The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

Two Days Later,

In the palace:

King Nyxen stepped into the damp, low-ceilinged cell where Xavier was kept confined. The prisoner hung suspended from chains bolted to the stone ceiling, his clothes torn and stained with dark blood.

His breathing was shallow and ragged, suggesting he was hovering on the precipice of collapse. The intensity of the interrogation had been severe, yet Xavier had not uttered the single truth the King required.

”You have forced me to step into this foul cell myself,” King Nyxen remarked, his gaze cold as he surveyed the battered form before him. ”Do you truly intend to persist in protecting your sister? Your family has already been officially stripped of their noble title. Your sister possesses no authority or means to save any of you now,” he pronounced.

Turning his head slightly, the King gave a curt gesture to the guard standing at the threshold, signaling for the soldier to release Xavier from the heavy chains.

The moment the iron links unclasped, Xavier collapsed forward, slumping heavily onto the floor.

”Water... Please, I need water,” he rasped in a whisper.

At a sharp nod from the King, one of the soldiers roughly shoved a battered metal cup of water into Xavier’s trembling hands.

”Now, everyone shall vacate the cell,” King Nyxen commanded, his voice echoing off the cell.

The three guards and his personal bodyguard immediately bowed and stepped out of the cell, closing the iron door behind them.

”Your Majesty, please do not punish my family. They have nothing to do with this,” Xavier pleaded once more, straining to keep his eyelids from closing. The prolonged torture had taken its toll, leaving his vision blurred and distorted.

”The moment you speak the truth, your family shall regain all that they have lost. If you place your trust in the Queen’s empty promises instead, you will lose everything, Xavier,” King Nyxen pronounced, his voice echoing coldly against the stone walls. ”Think upon it with great care.” He began to pace the narrow length of the cell.

”Your Majesty, my sister did nothing wrong,” Xavier rasped, remaining stubbornly glued to his lie.

King Nyxen halted his pacing and turned a piercing gaze back upon the man kneeling on the floor. ”You truly desire to see your entire bloodline extinguished for this, do you not? At the very least, think of the innocents who will perish because of your silence, Xavier. I demand the truth.”

A solitary tear escaped Xavier’s eye, tracking a clean line through the grime and blood staining his cheek.

”Your wife and children did nothing, yet they are the ones who must lose their lives for your silence,” King Nyxen said, a deep frown carving into his brow.

”If I speak the truth, what will become of my sister and nephews then?” Xavier urged, dragging his broken body forward to bow low until his forehead touched the stone. ”Your Majesty, it is far better for me to die in this cell than to live with what comes next. Please, grant me the mercy of death.”

”The one who is truly the culprit shall be punished, not the innocent,” Nyxen affirmed, his voice resolute. ”If your sister committed this treason, she alone will pay the price, not your nephews. They have nothing to do with the Queen’s merciless commands.”

Xavier slowly lifted his head, his blurred gaze focusing on the King as the weight of the king’s words settled over him.

”Xavier, the sister whose sins you are shielding possesses no power to preserve your family’s lives. Only I can grant that mercy,” King Nyxen continued.

”The rest of the nobility will inevitably demand that your bloodline be banished from the realm entirely. They will be cast out with nothing, left to harbor a bitter resentment toward you for the rest of their days. If the Queen is utterly powerless to aid them at this moment, do you truly believe she can alter my decree in the future? Answer me.”

An excruciating pain flared deep within Xavier’s chest as the harsh reality of his family’s misery was laid bare yet again.

”Make your decision, Xavier. At the very least, show some respect and remorse for the dead you slaughtered merely to appease your sister. Direct your worry toward your family, rather than her,” the King affirmed.

He turned on his heels to leave when Xavier finally broke the silence. ”Your Majesty, please... ensure nothing happens to my family and my nephews. I will tell you the truth.”

King Nyxen smiled faintly at the admission. He turned back around to face the broken man. ”I give you my word that they shall remain entirely unharmed,” he affirmed.

Xavier swallowed hard, his voice trembling as the confession spilled out. ”Queen Victoria ordered me to wipe out the Spencers because Alistair had come to the palace to deliver a specific report.”

He took a deep breath followed by a pause before continuing, ”On that day, you were absent from the court, Alistair Spencer was instructed to wait for your return. However, while waiting, he accidentally witnessed a maid mixing poison into the drink intended for your late mistress. He followed the maid and overheard her confirming the deed to the Queen. Terrified, Alistair came directly to me to report what he had seen. I immediately informed my sister, who then commanded me to annihilate him and his entire house through an arson attack.”

King Nyxen strode to the iron door and called for his knight commander to step inside the cell.

”Summon an immediate emergency session of the court,” the King ordered. ”And place the Queen under arrest.”

The knight’s eyes widened in profound shock at the decree, freezing him momentarily in place. However, years of discipline quickly took over, and he offered a low, hurried bow. ”Your Majesty, I shall execute your command right away.”

The remaining guards filed into the damp cell as the knight rushed to fulfill his orders.

”Bring Xavier to the court chambers,” King Nyxen stated, not sparing another glance at the floor as he turned and walked out into the corridor.

~~~~~~~

Roman smiled, adjusting the gold ribbon as the gold medal caught the afternoon light bouncing off the grand mirror in his chambers. The memory of the previous day brought a rush of warmth to his small chest.

It did not matter that he had fallen short in the individual races; the victory that truly counted was the one where he and Eilika had crossed the finish line side by side.

”Mama must be proud of me,” he murmured to himself, tracing the engraved letters on the metal surface.

”Roman, you didn’t come to play today,” Eilika’s voice echoed from the doorway, drawing his attention.

Roman quickly scrambled down from the chair as she walked into the bedchamber. ”Uncle Louis is waiting for you downstairs.”

She paused, an amused and affectionate smile spreading across her face as she gazed at the young boy with the gold medal proudly draped around his neck.

”Mama, I was only checking how I look,” he said quickly, a faint blush warming his cheeks as he lifted the ribbon to take it off.

”You look wonderful! Like a true champion,” Eilika said, stepping closer until she stopped right in front of him. Lowering herself onto her knees to meet his eye level, she continued gently, ”Tell me, were you upset that you couldn’t win the other matches?”

”No, Mama. Just as you told me, I simply enjoyed the games,” Roman answered, his eyes shining brightly. Holding the ribbon within his tiny hands, he reached up and hung the medal around her neck instead. ”You’re my true champion, Mama.”

Leaning forward, he planted a sweet, innocent kiss on her cheek. She kissed his forehead in return, gently ruffling his soft hair.

”Let us head downstairs then. You can play with your uncle while your father and I tend to our duties,” Eilika answered as she stood up and took his small hand in hers.

”What manner of work do you both have to do?” Roman asked, looking straight ahead as they walked toward the grand hallway.

”Umm... We must finalize the arrangements for the new projects in Varos,” Eilika explained, looking down at him with a soft expression. ”Next month, your father and I must travel to the North. You will have to remain here without us for a month, Roman. Do you think you can manage that?”

”I cannot bear to be away from you for a whole month, Mama,” Roman admitted. ”But I know you both must travel for work. Father already spoke to me about this.”

”Even I do not wish to go so far without you, my sweet boy,” Eilika said, her heart softening. ”And your lessons at the academy are far too important to interrupt. I will simply tell your father that I am staying behind with you,” she asserted firmly.

Roman smiled at her words, but then a thoughtful expression crossed his young face. ”Mama, you do not have to sacrifice your joy for me. You should go with Father. After all, it is for the good of Varos. I am a grown-up boy now; I can manage perfectly well. Besides, we have so many guards and maids here to look after me, and my Grandma will be staying at the estate too,” he affirmed proudly.

”Yes,” Eilika agreed with a smile.