The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

”Then there is no longer any point in speaking with you,” Ciaran said softly. A single tear slipped down his cheek as he turned his back on her, walking out of the damp cell first.

”Mother, I always believed you were the victim in all of this. You should never have resorted to murder,” Sylvian said, keeping his gaze fixed on the stone floor. ”I will leave now,” he whispered, turning to follow his brother into the corridor.

As Sylvian emerged, he saw Ciaran standing motionless before a cell further down the passageway, the one where Xavier was locked away.

”Uncle, why did you never try to stop my mother?” Ciaran asked, stepping inside the small space where Xavier sat huddled in the corner.

”Your Royal Highness, forgive me for lying to you from the beginning,” Xavier murmured, keeping his head bowed in disgrace.

”Answer the question I’ve asked you. Why didn’t you stop mother? You could have told her this was wrong,” Ciaran stated.

”How could I defy the order of my sister, who had already poisoned...” Xavier paused, unable to bring himself to finish the sentence.

Sylvian looked at his elder brother and gently placed a hand on Ciaran’s shoulder. ”We should leave now. There is no use dwelling on the crimes committed in the past. They cannot be undone,” he asserted quietly.

Ciaran felt his throat tighten, managing only a nod. The two princes finally turned and walked out of the prison depths.

As they walked along the stone path back toward the palace, Sylvian asked, ”Will you ever forgive our mother?”

”I don’t know,” Ciaran confessed, his voice thick with emotion. ”Father could never let go of his first love, while Mother chose to trap him in a union he never wanted. I no longer have words to justify either of them. Let us make a promise to ourselves. We will never become like them. Whatever ruin our mother brought upon this family, we will make amends through our own duty and honor.” Determination gleamed sharply in his eyes as he looked ahead.

Sylvian nodded his head. ”Yes, brother. We will.”

~~~~~~~

Roman woke up in the dead of night, his breathing shallow and quick from a nightmare where Eilika had disowned him and turned her back on him forever. Sitting up in the dark, he pulled his soft plush toy against his chest, clutching it as tightly as his small hands could manage.

”Will she truly come to hate me for what my mother did?” Roman whispered into the quiet room.

He remained motionless for a long while, the shadows of the bedchamber wrapping around him.

Wanting nothing more than the safety of Eilika’s presence, he finally slipped out from under the covers and lowered his feet to the cold floor.

Slipping past the sleeping servants stationed outside his chamber doors, he made his way through the quiet, dim corridors toward her quarters.

Yet when he quietly pushed open the doors to her bedroom, he found the grand bed entirely empty.

”Where did Mama go?” he mumbled.

Roman turned and headed to his father’s quarters. But in the middle of the corridor the lamps were off, making the path impossible to watch. He was scared of dark, thinking monsters might appear from there.

”Young Lord, what are you doing here at this hour?” A guard spoke in a gentle voice from behind who was holding a lantern in his hand.

Roman quickly turned around. ”Uncle, I want to go to my mama. I can’t sleep alone,” he requested.

”Oh. The Duchess... Please, come with me,” the guard said, stepping closer. Noticeable in the lantern’s glow, Roman’s bare feet rested on the cold stone.

Kneeling down, the guard lifted the young boy into one arm while holding the lantern steady with the other, then carried him down the darkened corridor toward the Duke’s quarters.

Upon reaching the entrance, the guard addressed the sentries stationed outside. ”Young Lord Roman wishes to see his mother.”

A few minutes later, the double doors opened, and Damian stepped out into the hallway. ”Roman,” he whispered softly, taking his son into his own arms. Looking at the guard, he added, ”Thank you. But how did he come to be wandering outside?”

”Your Grace, the young lord was already in the corridor when I spotted him, so I brought him straight here,” the guard replied with a polite bow.

”I want to sleep with Mama,” Roman murmured, clinging to Damian’s shoulder.

”Very well. You may return to your post,” Damian instructed the guard before turning back inside, carrying Roman through the quiet ante-room. Setting him down softly on the edge of the bed, Damian lowered his voice. ”What woke you in the middle of the night?”

”I had a nightmare, Father,” Roman answered, his small fingers tightening around his plush toy.

”A nightmare? About what?” Damian asked, pausing by the door.

Roman fell silent, burying his face slightly. Recognizing the quiet reluctance in his son’s demeanor, the Duke knew he would not force the answer tonight. He walked over to the bed where Eilika was already sitting, propped up against the pillows, and gently placed Roman beside her.

”Mama, I’m sorry for disturbing you,” Roman apologized immediately, dropping his plush toy and crawling straight into her lap.

Eilika opened her arms, wrapping him in a warm embrace before pulling the soft duvet up over his shoulders. ”You didn’t disturb us at all, sweet boy,” she whispered, gently running her fingers through his soft hair. ”Though you must promise never to wander through the dark halls alone at night again.”

”I promise,” Roman whispered, curling a little closer to her side.

”Then we shall go to sleep,” Damian said, sliding into the bed beside them and pulling the duvet higher. He rested a broad, warm hand gently over Roman’s back. The little boy lay flat on his spine, staring quietly up at the grand ceiling.

Eilika shifted down onto her pillow, turning her head to face him. ”Roman, I can tell something is troubling your heart. You ought to share it with us now that you are here. If you keep it hidden within yourself, how can we ever help you carry it?”

”Mama, it is nothing. I had a nightmare and it frightened me, so I came to find you,” Roman said, lifting his head to look at her.

”Alright. Close your eyes, then,” Eilika said softly, choosing not to press him further.

Roman obeyed, snuggling close against her side and shutting his eyes tightly. Over the boy’s head, Damian and Eilika exchanged a silent look, confirming that Roman was indeed troubled with something which he chose to hide from them.

~~~~~

”Your Highness, once the Queen’s punishment is decided, will you leave the palace?” asked his confidant, Samir.

”Yes. I never had any good memories here anyway. Besides, Ciaran and Sylvian harbor resentment toward me for exposing their mother and ruining her standing. They never imagined her capable of such cruelty and danger,” August stated, leaning comfortably back against the recliner.

”That is true, My Lord,” Samir agreed softly.

”I believe I will fare much better in Varos. I used to view Damian as an enemy, but he is not. I will continue to carry out the duties Father assigned to me,” August explained.

Samir smiled warmly. ”That sounds like a wise path forward, Your Highness.”

”Thank you, Samir, for standing by me through all these years. You provided crucial assistance by reaching Damian and Eilika that night. If not for you, none of this would have been possible. I will not demand that you remain in my service forever. I can ask Father to grant you an honorable position within the kingdom—”

”Your Highness, I ask only that you keep me by your side. I can continue to assist you in your work,” Samir interrupted gently. ”I have not forgotten how you saved my life when we first met. If not for your intervention, I would not even be alive today.”

August smiled warmly. ”And you have been loyal to me ever since,” he stated. ”You may go now. It is late, and you need rest as well.”

Samir bowed respectfully and departed, leaving August alone. Stepping out onto the balcony, August gazed across the vast, moonlit palace gardens, whispering softly into the night, ”My mother has finally received justice. May her soul rest in peace from this moment on.”

A chilly gust of wind swept across the stone, causing him to shiver slightly before turning back indoors. But as he stepped back into the warm light of his bedchamber, he froze. The Crown Prince was standing there, waiting for him in the quiet room.

August greeted him out of formality when Ciaran said, ”It must have felt wrong all these years for being treated like an outcast. For my mother’s crimes, I apologize to you, August. Also, forgive me for my cold attitude towards you in the past,” he stated.

August was shocked, not able to react in that moment.