The Duke's Unwanted Wife

"In the absence of any more objections and suggestions, we can call this meeting to a close. The treaty of the three continents will come into effect from this moment on. I want to thank everyone who came and I really hope that no one will suggest starting a war anytime soon," Natalia said after she finished signing the treaty.    

    

The other leaders left, leaving only Natalia and Fredrich standing there with no audience. She raised his eyebrows, wondering what he was going to say this time.    

    

"You can come back to Ducroft."    

    

"Pardon?"    

    

"We're already divorced and your family is a ducal family now. You can return to Ducroft. You'll have the freedom you crave and the respect of the members of high society."    

    

"I am already a Duchess in my own right and I am respected by the highest authority in Polivia. Tell me why I should return to Ducroft, your majesty."    

    

"It couldn't be easy to be a Duchess in another kingdom. Ducroft is your home. You can always return home."    

    

"Ducroft stopped being my home the day my heart stopped beating. I have no reason to return to a place where my bonds are shallow at best and has never once provided me the joy I have gotten living a few months in Polivia. It should be time to depart soon. If you'll excuse me, your majesty."    

    

"What about your father?"    

    

"Duke Adamantine made it clear the day we got married that I was not to return home a divorced woman or I was not his daughter. I am not his daughter anymore."    

    

"You planned this out, didn't you? All of it. Why didn't you stop the wedding then?"    

    

"That was the biggest mistake I ever made. I felt it was my responsibility to my family to marry you. The people who reinforced the fact that it was my responsibility never cared about me and the ones who did care did not want me to get married to you. Besides, if I had stopped the wedding, what difference would it have made? You hated me but you needed me. Now that you've gotten what you wish for, you wish to keep me under your control. But you can't and you're starting to become…desperate," she smirked, walking closer.    

    

"Oh, if it was in the days where I was weak enough to be broken in the palm of your hands, you would've grabbed my neck the very first day you saw me and dragged me back to Ducroft by my hair to become your perfect little pawn till the day I die. People are not objects to be used and tossed away. People are not objects to be kept. There's also an inevitable law of give and take. If you keep on taking and taking without giving, one day, you will also be taken from until the day you're left with nothing but the darkness that has festered inside of you. Since you are returning to the one you love, I will also be returning to the one I love."    

    

"So a mutt is better than me?"    

    

"A mutt, you say? Even a dog on the streets or a rat burrowing in the walls has a better personality than you, your majesty. If we take aside your title and your privilege, you're just a scared and insecure little boy who wishes he was his father who wasn't a much better person either. You can judge the one I love and you can judge me all day but in the end, you are not and you have never been better than him in any way. And when it comes down to it, even to my last breath, I will always choose him over you. I hope we never have the chance to be this close again but if we do, I'll be certain to make sure you feel what it's like to have your life dangle in the palm of someone's hands."    

    

She walked away after that, ignoring everything else he said. He would forget her after he left the island so she wasn't going to bother with him. On getting to the tents that were already getting dismantled for departure, she walked in on the sight of Marvis braiding Ariella's hair. She seemed comfortable as she hummed happily while he placed flowers he found in the island into her hair after braiding it. They looked like they were an actual couple which immediately annoyed her.    

    

"I never thought the day I would ever see you jealous would come, Duchess Natalia. You have quite the expression."    

    

"Well, I cannot help but misinterpret this innocent view right before my eyes. Would you like him to give you a foot massage as well or would you like to carry him back home as a slave like your husband's people do?"    

    

"Your words are like knives, as always. I'm glad you haven't lost your flavor at all. Come, come sit down."    

    

"We're all packing up and ready to go. We don't have the luxury of sitting down."    

    

"It'll only take a few minutes. We might never see each other after this and I wanted to leave you with a good memory of me."    

    

"Don't say that. You might just pass away due to birth complications. It's extremely bad luck for pregnant women to say things like that when they are pregnant," Marvis interjected. The two unsupersitious women of Ducroft looked at him like he had grown two heads. Marvis managed to convince Natalia to sit down and Ariella started to braid her hair.    

    

"When my sister was in a ln extremely rare good mood, she would sit down and allow me to braid her hair. I was always glad when we got to do things I wanted. Although I did love my sister very much, some part of me is glad that she is dead. I don't live like a shadow anymore."    

    

"You might not live like a shadow but you might just be heading to a worse fate. I heard the rumors as I journeyed to Polivia that your husband is a fan of incest. Rumors are like poison, especially to royals. You have done nothing to quell them and you insisted on the marriage even though you knew this."    

    

"He…promised me a happy family. He said he would love me more than anyone else and would make me his Queen. I didn't care about anything else. Don't ruin this for me, Natalia."    

    

"If you don't want it to fall apart like a poorly built house in strong winds, you must think of how to handle it. The rough part about leaving the shadow of protection is that you have to fight these things yourself and you are the only one that can lift yourself from the pit others have dug for you. Nonetheless, I can only give advice no one will listen to. I pray you give birth to a healthy and happy baby. As usual, someone will be here to escort you."    

    

"You're always so cruel and cold. But if the day comes that your heart would finally soften, then I hope you would visit me in Berinda. Safe travels, Duchess Natalia."    

    

"And the same to you, your highness."    

    

Once the princess was out of sight, Natalia removed the ornament she had slipped into her hair and melted it in her hands. The flowers went up into puffs of smoke and her hair came undone. Marvis watched it all happen quietly.    

    

"Why do you indulge her so much? Is it because she's pregnant?"    

    

"That's the major reason. I was hoping I would get to know more about you and the environment of Ducroft. It became clear quickly that the two of you were not that close despite the fact that you are childhood friends. Mind telling me what happened?"    

    

"A cosmic disaster also known as Francesca Ducroft happened. If you are interested in knowing more about me, you can just ask me. I should know myself best," she replied, intertwining their hands. Marvis noted the fact that she was ignoring that they were in public and he could appreciate that.    

    

"Yes, ma'am," he said, smiling. Under their feet, a black magic circle began to form, circling the entire camp. If anyone looked up, they could see the magic barrier coming down, turning into glittery pieces like the twinkling of the night sky.    

    

"Your magic is always incredible to see," Marvis says in the most infatuated and awed tone she had ever heard from him. It made her blush and she was glad it couldn't show on her face. Once the black magic circle was complete, it became a teleportation circle that transported them back to their home, leaving the shores where they once stood empty and deserted. The power of the magic circle made it so that it could teleport them to several different locations at once, something that was practically impossible for normal teleportation circles.    

    

Using the fact that she was a Transcendental to her advantage, she appeared in her room, still holding Marvis's hands. She smirked, brimming with mischief and pushed him on the bed.    

    

"Is this private enough for you?" She asked, laying on top of him. Getting a shy nod from him, she helped herself to his lips.