How To End This Marriage-Chapter 143: The Duchess’s Last Stand

"But now your time has yet to come!!!!" the mistress said, unlocking the door of the cell.

"Your execution time has arrived. Come out!!!" she said while pulling her out of the cell once again, making her skin drag on the rough surface, scaling her skin and making her bleed.

"Good!!! The faster it ends, the more you all will be suffering in pain!!!" Bernice said once again laughingly as she came out of the underground.

"Yes, yes!!! Your life will end, but the curse you place on us will never work," the mistress said, smiling.

As they came out of the underground, the maids fell on their knees.

"Mistress, please listen to us for one last time!!!!"

"We beg you to let the duchess go!!!"

"It happened because of all our wrong judgments."

"If we didn’t come to a conclusion in a hurry, this would have never happened."

"Please let the duchess go!!!!"

The maids begged on their knees.

"Didn’t I say the execution can’t be reversed? How many times do I have to tell you?" the mistress shouted.

"Guards!!! Put shackles on the criminal’s hands!!!!!" the mistress ordered.

"But Mistress, the duke hasn’t ordered us anything?" the guard said.

"Do you think I have less authority than the duke himself? I am the duke’s mother, the previous duchess title holder, the princess of this empire. What more do you want to accept my order? Drag this criminal to the execution sight and place her in front of the audience," the mistress ordered.

"As you wish, Mistress!!!" The guards put shackles on Bernice and pulled her out of the mansion, dragging her. Her blood left marks on the surface. Her handprints were placed on the mansion walls, echoing her pain.

"I wish every one of you rot in hell."

Her curse kept echoing all over.

While a voice rang in her ear, "Is this what you wished, Princess? Did you get the result of loving a mortal?"

"Who is it? Who is talking to me?" Bernice looked everywhere like a maniac.

"What happened to her? Why is she behaving like this?" the guard asked.

"Maybe she has finally gone crazy!!!!" the other guard replied.

"I am asking who is talking to me!!!!!!!" she shouted.

"You don’t know who is talking to you, princess? So you really lost your memory after ascending into the mortal realm!!!!" the voice laughed at her.

"I don’t follow riddles!!! Speak what you have on your mind unless you want to annoy me!!!!!" Bernice asked.

"Ha ha riddles!!! From when has the truth become riddles, Princess? Telling you about your life is a riddle? Telling you about who you are is a riddle? Ha ha, I just came to know!!!!" the voice laughed.

"So how was the experience of falling in love with a mortal? Did he treat you right? I don’t think so when I see you in shackles." the voice laughed.

"Now your punishment has only started!!!! The day you choose to survive, then your punishment will end, and you will return to the heavenly realm." the voice said and vanished.

Bernice shrieked, "Who are you? What are you saying? Explain the goddamn meaning!!!"

The guards around her, mistaking her outburst for madness, dragged her towards a platform overlooking a throng of workers.

Rocks rained down as Bernice was hauled onto the stage. Curses echoed through the air.

"I knew it! From the moment she arrived, she brought nothing but misfortune. She’s a witch in human form!" a woman shrieked, hurling a large rock that struck Bernice’s head, drawing blood.

Laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Is she insane?" people whispered.

"I think she might be!" someone replied.

"What did you say? A witch? And what are you? Do you think you’re all human? Ha ha! I don’t think any of you are. I see nothing but monsters when I look at you, all supporting your Duke no matter his crimes. As long as you live comfortably,all is well. That’s the kind of monster you are," Bernice spat, contempt dripping from her voice.

The crowd’s fury intensified, rocks flying once again.

"Yes, yes, throw your rocks! They won’t change the fact that you are all monsters, sucking my blood to live your happy lives," Bernice glared, her voice laced with anger.

"From the moment I arrived, I gave and gave, but what did I receive? Hate? Violence? Hatred? Humiliation? Insults?What else? Could you endure what I have? I doubt it. You are all cowards."

"The mere thought of it must make your skin crawl, yet I lived through it," Bernice said, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Criminal! Justice has already been served! Silence your nonsense!" a guard shoved her forcefully with his weapon,causing her to fall to her knees.

"Why? Afraid they might believe me?"

"Or perhaps, you are consumed by guilt for killing the hand that fed you and provided shelter?" Bernice smirked, despite her bloodied state.

"Someone shut this criminal up!" the guard ordered, turning to leave.

"Ha ha! See? Someone is running away," Bernice laughed hysterically, her laughter echoing through the air.

Just then, someone came forward and sealed Bernice’s mouth with a plaster, silencing her laughter but not her defiance.

"What are we to do? Even with her mouth sealed, she mocks us all, as if trying to trap us in her guilt in order to escape," a guard remarked to another.

"I will inform the mistress. The execution must be carried out swiftly," the guard declared, heading towards the mansion,where the mistress had already emerged.

"What is happening? Why are you coming here?" the mistress asked.

"Mistress the duchess- i mean the criminal has been trying to provoke people of the Ablia making them feel guilty." the guard said.

"Oh, I’m here now. I will handle the rest," the mistress declared.

"But, Duke?" the guard interjected.

"Everyone is asking for the Duke’s presence," the guard explained.

"He’s not feeling well, so he entrusted me with handling the matter," the mistress replied, stepping forward. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Oh, I will inform the others!" the guard exclaimed, rushing towards the execution ground where the crowd roared for Bernice’s execution.

"See, Mistress, this is the situation!" the guard reported.

"Everyone, calm down! The long-awaited execution will take place. We are aware of the crimes she committed hidden behind the facade of the Duchess of Ablia. Therefore, she will be finally executed today, now, and pay for her sins," the mistress declared loudly.

"Why isn’t the Duke present here? Is he hesitant to execute his wife?" the people questioned.

"No! He agreed to the execution after witnessing the death of his loyal servant in his arms.

Unable to bear the sight again, he has declined to attend this execution. Therefore, I shall proceed with it," the mistress clarified.

Turning towards Bernice, the mistress commanded, "Place her head on the blade!"

"Ha ha! Such a lie! Everything is a lie! All of you have set me up! You lured me here! You are all responsible for why my head rests on this block. This is happening because of you all. You will all rot in hell," she screamed, her defiance undeterred.

"I curse this entire empire to crumble."

"I curse this entire empire that one day you will crawl just for a single bite of food."

"I curse this entire empire that the Duchess will not survive for long, and if she does, she will be killed by those she betrayed the most."

"I curse this entire empire that those who are obsessed with status will lose all their identity and live in insignificance," she cursed, her voice ringing out.

"I curse-" before she could finish her sentence, the blade descended, severing her head from her body. It rolled down from the platform, landing near the feet of the horrified onlookers, eliciting screams of terror.

"She just cursed us, right? Look at that look in her eyes, as if she is still alive. As if her head will move on its own and devour us all," a woman shrieked in fear.

"Now, I have an announcement to make, good news," the mistress announced, gaining everyone’s attention.

"I have decided whom the Duke will marry in the future, and the wedding will take place in a few days." The news left everyone stunned.

"What? Marriage? Am I hearing correctly? The Duchess just died, and the mistress is already planning the Duke’s marriage? Does this mean everything that happened was orchestrated to ensure his remarriage?" people whispered amongst themselves.

"The Duke will be marrying Princess Vixara of this empire. So, you are all welcome to attend the ceremony," the mistress announced as a royal carriage arrived.

"A royal carriage? Who could it be?" the people murmured, confusion and surprise clouding their faces.

"What is happening here?" The crowd buzzed with questions as the carriage doors creaked open, revealing Crown Prince Maximus before their astonished eyes.

"It’s the Crown Prince!" people murmured, their voices hushed with awe and disbelief.

As the Crown Prince stepped forward, his gaze fell upon the rolling head of the Duchess. He let out a sharp cry, his face contorting in a mixture of horror and shock.