The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

August’s expression softened upon hearing Eilika’s words, and for a moment, the usual sharpness in his eyes disappeared.

”August, you should return to Varos tomorrow and focus on your assignment,” Damian advised calmly.

”But what of the message you—”

”He is already in my custody. You need not concern yourself with it,” Damian assured him. ”I appreciate your vigilance, but do not burden yourself with my affairs. Your priority must remain the life you are working so hard to build.”

August studied him for a moment before giving a reluctant nod.

Just then, Eilika noticed a servant returning with the silver jar now filled with water.

”Very well. I shall rest for a while and join you both at midday,” August replied before turning toward the guest chambers.

Eilika accepted the silver jar from the maid, offering her a quiet word of thanks before watching her leave.

Damian took his heavy travel cloak from Maurice and glanced toward his trusted attendant.

”Go and take some rest for a while.”

Maurice bowed and withdrew.

Damian then stepped toward Eilika and smoothly relieved her of the silver jar.

”I am quite capable of carrying it,” she protested, looking up at him.

”I cannot allow you to carry anything in my presence,” Damian replied softly.

Before she could argue further, he began walking beside her as they ascended the staircase together.

”You ought to send a congratulatory message to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess,” Eilika suggested.

”Yes, I shall dispatch a letter shortly,” Damian replied. ”It has been so many years since a girl was last born into our family.”

They were in the corridor before his gaze shifted toward Eilika. The warmth in his expression deepened.

”I hope to have a daughter with you as well.”

Eilika came to a complete halt in the middle of the upper corridor.

Damian stopped a few steps ahead and turned back when he realized she was no longer beside him.

She simply stared at him, caught completely off guard by his words.

”A daughter?” she repeated softly.

A faint smile touched Damian’s lips as he looked at her.

”Yes. A little girl who looks like you.”

Eilika’s cheeks warmed instantly, and for a moment, she could find no words to answer him. The thought was so different from the fears Damian had once carried that hearing him speak about having a daughter with her felt almost unreal.

Damian waited patiently, watching the emotions pass across her face.

”Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked gently.

”Because...” Eilika lowered her gaze, unable to hide her smile. ”You used to be so afraid of this.”

”I know.” His expression softened. ”But I am no longer that way,” Damian continued. ”You have given me the strength to believe that things will not always go wrong. Your presence has brought so much warmth into my life, and I want to hold on to that. I want to stay positive for us.”

He reached an arm across her shoulders and gently drew her closer to his side as they resumed walking down the corridor.

”Imagine our daughter running through these halls, chasing after Roman,” he said, a faint smile appearing on his lips. ”I would return home from my duties and find her waiting for me before I could even take off my coat. I would lift her into my arms, and she would probably complain that I had been away too long.”

Eilika laughed softly at the thought.

Damian’s smile deepened.

”She will have your beautiful eyes,” he continued. ”Perhaps even your features. I have already begun picturing it in my mind.”

Eilika looked up at him, her heart warming at the tenderness in his voice. There had been a time when Damian could not even speak about the possibility of having another child.

Now, he was imagining their future.

”What if we have a son?” Eilika asked, looking up at him.

”I shall love him just as deeply. I am simply manifesting for a daughter,” Damian answered with a faint smile.

”Mmm. Be certain to give Roman just as much devotion. He must never feel even a shadow of neglect when the time comes. Keep him close to your heart,” Eilika reminded him softly.

”Of course,” Damian promised as they stepped into their room together. ”I will not repeat the mistakes of my past. I love Roman as my firstborn. Though my own faults led me astray before, my love for him has never wavered. Indeed, it was solely for his sake that I resolved to marry again, and I am so grateful that it was you who came into my life. Though in truth, you have claimed an even greater place in my heart. I do not view you as merely a second wife. I hope you understand what I mean.”

”No. Explain it to me,” Eilika said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Though she already understood, she deliberately refused to acknowledge it, eager to hear the true depth of his feelings for her.

”The very first time I saw you playing with Roman and heard him laughing with you, I was deeply moved,” Damian confessed. ”Even before love began to bloom between us, I saw in you a steady anchor who could keep my family safe. I have never admitted this to anyone, but in that moment, I realized you were the one who could offer me the warmth of a true home—something I had been longing for my entire life. So, I hold you in the highest regard, Eilika. There is so much more in my heart to share, yet I find myself unable to put it properly into words.”

”It is alright. I understand,” she whispered, her eyes turning misty as her heart fluttered with renewed emotion.

”When you risked your own life to save mine, without a single thought for the danger you were putting yourself in, it tore me apart,” Damian confessed, his voice thick with raw honesty. ”Your absence nearly drove me mad, as you well know.”

”Yes, you told me,” Eilika replied softly. She opened her arms to him. ”Hold me.”

Damian untied his robe and let it fall to the floor before closing the distance between them. He pulled her against his chest, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he embraced her tightly. With his eyes closed, he pressed a tender kiss against her bare shoulder.

~~~~~

August barged into the room, startling Maurice, who had just stepped out of the washroom dressed in his robe.

”Your Highness, you nearly frightened me to death,” Maurice exclaimed, steadying himself. ”I believe the Duke made his position quite clear earlier. You truly have no cause to fret.”

”How can I not fret?” August snapped, abandoning whatever restraint he had been trying to maintain. ”Garrett deserves to be executed alongside that wretched Queen.”

Maurice’s eyes widened at the blatant treason in the Prince’s words, though August’s fierce temper was hardly unfamiliar to him.

”I must ask you to raise these concerns with the Duke himself,” Maurice replied smoothly, carefully keeping his voice respectful. ”I am bound to his service alone, and I cannot disclose his whereabouts. You have my apologies, Your Highness.”

”Good heavens, my head is splitting with rage!” August exclaimed.

He began pacing across the room, his brow deeply furrowed.

”That woman attempted to destroy someone who risked everything to aid me. Why can you not grasp the danger? She will not rest. If she fails here, she will simply whisper the same secret to someone else—perhaps even bribe a palace guard. And what becomes of us if Garrett manages to secure his freedom?”

”That will not come to pass, Your Highness,” Maurice assured him. ”The Duke has already devised a strategy for dealing with the matter. As I said, you must speak directly with him, not with me. I am unable to assist you with this, and I ask that you understand my position.”

August stopped pacing and glared at him.

”Damian has been entirely preoccupied with romance ever since he fell in love,” he muttered bitterly. ”He has hardly any presence of mind left to understand the urgency of these matters.”

Maurice wisely said nothing.

”Fine,” August finally snapped. ”I shall find out where he is keeping Garrett myself.”

Without another word, August turned on his heel and stormed out of the chamber.

Maurice remained where he stood, staring after him for several seconds before releasing a weary sigh and shaking his head.

He understood all too well why Sylvian was so frequently driven to his wit’s end by the Prince.

”I hope he doesn’t anger Damian. How did he even find out that the Queen was behind it and it was Garrett?” he murmured, clearly confused. ”But what worries me is that Prince August can again create a scene at the palace. He doesn’t even listen to anyone whenever it comes to the matter of the Queen.” Shaking his head, he went to the door and locked it from inside.