The Duke's Unwanted Wife

The journey to the north was somewhat peaceful because of the route recommended by Marvis. Most of the Empire was developed so the roads were carriage accessible. They got through the security checkpoints quite easily but there were an abnormal amount of Security checkpoints and with the questions they asked, it was fairly obvious they were looking for Werecreatures, most especially Marvis.    

    

With the increased security, it wasn’t long until someone figured out who she was so she decided to take the rest of the journey on foot. She was almost at the north and was fully recharged on her energy so she decided to use teleportation and take her time to tour the Empire.    

    

In the days of the war, the borders of the warring nations were totally destroyed by either side. The north got the brunt of it, becoming an unrecognizable wasteland. Before the war, it was a quiet peaceful place that relied on agriculture and tourism, especially through the Berden Pass.    

    

It took her a total of a week to finally get to the northern fortress, the territory of one of the five female Marquis of the Empire. She knew the woman in her last life as well. She wasn’t present on the battlefield but she was a good strategist. She made the harsh decision to abandon her home and retreat when it became obvious that Natalia would conquer the north. It was a decision that Natalia respected the woman for.    

    

The security was stricter than normal but since she was in the north, she didn’t have to worry about anyone recognizing her. Using the money she got from continuous transactions with the merchant association, she lodged in another inn, staying up in her room. It wouldn’t take her a long time to prepare to journey through the Berden Pass.    

    

She wondered about the man who promised to take the journey with her. Thinking about him, it was really strange. It was the first time she had been touched uncourteously by a man as the daughter of a wealthy Marquis. Unlike what she thought he would be like behind closed doors, he was a gentle and cautious man, especially when he was saving her life. He saved her, a stranger, without a second thought.    

    

Which is why she didn’t tell him she knew exactly what happened to the werecreatures he was looking for. She could tell he was looking for his family and knew what he would find would be absolutely inhumane. In the war, it was true that the werecreatures were used as Assets. However, most of them weren’t in their right minds, behaving like wild animals with a lust for blood.    

    

Natalia could remember the nightmarish days on the battlefield when they had to fend off literal children who lunged at anyone they saw. Everything was the work of a crown prince more vile than the one she was used to, Crown Prince Reagan, a man with a lust for absolute power.    

    

It was just as Natalia feared. Once Marvis was able to trace the scent of the werecreatures, he came upon a camp. It was a huge camp where almost all the werecreatures in the kingdom were stored. It looked like a military camp, no, a prison camp for all of them. The stench was overpowering enough to draw tears from his eyes. All of them looked malnourished, starving and their eyes were dead, not a single one crying out for help even though they could sense him. It was that horrible.    

    

He looked left and right for anyone he could recognize. The village was destroyed but it didn’t look like they were killed. He sniffed around, trying to find a familiar scent. He finally picked one up after looking for so long and was glad to find it was Ralia’s. She was in charge of protecting the children. If she was safe, they were probably safe. He drew closer to the camp, trying to pinpoint her scent. Just when he was deciding whether to go inside the camp or not, she came out.    

    

He expected the worst when he caught her scent. Being a female, many things could’ve gone wrong. He expected to see her tied up, the fierce light in her eyes dead and her body no more than sticks and bones. but….Ralia was fine.    

    

She was wearing the military uniform of the empire and from the looks of it, her rank was quite high. The stern expression on her face was unrecognisable but what she was doing was more unbelievable as she was commanding human soldiers to herd her kind like animals. She didn't look at them like they were even living beings. It looked like she was looking at any that she could destroy at any time. That wasn't the Ralia he knew.    

    

She suddenly raised her head, looking at where he was. He was ready to run or at least fight her but she turned her head away, going back into her camp. The sun was going down and his kind were being herded into cages where they were cramped up and left out in the cold. He hung on the tree, his heart breaking as he watched them.    

    

"What are you doing here?" He suddenly heard her voice behind him. Her expression was cold and she looked much stronger than he last saw her.    

    

"What do you mean? I went to the village and didn't find anybody. I was almost killed by the Crown Prince and I find you treating our kind like animals?! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, RALIA?!"    

    

"Lower your voice, stupid. If you were alive, you should've just escaped, gone somewhere else! If you are caught here, then it would be the end for all of them! Look, I'm doing this because I had no choice. Because you were gone, I had to step up and protect our family. I can't do much but if I wasn't in this position, do you think they would still be alive?"    

    

"What are you talking about?"    

    

"His Highness's plan was to get rid of all the werecreatures in the Empire. I convinced them to let them live and turn them into mindless killing machines. It's a temporary measure since I'm trying to do a bloodline revival"    

    

"A bloodline revival?! Have you lost your mind?! Do you know you can kill all of them if you try that?!"    

    

"I HAD NO CHOICE, MARVIS! YOU LEFT US WHEN WE NEEDED YOU! I HAD TO STEP UP AND DO SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS TO KEEP THEM ALIVE! THEY HATE ME! THEY CURSE ME! THEY WOULD NEVER TALK TO ME AGAIN! DO YOU THINK THIS IS EASY FOR ME, TO GIVE UP MY CHILDREN?!"    

    

Marvis could understand but didn't know why it had to be like this. He didn't know what to do. He was completely helpless against her or the one who put them in this position.    

    

"COMMANDER! COMMANDER, ARE YOU OUT THERE?!" A human soldier called out not far from where they were. Ralia wiped the tears in her eyes and moved closer to him. She put one hand on his cheek, closing her eyes. He closed his eyes, putting a hand on her cheek. A purple light flashed in between them. The mark of a snake appeared on his forehead.    

    

"Go! It's not safe for you here. You need to hide somewhere and make a reasonable plan to save us all. When the time is right, you can return and restore us to our rightful position," she whispered. He clenched his teeth, unwilling to leave her. The voices of the soldiers were drawing closer. He had no other choice.    

    

"I will return and fix this, I promise," he said, disappearing into thin air. When he was gone, she appeared in front of the human soldier, her expression back to its cold neutrality.    

    

"I know it is your order from the Crown Prince to monitor me but a woman needs her privacy. If you try this again, I will take your life," she threatened, baring her fangs.    

    

"I'm sorry, Commander," he bowed his head. She walked past him and into the camp, a hopeful expression crossing her eyes only once.