Chapter 5 : Was it him

"Good to see you again, brother!" the other woman exclaimed enthusiastically as Amon held her hand. Her face was beaming. My husband only said, "It's my pleasure, Mother, Sister," in response.

Really?! This man was just being formal; there was no smile, no sweet words. Does he hate them to this point? Or I guess they left a big scar on him since Amon's personality doesn't seem to hold grudges against people.

I should show a positive image because they are his mother and sister, and I also don't want to cause any trouble. I said, "I'm very delighted to see you, mother-in-law, sister-in-law," while holding my dress with a slight bow. then continued, "I'm the duchess of Brennuses and the wife of the duke Amon Carscile; I hope you will enjoy your stay here."

I raised my head to meet his mother's olive-green eyes decorated with a light red eyeshadow to hide the regrets she was having; I could see it clearly in her eyes. She nodded at me and gave me a scant look from up to down while fixing her red hat, surrounded by the black lace that was on the top of her chestnut hair, covering her tufts that were starting to turn gray. While his sister didn't hesitate to approach me directly , jumping close to me and responding, "Nice to meet you too, your Grace; just call me Saphire."

"You too can call me Auryn."

"Am I allowed to do that?" she requested, her eyes widening.

I giggled at Saphire's cuteness, tapped her shoulder where her straight black hair was covering it , and couldn't resist those childlike chocolate brown eyes. I replied, "Of course you can; you are one of the family."

"Family?" she asked as her eyebrows rose.

"Yeah," I nodded, smiling. However, I didn't expect all this silence and despair that was in the air from them after this statement.

"Let's go meet the others," Amon interpreted , heading to the third carriage, and I followed him.

These were his cousin and his wife, as well as his uncle and his family. They were both from his deceased father's side, but I didn't feel at ease with them since they definitely had a negative energy vibe. Their smiles and the jealousy that is evident in their eyes. Even in their conversation with Amon, they seemed forced to speak with him based on their tone. I only greeted them, introduced myself, and grinned, since neither Amon nor I wanted to pay them any attention. I believe all we need to do is treat them with respect while they are here, and that should be enough to ensure that no one has the chance to speak ill of Amon or hurt his reputation because that appears to be their goal.

After welcoming everyone and having the servant remove their bags, I stated, "Please follow us; the way is from here," gesturing with my hand in the right direction. We begin our walk through the yard, heading toward the guest mansion, where his late brother once resided. My mother-in-law and Saphire were to my right between me and Amon, but they both remained mute, and Amon didn't ask them anything. It was awkward and inappropriate, so I chose to inquire about their trip: "How was your journey? Was it a long and hard way?"

"Although the dukedom is far away from where we live, the road was fine overall, with the exception of a few minor bumps. We had no problems." Amon's mother responded in a stony tone.

"That must be exhausting for you, but don't worry; we make sure that you will have a relaxing rest in the mansion, and all of our servants will be at your service." I turned to face the other family member and said, "Of course, the same goes for you, your lords, and ladies."

Amon's mother replied, gazing down and rubbing her hands, "I hope so."

"Honestly, there were lovely landscapes along the road, and I was so excited to be returning home to the place where I spent my childhood, so it wasn't exhausting for me at all," Saphire confessed.

"Well, that's wonderful. I'm glad you liked your trip, and you're free to come home at any moment."

"You are very lovely, sister-in-law," she said, making me chuckle.

My talk with her was abruptly interrupted by a voice calling me "Mother, Mother." Oh no, I completely forgot about Julian.

Everyone stopped and turned around to see what was going on, including me. I kneel down next to him and grab his arm, asking, "Where were you, my dear?"

Daisy answered, "He was hiding behind me while you were greeting them."

"Do you need help in anything?" I said while brushing his hair with my hand.

He drew nearer as he whispered in my ears. "I want to use the lavatory,"

"All right, you can go there, but first, you should greet Grandma and Anti "

He questioned, "Grandma?"

She was somewhat startled and had her eyes open when I brought him to her. He approached her and glanced back at me with hesitation. I nodded and said, "You can do it," while raising my hand in a fighting gesture.

He mustered some confidence and muttered. "Greetings, to you Grandma and Aunt, my name is Julian," then he stops, not knowing what to add, it's his first time seeing strangers, but he is doing well, so it appears that the treatment was effective.

"Oh, look how cute and sweet you are, Julian," Saphire said, pinching his cheeks.

His grandma approached him slowly before lowering herself to his level, caressing his face and appreciating it while holding back tears. "Julian, my grandson," she remarked before getting up to give a closer glance to Amon, then continued to walk, followed by others .

After sending Julian to the restroom, I manage to catch them just in time as they enter the guest mansion. Then I saw Amon, who was at the door, announcing his departure: "I will go back; let me know if you need anything later."

"Amon, hold on, where are you headed?" I said, running after him, "You can't leave the guests like that."

"You can take care of them well; I have things to do." I tried to stop him by holding his sweaty, trembling hand while saying, "Amon, you can't be negligent like this, even if..."

"I told you I'm busy!" he yelled and turned to face me with a pale face and eyes that grew large in wide circles. He immediately avoided my sight and took my hand of his wrist before walking away. I was rooted in my place because it was my first time seeing him in this state, and it was really out of the blue, as if he saw something really traumatizing. Dillion, who was standing next to me, urged me, "Your grace, please understand him; he has his reason," before chasing after him.

I didn't want to think much about it for now, but later I will interrogate him. I went back to the guests to give them a tour of where they will be staying, it's my first time entering this mansion too, but Leola was the one helping me with the information. We finished the 1st floor and we went to the second where there will be their rooms, after everybody went to their room, my mother in law and Saphire Were left because their room was at the end of the hallway. As we arrived, there was a painting of the late duke, Amon's brother, and his wife hanging on the wall. It was my first time viewing it. They both stopped there to look at it, as did I. While I was appreciating it, I noticed that something was off, his face was familiar to me. I tried to remember where I had seen him, but as I did, scenes started to come to me that I had previously experienced but completely forgotten. After how many days I started having my memory back, and it was causing me a severe headache and dizziness that made me eventually pass out while thinking of my last patient, who had the same late Duke face and figure. Was it really him?

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