Previously -
"You referred to an 'incident'. Could you tell me more about this incident...?" asked Sarah
"Yes, dear. But first eat your breakfast and restore the energy you lost. We can talk about the incident in the study once your father arrives." answered the Duchess
"Yes."
Currently -
"The duke has returned." announced Gerome
"I'm finally back. Where is my Duchess, Gerome?" asked the Duke
"The Duchess is currently dining with the young Lady, Lord." answered Gerome
"Dining together!? Rubia? I will be at the Dining room, Gerome."
"Understood, sir."
The Duke enters the room. *
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise after that unpleasant meeting!" exclaimed the Duke
"Did your meeting go bad?" asked the Duchess
"The only thing I can say for a fact is that... Complements coming from a room full of people who once mocked me is not something I find pleasant, Dear." said the Duke as he sat down
"The nobles used to mock you? Aren't you the Duke who has a higher standard than any of them?" asked Sarah nonchalantly as she ate her meal
Sarah's Pov -
This stuff's much better than the breakfast I used to have at a convenience store. But, why are they staring at me like this?
"Is something the matter? You keep staring." asked Sarah as she put down the fork
"No, there isn't any problem... It's the first time that I've seen you eating this much. You always complained about gaining weight." said the Duchess
"I'm too tired to think about that right now, Mother."
"Eat more and restore your energy, dear." said the Duke
"Aren't you going to answer the question, Duke?" asked Sarah
"Right. I may have been the successor of the Charleston Dukedom but, my father had died when I was young. And there was a competition on who would have the title. I was far too young for succeeding my father. My relatives used this opportunity to have the title to themselves. But, my mother had prevented that from happening. She acted as the temporary head of the House according to my father's will which was written during his final moments." answered the Duke
"I see."
"Anyways, how was your meeting?" asked the Duchess
"I reported to the Emperor about the situation of the Westlands. For now, he has asked for all noble families to suggest some solutions if they had any." answered the Duke
"I see. Rubia had asked us to explain what happened before she lost her memories. I wanted to ask if that would be okay, honey?"
"Well, the doctor did say it will not be harmful to talk about it with her."
"All right."
"Dear will you please believe us even if we say some things that may be unbelievable." asked the Duke
"Don't worry I trust you" answered Sarah
"All right then... Honey take over." said the Duke
"You were poisoned by one of the maids who had ill intentions towards you. Apparently, the poison was sold on the black market for a high price. The maid was able to purchase the poison by selling some of the jewellery that she had stolen from you. When you were being treated, the doctor had told us that your heartbeat had almost stopped for a second and began to beat again after a while. We were really worried about you since, you had quite a bad constitution ever since when you were a child." explained the Duchess
"I see so that's what happened... Do you know the reason as to why the maids disliked me?" asked Sarah hoping to hear a different answer
"Well..."
"It's all right, Father. It was probably, because I had treated her poorly in the past."
"You don't need to worry about all that dear...," said the Duchess
Sarah's Pov -
The Duke's words carried concern as well as sadness. It was probably because the fact that his daughter vented out her anger on the maids did not sit well with him, but at the same time, he knew there was nothing much he could say or do to calm her down.
And the reason why Rubia always took her anger out on the maids was because she was shamed at almost all the tea parties she was invited to. She was mocked by the other ladies because the crown prince did not love her or pay any attention to her.
I believe the only reason she went to the tea parties even though she knew she would be ridiculed was because of the love she had towards her family.
"Before I forget... Am I engaged to anyone currently?" asked Sarah
"Yes. You are engaged to the Crown Prince, but if you wish to have an annulment due to your memory loss... I can do something about it." said the Duke as he clenched his daughter's hand
Sarah's Pov -
Yes, I could avoid some major problems in the future, If I annul this engagement out of my own selfishness. But the engagement between the Royal family and the house of Duke Charleston is not something that can be easily played off. And it will cause some serious problems to Rubia's parents which is why I cannot do that
"That's not a problem for me. Thank you for your concern, Father and Mother." said Sarah as she smiled gently
"Honey, if you ever feel uncomfortable in being married to someone whom you don't have feelings for... You should know that we are your family. We put family as first priority over here." said the Duchess
"Thank you, Mother." said Sarah as she blushed
Sarah's Pov -
Family... I wonder if I, Sarah James, could ever have a true family... A mother and a father who love each other and take care of me like these two do. It's a fairy tale for someone like me.
TO BE CONTINUED...