TRAPPED BY THE SECOND MALE LEAD
CHAPTRE 10

Zoya looks at her husband and son in turn, taking a good look at the situation. The graceful woman then sighed in relief. "Thank God my family is fine" she was relieved after a night of waking up thinking about what would happen to her husband the next day.

Seeing the condition of her husband who has returned to normal, Zoya so remembered their plans some time ago. "You said you wanted to take us on vacation" she told her husband.

It was only when Zoya brought it up that Ziel remembered the events that had befallen him after he had quit the Black Celtic. His intention was to buy a train ticket to go to Avallone, but he instead walked in an uncertain direction and almost stepped on a passing horse carriage because of his carelessness that did not look before crossing.

Ziel doesn't remember having to go to the station. Mind empty. Even though his eyes were still open, he could see nothing. "I'm sorry, I forgot to buy it." The blond grazed man scratched his nape feeling guilty.

Marigold laughed lightly, "That's it. We can vacation next time, there's still plenty of time."

Ziel began to remember what was being talked to by his friends yesterday "Oh yeah, Marigold. How was your trip with Arden yesterday?" Zoya sumringah as Ziel inquires about her daughter's closeness to the Grand Duke's only son.

Marigold almost choked on tea. His cheeks met with pink "Yes, everything went well. I've brought him closer to our town."

Zoya silently observes something else on Marigold's face.

"My friends talked about you yesterday and asked about your closeness. How, do you like Grand Duke Palmieri's son?" ziel asked again a little teasing his beloved daughter.

Marigold began to play the drama wily, his expression changed, he turned bitterly smiling. "I like him enough, he treats me very well. But if you're talking about engagement and stuff, I'm not gonna do that."

Ziel and Zoya throw confused gazes at each other, why would their daughter say that if everything went smoothly enough? "Why is that, son? You're going to keep your role as a Saintess devoted to the whole society?" Zoya honestly did not want Marigold to make that decision.

Marigold put down his teacup then sat up straight "It seems Arden is closer to Meridia. If asked to choose, it feels like Arden will not anchor his heart to me. So I'm gonna succumb to Meridia's happiness."

A smile like an older brother who loved his sister so sincerely was able to deceive his parents who had darkened their eyes from the beginning.

Ziel's jaw hardened "What do you mean? How could they know each other?". Anyway, come to think of it, how could William's family accept a servant. But he hated his own daughter.

Marigold kept a smile as if he accepted the reality "I don't know either. After seeing Arden so attentive to Meridia as she fell unconscious, I was sure it was no ordinary worry," Marigold looked at his two parents with teary eyes "I have no problem with that father. Forcing something won't end well so I'll just give up."

Marigold manages to ignite the fire in Ziel and Zoya's hearts. Just by playing an expression, everyone will immediately side with him, what a pleasant life, isn't it?

Since yesterday Ziel has been busy taking care of all the letters and documents related to his business and cooperation with several other nobles. All his business went well but he sacrificed a lot of time to work on it.

His ears and heart were both itching to hear Marigold succumbing to something he deserved just for a lump of trash like Meridia.

"Calm down, Marigold. What is destined for you will remain yours and will not be exchanged for others." Ziel ends his family's little tea party to find the culprit of his daughter's problems.

Ziel wants to go straight to Meridia but his personal butler informs him that he has a partner. Inevitably he had to endure his accumulated annoyance and go to the living room.

•

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•

The night had come, Meridia had finished her bath, and now she had laid her thin body on her narrow cold bed. He deliberately turned off the lights so that no one would come teasing.

"Uncle Sammy must have seen it wrong. I can't possibly get along that easily," murmured the master of the room while making both arms as pads.

Believe it or not, daydreaming can bring calamity too, for example as is happening to Meridia now "There is something strange. I've been really calm and happy all day, it looks like something's going to happen to me."

Yes, by daydreaming all the feelings come over to spice up the mood until the head until finally what is not necessary to think is all residing in the brain and aggravate the situation.

Meridia gasped when someone easily opened the door of her room which she had clearly locked, apparently it was the butler "What's wrong?" ask Meridia to the point.

"His Royal Highness the Marchioness called you to come to the living room. Come now."

"Yes." Yeah."

Meridia tied up her long hair and left. Do not you think he did not feel surprised by the sudden call, instead he was very surprised to know his birth mother after a long time wanted to meet face to face let alone to talk to Meridia.

Being with Zoya is not a good sign.

Arriving in the living room Zoya immediately turned her face reluctant to look at Meridia's face. "What did Your Majesty call me?"

"You. Until when do you want to be a barrier to my family's happiness - no, especially my daughter? I'm so sick of your behavior."

You can imagine how painful it is when your birth mother speaks in a cold, heartless tone to you. Meridia doesn't feel that way because she feels Zoya isn't her real mother.

Meridia sighed preparing the answer she made to make the graceful woman angry. "I've also told you dozens of times that I want to leave here but the Marquess keeps holding me back." Zoya didn't seem to like the choice Meridia said "It wasn't my desire to stay here. The Marquess doesn't want me to go anywhere, aren't you told the reason?"

Zoya stood up and looked at Meridia, "Enough! I didn't call you to talk about this! Stop provoking me!" annoyed. He asked, "How do you know Grand Duke Palmieri's son?"

Right after Zoya's mouth closed, Meridia realizes Marigold has started a new drama "I don't know her. I never got out of the mansion except to the market and to the woods near the house. You wouldn't suspect me meeting a high nobleman in the middle of this Norfolk forest, would you?"

"Don't lie! There's no way the Grand Duke's son would treat you as special as that if you didn't know each other."

Meridia scratched her temple "I don't understand. What do you mean preferential treatment? Can explain?"

Zoya clenched her hand "Don't play games with me. I don't want to see your face for too long, so just answer the truth quickly."

Meridia's amused ugliness managed to make the woman who was technically her biological mother squinted in surprise. "Marchioness, haven't you seen your daughter once? Ah anyway I don't know any of the nobles who live in this world."

"You're still pretending."

"I myself just heard that Marigold's guest helped me. We don't know each other, I've never seen his face at all."

Meridia kept thinking that Marigold was being too careful. Even if she didn't make the drama as if she and Arden were already close, Meridia wasn't destined for Arden.

Meridia is just a companion character who will end horribly without ever tasting what love is. This made Meridia realize that Marigold was always dissatisfied with what he had received and was always wary of Meridia's silence all along. That's what caused the gel to appear. It turned out that a perfect girl like her also did not have enough gratitude and confidence.

"I think the best way to overcome your anxiety is to throw me away? If I go all the way from here you'll calm down, won't you? The Marquess will definitely grant all the wishes of her beloved wife."

The conversation with Meridia actually makes Zoya meet an even more complex dead end. His heart ached withstanding the vexation that peaked all the way to the crown.

Meridia is not making up for the secret of the Marquess who chose to maintain the presence of her unwanted daughter.

Zoya once asked the reason why she would not throw Meridia away and Ziel just kept quiet and asked her not to worry about anything.

The second time he asked Ziel only replied by saying "If he wanders out there, they will realize his resemblance to our daughter. Even if we ask him to disguise it, which secret remains eternal? I don't want our family's reputation at stake."

Of course Zoya who directly faced Ziel had another judgment. Ziel's reasoning makes sense but it's not just that that that makes him reluctant to expel Meridia and to this day Zoya still doesn't know it.

Ten minutes passed and Zoya was still troubled by Meridia's words. His drowsiness had disappeared completely and was increasingly felt when the creaking of the door greeted his hearing. His legs stepped wide to shorten the time.

"Darling?"

His call was meaningless to the Emerald family's struggling leader. The problem is increasingly stacked while his brain is only one and no one can help him.

Once again, he entered the house with an unhappy feeling when there was a family who always waited and welcomed his return with a smile. The sense of failure as the head of the household weighed on his heart.

"Darling, what happened? Why are you so lethargic?" Zoya confronts Ziel and strokes her husband's cheeks attentively, her anxious gaze making Ziel want to cry in Zoya's arms.

"I'm sorry" he said weakly. Ziel clasped his wife's slender waist, bringing his body closer with a long sigh.

"What happened to you, hm?" Zoya patted her husband's back giving her the calm "You don't have to feel that awkward just because one thing you're having doesn't go smoothly. I'm sure this isn't your first time."

This is what Ziel likes about Zoya. The beautiful woman never tired of giving her support and always give it together in every step. His attention and tenderness always managed to be the safest and most comfortable place for Ziel to remove all the unmarked things that were anchored in his brain.

"I have high hopes to be able to establish cooperation with Baron Braveman. I thought he was going to make it happen together, but he suddenly said that he's got another business partner who has a bigger profit."

What was wrapped around the needle thread tangled threads in the brain can come out after Ziel feels calmer and not emotional. Zoya learns of the nature of her husband's strong ambition "Don't worry about it. Then your path is not there, Ziel. Come on, get some rest, it's night. Tomorrow you'll be back for another meeting."

After Ziel finished his bath, he saw his wife still sitting on the edge of the bed. Usually it is done when she has something that has not been told to her husband or child.

"Why are you still awake? You said we should rest" Ziel sat next to his wife.

"I'm not sleepy yet."

"Tell me now so you can sleep. I know you're going through something unpleasant today, too" Ziel stroked Zoya's head gently, saying, "I'm sorry I haven't had time for you. I was too busy with myself to ignore you. Now you can get it all out."

"Can you answer me honestly?" Ziel jerks. As the heart beats faster, "What do you want to ask?" askalanya.

"Why do you keep Meridia with us in this house?"

"It's a shame I'm tired enough, I can't discuss something as heavy as this anymore. Tomorrow I'll tell you everything."

"You're avoiding me again."

"..." - ".Ziel had forgotten about the problems he faced at home due to thinking about his employment contract with the failed Baron and now he remembers when Zoya mentioned the name of their twin daughters. "Did he create another problem?"

"Just answer my question."

"I've told you why I keep him here. It's all so our names stay clean."

then Ziel repeated the same explanation to Zoya with a longer sentence and of course it was easy to make the wife believe. Ziel couldn't risk taking the boy out there unattended from him.

Zoya let out a huffed breath of "She doesn't want to admit about her closeness to Arden. I don't know how else to react to it" he lamented in despair. "Can't you do something for our daughter Marigold? He's been so happy and because of Meridia now he seems to dream often."

Ziel felt heavy thinking about his two biological daughters. Yes, Ziel admitted he never liked Meridia but abandoned her like a stray cat a little disturbing the thought of "I'll think of another way. Now let's take a break."

"But Zi"

"Zoya ise. You push yourself too much, you know you get sick easily. I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Let's go to bed now."

In Marigold's room all the objects splattered evenly on the floor. Her jewelry box was tucked under her bed and all the contents of the box flew out of nowhere.

Seeing today her father had not acted made Marigold uneasy. His head hurts so much. The angel-faced girl sat up and grabbed her golden hair tightly "Sial, it hurts so much! Why does Meridia always worry me! I won't be able to calm down if he stays here!"

Dumfound. Even Marigold the strongest of hearts was unable to provoke Ziel to drive out his twin. I don't know what's holding Ziel's heart so he's not affected.

"I've got to find another way to let Dad get caught off guard and get him out of here."

Marigold put himself to sleep on the cold floor where his little things were strewn about "I can't trust Arden. Meridia won't answer my question either and will just piss me off."

"Oh. Should I request a vacation to Goldenleaf?"

Unlike her twin who is busy worrying about many things about her, Meridia actually saves a lot of energy to prepare for the problems that will befall her tomorrow. Ziel will definitely meet him.

"Let's see how Ziel responds to the ravings of his wife and son. If it threatens my freedom more then I'll run away as soon as possible. Without any money I can walk, hopefully the Marquess doesn't give me as much scrutiny as usual."

Because not getting sleepy finally Meridia just dumbfounded in the room while looking around the room. His eyes stopped right at the little trash can beside his study table "oh yes, the letter...is that true of Arden? If so, no wonder someone suspects me. Besides, his attitude is weird. It's different from what it's supposed to be."

It was not impossible because their meeting had changed. Meridia and Arden did not meet under such circumstances. They meet at Marigold's (and her) maturity party where Meridia steals one of Marigold's unused dresses and secretly follows the party.

There was no special impression in their meeting at the market at that time. If Meridia recalls, Arden has given her a good assessment of him for not intentionally helping.

"I am a fool. There's no need for you to judge me because I'm self-conscious enough" Meridia murmured at the stuff in her room, thinking of inanimate objects as interlocutors, including ridiculous stupidity.

No one knows what will happen tomorrow. But every time she closed her eyes, Meridia wished she could make it through the day until she found a way to be free.

"May I be immediately released by the Marquess."