The Duke's Unwanted Wife

The roads leading to Berinda were rockier than the ones leading to Polivia. Natalia couldn’t help comparing the two, especially since one had less landmass and had less financial power yet it seemed to be the only one with good facilities as compared to the one who boasted rich nature and resources. It was laughable. Worse of all, she couldn’t use magic so she had to bear with the uncomfortable trip up the mountain.    

    

“Cheese, are you doing alright?”    

    

The fairy’s yawn was more lethargic than usual. Cheese had to seal her magic to be able to make it through the anti-magic zone. They finally made it halfway up the mountain and took a break in the cave nearby.    

    

“I certainly regret this,” she grumbled, staring at the falling snow that began almost immediately after they entered the cave. Ever since she got magic, she had never traveled this slowly but this journey was forcing her past her comfort zone. It was annoying.    

    

“Master, we’ll have to make the rest of the journey up by foot. One of us will stay back and look after the horses until it is time for us to leave.”    

    

“By…foot?”    

    

The snow didn’t last long but they had to trudge their way up with wet shoes, fighting the weather. Finally, they made it up to the border and were met with their next obstacles, the rude soldiers who couldn’t treat a diplomatic guest with respect. Natalia’s patience which she prided herself upon, was wearing thin. They presented the invite and the pass, going through the gate.    

    

It was obvious to see the people of Berinda looked down on humans. They all had elf blood which gave them an air of superiority. What was funny was that in the past, those with mixed elf blood were seen as lowly and most were killed. After all the true blooded elves died, only they remained.    

    

“Welcome to Berinda, Ambassador Adamantine. We have been expecting you. I see your carriage encountered a little accident on the way. Be not afraid, it is very common for those who don’t know how to traverse the road up the mountain. But now that you’re here, I, Captain Morgan, will take you safely to meet the king.”    

    

Captain Morgan was a very tall, broad chested man. He had dark skin like she did and elven features like long tipped ears, silver locks mixed with his brown hair and specs of gold in his brown eyes. Those brown eyes also had a sneer carved in them as it was obvious those with high authority looked down on others the most.    

    

“Lead the way, Captain Morgan.”    

    

They had a carriage prepared which was obviously crafted for the weather. Instead of just wheels, they added spikes that were able to pierce the ice and climb the roads leading to the palace that was high above all the other buildings. It was possible one could see the entire kingdom from there.    

    

“I never expected they would send a woman. I thought women weren’t allowed in politics, the way it should be.”    

    

“Is that so? Well, how did you become a captain then?”    

    

“Are you calling me a woman?!”    

    

“Only women have full, luscious lips. Why else would you have such features if you weren’t a woman?”    

    

“That’s ridiculous! This is completely natural and…”    

    

“I’m glad we understand each other, Captain. The journey up here was draining and as much as I would love to chat, with my standing, I can only speak with someone of equal authority or higher. Surely you know what I mean by that, right?”    

    

In just a few sentences, Natalia shut him up. He fumed silently while she rested her head on the window pane, closing her eyes. Magic and world order existed in balance within her. The moment she entered Berinda, she couldn’t feel her magic any longer. It had become significantly harder to teleport.    

    

“For a kingdom so exclusive, it sure is uncomfortable. I don’t have to wonder if you even get visitors at all. I would really be rubbing at a loss if I brought trade here. Perhaps I should just return home…”    

    

“I…apologize, Ambassador. It was not my intention to offend you.”    

    

“Very well. I will give this kingdom another chance. Perhaps something here would be able to impress me. Oh, I did promise my family I would return without a scratch. I’ll be entrusting my safety into your hands, Captain Morgan.”    

    

“Yes, your excellency.”    

    

They arrived at the Palace, going straight through the gates. The Crown Prince was there to welcome them. There was no way Natalia could forget the smug Prince Arken, a man who loved saying more than he should. Natalia thought he would be a good match for Ariella solely based on the distance and the benefits the princess would gain but looking again, this annoying prince was not even worth Princess Fransesca.    

    

“Welcome to our palace, Ambassador Adamantine. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Crown Prince Arken of the royal family of Berinda.”    

    

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. Do I have to meet his majesty immediately or am I allowed to finally rest?”    

    

“The journey must have been exhausting. My father is currently busy so you can rest in the quarters we have prepared for you and your people, your excellency. Please, follow me.”    

    

She followed him inside the palace, her entourage of four women following her in. They were all trained in combat and domestic chores so they were the perfect guards. The social hemisphere of Berinda was patriarchal which meant none of those women, including Natalia, were considered threats.    

    

“When we received your letter of request, we were overjoyed. We have been trying to share our resources with the rest of the world but unfortunately, we just haven’t got the platform big enough to do so. This cooperation with the Merchant Association will undoubtedly be good for all of us.”    

    

Natalia felt an ache in her head as he spoke. It was taking all she had to walk through the long halls of a palace she considered small from outside. She could tell the palace employed some sort of illusion spell which would make it hard to invade.    

    

“I sent the letter out of good faith. My job is to visit various kingdoms and send their resources out to the world while bringing them profit. After all these years of making these deals, I have yet to find something of value in Berinda. I’m looking forward to seeing that thing, your highness.”    

    

Depending on how it was interpreted, her words were either offensive or filled with the curiosity of a business woman. Regardless, she was showing that she wasn’t an easy opponent nor was she someone that could be impressed with just anything.    

    

“We will do our best to live up to your expectations, your excellency.”    

    

“I will hold you to your word, your highness,” she smiled, shutting the door on his face.    

    

Aldie’s Hollow was a wondrous place, even to those who had lived there a long time. It flourished with rare plants and it had all sorts of fairies that were otherwise rare in the human world. The fairies were also extremely curious about the humans, flying around them as they walked.    

    

{Children, you’re being rude to our guests} Madaline scolded. They flew back into the tortoise shell with dejection. Aside the fairies, there was an abundance of werechildren running around carefree in the Hollow. One of them spotted Marvis and ran head first into his groin, knocking the wind out of the werewolf. He fell to the ground, clutching his body in a fetal position.    

    

“Ani! Ani!”    

    

“Java, are you trying to kill your brother?!” Marvis shouted, still trying to recover on the floor. The child chuckled mischievously, sitting on Marvis’s back. Everyone else looked at him with amusement.    

    

“Your brother?” Alana asked, observing the juvenile. The child was happily preventing Marvis from standing up. There were blue streaks of fur on his long tipped ears, he had a slightly darker shade of blue hair but his eyes shone with a bright purple color. His wagging tail blinded his brother and he wore nothing but a white tunic and brown shorts.    

    

“My sister, Java,” he responded. The ‘He’ was a she, although it was hard to tell until she opened her mouth to speak.    

    

“Ani won’t leave again, right?”    

    

“Come on, Java, I have to go back. I already told you that you can come live with me when you’re older. Just have fun playing with your friends for now, okay? Ani will come back for you.”    

    

“That child truly resembles you. She disturbs the peace of the Hollow with every chance she gets. I suppose it’s nice to see children being so energetic,” Madaline commented, using her magic to lift the child up. Once she realized she was floating, she happily moved closer to Madaline.    

    

“Mother, hug me!”    

    

Madaline didn’t mind cradling her like a child and moving forward to where the other werecreatures were. The huge tortoise shell covered the vast majority of the Hollow but there was still space for a settlement of werecreatures on the other side. They made huts from the resources they found around the forest and couldn’t be said to be living a life of luxury. However, they looked healthier than those who lived in palaces as they were a race most suited for the outdoors. Marvis spotted his parents almost immediately and hid behind the tall Sebastian.    

    

“Now that we have arrived, you will have no other choice but to speak to your parents if you need help, Marvis. They are the leaders here and they are the only ones who can help you get into Berinda. If you need to leave, you know the exit. As I have more important things to attend to, I will be taking my leave now,” Madaline said, lowering the child to the ground. She disappeared before their eyes, leaving them to face an entire village of werecreatures.    

    

Before Marvis could collect himself and come out of hiding, his youngest sister became a broadcaster.    

    

“Mommy! Daddy! Ani is here!”