The Rise of Caspian DiMarco - Misery to Mastery.

Chapter 42

Caspian watched as his daughter, Sonya, and Duchess Dillion sat at the dining table, the air tense with unspoken tension between the two.

It was the first time that they would gather and eat but still, he knew that there were unsettled issues among them all, mostly the one between himself and the Duchess.

Sonya, with her inquisitive nature, was firing questions at Duchess Dillion about the strange dishes laid out before them. The Duchess, in turn, was answering her with a polite smile, trying to navigate the tricky waters of their new relationship.

Caspian noticed the unwillingness to answer in the Duchess and she finally confirmed it as she tried to change the topic.

"Why don't you call me Mommy, Sonya?" Duchess Dillion asked gently, her eyes meeting the young girl's.

Sonya paused, her fork suspended in mid-air. She looked up at the Duchess, her eyes searching for something, perhaps a hint of warmth or familiarity. "I...I don't know," she finally mumbled, looking down at her p