The Duke's Unwanted Wife

“No better time than the present. Besides, you have to ascend soon. Let’s do this now.”    

{Very well}    

Natalia drew the magic circle according to Madaline’s instructions. The room she was given in the princess’s palace was big enough. It was a complicated magic circle that had various enchantments that she had never seen before in her life. The Fairy Mother was an ancient creature that had existed long before the god of Ducroft ascended so the origin of the magic circle could be guessed.    

However, drawing with blood proved to be hard, especially since it was her own blood. Draining it wasn’t easy in the first place so it took a long time for her to get enough blood to draw the circle. Once it was done, she sat down in the middle, her legs crossed within the boundaries and her hands crossed on her chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.    

{Please listen to my instructions properly. Mana is volatile if it’s not being regulated through a powerful entity. This first part would prove to be the hardest but once you can draw the mana through your skin, then the rest would follow seamlessly. Are you ready?}    

“Yes.”    

Madaline’s lips moved quickly, her hands glowing. The circle slowly lit up with a white light. The incantations she cast came out of her mouth like dancing words, floating above the circle. They slowly infused with the circle, turning the light brighter. Out of nowhere, Natalia felt a stabbing pain in her stomach.    

{ENDURE IT! YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE CIRCLE!}    

Madaline took a short pause in her incantation to caution the squirming Natalia. The pain increased with the brightness of the light and it became unbearable to sit still but she had no choice but to endure it.    

{Take a deep breath and reach for the mana with your mind. Even though you can’t see it or feel it, you need to believe it is there. Do it now.}    

Natalia followed Madaline’s instructions and reached for the intangible force with her mind. If she had not used mana all her life, it would’ve been much harder but the intangible force soon became a thin string and she reached for it. Bit by bit, the stabbing pain in her gut alleviated.    

When they were done, Natalia fell to the floor, covered in sweat. She breathed heavily, staring up at the ceiling. The feeling of being in touch in mana was very different than what she had experienced in all her life. It felt like her body was lighter and she was in touch with a plane that she hadn’t been able to experience in both lives.    

{Mana is very tricky and hard to control but when you take it into your core, you can easily control it and bend it to your will. Keep this circle for now and continue breathing the way I taught you every night. When you feel you cannot absorb any more, then call my name}    

“Are you leaving already?”    

{Yes. It shouldn’t take a long time and I need to tie up some loose ends. I know by the time you reach your limit, I would’ve been ready to ascend}    

“Alright. Thank you, Madaline.”    

Madaline smiled and disappeared, leaving flecks of green light. The room suddenly felt oddly lonely. Madaline was always there whenever she needed her but now, she couldn’t call on her however she wished. Still, it was a good thing. She could deal with separation if it was only going to be for a short time.    

“Look who finally decided to join us! My head is hurting already.”    

“Why wouldn’t it be? You’ve finally gotten the chance to use it.”    

“Only my sister would ignore the fact that I was actually the financial advisor to the former king. Just come here and take care of these.”    

“Shouldn’t you be giving some of these to mother?” she asked, taking the documents. She took a seat on the empty table in the office, acknowledging Amaika’s presence with a small wave.    

“We both know who’s more qualified to take care of them. I don’t need her to stress herself over my wedding. And besides, it’s more or less an alliance between the two kingdoms since the king has promoted our family to a ducal family. He’s a cunning bastard, that one.”    

“The cultural differences can prove to be a problem. I need to talk extensively with the princess’s steward so we can settle the details.”    

“You only need to ask a servant to find him. You can also talk to the princess anytime you want. However, there is one more problem. I’m not sure how the Queen would react to me transferring the title of Duke to you.”    

“If the first princess ascends the throne then it is not a problem.”    

“You talk like it’s so easy. The competition here is cutthroat. If this was Ducroft, it wouldn’t be hard for you to put the first princess comfortably on the throne but this place is not our home. It might be hard, even for you.”    

“Dear brother, the faith you have in me is so very little. I am familiar with the first princess and the Duchess of Everon. This is more than enough for me.”    

“The Duchess of Everon? How did you come to know the Duchess of the South so quickly?”    

“Coincidence. With her and the princess as my foothold, changing the pace of their high society would be easy. The only problem I would have is the fact that I’m supposed to be dead and I’m supposed to be the Queen of Ducroft. It would take time for the news to spread but eventually, it would. I'm not sure how the high society of Polivia would take it. I will wait and watch for now. To settle in high society, I just have to show I'm capable, don't I?"    

"Your logic and ability to subvert situations has always been a mystery to me. Nonetheless, I have learned to put my trust in you. I'll be leaving everything in your hand."    

"Of course. Amaika, where is Marvis? I haven't seen him at all recently."    

"When I told him about the other werecreatures, he went off to find them. I'm not sure I know when he would return but if you inform the princess's servants, they can bring him back at your earliest convenience."    

"That seems rather convenient. It's fine. I was just curious about his whereabouts. Right now, I have a lot of work to do."    

As some people prepared for a royal wedding, others were trying to propose another type of alliance. Adelie was the persistent, manipulative type, however, even she would never wish to cross paths with an illogical person like the insane Crown Prince Reagan. She was unwilling to welcome him to the church despite being the one to invite him.    

"You look unhappy to see me, your holiness," he remarked with a smirk.    

"Your Imperial highness must be mistaking my solemnity for unhappiness. I understand it can be a common mistake."    

"Ah, is that the case? Forgive me for my thoughtless comments. I just thought despite inviting me, you didn't want to receive me."    

"How could I be so uncourteous to your Imperial highness? Please follow me. I will be taking you on a personal tour of the church myself."    

"To be taken on a tour around one of the most significant architectural wonders on the continent and escorted by the most beautiful Saintess, it seems like today is one of my lucky days."    

"Please follow me, your Imperial highness," she gestured, leading him inside. The two walked side by side as she showed him the key public sights of the church. In the past, the halls of the church used to be empty but ever since Fredrich took the throne and showed his alliance with the church, it had become occupied with various people who aimed to become priests or be educated in theology.    

"This truly is a magnificent structure. It would be such a shame if it were to be destroyed," he commented with a care free attitude. Adelie's heart best faster. This church was indeed destroyed by the troops of the crown prince. She knew it wasn't like he remembered the past time line which simply meant he was just a murderous maniac with a thirst for destruction.    

"Yes, it would truly be a shame. I pray to Ducroft everyday to give us peace and stability."    

"You know what I've come to realize, your holiness? I've come to realize both of us are not so different and we could make a great match. Why don't you do me the honor of making you my main wife? It's a union that can tie our two nations properly," he said as they made their way out of the church. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. She bowed politely.    

"It is not my intention to turn you down, your highness but I can only be with a man of Ducroft with a noble background. But if it is an alliance between the two nations you want, then there is one lady I can recommend to be your wife. Lady Orland, the daughter of Duke Orland. Since the former crown prince, her betrothed, is dead, I think she would jump at the opportunity to marry you."    

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness and I will make sure to discuss this with his majesty properly. However, I want you to think about my proposal properly. I'm not someone that takes well to rejection."    

"I will consider it again then. Please have a safe journey home," she bowed again. Turning her back to a tiger was a bad move but she couldn't involve herself with him more than she already had. She wouldn't let him or anyone else get in the way of her goals.