Leonard took out the adoption papers for the Marquess of Norfolk to seal them, the marquess stamped them and said to him. "I will send Daphne home in a few days."
Leonard chuckled and said to him. "I'm not leaving her here for you to continue intimidating her, from now on she is part of my family so she will leave with me, I hope you never approach her again unless you want to lose your head."
Leonard took the adoption papers and dashed out of the marquess's office, as he left he told one of the servants in the hallway to call Daphne immediately.
The servant did as Leonard ordered and told Daphne, who had just finished dressing her wounds, to go immediately to the entrance as the duke had sent for her.
Daphne wondered what the duke wanted and hurried to where he was, the duke was waiting for her at the entrance and upon seeing her he said. "Get in the carriage."
"What?"
Leonard handed Daphne the adoption papers and said to her.
"From today you are my daughter so you will come with me."
Tears rolled down Daphne's cheeks upon hearing that the duke had adopted her and she said. "That means I don't have to get married anymore."
"No, unless you want to."
"No, I don't want to get married, I just want to escape from this place."
"Then get in the carriage, my wife is eagerly waiting for you at home."
Daphne got into the carriage, followed by Leonard, and the driver set off. Throughout the journey, Daphne couldn't stop shedding tears of happiness. She had contemplated suicide because she didn't want to marry Count Doriel, but now the duke and duchess had adopted her, and she no longer had to get married. She was also going to have a new family far away from her uncle, who constantly mistreated her.
Leonard simply stood by her side in silence without uttering a word. Upon arriving at the mansion, Olivia was waiting for them at the entrance. When Daphne stepped out of the carriage, Olivia, seeing her bandaged head and swollen eyes from crying, felt great pity for her and said.
"Welcome home."
Daphne hugged Olivia and said. "Thank you so much for talking me out of that hell."
Olivia and Daphne sat by the fireplace, and she told a maid to bring something warm for Daphne.
She continued crying for a while after arriving, which Leonard found somewhat annoying, so he left them alone for a while.
One of the maids brought hot chocolate and cookies. When Daphne tasted it, she remembered her mother, who always gave her hot chocolate in winter, and felt as if she finally had a mother again.
When Daphne finally calmed down, she said. "Thank you for adopting me, I promise not to cause any trouble."
Olivia took a sip of her chocolate and said. "You have nothing to thank for. From now on, we are family, so if anything makes you uncomfortable don't hesitate to tell me."
Daphne felt the warm words of the duchess warming her heart and said. "I had thought of taking my own life on my wedding day because I had nothing good to live for, but when the duke told me he had adopted me, I felt very happy to finally leave that place."
Olivia hugged her and said. "When I found out that your uncle intended to marry you off to an old widower three times your age, I felt I had to do something for you."
"Count Doriel is a disgusting old man. I would prefer to die than marry him."
"Well, now that you are my daughter, I will make sure Leonard does not allow that man to come near you ever again."
Although Olivia was only a few years younger than Daphne, she considered her as her mother. She reminded her a bit of her mother with her protective attitude, and she thought that now that she had a family again, she would be happy.
After a long chat, Olivia showed Daphne to her room and called for two maids to help her take a bath. Olivia sat on the couch waiting until Daphne emerged from the bathroom. Since Daphne had not brought any clothes with her, Olivia had one of the maids search for something among her own clothes.
The maids had prepared a simple pink dress for Daphne. Olivia personally combed and dried her hair. Not knowing how to style it, she left it loose. When Daphne finished getting dressed, Olivia thought she looked very pretty. The dress was a bit big on her, but it still looked nice. Olivia thought she should call a designer to make clothes for Daphne and that when they returned home, she would call Madam Margaret to make beautiful outfits for Daphne.
They both went down to the dining room for dinner where Leonard and his parents were waiting for them. Daphne stayed behind Olivia as she felt a bit uncomfortable since she didn't know them. However, Leonard's mother got up, gave her a big hug, and said, "You are such a lovely girl, and so small. You can call me grandmother from now on."
Daphne felt a bit embarrassed but she was pleased to be welcomed so warmly by the duke's family.
The dinner was warm and enjoyable, and soon Daphne felt comfortable with them. Since her parents had passed away, she had not fined with family as her uncle always found her presence bothersome and made her eat alone in her room. Something as simple as having dinner together made her happy and she wished those moments would last forever.
After dinner, everyone went to their rooms. Olivia accompanied Daphne to her room and did not leave until she fell asleep.
Upon returning to her room, Olivia found Leonard sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine in hand. She approached him, sat on his lap, and said, "Thank you," giving him a kiss on the lips.
Leonard hugged her and asked, "Did I fulfill my promise? Are you happy?"
"Yes, I want to ask you not to let Count Doriel come near Daphne. She told me she wanted to take her own life on the day of her wedding because the thought of marrying the Count repulsed her."
"I know. When I told her she didn't have to marry the Count, I could see the relief in her expression. You don't have to worry about her; I won't let Count Doriel come near her. After all, she is now part of my family. I won't let anyone harm her."
"She is still too young. If she ever decides to marry, I want it to be for love."
"Olivia, did you ever consider taking your own life when your father forced you to marry me?"
"No, it never crossed my mind. I knew that although there were rumors that you were a terrible man, it was also said that you were incredibly handsome. That's why I never thought of taking my own life. The first time I saw you, I thought I was fortunate to have such a handsome and sexy husband, even though you had a very bad temper."
Leonard kissed her and ran his tongue over her lips, saying, "So you liked me from the start?"
"If I were blind, I couldn't have liked you. You are very handsome."
Leonard kissed her again, and as their kiss grew more intense, Olivia was left breathless. When Leonard pulled away, he said, "I wish I could make love to you like a madman right now."
Olivia hugged him and said, "When the baby, "I hope you don't forget your words later on."
"I won't."
Olivia rested her head on his chest and said, "Our family is growing, and it makes me happy."
Leonard stroked Olivia's hair and said, "I never thought a family was important until I met you. You have changed my way of thinking and turned me into your slave. I only wish to please you every day and make you happy."
Olivia laughed and said, "Who would have thought such a fearsome man considers himself a slave to his wife."
"Don't laugh. I'm serious. My love for you has made me foolish."
"Then we're both fools because I feel tied to you, too. I love you."
Olivia yawned and said, "I'm sleepy. It's been a long day."
Leonard touched Olivia's belly and said, "Get changed. It's time for you to rest. The doctor said you need to rest."
"I know. I'll rest all day tomorrow, I promise."
Olivia put on a pale pink silk nightgown and got into bed with Leonard. Her legs were still sore, and she felt tired preparing for Daphne's arrival. The next day, she wanted to introduce Daphne to vandal, as she had shown great excitement at the mention of him. Olivia fell asleep in Leonard's arms, thinking about what she would do the next day.
Marquess Norfolk had sent a letter to Count Doriel, information him that the marriage was going canceled and returning the money he had given for the marriage. Upon learning that he could not marry Daphne, the Count went to the Marquess's house to ask personally why the marriage was being canceled. The Marquess explained that Leonard had adopted his niece and he could not refuse.
The count had already become obsessed with Daphne and he was not planning on letting her escape so easily. He decided he would go to the duke's mansion to finalize his wedding with Daphne. The marquis had told him he was wasting his time trying, but he longed to have Daphne and didn't care about the price he would have to pay; he would pay it to have her.
The next morning, Olivia woke up late feeling tired. Leonard was no longer next to her when she woke up. She rang the bell on the beside table and two maids entered to help her dress. However, she felt her body heavy and decided to stay in bed and only asked them to bring her breakfast and to tell Daphne to join her if she had not eaten yet.
Daphne had also woken up late that day because after her uncle told her she was going to marry Count Doriel, she couldn't sleep well. However, now that she was free, she felt relaxed and had slept like a log all night.
Daphne accompanied Olivia for breakfast, and when they finished, Olivia told one of the maids to take Vandal to her room as she was feeling tired and didn't want to go out.
When Daphne saw Vandal, she found him to be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. vandal's fur was white as snow, and she wished she could touch him if you want."
Daphne approached Vandal carefully so as not to scare him and touched his back. Feeling his soft fur, her eyes lit up, and she said to Olivia, "He's very soft and cute."
Vandal seemed to like Daphne a lot as he let her touch him and licked her fingers, making her laugh and say, "He's a lovely puppy, I love him."