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The Duchess Collapses

last update Last Updated: 2025-06-20 16:44:59

Rain lashed against the towering glass windows of the Fleming estate as if the heavens themselves were raging. Thunder groaned in the distance, echoing the tension that coiled in Cedric Fleming’s chest. The storm had rolled in unexpectedly, darkening the skies above the brilliant capital of Country D, and with it, a sense of foreboding settled over the grand halls of the mansion.

In the heart of the opulent ballroom, under shimmering chandeliers and velvet-draped pillars, the nobles of the monarchy gathered for what should have been a celebration of the duchess’s charitable foundation. But Duchess Evelyne Fleming had grown quieter over the past year, her appearances rare, her smiles even rarer. And tonight, though regal in her midnight-blue gown and sapphire earrings, she had a weariness in her eyes that only her son had noticed.

Cedric stood at a distance, tall and impassive, his eyes trained on her every move even as he entertained foreign dignitaries. His mother’s health had been d
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  • The Phoenix Bride Rises: Trust Was Her First Mistake    Revealed By Innocence

    The restaurant Cedric chose was tucked discreetly within the hillside gardens of Upper Lencaster, a private rooftop garden eatery surrounded by flowering hedges, the scent of lavender and white rose gently mingling in the air. A soft golden sunset glazed the sky, casting the world in warm, mellow hues.It was the kind of place Rosa would have once dreamed of visiting, before her world had collapsed, before she had known what heartbreak felt like from someone who never even said goodbye. Now, she was sitting at a round table across from that man, Duke Cedric Fleming, the father of her children, and her heart was not sure whether to shatter or settle.Cassian and Celeste were dressed neatly. Cedric had sent over designer outfits, complete with a velvet bowtie for Cassian and a pearl hair clip for Celeste. Arla-Rosa had almost refused, but the twins had pleaded with eyes too hopeful to crush. They wanted this. Celeste nibbled on a buttered dinner roll, swing

  • The Phoenix Bride Rises: Trust Was Her First Mistake    The Encounter

    The silence between them stretched like a taut string, heavy with years of unanswered questions and unspoken truths. Cedric stared at Arla-Rosa, no, Rosa, as she now called herself. A mask shielded her face, but he did not need to see her features to recognize her. He had memorized every curve of her jaw, the softness in her eyes, the quiet defiance she wore like armor. He saw all of that now, tamed but unbroken.His hands curled into fists at his side. “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?” Arla-Rosa knelt beside Cassian and Celeste, checking them for any signs of injury. She didn’t look up when she answered. “Would it have changed anything? You didn’t even look at me that morning.”Cassian looked between them, his gaze sharp and observant. Celeste clung to her mother’s arm, sensing something heavy brewing beneath the surface. “You’re right,” Cedric said finally. “I didn’t. I was cold. Detached. That’s how I was taught to be.” Arla-Rosa stood up, br

  • The Phoenix Bride Rises: Trust Was Her First Mistake    Twins Make A Plan

    The sun rose shyly over Country D, slipping its golden fingers between the dense clouds that loomed like silent sentinels above the city. The garden behind their temporary estate had begun to thaw from the chill of dawn, dew glistening on leaves like tiny tears. Inside the sunlit nursery, the twins were already up, perched like little foxes at the window, watching the birds."Cassian," whispered Celeste, her tone solemn for an almost four-year-old. "I’m sure of it now." Cassian turned to her, curious. "Sure of what?" "That man. The one we keep seeing. He’s not just anyone. He’s… he’s our daddy." Cassian did not laugh or tease like he usually did. Instead, he nodded slowly. "I think so too."It had been the eyes, they both agreed. And the nose. And that strange tight feeling they got in their chests every time the man looked their way. "But why doesn’t Mama tell us?" Celeste asked, voice small. "Why is she hiding it?" Cassian frowned. "Mama has lots of sec

  • The Phoenix Bride Rises: Trust Was Her First Mistake    Glimmers of Recognition

    The evening air clung to the garden like a velvet cloak, cool, still, and heavy with the scent of blooming night jasmine. Rosa sat by the small window in her temporary estate’s study, nursing a steaming cup of chamomile tea. Her thoughts were a mess. Despite the mask she wore, Cedric had looked at her with searching eyes. He didn’t press again after this morning, but his silence felt more dangerous than confrontation.She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. Her heart had not stopped pounding since she left the palace. The room was silent save for the faint rhythmic breaths of her sleeping children in the adjoining nursery. He’s close to the truth.And what would happen once Cedric knew? Would he demand the twins? Would he try to drag them into the cold world of aristocracy where emotions were a liability?She could still feel the sharp sting of his rejection four years ago, the morning after that cursed night when he handed her

  • The Phoenix Bride Rises: Trust Was Her First Mistake    Near Encounters

    Cedric could not sleep. Long after the moon had risen and the palace lights had dimmed, he sat alone in his private study, his gaze fixed on the small glass of whiskey in his hand. The amber liquid swirled with every slight movement of his wrist, but he had not taken a sip in hours.His thoughts had been hijacked. By her. Doctor Rosa. Or was it Arla-Rosa? 'No. It can’t be.'But the way her hands had moved, the shape of her eyes behind that mask, the tilt of her head when she listened... It was all too familiar. And that lullaby, he had only heard Arla hum it, once, in that brief window of calm during their short acquaintance.Why would a mountain folk song from Country L, supposedly “taught by a grandmother”, sound identical to Arla’s? Is it her? His mind churned with confusion. And guilt. He remembered how he had tossed her aside, handed her a pill and a black card, not even sparing her dignity. It had been cruel, cold, and inexcusable. But he had been furious at the time. Furious a

  • The Phoenix Bride Rises: Trust Was Her First Mistake    Back In Country D

    The rain didn’t stop the next morning. A thin mist clung to the windowpanes of Arla-Rosa’s temporary quarters at Fleming House of Hope, softening the edges of the world outside. The clouds rolled like a restless ocean above the gleaming towers of Brilliant City, veiling it in an almost mournful gray. But inside her room, everything was still.She stood at the window, arms folded across her chest, gazing at a skyline that had once felt like a cage. The palace glittered faintly in the distance, silent, imposing, eternal. She was back. Not as the Duke’s shadow or the naive girl desperately clinging to love. No. She had returned as Doctor Rosa, a force in her own right, bound by duty, not desire.A soft knock broke her thoughts. “Come in,” she said calmly. Nurse Eline, the one assistant Rosa had selected for this mission, stepped in with a warm smile. “The Duchess has stabilized. Her blood pressure’s responding. And... she asked for you.” Arla-Rosa nodded and

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