Chapter 11
Duke Maximiliano was already on his way to the palace. Upon arrival, he was guided to the office of Emperor Fernando, who was waiting for him accompanied by his advisors.
"Greetings, Majesty," Maximiliano said, bowing with respect.
"It was about time, Maximiliano. I expected you earlier," Fernando responded. "Leave us alone, please," he ordered the advisors, who withdrew immediately. Then he made a sign for the Duke to take a seat and observed him intently. "My word, friend, what is that look on your face? The only times I have seen you like that were the day of your wedding and when Valeria was born. Come, speak."
"Oh, my friend, you know me well," Maximiliano smiled. "But this expression is one of happiness. Today we made the Delacroix family grow."
"Really, Maximiliano? Congratulations, brother! Finally you were able to give Valeria a brother or sister. How far along is she?" Fernando said, rising from his seat and approaching to embrace him.
"No, Fernando, Renata is not pregnant," Maximiliano responded with a laugh. "Early today we went to the orphanage and adopted four children."
Fernando could not believe what he was hearing. Between surprise and incredulity, he murmured:
"Four? My, that certainly is a lot. I knew you wanted more children, but… four? Especially when you are just now resuming the practice of being parents."
"That does not matter," Maximiliano replied. "As Valeria said, we are still young. Besides, she has always wanted to have siblings. Today we encountered these little ones and the director of the orphanage explained to us that people had wanted to adopt them separately, but that she did not want to separate them due to everything they had suffered. They are the children of the former Baron Duran. Do you remember?"
"Of course I do. There were many assumptions after his death. It was said that he squandered his estate and that his house was set on fire as a warning for debts with gambling houses. It was also rumored that there were no survivors of the incident."
"Really? I did not know all those details. According to the director, one of the nannies managed to rescue the four, but their parents and an older sister died in the fire."
"How tragic…" Fernando said, moved. "But now those children are under your care and they could not have better parents. I know how much you desired a male heir. I always admired how you taught self-defense and swordsmanship to your children when they grew up. Tell me more about them."
"Well, there is Sofia, the eldest, seven years old. She is very serious and her siblings respect her a lot. Then there are the twins, Tomas and Lucas, five years old. Although they are identical, their personalities are distinct: Tomas is curious and sociable; Lucas, timid and introverted. And finally, Mia, three years old, the smallest. She is a charming baby, beautiful both inside and out."
Fernando took a handkerchief from his pocket and extended it to Maximiliano:
"Here, wipe yourself, you're drooling," he joked.
Maximiliano smiled at the mockery:
"Stop with the nonsense."
"Ha, ha, ha… Alright, I was only joking. I am very happy for you, my friend. Tell me, when can I meet them? With everything you told me, I am dying of curiosity."
"Do you not have other responsibilities, like ruling an empire? You always look for excuses to evade your obligations."
"That is not true," Fernando replied, feigning offense.
"Changing the subject, I need to ask a favor of you, Maximiliano. Last night, Diego came to make a request of me. He does not want the court to find out that his engagement to Valeria was canceled. He asked me to postpone any announcement because he does not wish for the young ladies to harass him. Now that he is seeking another empress, many nobles will want to offer their daughters, and he does not want arranged engagements. Furthermore, he believes it is too soon to become engaged again. I promised him to think about it, but what do you think?"
"You know, Valeria told me something similar. She does not plan to marry soon and asked me to speak with you so that the dissolution of the engagement would not be announced. She also does not want people approaching her out of interest."
"It is a pity they do not get along. Your daughter is very intelligent; I am sure she would be a great empress. For my part, there is no problem; we shall postpone the announcement."
"Perfect. Then I shall communicate this decision to Valeria later."
After that conversation, both continued speaking about matters of the Empire of the Rose, always between jokes and laughter, as they were accustomed to doing.
Meanwhile, in the Delacroix Duchy, Renata and Valeria were having tea in the garden while the children ran happily around them.
"I never imagined seeing children running through my garden again… I had already lost hope of being a mother again," Renata said, her eyes glassy.
"Now, mother, do not be like that," Valeria responded. "How about we go play with them instead?"
Renata, seeing that her daughter did not want to see her sad, nodded and both rose immediately to join the game.
"Can we play with you?" Valeria asked.
"Yes, fairy mommy, come, sit with me," Mia said, making space for her at the small table where Sofia was having tea.
"What did you call me?" Renata asked, moved by the sweetness of the nickname.
"Fairy mommy… is it wrong?"
Renata smiled broadly. The tenderness of the girl moved her until she could almost not contain her tears.
"Of course not, darling. You can call me whatever you wish."
Mia gave her a smile and continued playing.
"I want to call you that too, mommy," Tomas said, seeing how happy his little sister was when using the nickname.
"Of course, treasure. You can all call me that if you want."
The twins' eyes sparkled with hope, and Valeria joined the game. They spent the afternoon among laughter, races, and talks full of innocence.
An hour before dinner, Maximiliano arrived at the duchy. He approached the parlor and found the entire family gathered: Valeria was reading a story while the children listened attentively. Without interrupting, Maximiliano kissed the cheek of Renata, who had only just noticed his arrival. He sat beside her in silence, waiting for his daughter to finish the reading.
When Valeria closed the book, she met the smiles of her parents and the curious gaze of her siblings.
"And what else happened, sister?" Tomas asked.
"Yes, what else happened?" Lucas added.
"Did they manage to get out of the forest?" Sofia asked.
"Tell us more, please," Mia said.
"Nothing, nothing… go wash your hands, we are about to have dinner. Tomorrow we continue with the story," Valeria said, guiding them by the hand while Clara helped them get ready.
"Oh, daughter, I see that being an older sister comes naturally to you," Maximiliano commented.
"What are you saying, dad?" Valeria laughed. "It is just that I like children, and these ones are extremely sweet. Isn't that right, mother?"
"Of course, darling. These children are a love."
"It gladdens me to see you both so happy. By the way, Valeria, I spoke today with the Emperor. We agreed not to announce the breakup of your engagement for a time. He told me that Diego also does not want the information to be made public yet."
Valeria nodded in silence, not knowing what to say, and added:
"I understand. I shall go wash up for dinner and then I will be with you."
The Dukes noticed her somewhat strange behavior, but they let her leave without insisting. Valeria, while going up to her room, thought:
"What could Diego be plotting? According to the novel, he was the one most interested in canceling this engagement. Why wouldn't he want the others to know?"
Without giving the matter further thought, she decided to get ready and return to her family, leaving the Prince's mysteries for later.