The Duke's Unwanted Wife

For some reason, even if they had a trade agreement, there was friction between the kingdom of Ducroft and the Empire of Illumine. It happened when an old man was trying to cross the border into the Empire and he was shoved to the ground by the guard. The citizens of Ducroft caused a huge riot and it had to be settled by the special forces of Ducroft.    

    

Because of the treaty, war couldn’t carelessly start but it was on everyone’s lips. While this was going around, people started to hear about the modern town being built in Polivia. It was the first of its kind but it promised to be a completely industrialized town. It prompted some people to travel to Polivia just to discover what industrial meant.    

    

“I have lived a long life but I haven’t met a conniving person like you.”    

    

“Should I take that as a compliment, Grandmother?”    

    

“Perhaps,” the old woman replied, chuckling. They were having tea on the balcony of the huge mansion, looking down at the servants unloading the carriage filled with gifts that Natalia arrived with.    

    

“A little bird told me you were creating a town where people of all races could exist in the same space. Just what kind of madman put that idea in your head?”    

    

“A mad man I fell in love with. The idea was entirely mine.”    

    

“You fell in love with a non-human?! Is it some kind of possession?”    

    

“Is it a taboo?”    

    

“Both your mother and I…fell in love with non-humans.”    

    

“And yet we have a purely human bloodline. Or are you trying to tell me that I am probably related to the man I love?”    

    

“No, there isn’t a single non-human hybrid in the family tree. It was our duty to produce more humans, especially after the war. I do hope all these talks of war are just speculations. War…will take a lot from the two nations.”    

    

“As long as I can benefit from it, I will have no complaints.”    

    

“Are you truly trying to instigate the war?”    

    

“It has to happen. I cannot give my reasons now but the war has to happen.”    

    

“Do you realize just how many people will die in this war?! No matter how you feel, people you love and care about will be affected in this war!”    

    

“If the war can be avoided, it will. But you have to understand that Crown Prince Reagan has been planning this war since before he became Crown Prince. He has been gaining the trust of the werecreatures and now that his plans have matured, he will start the war with any excuse.”    

    

“The treaty in place will make things harder for him. The Empire can afford a war but against the kingdom of Ducroft, there will be no winners.”    

    

“There doesn’t necessarily need to be a winner. What is most important in war is titles, lands, and treasure. With the help of the now enslaved werecreatures, Crown Prince Reagan can hope to amass all three.”    

    

“And what will you stand to gain from this?”    

    

“Land. With my powers, I can make Polivia accessible to the mainland. I can turn the Berden Pass into habitable land and create a brand new Empire while the two of them are busy destroying each other. The possibilities of that simple idea are endless. Whether or not the war happens, I stand to benefit.”    

    

“I thought you were stopping at being a simple Duchess.”    

    

“Currently, my brother is married to who will soon become the crown princess of Polivia and eventually, the future Queen. The child she gives birth to will become the future Empress of the Empire I plan to build since she has my blood. I am fine with operating this all from the shadows.”    

    

“...I will reiterate what I said earlier. You are the most conniving person I have ever seen in my entire life. How did you turn out like this?”    

    

“I've been forced to think critically about my life for a long time. I like to think I’m talented. It must run in the family, right?”    

    

After tea with her Grandmother, Natalia returned home. She wasn’t surprised to see Madaline and Quene waiting for her. Natalia and Quene bowed to greet each other before they sat again to talk, this time in an isolated space created by Quene. Natalia came to realize that the god of wisdom could create pocket dimensions with ease.    

    

“Have you been able to find it yet?”    

    

“You would have to be very specific because it seems we are looking for so many things these days,” Quene replied with a tired expression.    

    

“Have you been able to find the origin of chaos?”    

    

“...yes.”    

    

“Where is it?”    

    

“The field of death.”    

    

“I thought it was a my…never mind. It makes sense now.”    

    

“The field of death, the final resting place of Nataroth’s lover. His mortal body has been buried there for millennia but it wasn’t after Nataroth died that it began to gather that thick miasma until it became the field of Death. We could traverse through the miasma but…the body wasn’t there.”    

    

“So it wasn’t stolen by humans?”    

    

“Most likely. Someone else knew about the origin of chaos and pretended it didn’t exist, stealing Egerth’s body. It was exactly as Madaline suspected. The ascended gods are up to no good once more.”    

    

“I wouldn’t be surprised. There should be no limit to what one can do with a god’s body. Do you have an idea what?”    

    

“Most likely to resurrect him,” Madaline replied.    

    

“I am really confused now.”    

    

“Egerth is the god of nature. The rules of anything natural, he enforces it. Which means he is able to turn that which is unkillable, killable. It was how he killed himself in the first place.”    

    

“So, if Egerth is resurrected, they could kill gods?”    

    

“That would be the general idea, yes,” Quene replied.    

    

“Then it couldn’t be a coincidence that I ran into Uriel in the mortal world, could it? I also felt the presence of another just like her. I am sure you two can deal with that, yes?”    

    

After that meeting, it was safe to say that Natalia was exhausted. She was craving a simple nap resting on Marvis but he was out constructing the town. She lay on her bed, craving something sweet and comfortable. It reminded her of the days she snuck out of the Castle on the Edge using teleportation to get edible meals from the town of Traisen. She was too mentally exhausted to go anywhere so she lay like a dead fish.    

    

Just when she thought she could have some peace, there was a knock on her door. She felt like fading out of existence when she heard the ominous sound of Count Brenn’s voice, which usually represented more work.    

    

“Your Grace, the representative from the Aubray family is here.”    

    

“Have you led them to the reception room?”    

    

“Yes, your grace. I wanted to know if you had any instructions for me.”    

    

“Just call Antonia for me. I will attend to my guests myself.”    

    

“Yes, your grace.”    

    

She changed the outfit she was wearing and walked down to the reception room. She thought it would just be one person so she was surprised to see they were two and one of them was heavily pregnant. Natalia wondered if it was some sort of curse that she was seeing Pregnant women around her.    

    

“Welcome to the Northern Castle, Lady, and Lord Aubray,” she greeted and they bowed once they saw her. She didn’t know how it felt to bow to a foreigner who became a noble but she couldn’t imagine it was a pleasant experience. She could also tell the two were related because of how alike they were and the lady was most likely married.    

    

“The Northern Castle is just as radiant as we remember.”    

    

“It’s all thanks to the servant that it looks as perfect as it does. So, what can I do for the young heirs of the Aubray family?”    

    

“We heard you were accepting private investment for the town you are constructing so our family sent us as representatives. We will like to discuss this with you, your grace,” Lady Aubray spoke. Natalia smiled and leaned back in her seat, raising a cup of tea. She already had a list of noble families and merchants she would not be accepting investments from and the family at the top of the list happened to be the Aubray family.    

    

“I am terribly sorry but all the allocated slots for the private investments have been filled up. I received so many requests that I had no other choice but to shut some people out. I apologize.”    

    

“You are the lord of this territory. Surely there is something you can do about it. We are a family with boundless assets and we have much to offer compared to the other noble families.”    

    

“Yes, I have heard of the Aubray’s family extensive assets. Regardless, I am not a person who goes back on my promises and so, I will have to apologize again. The investor’s list has already been signed and authorized by her majesty who happens to own a huge chunk of it already.”    

    

Her message was clear. If you don’t like it, take it up with the Queen.    

    

“Is that so? We are terribly sorry for bothering you. But we cannot leave empty-handed. We want to know if there is a way for us to bring our business to your new town.”    

    

“But of course! The Merchant Association is having a lot of buildings constructed. If you like, you can talk to them.”