The Beloved One!

Chapter 15

My Iphone's charger stopped working and my computer was acting up. It was like the heavens were telling me don't update. 😫😫😫 Downloaded Wattpad on one of my mom's phones and used it to update.

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Ellen had not returned to their room last night. Ashnah opened then closed their room door, walking into the common room area of the suite. On doing so, the sight that greeted her was Anzor conversing with a young man with exquisite features of icy light azure blue that reminded one of the clear shallow waters of the sea and dark blue eyes that mimicked the midnight skies on rare nights. He would make most woman develop a lack of self-confidence in themselves.

"Oh good morning, Ashnah." Anzor greeted. "Did you have sweet dreams?" He asked warmly.

"Good morning daddy!" Ashnah said and smiled, the dimples of her cheeks becoming apparent as she trotted on to her father. "And yes I did! I dreamed you, mommy and I were having a snowball fight!" She told in an adorable voice that would make any child loving adults do more than swoon. "Then after the fight you helped me build a big, big snowman, daddy!"

"Well hasn't the room suddenly been overloaded with cuteness?" The blue haired man questioningly commented due to Ashnah's words.

The smile that was going to settle on the Archduke's lips was gone because of that comment. "Ash. This is my first cousin, your second cousin, Benjamin Morley. You can address him as Uncle Ben if you like."

"Continuing the ever so noble bloodline of concubines our grandfather, you're great grandfather started in the turbulent times of the Morley Family ." He sarcastically and over-exaggeratedly added to the silver head's introduction to him.

This was the first time of Ashnah ever hearing about such a character and meeting one of the Morley blood who did not inherit the silver hair of the Morley Family like her. And her great grandfather? The turbulent times of the Morley Family?

"Ben." Anzor said in a scolding tone.

"Sorry, Cousin Anzor." He apologized in a voice that was not at all sincere.

Anzor sighed.

Ben walked over to Ashnah studying her. "She looks like the mini version of Ellen-san. Will she be competing in beauty pageants when she arrives to the capital? I am sure the judges would immediately give her the tiara when they see her face. Ellen-san still has a huge impact on the capital from being the 74th Miss. Emphraim."

"Only if that is something, Ash wants to do." The Archduke of Morley responded. Then he turned to his daughter. "Ash, I hope you do not mind, but your Uncle Ben will be watching you for a few hours since your mommy is sleeping until it is time for us to depart. And I have something to do but I will still be in the suite."

"That will be okay, daddy." Ashnah tilted her head to the side, purposefully asking in a somewhat confused voice. "But mommy is still sleep?"

"That's because your daddy-Ah!!! Fuc----Ahhh!!!" Before Ben could complete his statement he felt a series of small lightning race through his veins.

Anzor sent Ben a looking that obviously old him 'learn how to control your mouth in front of a child'.

"Are you alright, Uncle Ben?" Ashnah asked.

"Just peachy." He looked to Ashnah then to Anzor. "Now hurry up and get back to your Ellie and Ahhhhh-"

"Your mouth."

"Yes, yes. I will try my best."

"Ashnah, I'll see you in a few hours." He patted her.

"Mhmm!"

Once Anzor left to go back to his room, Ben glanced at Ashnah. "So what do you want for breakfast mini Ellen?"

•••••

After having breakfast, Ben was staring at Ashnah and Ashnah was staring straight back at him. There was a silence between these two until he decided to break it. "So what games do kids like to play?"

Ashnah shook her head. "I played enough yesterday."

"Kids can stop playing enough?" Ben's midnight blue eyes widened a bit in astonishment. Then he murmured to himself. "Aren't kids suppose to be a big ball of energy, doing everything and never tiring?"

"Instead, Uncle Ben could you tell me about the turbulent times of the Morley Family as you have mentioned before?" She inquired.

"You want to learn about family history..... instead of playing?" He quirked an eyebrow. Ben did a head nod. He preferred that over pretending to play house or tea. "Your great-grandfather name is Nathan Morley. Let's just say he was not cut out to be a noble. When he inherited his title, a strange rumor circled the capital, that who would ever wed him shall meet an untimely end. A curse per say." He began.

Then continued. "This rumor was not believed at first, but when he married his first wife Annabel Hughes, she shortly died of a disease after she gave birth to the current retired Duke, your granduncle, Vincent Morley as it have said on her death certificate. This had the capital whispering and after one year, he married his second wife, Clementine Munroe. He wished to clear the rumors. But Clementine too died due to child birth complications while giving birth to her husband's first daughter, Aretha Morley. This caused the capital to erupt, many stating that the Duke was truly cursed. And the image of a cursed person was not something even someone with the of noble title of Duke could bear. It can cause one to lose his/her title."

Ashnah got comfortable in her chair.

"He went through three years of praying in the church everyday and going through cleanses. The King at that time, who was King due to marrying Queen Milcah of royal blood, Adallindis Cromwell was hard on the Duke about getting rid of the rumors. After one year, he was finally able to marry his third wife, your great-grandmother, Esme Marshall and a concubine, my grandmother, Natalie Edwards. The two became the best of friends even though in that arrangement. They gave birth one year apart. Esme giving birth first to the Duke's second daughter, Alice Morley. That is your grandmother. And Natalie gave birth to a son, Marlin Morley, my father. Several years past by and the rumors died down. It was like the rumors of a curse never existed. The first two wives dying was just a coincidence. Everything was okay." He paused.

Then went on, seeing that Ashnah was still listening attentively. He was a little impressed. "That was until the Duke, Nathan Morley murdered his wife and concubine in the palace, committing suicide after the ordeal." Wait.... should he have told her that? And he pondered if the child even knew what suicide meant.

"And?" Ashnah tilted her head to the side.

"The reputation of the Morley Family dropped and the King had declared Nathan Morley's uncle, Ivan Morley as the Duke. No one would ever know the true reason as to why Duke Nathan did what he did until years later when the current retired Duke revealed the schemes of his uncle. He was the one who planned everything, the rumors; the deaths of the first two wives; how he poisoned his nephew for a long extended period of time; slowly making him become derange and killing his third wife and first concubine and the attempted assassination attacks on Vincent himself; one of them causing the Crown Prince at the time, Eric Cromwell to be gravely injured. The King and Queen were more than enraged and the date of Ivan Morley's execution was quickly arranged, being the shortest one in the century. He was beheaded by a guillotine for the whole of Rafferty to witness. His wife and son were also executed by lethal injection for aiding him. And Vincent Morley became the Duke. That is the end of the turbulent times of the Morley Family as recorded on text."

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Some history on the Morley Family. Now you guys know some of the reasons why the retired Duke is the way he is now. He was not born evil. Doesn't excuse his actions of the present now though. Gonna see if I could make a Morley Family tree.