The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

”Well, I have no objection if Prince August has already given his heart to our sister,” Charlie stated, looking between Xenia and the prince. Although the news had come as a surprise, he seemed willing to trust her judgment.

”I do have a problem with it,” Henry interrupted. He turned toward Xenia, his expression serious. ”Xenia, come with me. I need to speak to you in private.”

Without waiting for a response, he walked out of the room, leaving the others exchanging confused glances. August, in particular, seemed displeased by the interruption, though he said nothing.

Xenia hesitated before following her brother outside. She found him standing in the small garden to the right of the house, beneath a tree whose branches had dried in the cold weather.

Henry turned as he heard her approaching, his face growing more serious when she stopped in front of him.

”What’s going on, Xenia?” he demanded, looking directly into her eyes. ”Why are you pretending to be in love with Prince August? I don’t believe a word he said in there. Something isn’t right, and I know you well enough to tell when you’re hiding something from us.”

He paused, searching her face for an answer before asking the question that had been troubling him most.

”Did His Highness threaten you or blackmail you into agreeing to this?”

”No,” Xenia replied quickly, shaking her head. ”I—I began to like him. I admired the way he fought for justice and stood up for what he believed was right. At first, my feelings were one-sided, Brother. I knew I was only a commoner, while he was a prince, so I thought it would be better to keep my feelings to myself.”

She paused, lowering her gaze briefly before looking at him again.

”But we kept meeting, and eventually, His Highness confessed that he had feelings for me too. I would never lie to you about the feelings I hold towards Prince August, Brother. You know that, don’t you?”

Henry studied her face, searching her eyes for any sign that she was concealing the truth. After a moment, he stepped closer and took both her hands in his.

”Xenia, Prince August is an illegitimate prince. I’ve heard all sorts of things about him, and not all of them are reassuring.” His voice softened, but the worry in his expression remained. ”What if he only wants you because he thinks having a commoner as his lover will serve some purpose? What if he eventually marries a noblewoman to improve his standing at court and leaves you behind as his concubine?”

Xenia’s fingers tightened around his hands, but she remained silent.

”I don’t want that life for you,” Henry continued. ”I promised our parents that I would protect you and your little sister, and I intend to keep that promise. You deserve someone who will give you a proper place in his life, not someone who might abandon you when it suits him.”

He drew a slow breath, trying to keep his emotions under control.

”Perhaps Prince August truly fights for justice, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a royal. We commoners don’t live in their world, Xenia. The people at court have their own interests, and most of them care about preserving their power above everything else. I don’t want you to suffer because you trusted someone whose world is so different from ours.”

Xenia shook her head. ”That won’t happen, Brother. I wouldn’t have agreed to be with Prince August if I had even the slightest doubt about him. I know how much you care about Lara and me, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for us. But this is my life, and I need to make this choice for myself.”

The words came more easily than the truth she kept buried in her heart.

If August hadn’t reminded her that she owed him for saving her two brothers, she might never have agreed to this arrangement.

She could have continued admiring him from a distance, keeping her feelings to herself rather than putting herself in a position where she would eventually have to let him go.

However, she had given her word, and she intended to repay the debt she owed him.

Henry slowly released her hands. Hearing her speak so firmly about making her own choices left him with a lump in his throat.

He had always tried to protect his younger sister, but he knew he couldn’t make every decision on her behalf.

”I know,” he said. ”It’s your life, and the choice is yours to make. I won’t force you to do otherwise. I just don’t want to see you hurt, Xenia. I don’t want you coming home one day with tears in your eyes, pretending you’re fine when you’re not.”

Unable to bear the concern in his voice, Xenia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

”I know, Brother,” she whispered. ”I promise I won’t let myself become upset over this.”

Even as she spoke, tears gathered in her eyes. She blinked rapidly, fighting to hold them back. She couldn’t tell him that the very arrangement he feared would hurt her was one she had already accepted, knowing it would eventually break her heart.

For now, she could only hold on to him and pray that she would find the strength to endure what lay ahead.

Henry placed a hand on Xenia’s back and gently rubbed it, offering her comfort without saying anything more.

From the porch, August watched the siblings standing together in the small garden.

”Henry has always been the closest to Xenia, Your Highness,” Charlie remarked beside him. ”But rest assured, I’ll help him understand as well. Xenia is our precious sister, and I believe you’ll do your best to keep her happy.”

August turned his attention to Charlie, maintaining the composed expression he usually wore. However, the older man’s words left him feeling strangely troubled. He had expected her brothers to question him, but hearing how deeply they cared for Xenia made the arrangement seem less straightforward than he had imagined.

’I shouldn’t be feeling this way,’ he reminded himself. ’I’ve never been the sort of man who feels guilty over someone else’s troubles. Besides, this is only an arrangement. Once she has played her part for six months, I’ll pay her handsomely, and we can go our separate ways.’

Yet, even as he reassured himself, the uneasiness refused to disappear completely.