How did her son, the villain of the story, die?
Isla recalled the information about his tragic death in the book.
Since the only source of love was no longer with him, that is, his mother. He sought love from his father and his new family. The villain thought he could be part of them, but his father had never looked his way, even when his mother was still his wife. It was always his half-brother.
His stepmother did not treat him like his half-brother since he was not her real son. She did not treat him badly, but she did not have his mother's warmth.
His mother was no longer with him from age five, and he could feel the warm home that partly had him and his mother, fully belonged to his half-brother and his stepmother.
The servants respected him, but their gossip about his half-brother's mother destroying his mother's marriage with his father always got to him. His mother used to block them from getting to him, but now that she was not with him, many negative thoughts invaded his mind.
Reality did not help things, either, since everything they said was the truth.
Still not giving up, the villain tried to meet his father to see his mother in the Elrod Grand-duchy, but all he got was denial.
''The imperial law states that after a couple's divorce, the child between them belongs to the father's family. You have a new mother, and she treats you well. Don't cause unnecessary trouble,'' was his father's words.
The blank stare, cold aura, and strained relationship were different from the warm stare, happy aura, and doting relationship his father had with his half-brother.
Everything was different, and the villain realized that truly, he had no one in the duchy.
After realizing that, two years after his mother had gone, all child-like thoughts and expressions ceased, and the villain held on to the only thing his half-brother never took from him; the heir position. His circumstances made him grow up by force, even if his age was too young to have these thoughts.
Since he was the son of the first duchess, the position was his, by birthright.
Seriously taking heir classes, and not mingling with his stepmother, her son or his father, he grew up to be the perfect heir until he met someone who showed him light in his lonely dark world.
Aurora.
At his eighteenth age, he finally had a second thing to call his, but she was slowly falling into his half-brother's hands.
First, his father's love, then his mother's position, and now he wants to take the only light in his dark world.
Must everything that he wants fall into his half-brother's hands?
No! The villain could not accept it and tried to obtain aurora, even after she got engaged to his half-brother.
Things got worse for him after her engagement, and so he kidnapped her to run away from the empire. He left the heir position since aurora was more important than it. They would run away and start their family, and His world could finally have the light it used to have when his mother was with him.
But the heavens were against him, his brother found them, and they battled until one of them died. Sadly it was him.
''I just wanted to be loved. Was it so wrong to take what rightfully belonged to me in the first place? It was not something expensive to buy, but it was expensive to experience when you were with me, brother,'' Isla said the villain's last words with her gaze still on her belly.
''I thought you had forgotten me when I left you, but you always remembered. You remembered your miserable mother who also wanted your father's love.''
In her second life, Isla remembered when Amelia told her about her son's death. Apart from her father, her son was the only family she had in this world, and he was gone without warning.
Even when they were not together, She always told Amelia to check on him from afar and picture him using the latter's description since she did not leave the villa.
''You must have been handsome then.''
Isla lifted her gaze from her belly to watch the dancing closed flowers. They seemed to be consoling her sad state with their wiggling movement.
After a while, Isla opened her mouth to speak, '' And you will still be handsome now since we will be together, my baby.''
With resolution, Isla vowed with her heart, ''This time, mother will be with you and your father....''
At the mention of the man who was the reason for everything that happened to her dear son, an empty smile came onto her lips. With her ever-sparkling silver hair and blue eyes, her reputed gentle image was unrecognizable.
Now she seemed to be more of a wintry beauty.
''Mother will definitely deal with him.''
----
''Welcome back, your grace.''
Spencer, the butler who got news about the duke's return, came outside the house to greet him with lined-up servants.
With a bouquet of red roses in his hands, the duke of Hayes duchy stepped down from the carriage.
''Spencer,'' He nodded at the bowing butler, then immediately noticed something odd.
''The duchess...where is the duchess?'' asked the duke.
The butler stood upright and glanced at the red rose. Looking back at the duke, he voiced his confusion,'' Your grace, I sent a servant to the imperial palace to tell you the good news of her grace's pregnancy. I thought this...''
The butler abruptly stopped talking, like he realized something.
'Ah.' A fleeting, sad smile came onto his lips, and he simply said,'' Her grace is in her room.''
He was not a fool not to know the owner of the bouquet, and he was sure the servants were not either. But what could he do? Even if he had been with the duke since the late duke father's reign, he could not say a word when something almost familiar but more tragic happened when the duke was a child.
''Take it to my office,'' The duke gave the bouquet to the butler like it was a precious memento. This gesture confirmed the butler's speculation, and the duke ignored his disappointed gaze as usual by walking into the castle.
''..she's finally pregnant,'' He mumbled to himself, as he maneuvered his way around the luxurious castle to the floor that held rooms for the masters of the duchy. Every servant he passed all bow to him in respect, but he paid no heed to them.
'After she gives birth, I can proceed with the plan for Annalise.'
At the thought of his lover, his gaze softened but regained its usual impassiveness when he reached the door of the duchess's room.
''She will understand my decision was best for both of us since I cannot give her what she wants from me,'' The duke assured himself before knocking on the door.
''Duchess, it's me,'' He called out and opened the door without waiting for her response.
Entering the room and closing the door, the duke finally faced his wife, and what he saw made him blank out for a moment.
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