The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

Eilika and Roman carefully patted down the damp sand, entirely absorbed in building their castle. The two of them had been busy perfecting its towers and walls for hours, while Damian and Maurice remained seated a short distance away on the dry sand, content to watch them enjoy the afternoon.

”Shouldn’t the Duke be playing with his son?” Maurice asked, glancing over at Damian with an observant look.

”He enjoys playing with his mother much more,” Damian replied softly, his gaze never leaving the pair. ”And I want to give them space. Roman’s entire world lights up because of Eilika. Just look at how happy they are making that castle. I already snatched four years of happiness away from my boy; I will not take another moment from them now.”

”But Duke, you are a part of that world now, too,” Maurice asserted gently, nudging his shoulder.

”Father! We need help!” Roman’s voice suddenly rang out across the beach. Eilika turned her head as well, looking in her husband’s direction with a soft smile.

Damian stood up, brushing the stray sand from his trousers, and walked over to join them. He got down on his knees in the damp sand right beside his son.

”Father, Mama and I are unable to make the top front stable,” Roman explained eagerly, pointing to a large, central structure of the sand fortress. ”You see, this tower right here is your and Mama’s room. This one is mine, and next to me is Grandma’s, then Uncle Maurice’s, Uncle Louis’s, and Uncle August’s too! Oh, I almost forgot that we need a spot for Uncle Sylvian, too.”

”You two made such an impressive castle,” Damian remarked, looking at the structure with genuine admiration.

”We are just unable to get this final part to hold,” Eilika said, gathering a fresh handful of damp sand to try again.

Damian studied the layout for a moment, then carefully took over, using his larger hands to reinforce the foundation and finish the top front structure. Roman stood up, stepping back a few paces to look at the completed fortress from a distance.

”It looks so good!” the boy cheered, flashing a brilliant smile at his parents.

Filled with sudden energy, Roman turned around and began to sprint across the shoreline in the opposite direction, his arms wide open to feel the cool breeze rushing past him.

Damian stood up and ran after Roman, his long strides easily catching up to the boy. He swept him up into the air from behind, causing Roman to giggle loudly as his father gave him a joyful twirl. Watching them from the castle, Eilika stood up, holding the fabric of her skirt to keep it dry as she smiled at the sight.

At that exact moment, a small wave crested onto the shore, washing over the sand and covering half of Damian’s legs in cool sea water.

”Waa!” Roman exclaimed in joy as the water droplets splashed up and hit his skin. ”Father, let’s go deeper into the water! I want to play out there!”

Damian waded further into the surf, keeping his movements careful and steady against the pull of the tide, while Eilika walked out to join them.

The father and son had already started splashing and playing in the shallows when Damian suddenly grinned, catching Eilika off guard by splashing water in her direction.

”Ahh!” Eilika yelped with a laugh, quickly lifting her hands to shield her face from the spray.

”Come in!” Damian challenged, his eyes bright with an amusement as he dared her to join the fray.

”Damian!” Eilika glared at him as she splashed water toward his direction along with Roman. Their laughter filled the space and only when they felt tired, they came to the shore again. Damian had Roman on his shoulders while Eilika walked next to him.

”We are completely drenched!” Eilika laughed, wringing out the hem of her light skirt as the water soaked through her garments.

Maurice ran down the shoreline toward them as Damian carefully lowered Roman from his shoulders, transferring the dripping, excited boy directly into Maurice’s waiting arms.

”Go back to the villa now and get dried off. Mama and I will return after some time,” Damian instructed his son with a warm smile.

”Okay!” Roman agreed happily, wrapping his tiny arms tightly around Maurice’s neck as the knight turned and began walking back toward the villa.

Once they were a short distance away, Damian firmly grasped Eilika’s hand. She turned her head to look at him, surprised by the gesture. ”Shall we play now?” he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.

”What? Are we children?” she chided with a smile, trying to yank her hand from his grip, but his fingers remained securely wrapped around her wrist, refusing to let her go.

He turned fully toward her, closing the distance between them until his face was merely an inch away from hers, his eyes dark and focused as they drifted down to her lips.

”We are not,” he whispered, his voice low and intimate as his gaze snapped back up to meet hers. ”But I want to play with you.”

The next second, he scooped her up effortlessly in a bridal style, catching her completely off guard and leaving her utterly flustered.

Before she could protest, he began running straight toward the deeper shallows, while Eilika cried out in excitement, her hands locking tightly around his neck for safety.

They plunged into the surf, taking a brief dip deep beneath the surface together before breaking back up through the water.

She quickly gasped for air, blinking away just as Damian pulled her back against his chest.

”Is it not fun?” he whispered, a smile breaking across his face.

”And if I fall ill from this, what will you do then?” she questioned breathlessly. She kept waving her hands beneath the water to keep herself afloat, practicing the technique Damian had taught her, though in the firm safety of his hold, she knew she would never sink.

”Why think so negatively?” Damian murmured, a teasing tilt to his head.

Before she could answer, he leaned down and kissed her deeply, his mouth parting hers in a passionate, lingering embrace.

His thumb brushed against her wet cheek, holding her gently yet firmly in place, ensuring she could not pull away from him even if she wanted to.

A few moments later, he finally withdrew, allowing them both to breathe the fresh sea air.

”You have made my lips swollen. I would bet on it,” Eilika complained softly, though her cheeks were flushed with a deep, rosy color that had nothing to do with the cold water.

”Do you not like it when I kiss you?” he teased, his eyes dancing with amusement. ”Fine, then. From now on, I won’t—”

He could not even finish his sentence before Eilika quickly interjected.

”I did not mean it that way! I only mean... you can kiss me, of course, but you have been doing it so much recently,” she muttered, looking away shyly as she rested her hands against his chest.

”I love kissing you, that is why,” Damian whispered with affection as he tightened his hold around her waist, completely unfazed by her half-hearted complaints.

She smiled and softly bit her bottom lip, her silence speaking far more than any words could. They stayed suspended in the gentle rhythm of the waves for a few moments longer before finally wading through the surf and emerging onto the shore.

Damian immediately looked toward the large stone structure where he had left his heavy coat. Rushing over to retrieve it, he hurried back and draped the warm fabric securely around Eilika’s shoulders.

His fingers were quick and tender as he brushed the wet strands of hair away from her face, but just as she went to thank him, he suddenly dropped down onto one knee in the sand.

”Damian!” Her eyes grew wide with shock, her breath catching in her throat as he took both of her hands in his, lifting them to press a fervent kiss against her knuckles.

”You deserved a proper proposal,” Damian began. ”I could not give you this before. But now, when I am so certain about us, I want to do this right. I want to rewrite our memories together. In every path that I take from this moment on, I want you by my side. And wherever you go, you will always find me waiting. I am so deeply grateful that you accepted a broken man like me, despite knowing how cruel and distant I once was. You wanted to heal me, Eilika, and trust me, you did. I do not even know exactly when or how it happened, but I am falling hopelessly in love with you. Every single day.”

Eilika’s eyes turned misty, and she looked up at the sky.

”I love you, Eilika. I didn’t know I would one day do this and would want you so much. But I’m truly blessed the have you in my life.”