Living Like a Mouse? How About a Lion?

The Duke's Blindness

The door barely had time to click shut behind Reynold when it flung open again. This time, I didn't even bother to look up. I was too busy trying to figure out how to clean up my life (and maybe the mess that was my arm) when a new shadow filled the doorway.

The Duke.

My adoptive father.

The man who, until this very moment, I was almost convinced had no idea I existed.

Oh, great. 

The cavalry's here. 

What's next? 

A family therapy session?

He didn't say anything at first, just stood there, his expression unreadable as he took in the wreckage that was my room. You could practically see the gears turning in his head as he assessed the situation. Behind him, Derrick and Reynold loomed like statues, both of them caught in some sort of standoff. Tension crackled between them like a live wire.

And then the Duke's voice, usually so calm and authoritative, broke the silence. "What is going on here?"

It wasn't a question. Not really. It was more of a command, the kind that made everyone in the room go stiff. I glanced at Reynold, half-expecting him to jump in, but he stayed quiet, his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack. How did we get to this? Honestly, I have no idea.....

Oh, so now we're all pretending to be on our best behavior? How cute.

Derrick was the first to speak, of course. "Father, I—"

But the Duke raised a hand, cutting him off. "No excuses, Derrick. I want the truth."

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. The truth? That was new. Usually, no one cared about the truth in this house. It was all about appearances. As long as everything looked fine from the outside, no one bothered with the details.

But it seemed like today was the day for surprises.

"Reynold," the Duke continued, his gaze shifting to my other brother. "What happened here?"

Reynold hesitated, his fists still clenched at his sides. I could see the conflict in his eyes, the way he was struggling to find the right words. Part of me almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"It's my fault," Reynold said at last, his voice low and full of guilt. "I should have said something sooner."

Oh, now this is getting interesting.

The Duke's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Reynold took a deep breath, and for a moment, I thought he might actually choke on it. But then he spoke, his voice clearer and more determined than I'd ever heard it before.

"It started when we were kids," he admitted, not meeting my eyes. "When Ivonne was still here."

: Ivonne? What does she have to do with this?

"I—I took something of hers. One of her necklesses. Penelope found it, but... I blamed her. I let her take the punishment for something I did."

The room went dead silent. Even Derrick, who usually had something to say, didn't utter a word. I just stood there, staring at Reynold as if I was seeing him for the first time.

So that's how it is. All this time...that's how it all started huh.... I was wondering and thinking these bratty brothers could be the sorce but huh.... at least he has the guts to stand for it.

Reynold's voice wavered, but he kept going, clearly determined to get this off his chest. "But that was just the beginning. It wasn't just the necklace. It was everything. Every time something went wrong, we blamed her. And I—" He clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles white. "I let it happen."

He finally looked up, his gaze locking with mine. "I was a coward. I thought... I thought it didn't matter because she wasn't really family."

Wow, okay. 

Thanks for the honesty, I guess.

"And now?" The Duke's voice cut through the air like a knife. "What has happened now?"

Reynold's expression hardened. "What's happening now is worse than anything I ever did. They're torturing her." He gestured to me, his voice rising with anger again. "They starve her, beat her, lock her in her room. She's treated worse than a commoner. Worse than an animal."

The Duke's face paled, his eyes widening as he looked at me—really looked at me—for the first time in... I don't even know how long... this was definitely first since I possessed her. It was like he was seeing me for the first time, his adopted daughter who had lived under his roof all these years, suffering in silence.

Oh, now you notice.

His lips parted, but no words came out. For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at me like I was some kind of ghost. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. But let's be real—he could have stepped in way earlier.

"You didn't know?" Reynold asked, his voice thick with disbelief. "You didn't see what they were doing to her?"

The Duke shook his head, still in shock. "I... I had no idea."

Of course you didn't.

Derrick, ever the loyal son, stepped forward, trying to salvage the situation. "Father, Penelope—she causes trouble. You know that. She's always been difficult."

Reynold turned on him, eyes blazing. "Difficult? Difficult? She's been fighting for her life, and you're calling her difficult?"

The tension in the room ratcheted up about ten notches. For a second, I thought they might actually come to blows, and I was halfway tempted to grab some popcorn and watch it all unfold.

Who knew family drama could be so entertaining?

But before things could escalate further, the Duke raised his hand again, silencing them both. His gaze shifted back to me, his expression a mix of confusion, guilt, and... something else. Something I hadn't seen before.

"Penelope," he said softly, and for the first time in a long time, there was something resembling warmth in his voice. "Is this true?"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After all these years, after everything I'd been through, now he wanted to hear my side of the story?

Better late than never, I guess.

I met his gaze, my voice steady despite the lump in my throat. "Yes. It's true. All of it."

There was another long pause, the kind that makes your skin crawl because you know something big is about to happen but you don't know what. The Duke's face tightened, his eyes clouding with a mixture of emotions I couldn't quite place.

He loved his children. I knew that much. But love doesn't always mean understanding. It doesn't mean seeing. And for years, he had been blind to my suffering, to the way I'd been treated under his own roof.

But now? Now he couldn't ignore it any longer.

"I had no idea," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "I didn't know..."

"Well, now you do," Reynold said, his voice hard but not without sympathy. "So what are you going to do about it?"

That was the question, wasn't it? What was he going to do?

The Duke stood there, torn between his love for his family and the guilt of realizing just how badly he had failed one of his own. His eyes flicked to Derrick, then back to Reynold, before finally settling on me.

"I will make this right," he said at last, his voice steady and full of resolve.

I'll believe it when I see it.