Chapter 108: Tainting my wife’s peace
"Father, you shall leave," Eilika whispered with an edge that should have signaled the end of the conversation.
"What is with the commotion? Who made Roman angry?" Damian’s voice boomed as he stepped fully into the light.
"Your Grace, I apologize for angering the young lord," Wilfred began, his voice cracking as he bowed.
"You shall leave," Eilika repeated, her eyes cold and fixed on the wall behind her father.
"Father, this man called my mother ugly!" Roman cried, his small hands curled into fists as he looked up at Damian. Then, turning back to Eilika, he pleaded, "Mama, don’t just ask him to go away! He needs to be punished!"
"Your Grace, the young lord has misunderstood. I would never say such things to my own daughter," Wilfred stammered, his eyes darting to Eilika with a desperate, pleading look. "Dear, tell the Duke that I never called you ugly. Tell him it was just a misunderstanding between a father and daughter."
"He is lying, Father!" Roman shrieked, his face turning a bright, angry red. "I heard it myself! I saw how Mama was trembling after he called her those bad words. He even called her a disobedient brat!"
The silence that followed was absolute. Damian’s gaze shifted from the trembling Wilfred to Eilika’s pale, scarred face, and then down to his son.
"A misunderstanding?" Damian’s voice was dangerously low. He took a single step toward Wilfred, who instinctively stumbled back. "My son has many faults, Mr. Wolanski, but his hearing is impeccable. And his loyalty to his mother is absolute."
He looked at Joanna. "Escort Mr. Wolanski to the gates. You are never allowed to set foot in this mansion again. If you dare to cross the threshold, be prepared to face the dungeons."
Wilfred’s throat went dry, and he nodded his head vigorously, his bravado entirely vanished. He turned to flee, but Damian’s voice cracked like a whip, halting him in his tracks.
"Apologize to the Duchess. Get on your knees, bow your head, and beg for her forgiveness."
Eilika felt a surge of discomfort and shook her head lightly. Despite the years of cruelty, the sight of an elderly man, her own father, being forced into such a submissive position felt suffocatingly tense.
"Damian, it’s fine..." she started, but he cut her off.
"Don’t wait for me to change my order from an apology to lashes, Wilfred," Damian stated with a cold fury.
Terrified, Wilfred’s legs gave out. He sank to his knees on the cold floor, his head bowed low in a posture of total defeat. "I... I am sorry, Your Grace," he stammered, his voice trembling. "Forgive my... my wretched words."
Damian didn’t look at him; his gaze was fixed on Eilika, ensuring she saw the world finally showing her the respect he felt she deserved.
"Now," Damian commanded, "get out of my sight. You are banned from our wedding. I will not have your venomous words tainting my wife’s peace."
Wilfred didn’t wait for another word. He scrambled to his feet and fled the chamber, not even pausing to look back for the servant who was meant to escort him to the gates.
Roman, still feeling the anger, took both of Eilika’s hands in his. He tilted his head back, searching her eyes with a precocious gravity.
"Mama, was that man really your father?" Roman whispered, his brow furrowing in confusion. "But he treats you so badly. Fathers aren’t supposed to be like that."
Eilika felt the sting of tears prickling the back of her eyes. Before she could find the words to explain the complexities of her past, Damian’s shadow fell over them.
"Joanna, take the boy to his room," Damian stated with firm authority. "I would like to be alone with the Duchess."
"But I want to be with Mama," Roman murmured, his small hands still clutching hers, reluctant to leave her side after the confrontation.
"Later," Damian stated.
Recognizing the finality in his father’s voice, Roman didn’t argue. He cast one last protective look at Eilika before walking away with Joanna, his small footsteps fading until the heavy doors shut with a dull thud.
Damian turned fully toward Eilika and noticed the way her frame was shivering, her composure finally breaking now that they were alone.
"I didn’t mean for my family matters to fall into the ears of you and Roman," she whispered, her gaze fixed on the floor as she nervously fiddled with her fingers. "I never wanted Roman to hear such things. What would he be thinking?" A tear escaped her lashes, falling silently onto the plush carpet beneath them.
"How long have you been hearing him throw such venomous words at you?" Damian asked, his voice low and tight with suppressed rage. He reached out and took her hands gently, his thumbs tracing a soothing path across the back of her palms to still their trembling. "Tell me everything he has said to you, Eilika."
Eilika shook her head weakly, her throat too tight to speak. The memories were of a mountain she wasn’t ready to climb.
Seeing her struggle, Damian moved closer and pulled her into a firm embrace. He tucked her head against his shoulder, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other squeezed both of her hands to ground her.
"You are not ugly, Eilika," he whispered into her hair, his voice steady and absolute. "You have people here who love you, who truly see you. Whatever poison your father tries to fill your mind with, throw it out. His words have no power in this house, and they have no truth in this world."
Eilika hummed as she buried her face into his chest. She never felt this comfort in anyone’s words, but his words truly touched her heart.
After a while, when she calmed down, she put a small distance between them. However, Damian didn’t let her fully step away. He reached to her chin and lifted it, thus looking into her eyes.
"I won’t leave you alone whenever they are around," he promised. "Though none of them will dare to ignore my command."
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