Fated Hearts: Reborn to be His Duchess

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: When Old Wounds Bleed

Clara filled Elysia in as they made their way to the guest chamber.

"The manor physician treated Lady Lillian’s cheek and applied some salve. But after Lord Reeve left, she cried so much that she’s wiped it all away."

Elysia let out a quiet sigh.

Even before they reached the room, the sound of muffled sobbing drifted through the corridor.

Inside, Lillian sat collapsed over the table, her face hidden in her folded arms. Her shoulders shook with every breath.

"Lady Lillian."

Elysia crossed the room and took the stool opposite her.

Lillian’s sobs faltered at the sound of her voice, but she made no attempt to look up.

"I’m sorry, Your Grace. I..."

Her words dissolved into another quiet sob.

"I don’t mean to keep crying. I just... I can’t seem to stop. I’ll be all right soon."

Elysia regarded her for a moment before speaking.

"Tell me something. Are you crying because Reeve deceived you about his identity, claiming to be a merchant when he is actually Merlinspire’s heir?"

Lillian finally lifted her head slightly.

"Or because your mother has offended Duchess Yvette, and you’re afraid that whatever future you had with Reeve is now gone?"

The question drew Lillian fully out of her misery.

She raised her head.

The side of her face that had been struck was still swollen, the medicinal salve standing out against her skin. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, while her swollen eyes had taken on the appearance of two reddened walnuts.

Elysia’s heart softened.

"If it’s the first, I wouldn’t hold it against him. Considering his history with Cassiel, keeping his identity concealed was hardly unreasonable. It was a harmless deception."

Lillian shook her head. "I’m not angry with him."

Her voice was small.

"I’m angry with my mother."

Elysia understood at once.

It wasn’t Reeve’s deception that had broken her down. It was the thought that her mother’s temper had destroyed the one future she had dared to hope for.

Elysia’s expression gentled.

"Before he left, Reeve asked me to pass something on to you."

Lillian looked at her through tear-damp lashes.

"He told me to say, ’Don’t be afraid.’"

The words were simple, almost insignificant.

Yet they seemed to reach somewhere deep inside Lillian.

A little warmth returned to her tearful expression, and the tightness in her shoulders eased.

Elysia allowed the moment to settle before continuing.

"But you cannot leave everything to Reeve."

The words made Lillian’s renewed hope falter.

"What do you mean, Your Grace?"

"You love him, and he clearly cares for you. Even after what happened today, the marriage isn’t necessarily impossible if he remains determined."

Elysia’s voice became more measured.

"But Reeve cannot solve every problem for you... And you know as well as I do that your mother is the real difficulty here."

Lillian looked somewhat uncertain. "My mother?"

"Imagine you marry into Merlinspire." Elysia laid out the possibilities one by one.

"What happens if she insists on moving into the household with you? What if she begins meddling in the running of the estate, demanding money, servants, or authority that isn’t hers?"

Lillian’s lips parted.

"And if she doesn’t live there, she will still come to you whenever she wants something. If you refuse, she may tell you to ask Reeve. If you still refuse, she could simply go to him herself."

Elysia’s gaze sharpened.

"He’s your husband. He would be her son-in-law. If she made enough of a spectacle, he might find it difficult to turn her away for your sake."

Lillian’s face gradually paled.

The implications finally began to sink in.

After a long silence, she whispered,

"Then... perhaps I shouldn’t marry him."

Tears gathered in her eyes again.

"I don’t want to ruin his life. He’s been so good to me. I can’t bring that kind of trouble into his family..."

"That’s not what I’m telling you."

Elysia’s patience finally wore thin.

She reached across the table and took Lillian’s hand.

"I’m telling you that you need to learn how to protect yourself."

Lillian stared at her.

"You have to learn to say no to your mother."

Elysia’s voice remained gentle, but there was steel beneath it.

"You cannot spend your entire life yielding whenever she raises her voice. If you continue to give in simply because she becomes angry, she will always control you."

Her fingers tightened around Lillian’s hand.

"And it won’t stop with your mother. If you cannot stand your ground with her, how will you do so with anyone else?"

Lillian’s expression was stunned.

"If you can learn to do that, I will help you secure your place in Merlinspire Manor."

Elysia’s gaze did not waver.

"But if you cannot..."

She let the unfinished thought hang for a moment.

"Then you may as well resign yourself to whatever marriage your mother chooses for you. A husband you don’t love. A household where you have no say. Or, if she decides your best option is to enter some powerful family as a concubine, you may find yourself with no choice but to accept that either."

"No!"

The answer burst from Lillian immediately.

Her eyes filled with panic.

"I won’t become a concubine."

Elysia said nothing.

She merely looked at her.

There was no harshness in that gaze, only a quiet strength that seemed almost impossible to resist.

Lillian stared back.

Then she clenched her teeth and wiped her cheeks with both hands.

"I won’t cry."

Her voice trembled, but she forced the words out anyway.

"I’ll become stronger."

She took a deep breath.

"I promise."

The tears remained, glistening along her lashes, but the helplessness that had weighed her down was no longer quite so overwhelming.

Something had changed.

Like a pearl hidden beneath layers of dust, the person Lillian might become had been there all along. She had simply never been given the courage to let that strength show.

Elysia smiled faintly.

She reached over and brushed away one last tear from Lillian’s cheek with her thumb.

"Dry your eyes."

Her tone softened.

"Then apply the salve again yourself. You’re still young. A pretty face like yours shouldn’t be left with a scar."

Lillian’s cheeks coloured.

"Thank you..."

Elysia’s hand stopped.

Those two words stirred an old memory.

In her previous life, she had once been struck by a carriage while trying to save Vaelen. Her knees had been scraped badly enough to leave them raw.

In front of Vaelen, she had insisted she was fine.

She hadn’t wanted him to worry.

But the moment she returned home, the pain finally overwhelmed her. Tears had gathered in her eyes as she admitted to her aunt that her knees hurt.

Her aunt had immediately prepared all sorts of treats to comfort her.

Her sister-in-law had sat beside her bed, gently applying ointment to her injuries.

"You’re too young to carry scars."

The words had been accompanied by such tender concern that Elysia had felt completely cherished.

She had looked up through her tears and whispered, "Thank you."

The memory faded, leaving an ache behind.

Elysia rose from her seat.

"Rest for a while."

She gave Lillian one final reassuring look before leaving the chamber.

The moment the door closed behind her, however, the warmth in her expression faded.

She walked down the corridor in silence.

By the time she reached the archway, her eyes had begun to sting.

Elysia stopped.

She stood there for several seconds, staring ahead as she tried to swallow the ache rising in her chest.

But the memories had already slipped past the defences she had built around them.

A tear escaped.

Then another.

This time, there was no one watching.

No one she needed to reassure.

No one she needed to pretend for.

The tears that fell belonged entirely to her.

And she could no longer force them back.

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