Eilika didn't hesitate, recounting the entire conversation. She detailed the remarks made by Lady Alessia and the others, explaining how they had weaponized the late Duchess's memory to undermine her own position.
"I respect your first wife, Damian. I truly do," she said, her tone steady. "But I will not let them cheapen her memory by using it to peddle their own petty grievances. It felt wrong to hear them claim she would begrudge this household happiness or to suggest I am a mere placeholder. If I overstepped in silencing them, tell me plainly."
Damian set his spoon down, his focus entirely on her. "Ignore them. Those women rely on assumption because they lack actual insight. They don't know the truth, and they certainly don't know you."
