How To End This Marriage-Chapter 87: Empire’s Secret

Maximus, with a curious look on his face, turned to his mother and asked, "Mother, was there someone born before me? Do I have any siblings?" His questions were sudden and unexpected, especially at such a late hour when the sun was about to rise.

The empress was taken aback by his questions. "Maximus, why are you asking this all of a sudden?" she asked. But Maximus was persistent. He wanted answers, and he disregarded the royal protocols to get them. "Mother, you’re not answering my question," he said.

The empress was alarmed by his disregard for the royal protocols. "Maximus! You’re forgetting your royal protocols. Before being your mother, I am your empress," she reminded him sternly. But Maximus was unfazed. If his mother was not willing to answer his questions, he was ready to leave.

Just as he was about to rise from his seat, the empress stopped him. She was worried about him. "Maximus, what’s gotten into you? You don’t sound like yourself at all," she said, trying to understand what was going on in his mind.

Maximus then revealed his suspicions about a previous empress that people talked about but was kept hidden from him. The empress was shocked and angered by this revelation. She demanded to know who told him about this and promised to fix it soon.

But Maximus pulled his hand away from her. "Then mother, are you trying to silence the one who told me the truth?" he asked. The empress’s complexion changed at this accusation. She looked scared, which made Maximus anxious.

He started questioning everything he knew about his mother. "Is this what I think is the truth? No no it can’t be. My mother can’t do such things. My mother’s hand can’t be drenched in blood," he muttered in panic.

In a state of panic, Maximus ran towards Alexavier’s room where he found Alex drinking alcohol glass after glass. He snatched the glass from Alex’s hand and confronted him about his behavior.

"Alex, what the heck are you doing? Have you lost your sense of judgement?"

"What? What are you doing here? Didn’t you say I’m only having war trauma then why are you here, Your Highness? Are you going to give me treatment for what I have gone through those years? Are you going to insert needles in my hand to get me treated? If so please do so. I’m ready. Is that all you and the emperor want right?" he blabbered drunkenly.

"No, Alex whatever you have said is the truth. I went looking for proofs and even found some but now I have failed and need your help that is why I’m here. I want to help you. I want to find the duchess too and I will find out who murdered your parents," he said in a low voice.

"Hah! Your Highness, you talk just like my wife," Alex slurred.

Alex laughed drunkenly at Maximus’s words.

"Alex, this is not the time for this. We need to get out of this palace. That is how we can find your wife," he said while slowly picking up Alex, who had started stumbling as he pressed his feet on the ground, falling here and there.

"Alex, come to your senses!" Maximus said, slapping his face twice, but nothing worked. Still, he somehow took him outside of his room while looking here and there, not getting caught, but due to his weight, he kept on stumbling.

"Alex, come to your bloody senses. Or you will never find your lovable wife this way," he muttered. But as Alexavier snored, he gave up on what was on his mind and dragged him towards the stable to get a horse. That was the moment when he heard some crackling voice again.

"What is this voice? Horses don’t wear metal chains, then where is this sound coming from?" he thought and went further inside the stable but found nothing. He picked up his horse and rode with Alexavier falling behind the back of the horse like a baggage.

"I have to find her. She is the key. If she is found then all is done," he muttered and followed the blood spots. But he noticed as he went forward, the blood spots grew larger as if the accident Sylvia made was not a small one but something self-harming.

"Can’t she stay with me to state the truth? What was the urgency that made her flee like this?" he growled and rode the horse deeper into the forest as he noticed the sun was about to rise in the sky. The sun rays started to fall on their faces but still no clue. Finally, Alex started to come to his senses knowing where he was.

"Crown prince, where are you taking me? Why are you carrying me this way? You could have waited for me to sober up," he said.

"Do you want to find your wife sooner or later? Answer!" Maximus asked.

"I want it sooner," he said in a slow tone.

"Then sit tight and let me do my work because you are only suitable for war. Your brain is failing to see the conspiracy," he said, gritting his teeth.

"What are you talking about? Madam too used to say that there’s a conspiracy going on behind my back but I refused. How could my people betray me?" Alex said.

"But it is happening. I don’t know who is doing this or why? I may know but I’m not sure but yeah she is right that’s why she has been trapped somewhere and we have to find her out before something can occur," he said and quickened the pace.

"Your highness, why are you helping me?" he asked.

"Alex, I have my own selfish desires too. I not only want to get the best duchess back to the empire but I want to have my own answers to questions. So now keep your mouth shut and let me do my work. Or we will fall behind and the emperor’s people will find us and take us back to the empire," he warned.

As they started their journey, they encountered a village in front of them with a low population. But seeing them looking royal and rich, the villagers stopped them.

"Hey, stop! Where are you coming from? We have already paid the taxes, now leave us alone," the villagers said, stopping their horse.

"Tax? No! We don’t take taxes. And since when did the empire start taking taxes that I don’t know about?" Maximus asked.

"Are you new to this empire?"

"That must be the reason you don’t know. But yes, this empire takes taxes on a monthly basis. Even though we earn more than the minimum, it all goes to fill the tax rate given by the emperor," the villagers said with a downcast face.

"Since when has this been going on?" Maximus asked.

"Since the new empire’s accession!" they replied, shocking him.

"Alex, does Ablia also pay taxes regularly on a monthly basis?" he asked, looking at Alexavier.

"I’m not sure. No, maybe," he said but then he remembered what Bernice had said.

"But madam has said that Ablia has been living under such bad conditions. But I never got any query about this," Alex said, troubling Maximus.

"So is this why the duchess came here to discuss the situation of Ablia which Alex failed to recognize? Then if this is the case, then this will benefit my father the most while trying to keep this matter hidden until I ascend the throne. No, this can’t happen. I need proof to go against him. I need to uncover every truth which he has kept hidden," Maximus thought.

"Oh, it sounded so bad. Here, you can have this badge. Whenever they come again you can show them. You can say the crown prince has given you," he smiled and rode the horse forward with a smile while leaving the villagers speechless.

"Crown prince, what if the emperor finds out about this? You shouldn’t have done this," Alex said. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Alex, stop behaving like a dog to the emperor. Think properly whether what I did is wrong or right then speak. This is why your wife had to come here alone without you. You could have tried to understand the situation but because of this, you are not behaving in a good manner. I wonder what made you change so much when you used to be so courageous and so blunt when you were a kid," Maximus mentioned.

"I was?"

"Yes, you were like that. But you are no longer that way. I wonder what made you change so much," Maximus asked but without expecting a reply he rode the horse even further toward a place he doubted - The tribal village which is known to be hidden.

"Alex, are you aware of the tribal village? Like any route connecting to the village and the empire?" he asked.

"I have never been there. Let us explore. What if we end up finding the place! No one knows," they said and got off their horses and started finding the place from scratch.