Chapter 8 Dinner At Lancashire

• “Am I truly pregnant?” Luna whispered frantically, her footsteps hurrying to keep pace with Rex down the grand corridor.
• “Did I not explicitly command you to remain silent?” Rex replied, his voice a low, warning rumble as he cast a fleeting, icy glance her way.
• They were soon seated around an impossibly long banquet table, laden with an extravagant array of dishes. Before them sat perfectly grilled salmon, steaming bowls of fragrant broth, rich, creamy mashed potatoes, and mouth-watering desserts like plum pudding and glistening candied oranges. The intoxicating aroma alone was enough to make Luna's mouth water.
• “Wow… c-can I really eat all of this?” Luna muttered unconsciously, utterly captivated by the sumptuous feast spread before her.
• Rex turned his head slightly. “Just eat whatever is there.”
• Just eat whatever is there?! Luna repeated his casual words in her mind, completely unable to fathom such luxury. To her, this wasn't merely “eating whatever was there”—this was a feast fit for royalty where she was allowed to devour everything!
• “So, exactly how long has this been going on?”
• The sharp, aristocratic voice belonged to Rosaura, violently snapping Luna out of her food-induced daydream. Luna immediately pressed her lips together in silence, waiting for Rex to field the dangerous question. Meanwhile, a trembling servant approached, carefully helping to slice the grilled salmon on Luna’s plate.
• “Ever since Mother made a decision on her own without consulting my opinion!” Rex shot back, his tone laced with dark defiance.
• “Duke Raimonds!”
• Rosaura’s voice cracked like a whip, echoing sharply against the grand stone walls of the dining hall. The sheer venom in her tone startled the young servant standing beside Luna. The girl flinched violently, and the heavy porcelain plate slipped from her trembling grasp.
• CRASH!
• The deafening sound of shattering porcelain filled the cavernous room, plunging the entire table into a suffocating, dead silence.
• Luna’s body tensed instinctively. She held her breath, her wide eyes dropping to the jagged shards of porcelain scattered across the floor at her feet.
• “I am so sorry, Madam! I am so sorry, Your Grace, I truly did not mean to…” the terrified servant whimpered, immediately dropping to her knees and bowing her head as her shaking hands scrambled to gather the broken pieces.
• Driven by pure instinct, Luna leaned down to help the poor girl. But before she could move an inch, Rex’s large, iron-clad grip clamped around her wrist, stopping her dead.
• The Duke glared at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. “What exactly are you doing?” he demanded coldly.
• “I-I just wanted to help her?” Luna stammered.
• Rex released her wrist, turning his attention back to the lavish spread before him. “Act the way you usually do,” he muttered firmly under his breath.
• Luna had absolutely no idea what he meant by that, but she wisely obeyed, sinking back into her chair. She knew she had no other choice if she wanted to survive this viper's nest.
• As she slowly settled her posture, Luna cast a fleeting, sympathetic glance at the kneeling waitress. The girl was desperately trying to gather the sharp shards, her fingers trembling, yet not a single soul stepped forward to assist her. The other servants merely stood frozen at their posts, as if this were a grave sin the girl had to bear entirely alone.
• A heavy, oppressive silence reclaimed the dining table, broken only by the faint, metallic clinking of silver spoons and forks against fine china. Every now and then, Luna caught Rosaura’s chilling gaze fixed directly upon her, practically burning with unadulterated hatred. That lethal stare hardly wavered; it was as if Luna’s very existence were a repulsive stain that desperately needed to be scrubbed from her sight.
• “Why on earth did you bring her back here? Are you not ashamed that all of high society is whispering about your wretched wife?” Rosaura accused, her tone razor-sharp.
• Rex calmly sliced a piece of meat and took a bite, acting as though his mother's venomous words were nothing but a passing breeze.
• “You should be on your knees in gratitude that he ever forgave you,” Rosaura hissed, directly addressing Luna this time.
• But Luna was entirely lost in her own panicked thoughts. Not only had Rex strictly ordered her to remain quiet, but she hadn't even realized the Dowager Duchess was speaking to her.
• “Are you completely deaf to my words?!” Rosaura snapped suddenly, her voice cracking through the hall, causing Luna to practically jump out of her skin.
• “Yes, Madam? Mother? Uhm…” Luna’s voice tumbled out in a hesitant, stunned stammer. Frantic, she turned her wide eyes toward Rex, desperately searching his stoic profile for any kind of lifeline or clue. But her supposed husband simply sat there, watching her in absolute silence, as if he were deliberately testing her breaking point.
• Rosaura let out a long, dramatic sigh, pressing her bejeweled fingers to her temples in exasperation. “Good heavens! You truly have lost your mind, bringing this crazy woman back into our castle, Rex.”
• “She has not fully recovered yet,” Rex stated smoothly, his expression impassive.
• “So, you two intend to stay here again, is that it?” Rosaura asked, finally shifting the interrogation.
• “We came only to share the news of her pregnancy,” Rex replied coolly.
• Rosaura delicately lifted a small, crystal cup of warm apple cider. She fixed Luna with one final, freezing stare before taking a slow, deliberate sip. “You may remain here for a while. After all, such a long journey must be terribly exhausting for her condition.”
• Rex slowly turned his head to look at Luna. “What do you think?” he asked, a subtle challenge in his deep voice.
• Luna swallowed hard, giving a minuscule shake of her head. “I… I really do not think so—”
• “Very well. We shall stay here for the foreseeable future,” Rex cut in abruptly, entirely overriding her plea.
• “Mr. Rex…” Luna’s voice snagged in her throat. She desperately wanted to object, to scream that she felt entirely unsafe and suffocated in this hostile house, but Rex had already mercilessly slammed the door on the conversation.