How To End This Marriage-Chapter 130: Shadows Cast

Inside a Meeting Room

"What should we do now? Is there any solution to this situation?" the previous duchess inquired, with the emperor and princess already present.

"Do you think I’d be here all silent if I had any option? No! I would have already taken action, but I didn’t. Because there is no solution. No matter how the princess tries to humiliate her or you, she’s not budging. Where did you find such a girl?" the emperor questioned.

"Where? I received information that Marquis Kael is struggling with the succession role, deciding among his children. That’s how I ended up meeting him to arrange for Bernice Balliol to marry Alex. Who would have known she is this strict and smart? I wouldn’t have chosen her if I had the idea," the duchess explained.

"How could you not know, Aunt? It is Alex’s life. Why couldn’t you choose someone with higher authority and calm?" the princess interjected.

"Higher authority? Do you think a divorce would have been possible then? No! From her side, I still have a chance, but only if I choose to ignore my dream of achieving the throne, which I’ve failed to secure. But no, I can’t take this gamble. I need both of them. I need you as my daughter-in-law just for me to get near the crown. My son needs to be the new emperor for the future, not her as the empress," the duchess declared, clenching the glass tightly.

"So, you would go to any state for the throne?" the emperor questioned.

"Yes, I can. I lost once, but I won’t let it go again," she answered, glaring at the emperor.

"Then you could have tried to kill me. The throne would be yours. Wasn’t it easy? Why did you let the plan slip through your fingers?" the emperor asked.

"Hmm, then I would be behind bars, not on the throne, just as you said. Don’t forget, the empire’s rule falls into the hands of the judiciary system, then the emperor. If I get caught, I’d only be losing my chance, and some outsider will grasp the throne. I couldn’t let it go easily," she stated.

"Yes, then any other plan to get rid of Bernice? Or are you simply going to stay like this, letting her marry Maximus?" the emperor pressed.

"What else should I do?" she shouted.

"You have a son; you should have realized that long before. And if I give you the reason, can you do it? I don’t think," the duchess said.

"What? What do you want me to do?" the emperor asked.

"Kill your son! I think that’s the only way. If he’s gone, there will be no chance for her to hold on. She will have no one, and I will send her back to her home. Then everything will be equal, and the puzzle will be solved," the duchess proposed.

"Libena! Have you finally lost your sanity? How could you ask me to kill my son?" the emperor erupted.

"Yes, kill him, father, then I will succeed you. Your daughter will succeed you. Isn’t that good?" the princess chimed in psychopathically.

"No! He is my own flesh; I can’t. I won’t let you do it," the emperor declared, about to walk out of the room when something hit him on the head, making him stumble.

"Y-you, h-how could you?" he started stuttering. His vision blurred; he couldn’t see. The princess and duchess began shouting, "Assassin! Assassin!"

"An assassin has entered the emperor’s room, attempting to kill him! Someone come here! The emperor is injured!" The duchess called for help while the emperor bled from his head, and the princess cried for sympathy.

"What happened? How did an assassin enter this room while you two were present?" the prince asked. The emperor was moved to his room, guarded, and attended to by a doctor.

"We don’t know. Maybe the assassin was hiding in this room and, as he got the chance, jumped on the emperor, hitting him on the head, making him bleed, and then escaping through the window. I don’t think he would have gone far. You should send guards, knights, and a search team to catch him," the duchess explained.

"I will!" The prince declared and left the room to catch the assassin.

"Did you plan this all along?" the princess asked.

"Yes, I knew he is not going to believe in my decision nor accept it. So, I already decided what I need to do," the duchess revealed.

"You want to marry Alex, right?" the princess questioned.

"Yes, I want to," the duchess replied.

"Then keep your mouth shut and let me do what I want unless you want to lose everything you have," the duchess warned, leaving the room. She made sure her handkerchief, used to cover the vase when she hit the emperor, showed no fingerprints.

"Maximus, you are next! If I let you be the emperor, all my dreams will shatter. I can’t let that happen. You need to get out of my way, or Alex could never be the emperor, let alone achieve my dream," the duchess muttered, and suddenly, Bernice appeared in front of her.

"What’s with the commotion? What happened? The palace is in such chaos," Bernice asked in worry.

"Someone attacked the emperor! We have to hurry and leave for the estate. I don’t know what will happen, but if we stay here, the assassin might escape due to the crowd. We have to return," the duchess suggested.

"But, his majesty?" Bernice inquired.

"Yes, I will bid my farewell as I leave," the duchess said, walking toward her room, leaving Bernice confused.

*Later on the Same Day*

The duchess returned to the emperor’s chamber while he was asleep, unsure if he had healed. She addressed him, revealing her sinister plan.

"Brother, this is why I told you not to go against me! But you didn’t listen. Did you really think I couldn’t kill you because you are my brother? How could you think that? How could you even wonder that and not take my love for the crown seriously? See now! I wasn’t lying. I was saying the truth. I was saying the truth the entire time. So now, your son’s turn. He will be joining you soon once I finish you and make you out of this world," the duchess declared, attempting to suffocate him with a pillow.

"It won’t hurt much, brother. Soon you will be out of this world, and the crown will find its new owner," she whispered, disguising the attempt. The doctor interrupted.

"Oh, Princess Libena!" the doctor said.

"Yes, doctor, I have come to check on my brother," the duchess said with a smiley face.

"What happened to brother? Is there any worry? Why is he not opening his eyes, no matter how I call him?" she asked.

"I thought he might have awakened by now, but he didn’t. I have to check upon him once again," he said. After examining the emperor’s hand, the doctor disclosed, "His blood is not flowing properly, as if he has a clot somewhere due to the accident."

"So what is going to happen with my brother now? Is he going to take time to wake up?" the duchess asked.

"I can’t say. We just have to wait!" the doctor said while a smirk bloomed on the duchess’s face.

"So, he is not going to wake up? Ha, now my path is clear. I just have to make sure the princess takes the authority of the emperor, not the crown prince," her face gloomed up once again.

"Okay, I’m going for now. I have to talk with the ministers, then have to return," she said, leaving the place walking toward the audience hall, where the crown princess is already present.

"Oh, Aunt! We are only waiting for you," the crown prince said.

"Where is the princess? I have called her as well," she asked.

"I have sent orders, but she declined to come here," the prince said.

"What is this woman doing? Does she not want all these things? How could she refuse when she finally had the chance to handle the affairs?" the duchess muttered.

"Okay, let us start!" the duchess said.

"So, as everyone knows why we are gathered here, right?" the duchess stated.

"Yes, Princess Libena, we are aware of His Majesty’s situation. And he can’t perform all the affairs now. So, in his absence, someone needed to handle all the things," the minister said.

"Yes, so we need to choose a person who can handle this." duchess said.

"What is there to ask, Princess Libena? His Highness, the Crown Prince, is handling all the duties of the emperor for a while, and in his absence, he will continue doing his job as well. There is nothing to decide, as the emperor himself has appointed this for future issues," another minister declared, casting a shadow on the duchess’s face.

"How could I let you ruin my plan!!!" she clenched her fist.