The Duke's Unwanted Wife

The torrent of emotions that overwhelmed Marvis was something unlike what he had ever experienced before. He couldn't believe it. It felt worse than betrayal like his heart was being torn apart. Amusingly enough, she didn’t lie to him. She also explicitly stated that she wouldn’t be telling him her identity and that she was supposed to be dead. Still, it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.    

    

He had already been betrayed once by someone he trusted for most of his life. A person he treated like his savior, someone he would do anything for. To be betrayed by someone else that had a similar position to him, one could only imagine how he felt.    

    

“Marvis. I know you’re out here somewhere. I’m jealous. It must be nice having a skin impervious to cold,” her voice rang out. His ears picked it up even though she was in the garden and he was in the forest a few meters away.    

    

“You promised….that you’ll let me explain. Are you the type of man that goes back on his word? I thought you’d at least…….listen,” her voice cracked. She started walking again, spotting a bench in the garden. As she sat, she shivered, covering her shoulders with the thin shawl she brought out. Her sensitivity to the cold was ten times worse as a simple evening breeze felt like blistering winter. She wondered how long it would take to recover.    

    

The trees rustled and she heard a silent thud. She looked to her side and she saw him dusting his cloak. Dried leaves fell out along with a bug and….a snake? It slithered away into the garden, both of them watching it go.    

    

“You knew who I am. You knew what could’ve gone wrong. Even though I saved your life completely ignorant, you saved mine, knowing exactly who I was. The crown prince’s seal is on that dagger he gave me so you knew exactly what happened. So, why? Why did you do it?”    

    

“Are you planning to keep standing?” she eyed him. He stared at her in disbelief before realizing after a few minutes that she wasn’t joking. He sat beside her and she snuggled up beside him for warmth. Being a man and a werewolf, he was truly a natural heater.    

    

“Y-Your grace!” he frantically pushed her away. She frowned from his address and his actions.    

    

“Don’t call me by my title. Call me Lia. I don’t want to hear you address me like that. Don’t alienate me like that, Marvis. As for why I saved you, it was totally on a whim. You’re right, I could’ve left you to die. Just like you could’ve left me in the Basilisk’s territory. I am not a kind hearted person or anything like that. I saved you because you saved me. As for the reason I didn’t say anything, it’s because…..I didn’t want to travel alone,” she mumbled the last part, hiding her face. It took her a lot to admit it because she was embarrassed.    

    

“Why….did you fake your death? You lived a good life as the Grand Duchess. If you just wanted to come to Polivia, you could’ve come with an escort. I still don’t understand why you faked your own death.”    

    

“The man known as Fredrich Kristen is a monster in human flesh. He is a selfish, arrogant bastard, a repulsive person regardless of how handsome or rich he is. Nothing can make up for that rotten thing that beats within his chest. In the past, I used to think if I just played my part and stayed by his side as the Grand Duchess, that I could live a peaceful life. Fate is cruel, too cruel. Ever since I was born, I was trapped in a cage. I worked so hard to break out of that cage only to be put in one with stronger bars. If I didn’t fake my death, I would’ve taken my life again.”    

    

“Again?”    

    

“It’s late. Let’s go inside. We can continue talking tomorrow. Duchess Everon is awfully nosy for someone of her station. For some reason, she thinks we’re lovers,” Natalia said, rolling her eyes. Marvis instantly turned red, his ears twitching. Natalia saw them and fought the urge to touch them. She rose, walking back into the mansion.    

    

“I asked them to prepare a room for you. Come on, Marvis. Let’s go in together,” she extended her hand, smiling.    

    

Many, many years ago, the crown prince also extended his hand to him like this with a pure smile. Those days, he believed it was with pure intention to save his kind that had been rejected and abused. Now that he knew better, he wasn’t sure he would grab hold on to another hand.    

    

However, the smile wasn’t pure and innocent. Her eyes also held pain. Her hands bore her suffering. Her body remembered. She wasn’t innocent nor was she kind with any grand agenda. Just like him, she wanted to be free.    

    

“I asked you to cover yourself up properly. It’s cold,” he said, standing behind her. With that distance, she felt warmth radiate over her. It instantly made her happy that she walked back inside the mansion with a satisfied smile. By the door, Duchess Everon was waiting for the both of them in her night clothes and a knowing grin on her face.    

    

“A room has been prepared for you, Sir Jane. Please come in,” she said, leading the way. Marvis looked at Natalia, who nodded to reassure him. Together, they walked down the well-lit corridors. They finally stopped in front of a guest room and Marvis went inside. Natalia and Vera started to make their way back.    

    

“For someone who is not your lover, you’re suspiciously close.”    

    

“You keep trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. The unmarried Duchess Everon with a notoriously impossible-to-win heart. Getting you a husband you cannot refuse is just a matter of time, you know?”    

    

“Hahaha, how scary. Why don’t we make a bet then? If you can get me a husband I like, then I shall be your loyal servant for the rest of my life. But if you don’t, you have to be my friend and tell me your every secret.”    

    

“You seem to have lost your mind being alone for too long.”    

    

“Hahaha! I knew it was the best decision to bring you here. I look forward to it, Lady Adamantine,” she waved, disappearing into her quarters.    

    

“Why did it have to be that crazy woman? Whatever. I’ll be leaving here in a few days. I am curious to see what Sebastian has been up to.”    

    

On the roof of the first princess’s palace, a giant green bird perched. Standing beside it was a man that was tall enough to reach the bird’s upper wing, communicating with the bird.    

    

“You’re saying she’s already in Polivia?”    

    

“Yes. She seems to be heading to the capital. She is currently in the territory of Duchess Everon and she’s traveling with a werewolf.”    

    

“Why is she bringing another one of you?!”    

    

“Perhaps we make better company. I have news from Ducroft but because of how confusing it is, I think we should wait for her to explain. There is something odd I want to report. The Crown Prince of the Empire is currently in the kingdom as the King’s Guest and your family has been promoted to a ducal family. What are you going to do now?”    

    

“Let’s wait until Natalia gets here. Temara has been anxious because I kept postponing the wedding preparations but now that Natalia’s here, she can handle all of it. She’ll also be grateful for the opportunity to mingle with Polivia’s high society. Knowing my sister, it won’t take her long to dominate it.”    

    

Natalia couldn’t help but laugh after seeing how uncomfortable Marvis was in the traditional clothes Vera’s servants brought for him. He was used to covering his hair and body out in public but since werecreatures were actually common in Polivia, he didn’t have to. With his thin frame, the clothes hung loosely on his body like a curtain.    

    

“It’s not funny!” he exclaimed, struggling to adjust the clothes. The servants ended up bringing in another smaller size that barely managed to fit him in the end. Forgetting they were still in the room, he pulled the shirt off his head.    

    

It was like the ladies in the room became transfixed. His lean body was just packed with muscles at every corner. Because of their fast recovery, he barely had any scars on his smooth skin. The pants that hung loosely on his waist left a lot for the imagination.    

    

Natalia averted her eyes, trying to forget the image that had just been etched into her mind. It was at times like this that she remembered he was a man. He finished changing, checking the clothes in the mirror.    

    

“This should do, right? It feels so weird that I don’t have to hide…..why are you all so silent?”    

    

“N-No reason. Sir Jane is very…….goodlooking. The ladies of the capital will be all over you in just a few minutes of getting there.”    

    

“No thank you. I am not playing dress up any more!”    

    

“Ahem….I think Sir Jane has had enough of being harassed,” Natalia intervened, hiding her laughter this time. He still caught on to it, narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion. In just a few minutes, they would be departing for the station and boarding the sky tube that would be taking them to the capital.