The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

”Lock him up for today,” Damian ordered Maurice.

Garrett immediately turned toward him, his expression tightening. ”You said you’d give me a chance. I’ve told you the truth, and you’re willing to let me go. Why are you locking me up now?”

”I said I’d give you a chance, and I will,” Damian replied calmly. ”But you threatened me, Garrett. That still requires a punishment. You’ll spend the day in the cell. After that, we’ll see what happens.”

Garrett opened his mouth to argue, but Damian had already turned away. He walked out of the room without giving him another opportunity to plead his case.

Maurice stepped forward and firmly grabbed Garrett by both wrists before pulling him toward the door.

”Don’t manhandle me!” Garrett protested, trying to pull his hands free.

Maurice didn’t loosen his grip. ”After what you’ve done, you’re hardly in a position to complain about being treated roughly.”

Garrett glared at him but stopped resisting as Maurice dragged him out of the room.

~~~~~

Damian removed his coat as Eilika studied his troubled expression.

”You all returned quite early. I thought it would at least take until evening for you to catch Garrett.” She took his coat from him and carefully folded it over her arm. Then she looked at him again. ”But why the long face? Do you want to tell me what he shared with you?”

”It was my aunt,” Damian replied, his voice heavy with frustration. ”I can’t believe she’s still determined to hurt all of you because of what happened in the past with Liliana. And what’s worse is that she could have actually succeeded.”

He paused, his jaw tightening as he tried to process everything he had learned.

”She has known me since I was a child. I never imagined that her love for me could disappear in a single day.”

Eilika understood why he was struggling. Damian had never been good at expressing his emotions, especially when something affected him deeply. Instead of talking about what he felt, he usually kept it to himself and tried to deal with it alone.

She quietly placed his coat aside and gave him a moment before speaking.

”Damian, the people we’re closest to are often the ones who hurt us the most. The pain they cause can be far greater than anything we experience with people outside the family. Human nature is fickle. People’s feelings and loyalties can change very quickly,” Eilika said gently.

”I hope this matter is settled soon because I intend to reveal Liliana’s truth. When that happens, I’ll face the consequences myself. She was my wife. I loved her, and I married her willingly. No one forced me into that marriage.”

He noticed Eilika was about to object and gently placed a finger against her lips.

”No. You’re not going to sacrifice yourself for me.” His expression softened slightly. ”Just support me as you always have. That’s all I need from you.”

”What are you even planning to do? I’ve already made it clear that—”

She couldn’t finish. Damian placed a finger against her lips again, stopping her.

”I won’t allow you to suffer because of my choices,” he said firmly. ”Whatever I’m planning, it’s not something that will be resolved in a day. I’m thinking about the long term, and I need you to trust me.”

”I trust you.” She gently held the finger resting against her lips. ”But you worry me whenever you speak in that tone.”

She took a deep breath before forcing a small smile. ”Let’s not talk about it anymore. We’ll only spoil our mood.”

Damian smiled, seemingly satisfied with her answer, and kissed her without warning.

Eilika blinked in surprise. As soon as he pulled back, she brought her fingers to her lips.

”What was that for?”

”Why do you get shy every time I do that?” Damian asked, amusement evident in his voice.

He caught her wrist and gently pulled her closer. Leaning toward her, he breathed in her familiar scent before capturing her lips in another kiss. When he pulled away, he guided her hand to rest on his shoulder, keeping her close to him.

Only when they were both out of breath did Damian pull away. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment before whispering, ”Let’s go for a drive tonight.”

”Hmm,” Eilika murmured, still catching her breath.

”Also, let’s send a letter to Roman. He must be waiting to hear how things are going here,” Damian added.

”I was going to tell you the same thing,” Eilika replied with a small smile.

”I wonder how’s Sylvian doing with his relationship. I hope Iliana shows the interest in him,” she murmured.

”I’m sure that Sylvian must be making efforts,” Damian stated. ”Since he knows what he wants, he won’t hesitate in losing it.”

~~~~~

Iliana stepped out of the carriage, clutching her cloth bag tightly against her side. She counted out the coins and handed them to the driver.

”Miss, you need to pay one more sheel,” the carriage driver said, holding out his hand.

”One more?” Iliana frowned. ”But you told me ten sheels would be enough.”

”You asked me to drop you a little farther than my usual stop,” the driver explained. ”That’s why there’s an additional charge.”

Iliana looked at him skeptically, clearly displeased by the unexpected demand. Iliana didn’t want to waste her time arguing with the driver. ”Fine.”

She reached into the secret pouch sewn inside her sash, took out another coin, and handed it to him.

Without saying anything else, she turned around and walked into the market, intending to find a place to stay before doing anything else.

The market in Varos was lively and far more crowded than she had expected. Merchants called out to passing customers, people moved between the stalls, and decorated carriages constantly passed through the busy streets. Everywhere she looked, there was something happening.

”I won’t be able to see the prince at this hour,” Iliana murmured to herself. ”It’s better to stay here for the night and go to the estate tomorrow.”

She continued walking until she spotted a stall and stopped in front of it.

”Sir, could you please tell me where I can find a good rest house?”

The man pointed down the street. ”Go straight from here, young lady. Then turn left and keep walking. You’ll find two or three rest houses along that road.”

”Thank you.”

Iliana gave him a polite smile before continuing in the direction he had indicated.

As the man had instructed, Iliana soon came across several rest houses in the area. She entered the first one and approached the reception desk.

”I’d like to rent a room for one night, please,” she said.

”We’re fully booked tonight, Miss. Try the next one,” the receptionist replied without looking up from the register in front of him.

Iliana thanked him and stepped outside. She walked to the next rest house, only to receive the same answer. There were no rooms available there either.

After checking another two places, she finally stopped at the fourth rest house. Fortunately, they had a room available for the night.

Once inside, Iliana made sure to lock the door securely before letting out a small breath of relief. She placed her cloth bag on the small bed and sat down on the nearby chair after slipping off her sandals.

”Will Prince Sylvian be surprised to see me?” she murmured, a faint smile appearing as she imagined his reaction.

Her stomach suddenly growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten. Iliana quickly opened her cloth bag and took out the packet of bread she had brought from home.

Iliana was slowly chewing on the bread when she heard a commotion coming from outside her room.

Curious, she stepped into the hallway and followed the noise until she found two couples arguing loudly with each other. Their voices echoed through the rest house, drawing the attention of several other guests.

”What happened?” Iliana asked a woman standing nearby and watching the argument.

”I heard the man in the blue shirt found out that his wife was cheating on him,” the woman replied in a hushed voice.

Before Iliana could ask anything else, the manager hurried over and raised his voice.

”Hey! Enough! Take your argument outside!” he shouted at the couples. ”Other guests are trying to rest here. Don’t create a scene in my rest house, or I’ll call the police.”

The arguing couples fell silent for a moment, glaring at each other as the manager stood firmly between them.

Once the couples had left, the manager asked everyone to return to their rooms.

Iliana went back to her room and this time sat down on the edge of the bed. The argument she had just witnessed continued to occupy her thoughts.

”Loyalty is important in a relationship,” she murmured.

Her thoughts immediately turned to her sister. Her sister’s husband had been much like the man she had just seen, and she had suffered greatly because of his betrayal. Iliana had watched her sister endure years of pain, and she didn’t want to experience anything similar in her own marriage.

She lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling uneasy.

”I shouldn’t think negatively like this,” she whispered to herself. ”But sometimes I wonder...”

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the bedsheet.

”What if Prince Sylvian finds another woman more attractive than me? What if he starts liking her instead? Would he betray me too?”

The thought made her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t bring herself to dismiss it completely. After what she had witnessed in her sister’s marriage, she knew that love alone didn’t always guarantee loyalty.