Mother, not Wife

Lord William Kensington was grinning ear to ear on the way back, holding the bag of cookies as if that was his most prized possession. Duke Kensington shook his head looking at his son, who looked so foolish with that silly smile on his face.

"Do you like her that much? You've been smiling from the moment we left." Duke Kensington asked his son.

"Yes! She baked the most delicious cookies. And she added extra chocolate chips, just for me! Will she come and live with us soon, Father?" Lord William enquired excitedly. He wished Lady Melissa could come back with him today itself but she's not married to his father yet. Thinking of how slow his father is, Lord William couldn't help but pout his lips. 'What a man, he can't even make her come and live with them sooner!'

Looking at his son suddenly looking at him while pouting, Duke Kensington felt helpless. 'This boy is thinking of something for sure.' He had been hogging Lady Melissa all to himself during the time they were at the Knights' mansion. Duke Kensington didn't even have a chance to get a word in as they chatted non stop while ignoring him. Lady Melissa also didn't spare him any glance and was focusing solely on William. However, when they were leaving, she was gracious enough to offer him a smile. The word gracious was aptly used as the whole time, her smiles seemed to be reserved only for William and no one else. When she looked at others, she appeared calm with no tinge of emotion on her face.

"She will come and live with us after the wedding ceremony. We need to follow the proper procedures and let Queen Grandma handle it. Since you like her so much, you need to tell Queen Grandma that. She would be happy to know that since she picked Lady Melissa for you." Duke Kensington told his son.

"Hmmph! Father, you're so slow! Lady Melissa is so beautiful. If you don't bring her home now, someone else will marry her! If that happens, I would never forgive you." Lord William pouted more while scolding his father.

Duke Kensington's lips twitched when he heard this. This son of his was getting more and more bolder as he grew older. He sighed and answered, "It's not up to me, Son. If you want Lady Melissa to live with us sooner, you'd have to speak to Queen Grandma about it."

Lord William's eyes widened at this. 'Yes, that's right! I can ask Queen Grandma to let Father marry Lady Melissa sooner. Why didn't I think of this?' At the thought of this, Lord William grinned mischievously.

"Father, I wish to see Queen Grandma tomorrow. Please bring me to her." The young boy commanded his father seriously.

Duke Kensington could only sighed loudly and nodded his head at his son's request. One thing for sure, bringing his son to meet Lady Melissa today had certainly backfired. Instead of annoying her with this small fireball, they ended up becoming chummy with each other and he was now sidelined. Thinking of the days ahead especially after the wedding made his head ache more.

"Mel, did you say yes to Duke Kensington's proposal today?" Lord Melvin asked with a curious gaze at his beloved sister. As far as he knew, Melissa hadn't met Duke Kensington before and judging from her proud nature, she would at least made things difficult for him before accepting this marriage.

"Actually I said yes to Lord William, his young son. So technically I didn't say yes to him, at least not yet." Lady Melissa grinned while answering.

"What's that supposed to mean? Didn't it mean the same thing? You agreed to the marriage." Lord Melvin was puzzled at her answer.

"Well, the boy asked me to become his mother. I said yes to that. A mother and a wife are two different things." Lady Melissa explained.

Lord Melvin blushed when he finally understood what his sister meant by that. At the thought of it, he couldn't help but felt pity towards his sister. How could a person live with their spouse without having a proper husband and wife's relationship? Isn't that the main fundamental of a marriage? If her sister is only willing to marry to become someone's stepmother but not someone's wife, what kind of life would that be?

Looking at her worried brother, Lady Melissa felt a pang of regret. She shouldn't have teased him like this. Eventhough he's not her real brother, after spending much time with Lord Melvin, Melissa realized that this man really adored his younger sister and often worried about her well being. Thus she herself had developed some fondness for this 'fake' brother of hers.

"Brother, don't worry too much about it. As you already knew, I don't really care about love. Love only brings disaster and endless troubles. But I genuinely like that boy and we get along well too. He is bright, cheerful and smart. I'm sure Duke Kensington only agrees to marry me because of his son anyway, so that works out well for everyone, don't you think so?" Lady Melissa smiled when she thought of young William.

"But what if one day you fall in love with someone else, won't that be too late then?" Lord Melvin enquired further. He's concerned that when the time comes, Melissa would only feel regret and bitterness towards the marriage. Then she would forever be trapped in a loveless marriage with that cold hearted guy!

"You're thinking too much, Brother. I've seen and met those so called aristocrats and noblemen. Do you think they're worthy of my love? You know how I am, I'm afraid no one could withstand my sharp tongue. Since it's just a marriage solely for the benefit of the child, I'm sure Duke Kensington would not bother me much if I take care of William well. I plan to live a long and happy life with William. I don't need to care about anyone else. If I need anything, I'd come to you or Father." Lady Melissa said with a smile, hoping her words would console Lord Melvin.

Lord Melvin sighed when he heard this. He really hoped his sister could live a long and happy life after she's married. Unlike his sister, Lord Melvin knew Zachary Kensington well. That man's heart is made of stone! Even the deceased Lady Delia had a hard time adjusting to Kensington Estate after her marriage. This was open secret to the upper class society. Lord Melvin was close to Lady Delia's brother, Lord Desmond and thus he often heard Lord Desmond complained to him about how unfeeling and cold Duke Kensington was towards his sister. According to Lord Desmond, Duke Kensington rarely spent time with his wife, and was often busy with his businesses. Since Lady Delia was meek by nature, she found it hard to command the respect of the servants and staffs and in the end she was overrun by the Duke's cousin, Lady Sophia. Who in the society didn't know that Lady Sophia harboured feelings towards Duke Kensington since young. However, her feelings was one sided as Duke Kensington didn't show any affection towards her. Therefore when Lady Delia married into the family, Lady Sophia was mad with jealousy and eventually took control of the Kensington Estate's affairs on the pretext of helping Lady Delia.

Lord Melvin was worried about her sister. Ever since Lady Delia passed away, it was a well known fact that Duke Kensington had entrusted the Estate affairs fully to Lady Sophia. No one knew how Lady Melissa would be treated once she move into the Estates. Would she be bullied by that scheming woman? Lord Melvin contemplated on whether to inform his sister about Lady Sophia. At the very least, she should be guarded against that lady, lest she cause trouble for Lady Melissa.

"Mel, be careful wherever you are and in whatever you do. Kensington Estates is not as simple as we think. There are many scheming people who only think about benefitting themselves by trampling on others. I know you're a smart girl but evil works in the dark and attack us when we're most vulnerable. I only hope you'll always be safe." Lord Melvin cautioned his sister.

"The only evil force I know is that Lady Sophia! Don't worry, I understand what you said. I will be careful." Lady Melissa assured her brother.

"You knew about her? But how?" Lord Melvin was surprised.

"Hmmm..William informed me that his Aunt Sophia told him I was ugly and a mean person. Who would tell a child that about someone they haven't even met unless she is evil herself?? Apparently William said this lady is staying with them and she basically runs the household. I'm not one to be triffled with so don't worry about me Brother. I know how to handle such a scheming person." Lady Melissa went over and hugged her brother after she said this. Lord Melvin hugged his sister back and could only sighed.

Melissa was furious when she heard what Lady Sophia said about her. Well, according to the novel, this person would torment her as soon as she moved to the Estate. Lady Sophia would manipulate Lady Melissa and caused many misunderstandings between the Duke and her, which eventually led to her confinement and death, all within the first year of the marriage. Furthermore, she would also turn the young boy against Lady Melissa. To think of using a young child in her evil schemes! This didn't sit well with Melissa at all. No matter how mean or evil a person is, if they succumb to using a child to achieve their goals, this person is not a human at all.