The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 216 - 214

Duchess Macy saw her husband looking at her when she opened her eyes.

"Did I fall asleep?" Duchess Macy asked in a dull voice. It was clear that something was bothering her and Duke Felix knew exactly what it was.

"You fainted." Duke Felix did not beat around the bush. It was much better to say the words directly, "The doctors said that you were stressed and maybe everything was just too much for you."

Duchess Macy was silent as she bit her lips. Yes, it really was too much for her but that was not something that was bothering her mind. "Is my brother really dead..."

Duke Felix looked straight into the Duchess’s eyes as he leaned forward. His hand cupped her cheeks as he said, "We do not know it for sure, but the circumstances indicates that it is most likely so. He should be."

Duchess Macy bit her lips as she fell silent. There were so many things that were bothering her and yet she did not know how to clear the air. "My mother...."

Duchess Macy did not continue her words as she thought that they did not hold any more meaning. Was there any point in asking?

Duchess Macy was silent as she bit her lips but when she saw the dullness in her husband’s face, her heart sank. "Did something else happen?"

Duke Felix seemed unsure, as though he did not know what to say. He moved his hand from her cheeks as he held her hands. "She killed herself, Macy. The guilt was too much for her, or maybe she did not want to be seen as a murderer. She took poison and killed herself."

Duke Felix’s words felt like a thunderstorm hitting her. Duchess Macy was stiff as if she had lost all of her senses. "Did she? Why? No.... No .... This cannot be.... Why?"

Duchess Macy’s words were trembling as she struggled to form a full sentence. In a matter of a few hours, she had lost everything. Her brother, her father, and now her mother.

"Can I meet her?" Duchess Macy’s voice was soft and her face was filled with tears. She looked like a mess right now as her gaze looked straight into her husband’s.

Duke Felix was the only family she have left. The only man who could help her through this situation. The only one she could trust and the only one to give her the strength to move forward.

Duke Felix was silent. He knew that his wife would want to see her mother. That was the reason why he had applied the poison to his nails and made sure to hurt the Queen near her mouth. The jaws were an area that was an easy target. It was a good thing that the poison made the skin blue and he could manipulate the situation and tell his wife that her mother chose suicide. After all, the blue skin around her mouth was an indication that she drank the poison willingly.

Duchess Macy waited for his reply. She was struggling to understand why her husband was not letting her see her mother but then she saw Duke Felix sigh as he said, "Okay, but you need to prepare your heart when you see her."

Duchess Macy nodded her head as she brushed the tears away. Her thought the process was simple. She needed to see her mother first. She could not be a child forever. If everyone was really dead then she was the only one living in the royal family. The whole Kingdom was her responsibility and she had to take care of the Kingdom as its Queen.

—--

Duchess Macy’s body shook as she swallowed hard. The prison was clear but the fact that her mother was lying there was something that made her feel sick.

As soon as she walked into a cell, Duchess Macy saw her mother’s body lying on the ground. Her face was filled with a painful expression as if she had suffered a lot in her final hours.

Duchess Macy could not help but sit down near her body. She did not care about her image or the fact that she was a royal. At this moment she was a daughter.

"Felix...!!" Duchess Macy’s voice clearly depicted that she was suffering a lot. Her cries were about to resound again as she tried hard to control her emotions.

Duke Felix understood the look in her eyes. Duchess Macy wanted the others to leave. He sighed as he indicated the other people to move out and soon they were the only ones in the prison cell.

"Why do you think she did it? Was it really the guilt?" Duchess Macy touched her dead mother’s cheeks as she murmured in a low tone. "Did she really crave the throne so much that she even killed her son and husband? She already got the throne, didn’t she? She was the Queen, then why?"

"Maybe because she could not trust anyone?" Duke Felix threw out a suggestion as he sat down beside the Duchess. Although there was a slight discomfort in his eyes, he still managed to cover up his disgust as he held his wife’s hand. "Sometimes people could not get enough of things and even when they have already achieve it, they are never satisfied. Or rather they cannot stop."

"So you think my mother could not stop?" Duchess Macy asked as she bit her lips. She looked at her mother who would never open her eyes ever again. She had entered her eternal slumber.

There was a small part within her that already agreed with what her husband was saying. It was clear that her mother was greedy for the throne, but did she really not stop even when she already got it?

"I know what you think. But sometimes people have different thought processes. You have studied history yourself too, Macy. Relatives kill for the throne. A son will not step back and think if he really wanted to kill his parents and sit in their position. This is not uncommon and maybe the Queen fears it. Maybe she thought that it might be true."

"But then why kill herself?" Duchess Macy swallowed hard. "I understand that she felt guilty but..."

"Maybe the fear of punishment. Maybe she feared that something worse would happen to her. It can be anything and we would be nervous to know it. Maybe the reason why is lost forever with her." Duke Felix’s voice was filled with many meanings. But Duchess Macy understood the hidden meaning behind it.

Her mother, the Queen, had killed her husband and son and even tried to kill her so that no one would revolt against her. Just because she was guilty she decided to kill herself in order to avoid facing the consequences.

"We should tell the people too. They should know what had happened to the royal family." Duke Felux said in a small tone. He knew that it was possible to misunderstand things now but it was the right thing to do. If he wanted to move ahead he had to make sure that everything was to be blamed on the Queen and that he was untouchable.

"They have a right to know it too, Macy. Even if it is shameful, the people and other nobles need to know." Duke Felia’s eyes narrowed as his hold on his wife tightened. "You have to be strong and understanding. They might object to you having to show them that you are more than capable of handling the Kingdom. You have to show that you are your father’s daughter. You are more than capable of ruling."

"There may be opposition," Duchess Macy murmured.

"And I will take care of it all," Duke Felix said as he looked straight into his wife’s eyes. He knew how much she loved him. So much so that she might be able to ignore everything else.

"You will?" Tears rolled down Duchess Macy’s eyes. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world. No matter what the past was, she still had a loving husband beside her who loved and cherished her a lot. Someone who did not judge her by her mother. But soon the fear started taking root in her heart.

’What if he thinks I am like my mother? What if I also give in to the power and wanted to kill my own husband? No, I cannot do that... There is nothing else I can do... I have to be sure to neglect the power and focus on my family. I finally got to marry my husband. I have to focus on it.’ Duchess Macy’s mind was in a mess. Her eyes stayed focused on her mother’s body.

"Do not worry, Macy. I know what you are worried about. I will handle everything. I will look into the Kingdom and make sure that the people who depend on us are happy. You only have to stay strong and determined. You have to stay on the fact that you are the only living royal and you have the right to the throne. I will handle everything else."

Duke Felix’s eyes narrowed as he continued, "If we do not do that, the nobles might rebel. We have to make sure that we stay focused and do not give up the throne. Giving up the throne is giving up our life. So do not worry. I will make sure to keep you and the people in the Kingdom safe. All you need to do is trust me."

Duchess Macy looked up at her husband as she nodded her head. She knew that at this point, losing the throne is equivalent to losing her life.