After that night, everything went back to normal. I thought theo and his parents would have a hear to heart conversation but they all just acted like nothing happened but they all looked better now. It was like the dark shadow hanging around them was gone.
Theo and I started spending more time together, picking up different hobbies as we tried to find things that he would like now that he had decided to live happily without regrets. He also helped me with the creation of a magic hair dryer, although carion did most of the work.
"Your grace, you received a letter from miss ivy " wow so much has happened in the last 3 months since I married theo and 1 month since the winter festival, so I had almost forgotten about her existence.
"If she is requesting to see theo, go ahead and decline her request "
"Actually... she requested an audience with you. She said she has something of importance to say to you, your grace" just how low is she planning to go before she gives up, but hold on, this may be a good opportunity to get rid of her for good, its not good to leave flies buzzing for too long. It's best to swat them down so they can never move again.
"Fine grant her access 1pm 1 week from today"
"Yes your grace"
Mother and father will be going back on their vacation in 3 days, I'm going to miss them so much. Having breakfast with them daily always made me so happy, its like the years I missed out on having good parents were being repaid to me.
Just like that it was already time for mother and father to go on their vacation. I wanted to throw a tantrum and ask them to stay longer but I knew it would be wrong of me after all the love they have showered on me in the last 2 months.
"Clarisa, don't cry" mother wiped my tears and theo wrapped his hand around my shoulders.
"I'll miss you mother....father" they both hugged me.
"Okay... break it up, I'll comfort my wife" Theo pushed them off gently and him and mother began to bicker again. It made the once heavy mood light hearted even making me chuckle a bit.
"My dear, we are so glad to have you as our daughter, I never knew I wanted to have a daughter till I met you my dear. Thank you for staying strong and meeting me." Father squeezed my hand gently.
"Thank you father" i had so much to say but I knew i would be unable to keep my emotions in check if I began speaking.
"Clarisa... " Mother hugged me and whispered in my ears. 'Thank you for being born, I'm glad you are my daughter'
They climbed on board the carriage as they sped off away from the gate. Theo hugged me, but I wasn't feeling sad, i was actually anticipating our next reunion, as I wished them a happy vacation.
Theo and my days returned to what they used to be, spend the night together, have lunch and dinner together then do our duties separately. We decided to have a shared hobby, so we chose embroidery. For some really strange reasons theo was so good at it while I struggled to follow the outline.
"I watched mother allot while I was younger" he beams as he continues to stitch.
"I feel wronged, come on let's go fight outside" I stood up squaring up at him and he just laughed.
I loved our simple days, I enjoyed spending time with him..... but a part of me wanted more..... I wanted little theo's running and giggling around.... but i was too scared to bring it up..... after what he after the winter festival..... I know better than to bring up his childhood.
It was something that left me wanting more, each time I saw hannah's growing belle it made my chest tight. I really want a family of my own, I want kids but I don't know if theo wants them too. We have never spoken about having kids so I don't know if his childhood would make him not want one.
"Your grace" stefan's voice pulled me from my thoughts, its been this way since mother and father left. It's almost like a part of me is missing.
"Miss ivy is here to see you, if you are too tired, we can ask her to come some other time" has it been 4 days already?
"No I'm fine bring her to my office, thank you stefan"
"Greetings your grace, i hope you have been well?" I decided to meet her in my office today, i didn't want to give her a chair to seat as I wanted to spend as little time in her presence as possible.
"Welcome miss ivy, I heard you have something important to say to me, get to it as I am quite busy" she was trying her best to control her emotions.
"I understand I was quite rude to you in the past your grace, but still you said some rude things to me even when I was only trying to be nice to you, I would like to see his grace again. I miss my friend"
The audacity on this lady is beyond what I can imagine.
"Miss ivy i heard you had something important to say to me, i didn't know you came here to spout such nonsense. If you are done please leave I'm busy"
"What do you want me to do then? Do you want me to kneel and beg for forgiveness? This is tyranny, do you think you are special because you are the duchess..... that position was mine.....I have been by theo for years now.....what right do you have to treat me like this" she was screaming now. I guess she has decided to drop her act.
"The position is yours you say but weren't you the one who tried to murder theodore" he mouth hung open as her eyes opened in shock
"What!!! No i didn't...." she stammered
"There is no use denying it, everyone in the castle knows you were the one who poisoned him and left him bedridden for 3 days"
"What!!!! No i didn't.... who told you... does Theodore know...."
"Yes Theodore has always known it was you....."
"No..... that's not possible..... how could he know? He said he didn't remember.....he.... I...." she was stammering looking like an absolute fool. My head was starting to throb as the past few days were suddenly catching up with me.
"If you understand now, leave and never come back. You have hurt him enough, he pardoned you the past 8 years but don't expect me to do the same" I clutched my head trying to calm it down.
"What did you expect me to do then?" She said it in the most calm and dead pan way.
"What?"
"I had to protect the family that took me off the streets.... I was a poor orphan, what options did I have? It was either poison him or end up back on the orphanage.... I couldn't go back to the orphanage.... I suddenly had everything, so I couldn't lose it..... it's not my fault.....it's his fault for being born as the future duke..... it was his fate"
This crazy b***h, how can a human being be so vile, I turned to Hannah to make sure I wasn't the only one hearing this rubbish and she looked like she would rip off ivy's head if given the chance.
"So you lived in an orphanage and? Does that then give you the right to kill your friend? So because you were born without a silver spoon in your mouth, its okay to go around murdering those who were?"
"You don't get a right to lecture me clarisa..... you are a pampered lady who was spoiled by a count and then handed the title of duchess..... what right do you have to tell me about suffering? If you know nothing about things just shut up and stay out of it."
I was about to go off on her but Hannah had stormed over to ivy, spun her around and slapped her hard across the face sending her tumbling to the ground.
She grabbed the shocked ivy by the collar,
"So that was it? You were jealous? That was why you tried to kill his grace? You crazy wench.That orphanage you sre talking about..... the dukes family personal sponsor every child there. They are given the best meals and wear the finest of clothes..... so no you crazy wench you didnt have a hard childhood" She screamed as she shook her back and forth, i was going to pull her off but..... she was there.... she witnessed it all so if no one else, she has the right to be pissed off.
"Get off me you maid, how dare you slap me do you know who my patrons are"
"Keep saying rubbish and i'll slap you again, you crazy leach. You were his best friend, he trusted you... you saw how the past two incidents broke him..... and yet....yet.... you did something so vile without thinking twice and you dare say all this right now"
"Hannah, that's enough you may leave now" she was about to slap ivy a second time but i stopped her. She pushed her to the ground standing up and excusing herself out as Sarah took her place.
Ivy stood up angry screaming i should punish Hannah but I was done with her bullshit and her crazy demands.
"Ivy, did you suddenly go insane? Did you lose your senses after tasting a little wealth with the fyord's? Who do hell do you think you are giving orders to?" She flinched back at my icy tone.
"Your grace she slapped me....."
"And?" I slammed my hand on the table standing up.
"And so what if she slapped you? Is a slap worse than poisoning your best friend? Is it worst than telling me the position of duchess is yours? I can throw you in prison and charge you for treason for that word." She shrunk back as I stepped towards her.
"I want to tear you to shreds right now, the only reason I'm still holding back is because Theodore wants to spare your pathetic life. So let me give you a little advice and for your own good I hope you take it seriously. This will be the last time you show your face in front of me or my husband, the next time I even see your shadow around us, will be the day you are charged with your attempt to assassinate the duke and trust me when i say this, no amount of pain you experienced in childhood will let you escape then, after subjecting my husband to 8 years of mental abuse and torture." I pushed my finger jabbing it into her chest.
" your grace i didn't....."
"I don't care, you had many other options but you chose the worst one, you chose to kill your friend who trusted you with his life and even after everything, not once did you see reason enough to apologize to him for hurting him and for the betrayal..." she crumpled to the ground sobbing.
"And also you did have a choice you just chose to harm theodore because he had a life you so wished to have... you were just a jealous friend... you aren't the first person to grown up as an orphan so get over yourself. Having a bad childhood isn't excuse for being a terrible human being...."
I walked towards the door with Sarah behind me, i opened the door and turned back once more.
"Do you want to know why you did it? Its because you truly just suck miss ivy....you are just an evil person, plain and simple." I walked out and ordered the knights to take her out and never let her into the castle again. I took my gloves off and handed them to Sarah instructing her to burn them, I don't want to contract whatever ivy had that made her so evil.