Damian's Truth
Valeria could see how affected Damian was. Since she had known him, she had never seen him so dejected and distressed. His eyes revealed a mixture of desperation and frustration that moved her deeply.
"Damned Marquis Floren," Damian exclaimed, with a thread of contained fury. "That man is a swindler. My father told me he wanted to do business with him, but because rumors circulate that he does not play fair, my father rejected him."
Valeria looked at him seriously, leaning slightly toward him:
"Tomorrow I have to go see my brothers," Damian said. "Let me speak with my father and we will see what we can do."
"Are you sure, Valeria?" he asked with a certain unease. "I do not want to involve my aunt and uncle in this."
"Nonsense," Valeria responded firmly. "Leave it to me. Now do me a favor: speak with Diego. He is worried about you, and it is not fair that he suffers because you do not share what is happening to you, when your brother never hides anything from you."
"You are right," Damian accepted. "I will speak with him. Thank you."
Damian stood up and embraced Valeria affectionately, grateful that she had taken the time to listen to him. For the first time in weeks, he felt that someone could understand his pain. Before they could separate, as if destiny had planned it, Diego appeared in the room. He observed his brother with a furrowed brow and spoke in a firm voice:
"Am I interrupting?"
Valeria rolled her eyes discreetly, like someone who already expected Diego's jealous reaction.
"Enough, Diego," she answered with a tone of contained annoyance. "Set your jealousy aside. I will leave you two alone, Damian, but remember what I told you."
Before leaving, Valeria winked at him and abandoned the room, leaving the brothers face to face. Diego took a deep breath and with some irritation asked:
"Now you and I are going to talk. Why were you embracing 'my' fiancée? Lately you have been very strange and, on top of that, she called you Damian. Since when are you so close? Speak."
Damian leaned back slightly, exhaling with frustration.
"Do you seriously think I would have something with Valeria? Don't be an idiot. And what's strange about me is what I want to talk to you about, but if you're going to get in that jealous mood, I'd better go."
"You're right, sorry," Diego accepted, a bit flushed. "But when it comes to Valeria, I lose my mind. I cannot stand her being near anyone who isn't me. Well… what do you have to tell me?"
Damian began to relate everything he had been living through in the last months, letting each word release the tension accumulated in his chest. Diego listened to him attentively, gradually understanding the magnitude of the problem.
Meanwhile, Valeria decided to search for the young woman Damian had mentioned as his beloved, to ensure that her feelings were sincere. She scoured the gardens, the dining hall, and finally remembered that Damian had said she used to spend time in the library. Without wasting more time, she headed there.
There she found her, lost in the reading of a novel. The young woman seemed completely oblivious to the outside world, and Valeria understood in seconds why Damian had been trapped from the first moment. The way Diana concentrated, how her hands held the book, and how her eyes shone with emotion… it was a spectacle in itself.
After a few minutes, and seeing that the girl would not notice her presence if she did not speak, Valeria decided to break the silence:
"What is it about? It seems interesting…"
Diana looked up, surprised.
"Oh… Princess Valeria," she made a quick curtsy.
"So much formality is not necessary, Miss."
"Diana Rivas, your Highness."
"A pleasure, Miss Diana. Well, now that we have broken the ice, shall we talk for a bit?"
"Talk? What could the Crown Princess have to talk about with the daughter of a mere baron?" Diana said, nervous, hoping that Valeria did not know of her relationship with Damian. But Valeria's next sentence dissipated her hopes.
"About Prince Damian, of course. Do not play coy, Miss Diana. Nor pretend not to know the reason I am here. That being clarified, I came to know if you love Prince Damian and if you wish to form a future with him."
Diana swallowed hard and felt her eyes grow moist. At last, she could no longer hide what she felt.
"Yes… I love him," she whispered, letting a thread of tears escape. "But there is nothing I can do. My destiny is to marry a much older man. And if I do not comply with that, my parents will force another of my sisters. I could not be happy alongside Damian knowing that one of my sisters suffers because of me."
Valeria looked at her with softness and firmness:
"It shall not be so. None of you will suffer. But I am going to need your help. Damian believes you do not love him, that your words are empty, because every time he seeks solutions, you refuse to accept help. I understand you; I also have siblings and there is nothing I would not do for them. But tell me, Miss Diana, what makes you think that when you are married your parents will not do the same with your younger sisters?"
Diana remained in silence. She had never considered it, but Valeria was right: if her parents had been so cruel to her, nothing ensured they would not repeat the story with her sisters.
"You see," Valeria continued. "You sacrifice yourself now, then the next one, and so on. The only happy ones will be your parents. You must fight and not let yourself be defeated. Do not accept your misfortune so easily."
"You are right," Diana admitted, her voice trembling. "Nothing ensures me that when I am away they will not do the same to my sisters. But what should I do?"
"Tranquil, dear," Valeria smiled. "I already have a plan, but I will need your help. Do you have access to your father's study?"
Diana nodded with determination, ready to collaborate with the princess in whatever was necessary.
"Perfect," Valeria said, leaning on the table with resolve. "Then the first thing we will do is…"
Valeria was traveling toward the capital together with Diana. After leaving the young woman at her home to initiate her plan, Valeria headed to the Delacroix Duchy, knowing that her father was a key piece for all of this to work.
Upon arriving at Diana's mansion, the young woman descended from the carriage and, after saying goodbye with a smile, entered her home.
"Sister! It is so good you could come," Diana exclaimed, embracing her with enthusiasm.
"Yes, I missed you all very much," Valeria responded with warmth.
Diana spent the afternoon with her sisters, sharing high-society gossip and enjoying tea in the garden. Meanwhile, Valeria headed to the Delacroix Duchy. At the entrance, her parents and brothers awaited her with smiles.
"Valeria!" her younger brother greeted her.
"Hello, children, how have you been?" she asked, kneeling to greet Tomy and Lucas.
"Very well, sister, we miss you so much when you are not here," Tomy said.
"Yes! You have to stay with us longer," Lucas added.
"It is not long now until my classes end. Can you wait a little bit more?" Valeria asked.
"All right," both responded, blushing, taking her hands as they entered the mansion to have a snack together.
After a while, Valeria decided it was time to speak with her father. Looking him directly in the eyes, she spoke with seriousness:
"Father, can I speak with you alone?"
Duke Maximiliano, seeing the gravity on his daughter's face, nodded immediately.
"Of course, let us go to the study," he said, leading her inside.
They took a seat facing each other and the Duke asked, worried:
"What is happening, daughter? You have looked very serious since you arrived."
"It is a delicate matter, father," Valeria explained, "but first I need you to promise me that you will say nothing to Emperor Fernando."
"What is going on, Valeria? You are scaring me," the Duke said, with a furrowed brow.
"It is not to be scared of. I only trust in you and I do not want to involve anyone else," she responded firmly.
"I promise. Now speak."
Valeria related to her father everything that was happening with Damian and how she needed his help to protect Diana and her sisters. She explained that the Rivas Barons and Marquis Floren were threatening Diana with a forced marriage and that they would probably repeat the same pattern with the other daughters. She also handed him a report that Diana had prepared with evidence of the corruption and shady business dealings of those involved.
"All right, daughter," Maximiliano said, taking a mental note. "You can count on me. I will carry out my investigations and let you know as soon as I have everything confirmed."
"Thank you, father. I knew I could count on you," Valeria said, embracing him with gratitude.
The Duke returned the embrace and, after saying goodbye, Valeria left determined to find a way to help Damian.
That night, while everyone slept, Diana left her room with caution and headed to her father's study. She located the safe hidden behind the bookcase and began trying the combination. On the verge of giving up, she remembered the birthday of Teodoro, her younger brother.
After five daughters, her parents had already lost hope of having a male child. But when they stopped trying, Teodoro arrived. He was clearly the light of his parents' eyes, while Diana and her sisters were received with indifference. For that reason, their birthdays passed unnoticed.
Concentrated, Diana finally opened the safe. Inside she found important papers, records of accounts, properties, and other documents with figures she did not entirely understand. She knew the information was valuable, so she gathered them carefully. Before returning to her room, she headed to the backyard. Among the trees, a knight from the Delacroix Duchy awaited her, whom Valeria had designated to receive the documents safely.
"Is this everything, Miss?" the knight asked.
"Yes, this is everything I found. Please, take it to Princess Valeria," Diana responded.
"So I shall do, Miss," the knight answered, taking the documents with respect.
Diana returned to her room, satisfied to have completed her part of the plan, and prepared to rest, hoping that Valeria could use the information to protect Damian and her family.
The next morning, at the Delacroix Duchy, the whole family was having breakfast together when a knight requested to speak with Valeria.
"Good morning, Crown Princess," the man greeted, handing her the documents. "Miss Diana gave this to me last night for you."
"Thank you very much, Sir Costa," Valeria said, handing him some coins as gratitude for his discretion. "This errand was personal of mine, so receive these as a token of my gratitude."
"It is not necessary, your Highness, it is my job," the knight responded.
"Sir Costa," Valeria insisted, with seriousness. "Accept, please."
The knight nodded and accepted the gesture. Valeria then headed to her father's office, where her mother, Duchess Renata, was also present. Both began to review the documents while Valeria waited, anxious to understand the magnitude of the situation.
Soon, Duke Maximiliano raised his voice, indignant:
"These types are barbarians! How can they do this to their own daughters?"
"But, darling," Renata asked, "what did you discover to get so upset?"
"Valeria was right," Maximiliano intervened. "They did not only sell Diana, but also two other girls. And not only that, they are involved in human trafficking and the sale of slaves. The main partner of Marquis Floren is Baron Rivas, who has invested his entire estate in these businesses. That is why Floren conditioned the equal partnership on Diana's marriage; if she does not marry the Marquis, the Baron would lose everything and the Marquis would remain as the sole owner."
"But that is terrible!" Valeria exclaimed. "We have to help those girls. We cannot allow these inhuman parents to sell their daughters as if they were slaves."
"Dad, this is no longer just a favor for Damian," Valeria continued. "This is bigger. I ask you to help us get these girls out of that family. Those people do not deserve to be called parents."
"I told you I would not tell Emperor Fernando anything," Maximiliano responded, "but this I must notify. Furthermore, if that family is arrested, the girls would be left helpless until some relative can take them in, and being so many, they would probably be separated."
"But what if we adopt them?" Valeria asked.
"Ha, ha, dear," Renata said, with a smile. "I love children, but with four brothers it is already enough."
"Yes, Elizabeth," Maximiliano said. "Your mother is right. It would be many children. I love my children, but there are days when they consume us so much that we wish to be just the two of us again. Imagine if they are multiplied by ten."
Upon seeing her parents' expressions, Valeria understood that, although they were happy with their children, they needed time for themselves. She could not demand that they raise more children when she would soon be leaving them.
"All right," Valeria said with determination. "I will not let those girls be separated. I will devise a plan so that does not happen. But for the moment, we must set in motion the strategy to bring down those rats, Marquis Floren and Baron Rivas."