. Maurice will be the witness,” Eilika affirmed.

August’s smirk deepened. ”A smart woman. Let’s make it official.” He glanced at the middle-aged man, who promptly placed a notepad and a fountain pen on the table.

”Duchess, please reconsider. The Duke would never want this,” Maurice pleaded, his voice thick with unease.

”He is battling for his life, Maurice. I cannot simply stand by and watch him die,” Eilika replied, tears shimmering in her eyes. ”What answer would I have for Roman, who is waiting for his father to wake up? And his mother, who can’t lose her son? I need that flower at any cost. This is the only path.”

”I am certain there is another way,” Maurice insisted, his hand still hovering near his sidearm.

August let out a harsh, dry laugh. ”There is no cure for Sangrecha other than the Frost Lily. And you will not find a single bloom in this summer heat. It is a biological impossibility.” He hovered the pen over the paper, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. ”Shall I draft the terms of your departure, Duchess?”

Eilika looked at the blank page, the weight of her future crumbling before her eyes. ”Yes,” she whispered, the word sealing her fate. ”Do it.”

”Very well.” August gestured to the man, who jotted down the words that the prince told him. Once done, Eilika picked it up and read the words again and again.

She then signed on it, followed by August. However, Maurice wasn’t willing to do that.

”Please, Maurice. It’s about Damian’s life. It’s important. Please.” On her constant insistence, he reluctantly agreed and signed on the paper.

August smiled and told them to wait. After a few moments he returned from the room, holding a box in his hand. He opened it in front of them and showed them a glass flask closed with a cork.

”Is it really the Frost Lily?” asked Maurice with a suspicious gaze at August.