The next morning, Damian arrived at the prison shortly after having his breakfast.

Inside the cell, Elias was sitting in a dark corner, completely lost in time, unable to tell how many hours had passed since his arrest.

The moment the iron lock clicked open, he frantically scrambled forward, a hope rising within him that he might finally be granted his freedom.

But upon seeing the cold stature of the Duke stepping into the light, Elias instantly threw himself onto his knees, his voice cracking as he began to apologize. "Your Grace, I am being framed! It isn’t true. I would never even think of hurting you, let alone poisoning you. Please, don’t do this to me. You have to believe me!"

"Bring Aldrick inside," Damian said coldly, ignoring Elias’s desperate pleas.

Maurice instructed the guard to do so, and within moments, a heavily chained Aldrick was shoved into the damp cell.

"Speak," Damian commanded, his piercing gaze remaining fixed entirely on Elias, watching for any crack in the man’s demeanor.

"Count Elias wanted the poison to harm you, Your Grace," Aldrick replied. "He even instructed me to go underground in the capital the moment the deed was done, promising I would be protected."

"Your Grace, he’s lying! I never said anything like that!" Elias shrieked, his face turning pale as he frantically shook his head.

"Elias, he already provided the evidence. The poison was found hidden among his belongings, and the Royal Physician examined it and confirmed it is the exact same poison used in the attempt," Maurice stated, stepping forward to lay out the cold facts. "You need to stop lying now. You conspired to kill the Duke." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"I am being framed!" Elias cried out, stubbornly refusing to admit to the crime, desperately clinging to his lies in the hope that it might still save his life.

Damian stepped forward, his movements lethal and swift, and wrapped his hand tightly around Elias’s neck, cutting off the man’s frantic protests.

"Say a lie one more time," Damian growled, his voice dangerously low as his grip tightened, "and I won’t even give you the chance to stand trial. But trust me, a trial would be of no use to you anyway, because every soul in this place would want you dead. You tried to kill me and destroy my family."

Elias’s face turned a deep red, his fingers clawing uselessly at Damian’s strong grip as it felt like he would be choked to death at any moment.

He shoved Elias away, sending him crashing hard against the damp stone wall. "You had better count your remaining days, because one by one, all your wrongdoings will be revealed to the world. Then, you will be punished brutally for playing with not only the trust of the people but also the King’s."

Elias started crying, the harsh reality finally breaking through his defiance as he saw his own death rapidly approaching.

"Your Grace, please forgive me!" He dragged himself forward, falling to his knees as tears streamed down his face. "My family... Please, don’t let anything happen to them!"

"How can you even ask for the well-being of your family? Do you honestly think that after what you have done, they can live in peace?" Damian asserted, his voice cold and devoid of mercy. "I warned you long ago not to be caught, Elias. However, you thought I would do nothing. You took advantage of my silence for years."

Elias kept weeping profusely. It was the end for him and his family.

~~~~~

"Roman, is your mother alright? We heard that she got injured in an explosion," asked a group of four girls from his class, surrounding his desk.

"Yes. My mother is fine. Father saved her just in time," Roman replied proudly.

"That’s good. It must have been so scary for you. When my mother accidentally fell from the stairs last month, she got a big wound on her head. I was so scared," one of them said, shuddering at the memory.

"Yes, it was a scary experience. I hope your mother is well now, Nancy."

"Yes, she is completely healed," Nancy replied with a bright smile.

"The break is over, kids. Your parents have come to pick you up. Now, pack your bags and form a line," their teacher instructed, walking into the classroom.

All the kids started packing their satchels in a flurry of excitement. Looking out the window toward the courtyard, Roman saw that his father had personally come to pick him up.

With a bright smile, he ran out to the palace courtyard toward his father, who had already dropped to one knee with open arms.

"Father!" Roman cried out, hugging him tightly as Damian lifted him up into a warm, secure embrace.

Damian ruffled his hair affectionately and settled onto the backseat of the carriage. Once he had secured his son safely beside him, he instructed the coachman to start.

"Father, many were worried for Mama. I think people really love my mother. And I need new paint colors for my drawing class. Will Father help me buy them?"

"Sure. We will stop by a merchant’s shop on our way. Then, you can purchase the colors of your choice," he affirmed with a smile.

"Father, you’re not upset with me, are you?" Roman asked after some time, looking up with tentative eyes.

"No," Damian shook his head softly. "You will get a sibling, but not right now, Roman. Grow up a little more, and by then, we will welcome your new sibling. How about that?"

"Yes!" Roman replied promptly, a big smile returning to his face.

"Your mother needs to be in a good health to bring a baby into this world. I’m taking every factor in mind. And yes, Father was a bit scared when you suddenly asked for it. Even a grown up like me can be scared," said Damian, gazing at the boy.

Roman shifted on the seat and said, "Don’t be scared then. You’re my hero, Father. You have always been so strong in my eyes."