Chapter 17: Chapter 17
MAGNOLIA TOOK CONFIDENT STEPS TO THE DUKE'S OFFICE. She stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath, then knocked.
"Come in," Daniel called from the other side.
She entered and found him engulfed in a pile of documents.
"I can come back later, you look busy."
"No, you are fine. I need a break anyway." He leaned back in his chair. "Have a seat."
Magnolia complied, but she did not utter a word. Daniel gave her a moment, but he became impatient.
"So? Are you here to stare at my office rug?"
Magnolia blushed and Daniel regretted his comment right away.
"Yesterday–" She took a deep breath. "The princess invited a woman from my past." She paused. "The woman who took me in after I lost my family. Her name is Serena Lasen."
Daniel remembered how she begged him to protect Geoffrey from that woman. She was so desperate.
She was silent for a while again. This time, Daniel gave her all the time she needed.
"I was ten when the accident happened. Serena said that everyone died. I do not remember anything about that, or my family for that matter."
'She must have been as lonely as I was when my parents died. But at least I remember them and the good memories we have had together.'
Daniel's heart tightened.
"Serena was the widow of one of my mother's distant cousins. She was the closest thing to kin. The only one who was willing to take me in."
Daniel knew all this information already. This was all in the report he had received before their marriage.
"Everyone saw her as a selfless person, taking care of a child who is not even blood related to her. But I found out later that she only did it because of some money my family left. Also–" A knot formed in Magnolia's throat. She swallowed hard.
'Damn it. Get a hold of yourself Magnolia.'
"What everyone did not know is that she was the opposite of a saint. She treated me cruelly, worse than an animal. She starved me, beat me, burned me, made me her servant, almost killed me a few times, and when she spent all my family's money, she sold me to the baron."
Daniel's nails dug in his chair as he listened to his wife. He felt a rage burning in his chest. He wanted to rip this Serena apart in the most agonizing of ways.
With all the memories of torture fresh in her head, Magnolia felt that her tears might betray her, so she pushed from the chair and walked to the window. The beautiful sunset calmed her a bit.
"The scars are from her," she added. "Some are from the baron, but most of them are from Serena Lasen." She put her palm on the cool glass. "I never thought I would see her again. When I saw her yesterday, all the pain came back at once and I could not handle it. I was only a child."
She was quiet for a moment, lost in her thoughts. "Sometimes when I think about everything she did to me, I wonder how I survived. Sometimes I think, if something were to happen to me, and somehow Geoffrey ends up with her–" Her voice cracked.
"I would never let that happen." Daniel wrapped his arms around her. "He is my son now, and I will never let any harm come to him or to you, Magnolia."
He turned her to him and gently tilted her head back so that he met her gaze. He wiped her tears with his thumb.
"You are my family now and I will protect you with my life. Do you trust me?"
Magnolia was lost in Daniel's eyes. The sunset's reflection in his blue pools made them magical, enchanted. She could only manage to nod.
Daniel pulled her to his warm chest, she had never felt safer in her life. She put her arms around his waist and embraced the first man whose touch made her comfortable instead of terrified.
"My lord, I brought–" Henry froze at the scene. The duke took a step away from Magnolia while she turned to face the window. "I am so sorry, I can come back late."
"It is alright, Henry. I have to check on Geoffrey."
Magnolia rushed out of the office without meeting the assistant's eyes.
The room was awkwardly silent. Daniel knew exactly what Henry was going to say.
After all those years of him repeating that he never wanted to love anyone, that he never wanted to have any feelings for a woman, and that he never wanted to have children.
Every time they had that conversation, Henry told him that one day he would meet a woman who would make him fall for her.
He sighed.
'I guess the premonitions of my childhood friend are becoming true.' He was not sure if it was love, but he did feel something for Magnolia.
"I do apologize for barging in on you. I did not think your wife would be here." Henry said as he placed some documents on the desk.
'Here we go. He never called her 'your wife' before.'
"Henry, I need you to find everything there is to know about Serena Lasen. Also, how the princess knows her enough to invite her to tea." Daniel fell to his chair.
"Of course."
"What about Magnolia's real family, any progress on that?"
"I am afraid we could not find anything in the Kerika archives about the De Solange family. Unfortunately, the capital archives only have noble families' registrars."
Daniel looked up at him as if a piece of puzzle just fell into place.
"Check the capital archives too."
"Do you think–"
"Let's just make sure." Daniel was hopeful.
"Alright, I will take care of that personally."
"Thank you, Henry."
"Alright, I will come back later to take those documents." Henry paused at the door. "And Daniel, it is alright to fall for her, since the feeling is mutual," he said before he disappeared.
'The feeling is mutual? How does he even know that?'
***
"MAMA, YOUR FACE IS SO RED. Are you not feeling well?"
Magnolia touched her face. Her heart had not been able to calm down since that hug in Daniel's office.
"I am fine darling, now go to sleep." She kissed him on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, my boy."
As Magnolia walked to her room, she put her hand on her chest. It was still beating faster than normal. She had never felt that way before. Daniel was so sweet, and she felt so good in his arms. Then she halted.
'But he is obviously close to the princess.'
She shook her head. "What am I even thinking?"
'Clara said that it was the princess who was pursuing him.'
She frowned.
'It looks like I am becoming greedier by the day. This is only a contractual marriage, Magnolia. This head of mine needs to focus on my duties as the duchess and not some unrealistic romantic story.'
Magnolia dragged her feet to her room while sulking. She walked in and crashed on the bed face down. She groaned against the covers.
"Are you alright?" The duke's question made her jump in shock.
She looked up and found a wet Daniel walking out of the bathroom. He was wearing a loosely fastened robe that revealed half of his torso.
She gulped. She wanted to run her hand down that wet torso. She bit her lip. Maybe even kiss it.
"Magnolia?" Daniel called, she gasped.
His voice brought her back from her wild imagination, she immediately jumped out of bed.
'Oh Gods, what is wrong with me?'
"What are you doing here?"
"Have you forgotten that this is my room too?" Daniel took a few steps closer to Magnolia.
"Then, I can move to a different room."
"Why?" He was towering over her now. "Are you afraid you won't be able to keep your hands to yourself?"
"What?" Magnolia's face burned scarlet. "Of course not."
"It is settled then. I am sleeping here tonight."
Magnolia looked at him dumbfounded.
'What?'
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