The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

Following Louis’s instructions, the kitchen staff had prepared steak as the main dish, along with several other dishes. When they sat down for dinner, Elodie was shocked to see the table completely filled with food.

”Does Lord Louis eat all this every day?” she asked.

”No. It is for my special guest,” Louis answered, smiling.

The maids served the meals, and at Louis’s request, they left the room to give them privacy.

”I am not used to using a fork and knife, though,” Elodie admitted, wondering how to eat her steak. She glanced across the table at Louis, who was cutting his food quite gracefully.

She attempted to cut the meat herself, but Louis gently pulled her plate away and slid his own neatly cut portion toward her. ”Eat this,” he said.

Elodie looked at him with a mix of surprise and admiration before piercing a piece with her fork. As she took a bite, her eyes widened; the flavor was unlike anything she had ever tasted before. The meat was tender and rich, surprising her with every bite.

Louis watched her expression, amused by how eagerly she was eating. He began cutting the steak on his plate while offering a warm smile.

”Eat slowly,” he told her gently.

She bit her bottom lip, suddenly embarrassed that she might look ridiculous. Still, she ate until her stomach was completely full. ’I ate way too much,’ Elodie thought, deciding she would need to pace around her room later until she felt lighter.

”Thank you for providing me with such a warm meal,” she said with a genuine smile. ”It was like a dream. Not even a dream, actually, because a meal like this is far too expensive to ever imagine.”

”I am glad you enjoyed the food. Have a good night, Miss,” Louis said, stopping in the corridor outside her room.

Elodie watched him disappear down the corridor, then stepped inside the guest room and locked the door. She walked over to the attached washroom. At her own lodging, she had to use a shared one, which served as a reminder of the gap between the rich and the poor.

After rinsing her mouth with water, she stepped back out and paced the length of the large room for a while until she finally decided to go to bed.

~~~~~

Louis sat in his study, reviewing the numbers in the ledger and making calculations on a sheet of paper. They clearly showed irregularities.

Leaning back in his leather chair, he glanced toward the window, watching the rain continue to lash relentlessly against the glass.

”Liliana’s network was far bigger than anyone realized,” Louis murmured to himself. ”How is Damian ever going to uncover every single person connected to her? She was even funneling funds to distant cousins.” He shook his head with a disbelieving laugh. ”What were you truly planning, Liliana?”

He spent the next hour pondering his next move, but no clear path forward presented itself.

A, knock broke his concentration. Louis quickly slipped the ledger into the desk drawer and slid it shut.

”Come in,” he called out.

The door opened, and Michael, the head butler, stepped inside with a low bow. ”My lord, a courier brought several invitations from your family.”

”Invitations for what?” Louis asked.

”I could not say, my lord; I left the seals unbroken,” Michael replied, stepping forward to set three wax-sealed envelopes on the desk.

Louis broke the red wax seals and unfolded the parchment inside. They were formal wedding announcements from his uncles, extending invitations to his younger cousins’ upcoming nuptials scheduled for the following week.

”Ah, wedding cards,” Louis said, laying them back down on the desk with a faint, wry chuckle.

”My lord, if I may speak freely,” Michael offered softly, keeping his hands clasped before him. ”Your younger cousins are already establishing their own households. It may be time for you to consider finding a bride as well.” When Louis offered no reply, Michael pressed gently, ”A lord needs a mistress for his house and a companion for the years ahead. With your permission, I could quietly contact the reputable matchmaking agencies to review suitable matches.”

Louis leaned back, shaking his head slightly. ”Thank you, Michael. I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but I have no interest in matchmaking agencies. If I am to find a wife, I will do so on my own terms.”

”I understand, my lord. Good night,” Michael said, bowing respectfully before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

Once alone, Louis looked down at the gilded cards sitting on the desk. He remembered all too clearly how those same uncles and cousins had looked down on him for his mother’s commoner blood, treating him like an unwanted outsider at every family gathering. With a swift movement, he tossed all three invitations into the wastebasket by his desk.

Extinguishing the desk lamp, he retired to his bedroom for the night.

However, sleep evaded him. It had been like that for years. Beneath his calm and cheerful demeanor lived a man with a deeply restless mind and heart.

Louis lay in the quiet darkness, staring up at the grand ceiling of his bedchamber.

”Should I even attend their weddings?” he muttered to himself, turning onto his left side. ”There is no point. They will only use the occasion to humiliate me, as they always have. It is better to stay away.”

Memories of his childhood drifted back into his mind. He vividly remembered being forced to stand near the doorway like a servant whenever his father and the rest of the family gathered together in the hall.

The harsh words of his father still echoed clearly in his quiet room: ’You will never amount to anything. You will never become an official of standing, as I am.’

Louis let out a heavy breath, staring into the dark.

”I wish you were alive to see the reputation I have built here in Varos,” he murmured softly to the empty chamber. ”Perhaps then you would have apologized for the way you treated me... and what you did to my mother.”

He closed his eyes as he tried to put the past to rest for the night.