How To End This Marriage-Chapter 162: Confrontations

"You have no such intention?"

"Then what were you doing with my husband when you came to serve me?" Duchess said while wrapping her hand around.

"I apologize, Duchess! I won’t make such a mistake again," the maid said, stammering.

"Apologize? Ha! You think an apology will help you? No!!!! Tell me who made you do this! Or was it your own intention? Or was it both?" The Duchess asked.

"I-" the maid stopped.

"Yes, you!!! Tell me!!!" The Duchess shouted.

"The empress told me to do this," she said quickly.

"Nice!" The Duchess smirked.

"So where is your empress now? I really wish to meet her at this moment," she smiled.

"I thought I might visit her later, but now the water has reached the level of my head, so I think I have to go at this moment," she smiled again as the maid started shivering.

"Please don’t tell my name!!!" The maid kept on repeating, but the Duchess held her by her hair.

"Won’t tell your name? Why? Did you achieve something? No, right? You have put your hand on my husband. If I try, I will pull out the freaking hand of yours, but no. You are just a puppet. I want to show you how I’m dealing with your master first, then I will deal with you. So let’s go?" she said while dragging her out of the room.

The other maids followed her while Duke smiled looking at her.

"Lead the way, my dear maid. Or I might have an issue finding your master," Duchess said as she walked.

"She is in the garden, Duchess," the maid stuttered.

"Ok! Let’s go meet her soon!" she said while walking fast toward the garden. As she saw the empress taking her tips sipping.

"See! There is your master!" Duchess said and pushed the maid to the tea table, making all the tea and glasses pierce into the maid’s skin.

"What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" The empress shouted, raising from her seat.

"Have I lost my mind? No, empress! I have not lost my mind, but I guess you did. That is why you sent your little puppet to seduce my husband, just like you seduced the emperor and got raised from concubine to empress," Duchess smirked.

"You!!! You are forgetting you are talking to the empress!!!" the empress said in anger.

"Empress? Without the emperor, how could you be the empress? Ha!! Do you think everyone respects you after what the emperor did? No, no one does! They are just doing formality until you reveal your truth," Duchess said, placing her face near the empress.

"Which is why I’m not scared of you. And why would I be scared of a woman like you who can do anything to get a higher position? Like killing the main wife? Trying to kill the child? Or assassination of the character? Or should I say, to achieve her goal, she can even send a maid to seduce someone? Isn’t it, empress?" The Duchess said, smirking.

"Your audacity knows no bounds!" the Empress rose, her voice laced with controlled fury.

"Why the theatrics, Your Majesty?" the Duchess countered, her gaze cool and calculating. "You invited me here, after all. Surely you knew I wouldn’t mince words."

"This...puppet of yours," the Empress sneered, her inflection dripping with disdain, "do you truly believe she poses a threat? A mere pawn to manipulate the Duke’s loyalty? How utterly absurd." She sipped her tea with deliberate slowness, the clinking of the cup a subtle counterpoint to her icy words.

"Perhaps you should gaze into your own reflection, Empress," the Duchess retorted, her voice clipped. "Anger is a poison that consumes from within. It is only a matter of time before it consumes you entirely."

"Duchess!" the Empress’s voice rose again, barely contained.

"Did you summon me here simply to issue veiled threats?" the Duchess challenged, her eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "But know this, Empress. You cannot silence me. And if you attempt to, I will ensure your reign ends sooner than you anticipate."

"Treasonous words!" the Empress hissed.

"Perhaps," the Duchess conceded with a shrug. "But you and the Duke have hardly proven yourselves worthy stewards of the throne. I, for one, would welcome a ruler with a stronger spine."

"Your veiled insinuations are clear enough," the Empress growled.

"Princess Vixara, isn’t she?" the Duchess smirked, enjoying the Empress’s obvious discomfort. "Her cunning surpassed yours in every turn, did it not? A far more fitting heir than your son, Maximus, ever could be."

"You have overstepped yourself beyond measure!" the Empress roared, her face contorted with rage.

"I have merely spoken the truth," the Duchess countered, her voice deceptively calm. "And as for consequences, I assure you, Empress, I have considered them all. Your threats are hollow. My departure from the palace, however, is inevitable. And it will be on my own terms."

"Mark my words, Duchess," the Empress spat, her voice trembling with barely concealed fury. "I will not forget this transgression. You will pay dearly."

"Oh, I have no doubt," the Duchess replied with a chilling smile. "But fear not, Empress, I will ensure your downfall is swift and spectacular."

The Duchess rose, her movements fluid and graceful, and turned towards her chamber. As she walked away, her maid approached, worry etched on her face.

"Duchess," the maid whispered, her voice trembling, "are you certain of this course of action? The Empress...she is not one to be trifled with."

"Fear not, dear girl," the Duchess reassured her, her voice low and confident. "The Empress’s power is waning. Soon, she will be nothing but a faded memory. And as for me," she added with a wink, "I have a few surprises in store for the court."

The Duchess walked towards her room, but as she entered, she found Duke sitting on the bed, legs crossed, draped in a drenched bathrobe.

"What is this, Duke?" she asked, her voice laced with irritation.

"Must you be like this in my room as well?" The Duchess scoffed.

"Not yours, wife," he countered, rising and approaching her, his wet hair brushing against her skin. "Ours. This is our room."

The Duchess flinched, a shiver running down her spine.

"See, you even flinch at my touch. Get used to it, Duchess," he whispered, his voice husky. "I can’t wait to have you."

His words sent a jolt through her, and she instinctively pushed him back onto the bed.

"Keep dreaming, Duke," she retorted, a steely glint in her eyes. "This will never happen. Once everything is settled, I’ll vanish from your life, and you’ll never find me again."

A flicker of pain crossed his face, but he quickly masked it with a smirk.

"If you disappear," he said, his voice low and determined, "I’ll move mountains to bring you back. Any time, anywhere."

Duchess scoffed. "Are you a magician, Duke? Poof, and I appear before you?"

"I’m not," he admitted, his gaze unwavering. "But I wouldn’t hesitate to become one if anything happened to you."

"Really?" she muttered, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I wonder how I managed to die twice then."

Duke’s eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, Duke," she said, brushing past him. "Keep trying, because you’ll never be able to keep your word. It’s what you do."

Meanwhile, far away, Tribal Princess Sylvia donned her dark assassin’s garb, her face concealed by a veil, leaving only her eyes visible.

"Time to get to work," she murmured, the weight of her mission pressing down on her. "I’ve delayed long enough. And that man deserves his punishment."

The holy sword, Erios, materialized before her, its blade shimmering with an otherworldly light. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Ready for our task?" it asked, its voice a melodious whisper.

"Always," Sylvia replied, a fierce glint in her eyes. "Who am I to deny such an honorable offer, especially when it means serving justice?"

Erios hummed in agreement, then teleported them to the Emperor’s chamber, a place shrouded in both secrecy and suspicion.

"So, this is where they keep the mighty Emperor?" Sylvia mused, her voice tinged with disdain.

"Indeed," Erios confirmed. "It may seem unassuming, but that’s precisely the point. No one expects the Emperor to be held in such an ordinary place."

Sylvia nodded, her gaze falling on the Emperor, who lay asleep after his treatment.

"Wake up!" she barked, kicking him lightly. "I didn’t come here to watch you drool."

The Emperor jolted awake, his face contorted in fury. "Who dares interrupt the Emperor’s slumber? And how dare you kick me?"

Sylvia chuckled, a cold and humorless sound. "Emperor? You’re no emperor anymore, just a fallen king. And as for your question, I’m here to deliver a little payback."

The Emperor’s eyes widened. "You... you’re the Duchess’s pawn! She’s built her own team!"

"Wrong," Sylvia corrected, her voice like steel. "I serve no one but myself. And let’s just say, you have a special place on my own personal vendetta list."

"What do you mean?" the Emperor stammered, fear creeping into his voice.

Sylvia’s smile widened, revealing a flash of white teeth. "Remember the execution order you signed, the one that nearly cost me my life? You might be surprised to learn that memories tend to linger, especially when they’re fueled by rage."

The Emperor’s face paled, and a tremor ran through his body. He had underestimated her, mistaking her for a mere pawn in another’s game.