The Drawing Room was quiet as Mina stitched. She observed Jayden read a parchment Lord Ferry sent him. They were eating breakfast when the messenger boy came to deliver the message. Jayden put the parchment on the nightstand, claiming it could wait, and turned his attention to Mina and the food. After breakfast, Jayden prepared a bath for himself and Mina. They spent a long time in the bathtub, relaxing. When they were ready for the day, Jayden took the parchment and went to the Drawing Room together with Mina.
Jayden read the message once more before folding the parchment and resting his elbows on the arms of the chair he was sitting on. He looked out the window for a moment. “I know I have promised you to spend the next ten days together, but I am afraid I have to report for duty. Lord Ferry, the Paladin in charge of the Militia, needs my help.” He sounded displeased. “Of all the men from Athea, the King had to recommend me to Lord Ferry.”
Mina stopped stitching. Only two days had passed since they got married, and Mina was starting to learn how passionate Jayden was. Last night, after she danced as promised in the garden, he spent many hours touching and kissing her body. “Jayden, Athea is a big city, and many crimes happen daily. It is normal for the King to seek your help.”
Jayden sat next to Mina and kissed her. “They should find another because I haven’t had enough of you, and our ten days are not over yet,” he murmured as he started lifting her skirt. His tongue entered her mouth while his fingers pushed down the sock and caressed her thigh.
Mina put her palms on his shoulders, and the hoop with the pillowcase she was working on fell from her lap when Jayden lifted her leg and put it on his lap. His lips traveled to her neck, and his hand went up. While Mina loved how Jayden made her feel, she knew they should not do it in the Drawing Room. She was about to stop him when the door opened.
Jayden lifted his head and removed his hand, and Mina lowered her leg as fast as she could. “What is it, Caesar?” Jayden asked while helping Mina fix her skirt.
“The Drawing Room is to receive guests, not to—” Caesar said, and Jayden let out a growl and turned his head to look at the door. “Duke Tedric and Duke Hugo are here to see Lady Mina. They are in the—” Caesar was explaining when Duke Tedric pushed him and entered.
Jayden stood. “What do you want?” he asked the Duke in a cold tone. “Can’t you see I am busy?” He looked at Caesar. “Why did you let him inside the house? Have I not told you that Mina’s uncle is not welcome in my house?”
Duke Tedric’s face turned red while Hugo’s eyebrows went up.
Mina felt ashamed that her uncle and cousin caught Jayden and her touching intimately in the Drawing Room during the day.
Caesar shrugged. “I thought it would be rude to only let Duke Hugo enter.”
“Next time, be rude!” Jayden instructed Caesar.
“I am here because I already told you that Mina was promised to Count Dickman and Hugo informed me you married my niece in secret two days ago!” Duke Tedric said in an angry tone and sat on an armchair. “Ask the maid to bring some tea! We have a lot to talk about!”
Mina could not believe the way her uncle acted in Jayden’s house. It was common courtesy for the owner of the house to invite the guests to sit and have someone bring refreshments.
Caesar turned to go to the kitchen. “Stop where you are, Caesar!” Jayden spoke in an angry tone. “You might be a duke and Mina’s uncle, but this is still my house, and I did not invite you to sit! While you are here, refrain yourself from ordering my men around!” He turned his attention to Hugo. “Why are you still standing? There are plenty of chairs to sit in! Caesar, would you be kind enough to bring some refreshments for Hugo?” Jayden said in a friendly voice. He sat beside Mina while Hugo chose a chair close to his father. Jayden smiled like a snake. “Duke Tedric, I did not marry Mina in secret; my men and Hugo knew about it.” His venom-coated smile grew wider.
Mina inhaled while her eyes found Hugo. He seemed to be as uncomfortable as her. While she understood why Jayden was upset with her uncle, she hoped Jayden and Duke Tedric would at least try to act civil when in the same room. After all, from the moment she married Jayden, he became part of the Castex family.
The Duke gripped the chair’s arm hard, and his knuckles turned white. “Mina is my only niece. She is the daughter of my beloved brother; may his soul rest in the Eternal Gardens. I have taken care of her since the day her parents died, and she has always acted as a proper lady. Until she met you!” he stopped speaking for a moment. “I thought I taught you how someone from the Castex family should behave. Thank Inoss, your father is not here to see you drag the family’s reputation through the mud!” Duke Tedric said to Mina in a harsh tone.
“Not for once have I forgotten about the family, and I assure you I have done nothing to bring shame to the family!” Mina replied.
“You moved in with a man while you were still unwed, only to marry him a few days later! Do you know what people are saying about you? That he was forced to marry you because he got you pregnant! Have you stopped to think about what people would think about Rosalyn? That she must be the same as you because you are cousins!”
Mina snorted. “It’s impossible for me to be pregnant because I am still a v—”
The Duke narrowed his eyes.
“I only touched her on our wedding night,” Jayden said, interrupting Mina. “And I married her because I like her, not because she is carrying my child! Not yet, at least. I had her move into my house because you hit her, and I won’t permit anyone to lay a finger on her. Not even you! As for Rosalyn, I assure you, she is nothing like Mina!”
Duke Tedric drummed his fingers on the chair’s arm. “I admit I was wrong about hitting her, but it does not justify her leaving her house! Of course, you can’t compare my beloved Rosalyn to Mina. My daughter will be Queen one day, while Mina married a bastard when she could have married a count!”
Mina was debating whether she should roll her eyes or snort when Hugo spoke. “Jayden might be a bastard, but he is the Commander that defeated Kaj, the Necromancer, saving our Kingdom from being conquered by King Stig! And how could you think about marrying Mina to Count Dickman? He is older than you!”
Jayden fisted his hands, and Mina put her palm on top of his right one. “I wanted to have a party, guests, and everything else a woman wants on her wedding day, but when you came here, saying you want to sell Mina to that relic of a man, I knew I had to marry her the same day.”
Duke Tedric smiled. “How dare you accuse me of selling my niece? I agreed to marry her to Count Dickman because he had been the only one to show interest in her.” Mina liked to think that maybe other men would have shown interest and sent marriage proposals if her uncle had let her go to balls. “If you wanted a big wedding, why didn’t you come to speak to me like a proper gentleman would have done? A man that wants to marry a woman first talks to her family and then courts her. Instead, you took Mina from her home so that people could have more motive to speak badly about her. Is it not enough that they talk about her being half—?”
Jayden narrowed his eyes. “If I hear you say something about her gypsy heritage one more time, I will rip your tongue out and make you eat it!”
“You might be a commander, but you lack the education of someone born and raised in high society. Try as you might, but you will never be one of us!” Duke Tedric said.
Hugo cleared his throat. “Father, you are the one being rude by implying people judge Mina because of who she is. She is part of the Castex family, and it is our duty to protect her from gossip. As for Jayden, now that he is Mina’s husband, he is also part of our family!”
Duke Tedric smiled, giving Mina the chills. “Which brings me to why I am here. After the wedding night, the Commander should have brought me proof that the marriage had been consummated.”
Caesar entered the Drawing Room bringing a tray with refreshments. Aksel followed him.
Jayden watched as Caesar put the cups of tea in front of everyone, followed by plates with cake. “I was too ensnared by my wife to think about coming to your house,” Jayden said.
“By the sounds of it, you have been busy with the Lady two nights in a row and all day yesterday,” Aksel commented. “You need to let her rest.”
Mina was so ashamed that she felt her ears burn.
Duke Tedric looked like he had swallowed a fly while Hugo coughed in his fist.
Jayden snarled, his sharp canines visible. “Why are you here, Aksel? You are supposed to be at the mansion!”
“We need you to come to see something we discovered in the cellar,” Aksel said.
“Later, Aksel. Can’t you see I am busy with my new *uncle*?” Jayden replied.
Aksel blinked and looked at Duke Tedric. “With such an uncle, who needs enemies?” he muttered.
“You might have married Mina, but I am not your uncle!” Duke Tedric said to Jayden. “I still haven’t accepted you as my niece’s husband, and I will make sure the King hears about who he gave his blessing to marry my niece!”
The Duke stood. “Before you leave, I want you to give Mina her father’s inheritance,” Jayden said in a firm tone. “From what I understood, you were supposed to give it to her on the day of her wedding. You had two extra days since the wedding to have everything ready!”
“I am not giving her any coin so that you can spend my brother’s hard-earned money!” the Duke said angrily.
Hugo frowned. “You can’t keep Mina’s money away from her.”
“Uncle, you promised to give me my father’s inheritance when I got married. I want you to keep your word!” Mina said.
“I would rather throw it in the Eyor River than give it to you! Can’t you see he married you only for your money?” the Duke asked, his tone harsh.
“Aksel, find the best lawyer in Athea and bring him here!” Jayden said in a calm tone. “Mina will receive her money, one way or another.”
“This is the proof that you only want Mina’s money!” the Duke said.
Jayden snorted. “I don’t want or need Mina’s inheritance. It’s her wish to receive it, and I will make sure she gets what she wants!”