The Duke's Unwanted Wife

Waking up, Natalia found that her small body didn’t have any more pain from moving around in the bed. She didn’t know what Madaline gave her but it made her able to sleep properly. What’s more, when she woke up, there were several servants waiting to attend to her needs. They also prepared a dress for her which was a little too big. However, it was new and so were the oversized shoes.    

    

“My lady, the Head Butler is just outside the door. Shall we let him in?” One of the maids who was attending to her asked. She swallowed the fruit in her mouth and replied to her. The door opened and the Head Butler walked in.    

    

“Good morning, Lady Natalia. I am so sorry for disturbing your breakfast. Dame Violet asked me to inform you that the knights have set out to pick your mother up. The Dame also said she has assigned these servants to take care of your daily needs and that if you wish for anything, they are authorized to come to her directly if necessary. If you have any requests for me as well, you can simply send one of them.”    

    

“Very well. All we need now is a magician with an affinity for magic, preferably holy or spirit magic to heal her body entirely.”    

    

“I will arrange it. Do you need anything else?”    

    

“Not at the moment. Thank you for listening to my selfish request.”    

    

“Not at all. It is my duty and pleasure to serve the heirs of the Hazel family.”    

    

With the way he said it, it looked like she was the one he was looking at to become the future head of the Hazel family. She still had cousins who were being trained so she couldn’t just come in out of nowhere. She didn’t want to be the head of the Hazel family. However, being the future President of the Merchant Association would be a huge advantage.    

    

After eating, she sent everyone out of the room and finally opened the box she hid Cheese in. The Fairies didn’t have a need to breathe so it was fine. She was sleeping well, letting out soft snores. The smallest wisps of magic came from her body, creating a calming effect in the room. Chuckling to herself, Natalia closed the box.    

    

“Madaline”    

    

The fairy god mother appeared with a frown on her face. She immediately pulled Natalia’s cheeks.    

    

“What did I tell you about using fae language with your frail body? Do you know how careful I was being to help you regain a little color to your cheeks, now you go ahead and ruin that.”    

    

“Ham showy.”    

    

“You better be. You’re so lucky you’re so adorable. So, why did you call me?”    

    

“I wanted to know if you have found the Grand Duke and I wanted to know his condition.”    

    

“We found him with the description you gave. He still looks fine for now. Like you said, we’ve been offering a little reprieve so their forces can progress in the war. We also found the werephoenix you said to find and I was just wondering how you knew how to find a Divine Bird.”    

    

“The perks of reading until your nose bleeds.”    

    

“Don’t ever do that again.”    

    

“Yes. So, have you been able to move the werecreatures?”    

    

“Sylph is working on that and we are protecting them. You know, it made me wonder. If we had someone like you who cared about the fairies and used your vast knowledge to protect us, maybe we wouldn’t have lost so many.”    

    

“You’re doing a good job as the fairy mother. You don’t need to worry about anything else, Madaline.”    

    

“Hmm. By the way, why are you cooped up in this room? You need sunshine and air to grow.”    

    

“Am I a plant?”    

    

“I’m hoping you can grow like a bean sprout.”    

    

“Don’t worry, I grew to be quite tall in my past lives. I’m willing to wait in here until my mother arrives here. I also need to think of a way to deal with my brother.”    

    

“Is it because he’s clingy and overprotective?”    

    

“This point in time happens to be one of my hardest because I was hated by him. He progressively came to see my troubles and decided to protect and stand by me. Now that I have effectively freed myself, I don’t look like I’m suffering.”    

    

“You’re right. That’s quite the dilemma.”    

    

Back in the Adamantine mansion, it was eerily quiet. The veins on Sebastian’s head popped as he stood with his upper body exposed in front of his father and stepmother. His body was covered in black marks, some of them already bleeding. His step mother held the whip, her haughty eyes staring back at him.    

    

“Do you admit your wrongs?” His father asked again. He refused to speak, staring defiantly. The whip landed on his outstretched hands again and he flinched. It hurt so much he felt like fainting but he still held on. If they focused on him, they would leave his mother alone.    

    

“I don't like those eyes of yours. Your mother, you and your sister think you’re better than everyone else when you look at us with those eyes. I knew I should’ve killed those wenches when I had the chance. Both your mother and your sister are useless. If I knew they would be such a huge burden, I would’ve gotten rid of them a long time ago,” His stepmother said derisively.    

    

“Sebastian, you are my heir. You should get rid of your attachment to your dying mother and your useless sister. You are my son and if you do as I tell you, this won’t happen again.”    

    

Sebastian still didn’t speak. He had long tuned them out. He was starting to wonder about a lot of things. His father saw his mother dying yet he didn’t do anything. Just a few months after his mother fell deathly ill giving birth to Natalia, he brought in a new wife. He abandoned his family, caring for a child that wasn’t his more than his own child. He didn’t know what possessed him to blame a child who had been locked away for most of her life and subjected to inhumane treatment even though she was a noble. Just why did he hate her? Because his father told him to?    

    

“I wish I was not your son. I wish my mother didn’t have to marry someone like you and I wish I didn’t have to depend on a heartless monster like you. I didn’t do anything wrong and as a man you have raised me to be, I will stand by my word.”    

    

“…I see. If you won’t listen, I’m taking you back to the cellar.”    

    

Terror filled his eyes. He remembered the damp, dark place. He remembers being driven insane by the sound of water falling from the ceiling. He remembered the hunger and the desperation. He couldn’t go back there. He could die! But if he backed down, his mother would suffer. As a 14 year old who was forced to grow up too early, he didn’t know what to do.    

    

The door of the study snapped open and the head butler ran inside with panic in his eyes. The couple looked at him with annoyance.    

    

“What’s wrong?”    

    

“M-M-My lord, there’s an army with the Hazel Family crest headed here right now. They have sent a messenger forward.”    

    

It was the first time Sebastian had seen his father panic. The man all but ran out of the study, going down to the knights station. Sebastian ignored his stepmother and her furious cries for him to return, going directly to see his mother. He knew the Hazel family was his maternal family. They cut their ties with them when Natalia was born but now, they have returned. He didn’t know why and didn’t need to, he was just glad they were there.    

    

“Bastian…what did they do to you?” His mother gaped in horror, inspecting the marks on his body. Sebastian whispered a few words under his breath and all his injuries started to disappear at a visible speed. He smiled like he was showing something incredible off. Tears fell from her eyes as she hugged him.    

    

“I’m sorry, my son. I’m sorry this useless mother of yours cannot protect you.”    

    

“It’s okay mother. If you cannot protect me, I will protect you. But at this moment, I don’t need to.”    

    

“What do you mean?”    

    

“The Hazel family is coming here with an army. They’re coming for us, mother,” he said excitedly. She saw the excitement in his eyes and her heart sank. She knew her mother and knew it was highly unlikely that they came for them. However, it was the only spec of hope they had in a very long time.    

    

The messenger stopped at the gate, a white scroll in hand with the seal of the Hazel Marquis family on it. The Marquis walked out and the messenger immediately unfurled it to deliver the Hazel family head’s decree.    

    

“Dame Violet, the head of the Hazel family has decreed that Lady Vivia Hazel and her son, Sebastian, be taken back to the Hazel estate at once or this will be a declaration of war on the Hazel family and the Merchant Association. The Dame advises Marquis Adamantine to choose well.”