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Chapter 34
“MAY I COME IN?” Paula asked as she peeked from the threshold of Daniel’s office.
“Of course, Aunt Paula,” Magnolia answered, a bit surprised. “Is everything alright?” she added quickly, thinking of Daniel.
“Yes, yes, everything is fine,” Paula reassured her. “I am here to kidnap you, though.” She smiled. “I had them prepare tea for us in the garden.”
“Ah.” Magnolia’s eyes traveled over the saturated desk. “I’m sorry but I have—”
“Surely, you can spare some time to have a cup of tea with your guest,” Paula interrupted with a sweet smile.
Magnolia pondered for a few seconds. “Of course,” she finally answered. Paula was their guest and she had been neglecting her for the past few days. “Shall we, then?” Magnolia pushed to her feet and left the mountains of documents behind, with a feeling of guilt.
Paula silently led the way to a secluded space in the garden. An umbrella had already been placed over the table to provide shade from
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Magnolia Chapter 35
“PETRA WAS YOUR GRANDFATHER’S SISTER,” Paula told Magnolia who was still shocked from the revelation. “Since she was a child, she was groomed and educated for the sole purpose of becoming the queen, and everyone treated her as such,” she added. “As soon as they reached adulthood, King Titus married Petra. They had spent a great time together since childhood, so they had become close friends.” “If they were friends, then why was she erased from the history of this country?” Magnolia asked with a bitter taste in her mouth. “There was a lot of pressure on both of them, especially in the first few years of their marriage,” Paula explained. “The years passed without them being able to conceive a child. Everyone started being anxious for an heir and the elders started whispering in the king’s ears. They pressured him to take a second wife, even though it had never happened before in our kingdom.” ‘A second wife?’ Magnolia could not even blink at th
Magnolia Chapter 36
“WHAT? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?” Daniel roared. Paula flinched but she held her grounds. “I only told her the truth,” she argued. “Aunt Paula.” Daniel let out an exasperated sigh. “You of all people should know that your words are considered treason. I cannot have you fill my wife’s head with these blasphemous rumors.” “They are not blasphemous rumors,” Paula uttered, but she could see that her nephew was not going to listen to anything she said. She pushed to her feet and walked to him. “Do not be blindly loyal, Daniel. How would you feel if what happened to Magnolia’s family was the same as what happened to your parents?” ‘What is she saying?’ Daniel watched his aunt’s pained face for a moment. “I will be leaving in the morning, since you are doing much better, and my presence is not the most welcomed right now.” Paula headed toward the door. “But please, Daniel.” She looked back at him with pleading eyes. “Keep your min
Magnolia Chapter 37
“WAIT,” MAGNOLIA SCREAMED, disoriented. Her arm was stretched in front of her and she was drenched in sweat. “A dream,” she whispered before she tried to relax her tense body. She pushed the covers off and walked to the table to pour herself a glass of water. “It was definitely a memory from my childhood, from before the accident—or the murder,” she rectified. Magnolia put her glass back on the table at once. She hurried to her closet and quickly changed her clothes. She packed the fruit that Clara had left for her on the table and headed to the stables. “Hey, you,” she greeted Thunder. He recognized her immediately and inched closer to nuzzle against her face. “Let’s go for a little trip, shall we?” Magnolia grabbed a blanket and a saddle. She had never put one on by herself before, but she had watched enough people do it to remember. She tightened the girth and checked that the saddle was fastened in place, then, she mounted the
Magnolia Chapter 38
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE IS GONE?” Daniel’s voice was low and dangerous. He glared at his friend. “The stable boy said that Thunder is missing, and the duchess is nowhere to be found,” Henry told him. “You know that your horse would never let a stranger approach him.” Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. ‘Could it be that she ran away?’ The thought made his blood boil. ‘But she would never leave Geoffrey behind.’He shook his head. ‘Of course, she did not run away. But then where did she go? And why in the middle of the night?’ Henry watched his friend struggle with his thoughts. “Let’s prepare to track her right away,” Daniel ordered. “Tell Victor to only bring a handful of men.” ‘I hope she is not going to do something foolish because of what Aunt Paula told her.’ In no time, horses and dogs were prepared to track the duchess. Of course, no one in the ca
Magnolia Chapter 39
“ARE YOU SURE IT’S ALRIGHT to just walk away from them?” Magnolia asked while looking back at the knights they left behind. “It is,” Daniel answered. “We will not get that far, and the horses need a break anyway,” he added. “We will spend the night in town and leave in the morning.” They both took a few steps in silence, each of them trying to catch up with their racing thoughts. They followed a hidden path through the trees until they found themselves standing in front of a huge pond. The reflection of the afternoon sun on the water made it sparkle like diamonds. “Beautiful,” Magnolia whispered. They took in the breathtaking landscape for a few minutes before Daniel reached for his wife’s hand to get her attention. “Magnolia,” he started. “First of all, I need to apologize for my behavior on that day after the attack.” He squeezed her hand. “How could I ever think that you’re a monster, Magnolia? I was frustrated with myself. I
Magnolia Chapter 40
MAGNOLIA SNUGGLED AGAINST DANIEL’S CHEST. They had made love for hours, the same as every night since they had returned from Hamelsta. He smiled. ‘How did it even feel before, without Magnolia sleeping in my arms?’ He pulled her tighter against him which got a moan out of her. But after a few minutes, her body jolted and she mumbled something. He could tell that she was having a dream. “Killian,” she called. “Don’t go, Killian.” Daniel frowned. ‘Who in the hell is Killian? Calling another man’s name while in my arms.’ Magnolia stretched her arm and called the name again. This time, it was a scream. She immediately opened her eyes, disoriented. “It’s alright, love,” Daniel whispered against her hair. “It was just a bad dream.” Magnolia nodded her head as she tried to slow her breathing. “You spoke in your sleep,” he told her after a long silence. “Did I?” She looked up. “Yes, you called
Magnolia Chapter 41
“IJUST DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY I HAVE TO GO AS WELL.” Henry shrugged. He looked annoyed and bored by the conversation already. “We will be gone for two weeks, in addition to the traveling time,” Daniel told him. “Isn’t that a good reason for me to stay behind and take care of things here?” “Henry, my friend,” the duke started, “life is not all about work, you should take some time to enjoy life.” “Says the man who, only a few months ago, did not even know the color of his bed covers because he spent every night in his office.” Daniel chuckled. “Well, not anymore,” he grinned. “Are you boasting to your bachelor friend?” Henry raised a brow. “Not at all.” Daniel raised his arms in surrender. “I just want you to find someone who would make you happy, like I did. Besides, you were also invited.” “Please, I don’t need someone else telling me these things. My mother is doing an outstanding job reminding me that I nee
Magnolia Chapter 42
“MAGNOLIA!” FLORENCE REJOICED WHEN SHE SAW THE DUCHESS. She rushed to her friend and hugged her tightly. “Oh Florence, I have missed you.” “I have missed you too.” Daniel watched with a smile. He had hoped that the trip would divert his wife’s mind from her family matters and help her forget about the dreams she had been having. He was relieved to see that meeting her friend had been a welcome distraction. She did not mention the search ever since she received Florence’s letter. Daniel would share any findings with her as soon as he got them from Marcus. But he was happy to see that his wife was enjoying herself right now. “Daniel,” Richard called as he stepped closer to him. “Richard, how have you been?” They shook hands. “Not bad at all, business is good,” he answered. ‘Leave it to Richard Kalwen to mention business not even ten seconds after meeting his friend.’ “I hope the jo
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