Rebirth Of The Duke's Daughter

Chapter 3

Duke Reynard quietly entered Mila's room, his steps careful and measured. As he approached the crib, he noticed her small body trembling beneath the blankets. His heart tightened at the sight, knowing that she was likely still shaken from the earlier trauma. The sight of his tiny daughter, so vulnerable and scared, stirred something deep within him.

Gently, he reached down and placed his hand on her head, the warmth of his touch soothing against her soft hair. Mila's shaking began to ease under his comforting presence, but he wanted to ensure that she would sleep peacefully through the night. With a quiet incantation, he cast a spell to help her drift into a restful sleep, free from nightmares and fear.

As he watched her relax, her breathing becoming steady and calm, a question nagged at the back of his mind. 'Why do I feel so concerned for her?' he wondered. Mila had the unmistakable dark cyan eyes of the Noble family, yet something was missing—she bore no symbol of their lineage. It puzzled him, this absence of the mark that every Noble child was born with. For now, he and his household had to maintain the pretense that she bore the symbol, but the truth unsettled him.

He sighed softly, his hand lingering on her head for just a moment longer before he pulled away. As he left the room, his thoughts grew heavier. The women in his mansion, none of whom held the title of primary wife, had become a source of frustration and complication. They were all vying for a place that no one could fill because his heart still belonged to the one woman he had truly loved—his first wife.

Duke Reynard walked through the quiet halls of the mansion until he reached the main room, where a grand portrait hung on the wall. It depicted him and his first wife together, their expressions full of life and love. Her honey-colored hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her ocean-blue eyes seemed to sparkle, even in the painting. She had been his only love, the woman who had completed him.

"Life without you makes it hard for me every day," Duke Reynard murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he gazed up at the portrait. The loss of his wife still felt fresh, even after all these years. He cherished his eldest son the most because that boy was the last gift his wife had given him, the final connection to the love of his life.

As he stood there, the weight of his responsibilities and the emptiness left by his wife's absence pressed down on him. But in that moment, he also realized something else—Mila, with her delicate presence and quiet strength, had started to stir emotions in him that he hadn't expected. A protectiveness, a need to ensure her safety and well-being. Perhaps it was because she, too, was a part of his first wife's legacy, even if she didn't carry the Noble family's symbol.
***

Mila woke up slowly, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim light filtering through the room. She looked around, noticing that Sara, who usually stayed close, was already gone, likely tending to her duties elsewhere in the Noble mansion. Mila sat up in her crib, feeling the familiar pang of hunger gnawing at her stomach. 'Do I really have to cry for food?' she thought, the idea making her inwardly groan. She hated the thought of resorting to crying like a typical infant, but her body's needs were undeniable.

Just as she was about to let out a cry, the door to her room creaked open, catching her attention. Her eyes widened in surprise as a large, majestic lion padded into the room. But this wasn't just any lion—it was a Two-Tailed Fire Lion, its sleek, fiery coat gleaming in the soft light. Mila gasped, recognizing the beast immediately. 'Leo's lion!' she thought with a mix of excitement and relief. She knew that Leo, her older brother, was the only one in the Noble family with such a rare and powerful beast.