The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

”Grandma!” Roman called out, his small footsteps echoing through the grand foyer as he ran toward Georgia the moment he stepped inside the mansion.

He looked up at her with wide eyes and asked, ”Were you waiting up for me at this late hour too?”

”Of course I was,” Georgia replied warmly, leaning down to pat his flushed cheeks. ”Just look at you. You are glowing with happiness.”

”We had a tremendous amount of fun at the villa, Grandma! I even played in the sea with Father and Mama,” Roman announced proudly.

”Roman, you may recount your tales on the morrow. Go to your chamber now and change out of your traveling clothes,” Damian instructed gently as he entered the hall alongside Eilika. The couple offered a respectful greeting to Georgia, who returned it with a fond smile.

”The kitchen has kept the dinner warm, and you three have returned at the perfect hour,” Georgia noted. ”Shall I have the servants send the trays up to your rooms?”

”There is no need, Mother, we dined before we left the coast,” Damian replied, offering her a reassuring smile. ”Roman must go straight to bed, and we intend to retire for the night as well. Tell me, has everything been alright during our absence?”

”Yes, everything has been perfectly quiet here,” Georgia replied.

”I shall instruct the staff to take their dinner and retire for the evening. We can speak properly in the morning,” Georgia added, offering them a restful nod.

Roman had already trotted over to Eilika, slipping his small hand into hers as they made their way up the grand staircase together.

”Maurice, you should retire to the guest room for the night as well. I will see you at breakfast,” Damian instructed before following his family upstairs.

Once in his dressing room, Damian washed the dust of the road from his face and changed into his comfortable night attire. He stepped back into the bedchamber just as Eilika finally entered, though she was not alone. Roman was trailing right beside her.

”Yayy! I get to sleep with Mama tonight!” Roman cheered, scrambling onto the high mattress and jumping straight into the center of the down pillows, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just shattered Damian’s plans for a quiet, solitary evening with his wife.

Roman hugged a large down pillow to his chest, his eyes fixed curiously on the high ceiling.

”I shall change my attire and return in a moment,” Eilika murmured, brushing past Damian with a soft smile.

The moment the dressing room door clicked shut, Damian walked over to the bed and lowered himself onto the mattress, propping himself up beside his son.

”Roman,” Damian began, his tone casually probing. ”Do you harbor a fear of sleeping alone in your own room?”

”No. Why would Father ask such a thing? I am a big boy now,” Roman replied instantly, puffing out his small chest.

Damian shifted his weight slightly, leaning on one elbow to look down at the boy. ”In that case, you ought to sleep in your own bedroom tonight. Your mother is quite exhausted from the journey.”

”What are you saying, Father? I do not understand,” Roman said, his face lighting up with a wide, innocent grin. ”If Mama is tired, then she and I shall sleep very comfortably together. She sings the most wonderful lullabies.”

”Because she is so exhausted, she will not have the energy to sing a lullaby for you tonight,” Damian countered, trying to sound reasonable.

”But Mama promised she would sing me one,” Roman stated flatly, untroubled by his father’s logic.

’It is so hard to make a child understand,’ Damian thought to himself, completely giving up the battle.

Eilika stepped out of the bathroom a few moments later, wearing her soft nightgown. The moment she appeared, Roman sat up and spoke. ”Mama, shall I to return to my own room? Father says you are far too tired to have me here tonight.”

Damian’s eyes widened in utter disbelief at his son’s betrayal, and he quickly pressed a palm against his own mouth to suppress his shock.

”When exactly did I say those words, young man?” He threw a playful, warning glare at his son before looking up at Eilika, who was watching the exchange with a raised, highly amused eyebrow.

”He has entirely misinterpreted my words. Let us simply get some sleep; the hour is late and Roman has his school tomorrow,” Damian declared, swiftly sliding beneath the heavy duvet while withdrawing his hand from his son’s face.

Eilika extinguished the main lights, leaving only a single bedside lamp casting a warm, amber glow across the room before she climbed into the mattress next to Roman.

The boy was quick to snuggle against her, burying his tiny face into her chest to soak in his mother’s comforting warmth.

Eilika’s fingers brushed gently through his soft tresses, humming a soft melody under her breath before smoothly transitioning into a sweet, low lullaby.

Damian turned his head on the pillow, his gaze fixing entirely upon Eilika’s face.

It was the very first time he had heard her singing from such close proximity, and he found himself completely enthralled by the sound.

Eilika slowly brought the lullaby to a gentle close as she noticed Roman’s breathing had grown deep and steady. Carefully shifting her arm, she placed his head softly onto the pillow and tucked the duvet securely around his small shoulders.

”You sing remarkably well,” Damian complimented in a whisper, a trace of admiration in his eyes. ”I was entirely hoping to spend the night alone with you, but you brought Roman along instead. Though, thanks to that, I was able to hear you sing from so close.”

”Would you like me to put you to sleep as well, My Lord?” Eilika asked, a teasing smile playing on her lips in the dim lamplight.

”No,” Damian answered with a soft chuckle, shifting slightly closer to the center of the bed. ”You would need to hold me in your arms for that to work, and right now, with this little hurdle between us, it is quite impossible.”