Judith always managed the dinner expertly. Vinsen, having arrived, immediately clarified why Derrick did not come to greet him.

«He is already waiting in the restaurant» — if the Duke was below the guest in rank, of course, it would be right to meet him. However, in such a situation, Derrick is not obliged to do this, so Judith preferred to postpone the meeting of these two as much as possible.

Until Vincent arrived, the Duchess had been wondering for a long time whether she would hide the fact that Derrick was a demon. She didn’t see anything wrong with revealing this secret, but there were also no advantages. Therefore, Judith made a decision: for the first time to hide information about her spouse.

Since such information can somehow leak into the light and reach the Emperor, and this was not part of the family’s plans.

The fewer people who know the secret, the better.

Judith didn’t suspect Vincent of cheating in any way, but there were too many extra eyes and ears around. That is why such a decision was made. Previously, Derrick was considered the closest person to the Emperor, but after his death, this post was taken by Vincent – the closest and highest-ranking relative of her husband.

And people scouring for fresh gossip will rush to this news like hungry hyenas, seeing the slightest chance. And if no one knows the information, then, accordingly, this will not happen. And another question was: will my brother believe in these fairy tales? After all, the devil who took the place of her husband … sounds unthinkable.

Remembering that her brother and Derrick would soon meet face to face, the girl tensed, and her stomach twisted.

It would be better if I didn’t know who you are!

She just hoped that the evening would pass without too much fuss.

Arriving at the restaurant, Judith saw that her husband was sitting upstairs and waiting for a guest. Vincent silently approached him and asked for a handshake with a gesture. Normally, the Marquis should have bowed, because there was a huge difference between the Duke and him, but, nevertheless, due to family ties, this did not have to be done.

Derrick glanced at his wife, who was standing right behind Vincent, and then reluctantly extended his hand.

«I heard you lost your memory.»

«That’s right.»

«I hope everything is fine with your health?»

«Fortunately,» Derrick replied shortly, shrugging his shoulders. Judith stared at him intently: her husband looked really natural, as if nothing had happened.

Maybe he held a high position among the demons? If you think about it, he also held up well at the meeting with the Emperor…

However, as if waking up from a dream and breaking away from her thoughts, she invited the guest to sit down. Dishes began to appear on the table: turkey roast, salad evenly sprinkled with parmesan, grilled trout with tomato sauce. In addition, the food looked extremely appetizing.

Vincent chewed his food carefully:

«By the way, I was happy to hear the news of your recovery, Duke. But I didn’t have time to prepare a gift,» his gaze simultaneously turned to him.

At that moment, Judith remembered the pile of gifts that had accumulated in the office, because everyone considered it their duty to congratulate the family. That is why there was simply nowhere to put them. It was as if Vincen had read her thoughts:

«I think you have already received a lot of gifts… But I want to give you something unusual.

«What exactly?» Derrick asked, who was now eating more calmly than usual-at the request of his wife.

«For example, a gift to a child who will be born later? Or something similar.»

Judith held her breath at these words. It seemed that his brother just wanted to provoke Derrick, whom they had not seen for a long time. It was like the last dinner together: then Vincent asked if the Duke was going to have an heir. The couple’s bed life was their personal and very piquant business, in which few could interfere.

Judith was embarrassed and coughed, not expecting such a turn of events. The Duke, who had been eating calmly before, suddenly put the dishes on the table. For the first time, interest flashed in his purple eyes.

«I get it,» he laughed. «I’m just trying to have a baby right now.»

Judith swallowed and blushed, not understanding how he could talk so calmly about such things at the dinner table. Derrick was always grinning and didn’t hide it. The girl shuddered, looking at her brother. She thought she would see a smile or something like that, but the expression on Vincent’s face seemed strange. He wasn’t smiling or frowning. The expression on his face was one of indifference.

«Brother?» Judith called out involuntarily.

She didn’t understand what was going on and what kind of atmosphere was in the air, so she called out to him. Vincent, as if coming to his senses from a dream, looked at her with a slight smile.

Or was it just my imagination?

Doubting what she saw, the Duchess constantly watched her brother and his behavior for the rest of the meal. However, he did not do anything else strange and reprehensible. Although it wasn’t something out of the ordinary, Judith felt indignation in her heart.

The bathroom was filled with water vapor, through which it was impossible to see anything. This was because Judith ordered hot water to be prepared to relieve fatigue. With the help of the maids, she took off the terrible and restraining dress, then carefully entered the bath. As soon as the fingertips touched the moisture, it seemed that fatigue was gradually disappearing, thanks to the warmth.

Before that, Judith had not been out for a long time, which made this trip seem too tedious and unexpected. She was exhausted to the point that she would never want to go through such a thing again. Recently, Judith had wanted to arrange a tea party with noble ladies, but now she doubted this idea.

The maids rubbed their shoulders and back with gentle and soft hands, doing massage. Judith leaned back in the tub, feeling her body slowly relax. Moments and events that had happened only in one day popped up in my head: a meeting with the Emperor, the arrival of my brother. Although His Majesty asked Judith to leave, everything went well: he believed in memory loss.

«Sylvia,» she muttered to herself as the maids carefully washed her beautiful silver hair. Judith studied the surface of the water, remembering the face of the girl she had met in the palace.

But pulling herself together, the Duchess put that out of her mind and returned to her former composure. Suddenly, the hand that had been massaging and touching Judith without hesitation all this time stopped. The girl turned to the maids, who now had a strange atmosphere between them. And suddenly she noticed the culprit-Derrick, standing near the door and half-naked. He seemed ready for bed.

Judith, fascinated by the performance. it took me a moment to realize that I was completely naked. She hurriedly covered herself with her hands, although the clear water still reflected her naked body. Derrick glanced at the maids, after which they hurried away. The door closed noiselessly behind them, leaving the Duke and Duchess alone.

«Why are you here?»

«I didn’t think I’d wait for you anymore,» he took off his shirt, under which there was nothing, and exposed his copper skin. His firm, masculine body immediately attracted Judith’s gaze.

The open shoulders were wide enough, even if you wrapped them with two hands; and the pectoral muscles, forming a rigid line of shoulders, were strong and prominent. Every part of the body showed strength and power; the perfect proportions were like a gift from God himself.