How To End This Marriage-Chapter 131: Fractured Alliances

"The Crown Prince is already here to handle the issues in the absence of His Majesty, so I don’t see why this meeting is required at all," a minister spoke, fueling the duchess’s anger.

"I understand what you wanted to say, but I think both of the children of His Majesty should get equal opportunity to handle the palace affairs. So that it can be decided who is more suitable for the throne," the duchess said.

"Princess Libena, are you not happy with His Majesty’s decision to choose Prince Maximus as the Crown Prince?" one of them questioned.

"It’s not about what I want. I’m just saying why the first heir to the throne should feel left out. Didn’t you see how she got pulled out to the audience hall in shackles? Do you think after that incident she feels happy with the decision? She might think she is not getting enough recognition as the first princess of the empire," the duchess argued.

"But, as you have said, the princess is sick, so she is resting in her room most of the time. How could she be fit for all the affairs, recognizing talents, and doing her research before making certain decisions? Do you think this is a good way to put her into affairs when she should be resting as per the emperor’s order and recover well?" the minister added, making Prince Maximus smirk.

"It was a nice try, Aunt, to get me out of your way," he said in a low tone.

"I didn’t know you had already expanded your support, my dear nephew!" the duchess replied.

"How could I not when you are all set to remove me from the throne? Did you think I’m as naive and not using my brain like your dear niece? No, Aunt! I will always be in your way. If you try to move your feet, the swords will already be wrapping around you. I won’t let you do what you want because this throne is mine, and no one can take it away from me," he declared, glaring into her eyes.

"Do you think you can go above me? No, nephew! You are mistaken. If I can get my son married to someone just for the delay of my dream, then I can even let you get out of my side. And now your father is not even on the way to save you. He is lying on the bed restless. Can he protect you? Can you protect yourself, let alone the throne? Think carefully and choose the best option," she taunted.

"The will can change any time, nephew. It can go on Vixara’s support also. You will not always have the power," she warned.

"The meeting is dismissed. For a while, the prince will handle all the affairs," the duchess declared and left the audience room. Soon, she entered the emperor’s room with a note to place on his pillow.

"Now, this will make my work easy," she whispered and returned to the carriage, already prepared for her departure, with the duke and his wife accompanying her.

***

Bernice POV

A mysterious air clung to our sudden departure from the palace, an inexplicable urgency propelling us away, leaving behind a cloud of uncertainty. It felt as though we were fleeing from a crime we had committed or escaping an unseen threat, shrouded in sinister plots and clandestine schemes that sent shivers down my spine.

The maids, upon my return, greeted me with an enthusiasm as if I had been absent for years. Concern etched on my maid’s face, she questioned my well-being, but my silence persisted as I hurriedly sought refuge in my room.

As the door was about to lock, an unexpected interruption occurred — the touch of a hand. Anticipated yet unwelcome, it belonged to none other than Duke Alexavier Agnes. His inability to leave me alone, even for a moment, mirrored the persisting enigma surrounding us.

"Release the door. I need to close it," I demanded, frustrated by his intrusion.

"I need to go inside. Let me in," he insisted, ignoring my plea. The forceful entry into my room intensified my annoyance.

"What is this behavior, Duke? Have you finally gone crazy?" I questioned, irritation palpable in my tone.

"Yes, I have gone crazy. Seeing you with him made me lose my mind. Tell me what to do. You are the one who made me like this," he confessed, sounding genuinely distressed, but his words only elicited a cynical chuckle from me.

"Made you crazy? Please, let’s not revisit that conversation. I don’t want to go through it all over again. I’m tired. Even talking to you exhausts me, making it hard to breathe. So, please, go. I need to rest. I crave peace," I declared, collapsing onto the bed, yearning for respite.

Amidst the silence that followed, the weight of the unspoken lingered, a complex tapestry of emotions woven into the fabric of our tumultuous interactions.

"Why are you behaving this way, wife?" His inquiry, accompanied by a gentle attempt to cup my face, was met with a swift slap, my aversion evident.

"Don’t you dare touch me with those dirty hands of yours, tainted by the witch! I refuse to taint myself with such impurity," I declared, my gaze a reflection of the vivid images of her embracing him tightly, intensifying my anger.

His retort questioned my interactions with Maximus, prompting me to question the very foundation of our relationship.

"In what audacity do you ask me this? As a husband? No. As a guardian? No. Or perhaps as a mistress, obligated to answer your every whim because you purchased me with money? Tell me, what role have you assigned me, for only the last sentence seems fitting to describe our connection," I asserted, the weight of my words hanging in the air.

"Wife!" His angered exclamation echoed, met with my indifference as I provocatively suggested, "You want to kill me? Do it! I’m tired of life either way."

With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving me to chuckle at the expected outcome — his weariness, or perhaps his perpetual lack of genuine attention towards me.

Amidst my reflections, I drifted into a restless slumber, neglecting any semblance of personal care.

Upon awakening the next morning, as I contemplated heading to breakfast, a knock on the door signaled the maid’s arrival.

"Who is it?" I inquired.

"Madam, the mistress has called for you," she relayed, setting the stage for an inevitable encounter that promised revelations and, perhaps, further turmoil. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Tell her I will be there," I instructed the maid, who emphasized the urgency of my presence in a manner that felt coerced.

Embarking toward her room, a myriad of questions swirled within me, eluding articulation in the realm of ordinary words.

Upon entering, I found my mother seemingly serene, hinting at a momentous revelation. As I settled onto the couch, she began to speak.

"Bernice, I had considered giving you and Alex a chance, but the lack of progress, the absence of physical intimacy, compels me to address this issue I can no longer defer," she disclosed, leaving me bewildered.

"You two have not borne any children despite the passage of years, rendering your role as his wife untenable here," she asserted, my fists clenched in response.

The impending suggestion hung in the air: "It is time to return to your home and formalize the divorce agreement."

As I prepared to respond, a sudden entrance disrupted the moment.

"Alex, you have returned!" His proclamation sent a shiver through me, my hands turning cold, breaths constricted.

The truth unfolded as he declared, "As you said, Mother, I have brought the princess with me!"

Panic set in as the realization of why I had been summoned dawned upon me.

"So, Bernice, now you understand why I called you here," my mother declared, revealing her intent to remarry Alex to the princess for the prosperity of the dukedom and the imperative need for an heir.

"As you wish, Mother. I will take my leave," I managed to utter, each word a struggle as if an invisible force tightened its grip, whispering, "How does it feel to finally face reality, Bernice Balliol Agnes?"

The echoes of harsh truths reverberated in my mind as I rushed to my room, desperately grappling for each breath, the weight of reality pressing down on me.

"Wife?" The Duke’s voice pulled me back to reality.

"Why are you here all of a sudden?" he inquired, confusion etched across his face.

"Or what? What should I do there with your marriage arrangement?" I retorted, a defiant edge in my response.

"Wife!!!!! There will be no marriage arrangement. I will never marry someone else than you," he declared with desperation.

"Why didn’t you say that to Mother? Why did you stay quiet and come back? Why?" his questions overflowed with urgency.

"Why would I? Do I have the right to say anything? Am I not just a substitute for her? The princess? So now that the princess has come back, I should return as the contract your mother has prepared," I said, a bitter smile playing on my lips.