"Your Grace, this particular selection belongs to our most exclusive collection of hairpins. You may choose from these," the shopkeeper told him, carefully arranging a series of velvet-lined boxes upon the glass counter.

Damian swept his gaze over the glittering array of hairpins until a remarkably elegant piece caught his attention, one simple enough that Eilika could comfortably wear it every day.

He picked it up to examine the craftsmanship. The hairpin was fashioned from polished gold, featuring a luminous, real pearl that dangled gracefully from a delicate link, while tiny diamonds were meticulously set along the curved end.

"I would like to purchase this one," Damian said, presenting the piece to the lady.

"An excellent choice, Your Grace." She handed the hairpin and its velvet box to an assistant, who wrapped it beautifully in premium gift paper as per the Duke’s request. Once the payment was settled, Damian took the package and headed back to the estate.

Upon reaching the palace grounds, he spotted Roman playing in the manicured gardens with a few of his friends, their laughter echoing through the trees.

Near the main entrance, a large gathering of noble ladies had assembled. Damian walked past the crowd, politely accepting their curtsies and greetings, realizing they had all come to offer their well-wishes to the injured Duchess.

"Damian!" Georgia exclaimed in surprise, intercepting him in the grand foyer as she noticed her son returning so early from his duties.

"Mother," he greeted her warmly, before casting a glance toward the bustling drawing room. "It seems half the court has arrived to offer their greetings to the Duchess."

"Yes, the foyer has been quite busy. However, Eilika is currently asleep upstairs," Georgia explained.

"Look at that—the Duke has brought a special gift for his wife," Charlotte remarked, noticing the beautifully wrapped package in his hand and offering a teasing grin.

"Such gestures are only natural for a devoted husband to do for his wife, are they not?" another noble lady chimed in with a pleasant smile.

"If you will excuse me, I shall take my leave now. Mother, I leave the guests in your care," Damian stated, already stepping away and climbing the grand staircase toward the private quarters.

He found the long corridor entirely empty and quiet, and he finally turned the handle to her bedchamber door. Stepping inside, he turned the key to lock the door behind him, ensuring their absolute privacy, before turning his gaze to the bed. Eilika was sleeping peacefully. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Damian walked quietly to her side. He carefully placed the small wrapped gift and the fresh bouquet of flowers onto the bedside table, then sank into the chair beside her mattress.

Staring down at her pale, resting face, the Duke fell into deep contemplation.

’The mere thought of losing her is entirely terrifying to me,’ he admitted to himself, his chest tightening at the memory of the thick smoke and shattered glass. ’Is this the depth of the love I carry for her? I was utterly terrified last night, but voicing my fears will only trouble her.’

’You have fallen deeply in love with her, Damian.’

A familiar voice that the Duke hadn’t heard in a long time suddenly reverberated through the quiet room. His breath hitched. He slowly tilted his head and found Liliana sitting on the second chair just across from him.

Liliana turned her head, her spectral gaze locking onto his. ’You have made her an inseparable part of your life. You are truly seeing her as your family now. Duke, if you lose her, you will not be able to survive it. Do you know that?’

’I will not lose her,’ Damian countered fiercely in his mind, his jaw tightening. ’I will do everything in my power to protect her.’

’You once said the same words to your first wife. Do you truly think you can keep your second wife safe?’

He tightly shut his eyes, desperately wanting her figure to disappear from his sight. Bringing his hands up to his ears, he covered them, but he quickly realized Liliana’s voice wasn’t fading at all. Instead, the whispers within his mind only grew louder and more piercing, relentlessly telling him that he would eventually lose Eilika too, and that he would be left to die completely alone in that agonizing pain.

"No! Just go away!" he mumbled under his breath, his chest heaving as the phantom whispers crowded his mind.

Suddenly, a pair of warm, gentle hands pressed firmly against his own, pulling his fingers away from his ears.

"Damian!"

He opened his eyes to find Eilika looking down at him in complete bewilderment. She had just awoken with confusion and deep concern as she noted his pale face and erratic breathing.

"What were you murmuring?" she questioned softly.

Before she could press further, Damian lowered his hands entirely, leaned forward, and wrapped his arms securely around her waist. He buried his face against her belly, holding her tightly as if anchoring himself to reality.

The sudden, intense embrace startled her completely. Her hands hovered in the air for a moment before slowly coming down.

"Eilika, I will keep you safe," he stated. "No matter what happens."

She felt a strange, inexplicable weight behind his words, unable to fully comprehend what had distressed him so deeply, but she simply hummed in response, gently running her fingers through his dark hair to soothe him.

After a while, Damian slowly pulled back and stood up, smoothing down his tunic as he tried to regain his usual composure.

"I think I disturbed your rest," he murmured, looking down at her with a trace of apology in his dark eyes.

"No, you didn’t," Eilika replied, shaking her head gently. "I actually felt quite thirsty, which woke me up anyway."

She watched him closely, sensing that something deep and troubling was weighing heavily on his mind. However, as she leaned over to reach for the water pitcher, she froze, her gaze catching the vibrant colors of the fresh bouquet resting on the bedside table. Forgetting her thirst, she reached out and picked up the flowers, turning back to him with a radiant smile.

"Did you bring these for me?" her eyes lit up, a soft blush warming her cheeks.

"Yes," Damian replied, a genuine, relaxed smile finally breaking through his tense expression. He stepped closer to the bed and picked up the small, beautifully wrapped package that sat right next to where the flowers had been. "And I brought this as well. You entirely overlooked it."

He extended his hand, presenting the elegant gift box to her.

She was surprised for a second, her hands cradling the small package. "A gift?"

Eilika accepted the box eagerly, handing the fresh bouquet of flowers over to him so her hands were free.

Undoing the premium wrapping paper with enthusiastic care, she lifted the lid of the velvet box to find the exquisite gold hairpin resting inside. Her eyes grew wide as the light caught the shimmering pearl and the tiny diamonds.

"Damian, this is... truly beautiful," she said softly, her fingers gently lifting the piece from its velvet bed. She immediately held it up toward her head. "Wait! Let me fashion a proper bun first."

Stepping out of bed, she hurried over to the grand dressing table and stood in front of the polished mirror. With practiced, graceful movements, she gathered her long, flowing hair, twisting it up into a neat, high bun.

She held the style in place with one hand and tried to fix the hairpin into the dark strands with the other, tilting her head to check her reflection.

Seeing her struggle slightly to secure it without disrupting her injury, Damian walked over and approached her from behind. He gently took the golden pin from her fingers and tucked it perfectly into her bun, ensuring it held firmly and comfortably against her hair.

"How does it look?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to examine the reflection.

"Beautiful. It is simple enough for your everyday wear," Damian answered, his gaze fixed on her through the glass.

"Thank you," she replied, offering him a radiant smile through the mirror. "It truly means a lot to me."

Damian stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her back gently against his chest. "Eilika, I am deeply thankful to the heavens that you are safe."

She placed her hands over his forearms, looking at their joined reflection in the mirror. "True. And I am strong, Damian. Such explosions won’t take my life. Also, we have yet to see so much of this world together."

Damian leaned down and kissed the crown of her head, before pressing a tender kiss against her temple. Eilika closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of his touch, before slowly turning around in his embrace to face him fully.

His hand moved gently to caress her cheek, his thumb brushing over her soft skin. "The people love you so much that the entire foyer is crowded with them," he said softly.

"Really?" she asked, a faint trace of surprise in her voice.

"Hmm. It is quite crowded downstairs," Damian replied, his deep voice dropping to a low murmur. His gaze drifted lower, fixing entirely on her lips.

"Then, we must go down—" The words died in her throat as Damian leaned in, closing the distance between them.

His lips landed firmly on hers, cutting off her sentence. The sudden intensity of his embrace guided her backward until her lower back met the edge of the dressing table, the slight impact rattling the silver brushes and causing a few crystal perfume bottles to tip over onto the polished wood.

"I won’t lose you," he murmured as he pulled back before again kissing her.