An Enraged Duchess

True to his words, the Duke came to the main mansion to get Lucille and Nessa into the family. However, things didn't go as he planned.

The Duchess refused to see him, saying she was ill and bedridden. Kalina, saying that she needed to care for her mother, also avoided him. The Duke was left eating his meals alone at the dinner table.

A week passed, and the Duke had not seen a single strand of golden hair since his arrival.

The servants whispered as he walked by and scrutinizing stares followed him wherever he went. When he turned to yell at them, everyone acted as if the Duke was overreacting. He felt pathetic.

He finally reached his breaking point and began taking it out on the servants, beating them and throwing things at them for "looking at him the wrong way."

The Duchess had had enough of the Duke abusing her people and finally showed her face. Saying that she had recovered, she invited him to her study late at night to talk.

The Duchess's study was a majestic room with tall windows and deep red curtains. The desk, bookshelves, and tables were all crafted from high quality mahogany wood imported from a foreign country. The Ephraim family heads had all used this office during their time.

"Your Grace, His Grace has arrived." The Duchess's personal maid announced after bringing the Duke to the study.

The Duchess stood by the window. She was draped in a dark blue robe that cascaded down to the floor, her eyes solemn as she watched the night sky.

The Duke had been waiting for a couple minutes by the door, yet the Duchess did not spare him a glance. He had to clear his throat a few times before the Duchess finally acknowledged him.

"Sit." She turned and gestured to the couch. The Duke sat down reluctantly. The Duchess remained standing and leaned on her desk. She leisurely poured a glass of wine and swirled it around in the cup a few times before taking a sip.

"What do you have to ask me?"

The Duke shifted a little and said assertively: "I recently discovered that I have another daughter on the outside. I plan to bring the child and their mother into the family, and I want you include them in the official family registry. Adopt her, do whatever you have to. I'm planning on bringing them by the end of the week." He was totally confident that the Duchess would agree without making a fuss.

Smash!

The wine glass in the Duchess's hand fell to the floor and shattered into tiny pieces. The wine pooled at her feet, forming a scarlet puddle. Her formerly composed expression had quickly turned grim.

"What's the matter with you?" The Duke leapt up in surprise and glared at the blood-red liquid oozing over the floorboards.

"What did you just say?" The Duchess's hands began to shake and she grabbed the desk to steady herself. She was holding onto the desk so tightly that her fingers turned white.

The Duke rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "She's thirteen, just a year younger than Kalina. Plus, I'm sure Kalina would want a sister."

The Duchess couldn't stand hearing her precious daughter's name come out of her husband's foul mouth. He never cared for their daughter at all, yet he wanted to use Kalina against her?

"No."

"What?"

"I said no. You will not bring that vulgar wench and your bastard child into my house. Not while I'm still here." The Duchess's eyes flashed with indignation as she continued. "And don't you dare mention Kalina's name again."

"You're my wife! How dare you speak like this to me?" The Duke's face turned red with anger. The Duchess had always been obedient. No matter how unreasonably he behaved, she would turn a blind eye to his actions. He thought he had had everything under control, but the docile Duchess suddenly lashed back at him.

"Silas Sonnovan. Don't forget who married into whose family. You may have my family's surname, but keep in mind that you, your love child, and your mistresses have no blood relation to the Ephraims. If I were to divorce you, do you really think you could survive on your own?"

The Duchess thought of the fateful day when she had spent the night with an unknown man after getting drunk. When she had woken up, he was gone. A few weeks later, after she found out she was pregnant, the Duke stepped forward and claimed that he was the father of the baby.

She had foolishly believed him, and they got married. However, the young Duchess didn't expect that her new husband would completely neglect her and her child after becoming the Duke. Not once did he spend a night with her during their fourteen years of marriage.

Divorcing the Duke right after the child was born would definitely have a great impact on her baby's childhood, so she gritted her teeth and endured it all. But now, seeing how the Duke was more concerned about the child of a prostitute than his legitimate daughter, she wondered if he really was Kalina's father.

Kalina looked nothing like the Duke, who had a crooked nose and lopsided eyes. She had inherited her mother's hair and eye color, but her beautiful features resembled someone else's. Her eyes were more catlike than her mother's round ones and her lips were plumper.

Kalina's appearance was even more impressive than most nobles. She was mysterious and playful, yet graceful and composed. An unparalleled beauty like her compared to the Duke would be something like a blooming rose and a pile of dirt.

Giving him no time to respond, the Duchess yelled again: "You did nothing to help me raise Kalina, and yet you want me to adopt a whore's child? Is Kalina not also your daughter? Why do you treat them so differently?"

The Duke was about to argue back when the door creaked open. Kalina appeared in her white nightgown, rubbing her eyes drowsily. "Mother...? Father?"

"Kalina!" The Duchess's fierce eyes immediately softened and she rushed over and draped a shawl around her daughter's shoulders. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I heard Mother and Father quarreling," Kalina hugged the shawl tighter to her body and averted her gaze, her golden eyelashes trembling slightly. "I'm scared..."

"Mother is sorry for waking you up. Mother and Father were just talking," the Duchess embraced her before turning to the Duke. "We'll continue this conversation later."

The Duke clicked his tongue and glanced at the mother-daughter pair before leaving.

"Mother. You were talking about Father's illegitimate child, weren't you?" Kalina had heard the entire conversation while she was standing outside.

Kalina didn't give her mother time to reply and grabbed her hand. "Mother, let them enter the family. If you don't, you'll be called heartless for leaving them on the streets. But don't add them to the family registry."

The Duchess wasn't convinced and didn't understand what Kalina was saying.

"I've always wanted a little sister," Kalina added as her eyes curved into a mischievous half-moon shape.