My Wonderful Second Life

Chapter 56- An unattainable love

Salazar reached outside. Night had fallen and yet the warmth never left the place. It caused a sense of dread in him that was always there whenever he stepped on the blessed land of the Sun Empire.

"I can see that your talk with him has not gone as well as you hoped, your majesty."

He stopped at the sound of a familiar voice. Kind and understanding. He turned his head to find Lady Di'Mello walking towards him, her cane supporting her, like an old friend. Salazar gave her his arm while his eyebrow raised in question.

She took his help and waved her cane into the air. "I work here."

He nodded before his eyes settled on the distant silhouette of the Royal Academy. "I must see my son."

She laughed, her mood jovial. "Do not worry, your majesty. Your son is well occupied with the girls and Prince Francis."

A huge sigh escaped his lips. "I should discipline him."

"And you will, however, think of it as someone else taking the task from you for a while." she said. When he gave her a disbelieving glance, Lady Di'Mello added, "You may be pleased to find that Lady Lucreatia is taking charge of ensuring your son does not repeat his actions from this afternoon. And I may assure you she is quite capable of enforcing it."

He scoffed, very much aware that his son wouldn't view his time with Lucreatia as a punishment. Quite the opposite.

"Would you walk with me? Sitting all day makes my legs too stiff." said Lady Di'Mello, beating her leg with the tip of her brown cane.

He didn't reply, choosing to answer instead with actions, leading her into a path to a nearby garden. No matter what, Salazar was a gentleman and a gracious student and if Lady Di'Mello wished for him to walk with her, he would never refuse. Though he knew this was not about her legs or about saving his son from punishment.

He expected she agreed with him on it.

No. She wanted to probe. To inquire about something she had not yet had the chance to do. Not with her granddaughter closely watching them.

"Your child is very much like you." she started.

He chuckled, careful of the path, trying to remember his youth and the way. "Not as much trouble as I was, I hope."

Amused, she said, "Not sure. I have heard that your dear son took the daughter of a great and grumpy duke to a market outside the palace in the capital's most busy square. Without chaperones or permission. And right on her first visit to the palace..."

Yes. Salazar had heard of it as well. He also received several letters about it, too. Most, coming from a very incensed duke, whose penmanship had gained a certain threatening tone.

Salazar shrugged. "It was not as bad as the duke says. He forgets when we were children we did much worse."

She nodded. "Indeed. You almost made Duke Nuoro bald."

"That was Alexander."

"You helped."

"I did." his lips lifted in a loopy smile.

Unfazed, the duchess remained silent while they walked through the dried grass that, no matter how much the sun heated, remained lush. When they reached a bench facing the opulent quarters of the Emperor and its golden roofs, she asked, "How is your wife? Still very much in love with you?"

The air left his lungs in a fumbled way. "Why shouldn't she?"

The question was most unexpected. Of all places his tutor could have started her inquires, this was certainly not the route he had imagined her to go through.