The Duke's Unwanted Wife

“Yes, my lord?”    

Your destiny…has changed. You have derailed from a glorious path and are now forging a path in darkness. Why have you chosen this path?    

“This path…is the only proper way forward. I will not lay my resentment to rest yet they shall not bother my life. This happiness within me is like an oasis in the desert. It feels like my heart has been craving it for a long time.”    

Happiness is not what you should desire! Power! Prosperity! Ascension!    

“What is all this without happiness, my lord?”    

Happiness is for mere mortals!    

“I…am a mortal, my lord.”    

Nevertheless…the mortal you call your sister is the reason why your path changed so much. You are destined to be enemies yet here she is, buttering you up to kill you. You must get rid of her before she kills you!    

“My lord, you know and see everything. Why would my sister want to kill me?”    

You are right that I can see everything and I know everything. However, there is one mortal I cannot see or know the depth of her powers. She is not under my protection nor does she get her powers from me. She is very dangerous.    

“My lord, my sister is very important to me. I simply cannot doubt her that easily and I…”    

You refuse to believe the words of a god?! How impudent! I am simply looking out for my Saintess and you think I’m trying to turn you against your family. This is the only warning I will give! Heed it or not at your own risk!    

“Adelie! Adelie! Adelie are you okay?”    

She gasped, turning to see Alana’s face inches away from hers. Her veil was still there so they couldn’t see her expression but she knew they were worried about her since she hadn’t said anything for a while.    

“I’m fine. I was just…thinking about something. Are we ready to leave now?”    

“Yes. Now, I just have to ask the King for a favor.”    

“You don’t call him father anymore?”    

“I only do that in the palace. You can rest in the carriage on the way back.”    

“Okay.”    

They got up and walked out of the hut, looking at the setting sky. Part of the reason why her veil stayed on was because of her transformed eyes. One of the blessings she received from Ducroft was the ability to see all, which meant she could see that the sky was a giant illusion netted in the barrier that surrounded the hollow. It was a complicated barrier that had likely existed for several years and even gods would find it hard to break.    

“I can see you have taken good care of my son. He’s very gentle but he can be a little stubborn sometimes. I feel like I can talk to you because we’re all women. I know my son is smitten with Lady Natalia but I don’t think their union will be possible. The love between them is undeniable but historically, the union between a male werewolf and a female human had never really worked out. Female humans are very easy to break and their bodies cannot bear carrying the children of a werewolf. There’s also her position and her fear of commitment. I didn’t want my son to get hurt. I won’t oppose their union but I want you to please watch over them.”    

Her plea was sincere and she rightfully appealed to the two. They made their promise, accepting what she gave them and started to make their way out of the Hollow. When they came out, they saw Fredrich playing absentmindedly with his magic.    

“I don’t think you’ve ever been left out of anything, Lord Kristen. Were you too bored by yourself? Care to explain that experience in detail?” Alana mocked.    

“Well, it was quiet before you came, your highness. I preferred the peace and quiet. I hope for this sort of experience again, your highness.”    

“Just say you missed me. I won’t hold it against you. After all, I’m the amazing…”    

“Shut up and let’s go. We’re wasting time,” Sebastian said, picking her up. He threw her on the giant wolf and carried Adelie up like a princess. Fredrich climbed up last and they were off. Sebastian ignored everything she had to say about treating a princess like a sack of rice while worrying about both his sisters. One was off in a dangerous land and the other was sitting too still for his liking. He sighed, finally stopping Alana’s tirade.    

“I’ll talk to my father as soon as we get back to the capital. We can still use Natalia’s teleportation portal, right?”    

He nodded, pressing Adelie’s hand to his forehead. He couldn’t feel her body through her gloved hand, making him worry even more.    

“I’ll take her back to the church. Perhaps someone will be able to tell me what is wrong with her.”    

Alana returned to the palace, accompanied by Fredrich. Marvis accompanied Sebastian who took Adelie back to the church. She was as still as a corpse but they couldn’t dishonor her by taking off her veil.    

“Princess Alana requests to see his majesty!” The chamberlain in front of the king’s office announced. The butler came in to tell her she was allowed entry. She came in alone and bowed to her father.    

“Have a seat, Alana,” he gestured to the couch in front of him. She took a seat and they sat in silence until the maids set tea cups and pastries out for them.    

“It’s rare for you to seek me out. What can I do for you, Alana?”    

“I have come to ask you a favor…father.”    

“A favor, huh? What could this favor be?”    

“I was hoping to get an invite to the kingdom of Berinda…”    

“No.”    

“But father, it’s really important…”    

“I will not change my mind. What kind of father will I be if I send my child off to die in the kingdom of Berinda? I suppose you don’t know about the anti-magic barrier designed to keep humans away from that place.”    

“I know about it…father.”    

“Then how can you say you still want to go?! I thought you fought so hard to be recognized because you wanted to live? What then has gotten into you?!”    

“Father please!” She fell to her knees, putting her head to the ground.    

“I’ll do anything!”    

“What is making you so desperate…anything, you say?”    

“Yes,” she swallowed, “anything.”    

He leaned back on his chair and smiled, sending a chill down her spine.    

The door opened and she finally came out after a while. After walking forward, she saw Fredrich who was once again waiting for her to come out.    

“What did he say?” He immediately asked, standing close to her. She looked at his face and looked away.    

“Let’s meet with the others at the church. I’ll tell everyone then.”    

Fredrich didn’t know why she was being evasive but the fear in her eyes made him hesitant to press the issue. They took a carriage to the church, even though it was already dark outside. Because of their positions, they were allowed inside and quickly reunited with their friends.    

“Were they able to tell what happened to her?” Alana asked as soon as she saw Sebastian. His eyes were raw red like he had just been crying.    

“They…said she fell into a trance. She has to go into seclusion. I don’t think…she’ll be able to go with us. What about you? What did his majesty say?”    

“I’m so sorry, Sebastian.”    

“What? What happened, Alana?”    

“He said…if I wanted an invitation to Berinda, I had to convince you to marry the first princess.”    

Princess Denitra didn’t think there was any way her evening could be worse. She just came back from the temple and wanted to just get dinner over with eating with her supposed family. Just as she was walking down to the main hall, she heard a familiar voice in the hall. Even though she prayed to Uriel that she wouldn’t run into her, such hasty prayers would not be answered.    

“If it isn’t her highness, Princess Denitra. It’s been a while since I have seen a dark veil,” Natalia greeted, curtsying.    

“I had no idea we would be receiving such an important guest. This is a pleasant surprise,” Denitra said, squeezing those words right through her teeth.    

“Oh my, I couldn’t bear it if her highness ruins her beautiful face frowning so much. If you frown so much, it’ll break my heart.”    

“You! How can you?!”    

“It’s just a piece of cloth. Anyone can see through a piece of cloth.”    

It was in fact, not a piece of cloth. It has several enchantments that made it possible for her to hide her face and her powers. Yet Natalia could see through it. She refused to believe such a thing was possible. Natalia walked up to her and leaned close to her ear.    

“I could see right through you, right from the very beginning. Let’s play this game together, your highness.”