How To End This Marriage-Chapter 178: Crossing Forbidden Lines

"Why are you getting angry, Marcus? I’m not trying to drag you into any trouble. This is my own choice, and I won’t do it right now. I’ll wait until the right time comes, when someone truly needs to live after dying. Then, I’ll use this knowledge for good." Heavenly Princess Aurelia said.

"If you do, you know the punishment, Aurelia," Marcus said sternly.

"I know. Execution might await me, but I’m not afraid. If there’s a genuine need, I’ll do it at any cost." Aurelia glanced again at Duchess Bernice, who was still staring at her.

"How? How is she able to see me again? Does she know these things will happen in the present, even after taking that step? I can’t believe it. I don’t think anyone still has the power to be involved in both past and present," the Duchess muttered.

"I’m not accepting this, Aurelia. I won’t support you in this." Marcus said and stormed off angrily.

"Oh, Marcus! Why are you so innocent now, when you’ll change completely in the future?" Aurelia said, confusing Duchess Bernice.

"You’re so innocent now, but in the future, you’ll become so ruthless, even though not by much. You’ve changed so much," Aurelia said with a smile.

"I think my theory is true. She might have actually travelled between timelines without anyone knowing." the Duchess said, just as someone entered the secret library.

"There you are, Heavenly Princess! Was skipping the lesson fun?" the person said.

"Here, it’s way more fun than your class, Teacher," Aurelia said, hiding the book behind her back.

"Is it?" the person chuckled.

"Haha! You should have told me to change the lesson plan earlier. I would have done something even more exciting!" Aurelia said.

"What would you do? You’re already so boring, no matter how you do it. You’re an old fogey, Teacher," Aurelia teased with a pout.

"This brat! Really, you have no filter, do you? Is that why your tongue keeps wagging like a knife?" the person said, laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, Teacher. I accept my mistake. Please let go of my ear before it pops out of my head! Then I wouldn’t be able to hear your voice anymore." Aurelia said.

"Nobody can argue with you," the person conceded, finally releasing her ear.

"So, Teacher, I have a question for you," Aurelia said.

"What is it?" the person asked.

"You’re the God of the Moon, so have you ever gotten your hands on the forbidden dark magic knowledge in the library? Or have you ever felt the urge to use it?" Aurelia asked.

"You know this kind of conversation is forbidden in the Heavenly Realm, right?" God Lunar said.

"I know, Teacher. But I want to know if anyone has ever accessed this hidden magic, even though it’s forbidden." Aurelia explained.

"There was one," God Lunar declared after a thoughtful pause.

"One?" Aurelia echoed, curiosity piqued.

"Yes, one who held immense knowledge of dark magic, yet never used it for good or ill. However, a day came when her actions sent shivers through the entire Heavenly Realm."

"Everyone was stunned by her behavior on a mission. It seems she encountered someone in the Mortal Realm," God Lunar revealed.

"Our records are scarce, but we believe she used all her might to resurrect this person from the dead. Upon discovering the heavenly officials’ awareness of her forbidden act, she vanished."

"She escaped every heavenly official, constantly changing her appearance. Ultimately, she disappeared without a trace. No punishment followed, nor can we confirm her fate. Did she escape punishment through her disappearance?"

"The resurrected individual vanished too. We remain clueless about their identity and the official’s whereabouts. Is she alive? Human? Lost to oblivion? No answers exist. But chaos erupted amidst the officials when a baby, adorned with their emblem, floated in on the clouds."

"Who is this baby? Where are they? Can I see them?" Aurelia demanded, eyes blazing with intrigue.

"No!" God Lunar boomed. "This information is strictly forbidden for public disclosure. It will never happen, and you will not learn of it, at any cost."

"Stop pondering," he added sternly. "The next class begins soon."

As God Lunar departed, Aurelia’s mind whirled with newfound mysteries. "Who was this heavenly official? Where is she now? I must find her. I must go to the Mortal Realm."

She strode past Duchess Bernice, still observing her from afar.

"Someone who used forbidden knowledge long ago? So Aurelia isn’t the first?" Bernice muttered, a trail of curiosity following Aurelia to the heavenly court, where the Supreme God awaited.

"Supreme Mother, I require something," Aurelia declared, confidence ringing in her voice.

"What troubles you, Heavenly Princess? Do you need something urgent? Tell me, and it shall be granted."

"Knowing you might oppose my request, I seek your vow. If you promise not to refuse, I will voice it."

"So be it. Speak your wish, and I will grant it, without fail."

Aurelia’s lips curved into a determined smile. "My request is to visit the Mortal Realm. I yearn to explore it, to understand humans."

"But-" the Supreme God began, but Aurelia intervened.

"Supreme Mother, you gave your word. You cannot retract it after hearing my request. To do so would break your vow."

The Supreme God sighed, defeated. "Very well, you may go. However, I must stipulate two conditions."

"Name them," Aurelia urged.

"First, you must avoid any personal involvement with humans. Second, your sojourn in the human realm has a time limit of one year. You must return before it expires."

"I obey every word, Supreme Mother," Aurelia pledged, pulling the surprised goddess into a hug. "You are the best!"

Marcus, witnessing this exchange from afar, simmered with a mixture of anger and concern.

"Princess, you shouldn’t sneak into the heavenly books while your punishment is ongoing." Duchess Bernice jolted out of the book she’d started reading at the library guardian’s voice.

"Why shouldn’t I be allowed? You said I’m the heavenly princess," Duchess Bernice countered, her voice laced with defiance.

"You are allowed once you permanently return to the heavenly realm. Not before that. Your punishment forbids any secret knowledge. Once you understand the link, you’ll never wish for a harsh completion. Please, adhere to it," the heavenly library guardian explained patiently, the book returning to its place on the shelf.

"But I have a question!" Bernice persisted.

"Question? What can I answer for you, princess? If it doesn’t hinder your punishment, I’ll grant it anyway."

"When I snuck into the past, Princess Aurelia looked at me despite me being in the present and her in the past. She spoke cryptically, hinting at traveling through time without anyone’s knowledge, even though she followed the timeline." the Duchess explained, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Such a feat is impossible. No one possesses the power to travel between timelines," the library guardian stated firmly.

"Truly no one in the heavenly realm? None at all?" Bernice pressed, her skepticism evident.

"There was once..." the library guardian began, then hesitated.

"One? Who is it? Who has the power that transferred to Princess Aurelia?" Bernice urged, her curiosity piqued.

"I cannot disclose this. It’s a heavenly rule. Now, you must return to the mortal realm and continue your punishment," the library guardian said, dismissing her.

"One more thing!" Bernice interjected before she could disappear.

"One more? Ask!" the guardian sighed.

"I’ve figured out another heavenly princess incarnated into the mortal realm, but no one has noticed," Bernice declared confidently.

"Another? Who is it? I don’t recall anyone else receiving such punishment," the guardian said, surprised.

"Tribal Princess Sylvia is one of the heavenly princesses, sister to the current Supreme God, Marcus," Bernice revealed, noticing Marcus standing nearby.

"What did you say? Repeat it!" Marcus roared, his face contorting in shock.

"I speak truth. Their faces are similar, their dreams mirror each other, even their natures. The evidence is undeniable: Tribal Princess Sylvia is the other heavenly princess, your sister, disguised as a human," Bernice stated, her voice unwavering.

"If she were my sister, I would have known!" Marcus exclaimed, his denial evident.

"It’s been a long time, Your Highness. Your memories of the past might be fading, including your sister. She lives as a human now, but her power from the heavenly realm remains. I want to know what crime she committed to be banished to the mortal realm," Bernice pressed, her eyes fixed on Marcus.

"No crime," Marcus whispered, his voice laced with sorrow. "It was her own choice. She took her life before me."

"She took her own life?" Duchess gasped, reeling from the revelation.

"Yes!" Marcus cried out, his voice thick with grief. "I still remember her words: ’I cannot tolerate your actions, heavenly brother. I cannot witness your fall. Before something terrible happens, I might not be alive to see it.’ Those were her last words."

"Before I could react, she took the sword from my hand and placed it against her own throat. With a whispered apology, she ended her life right before my eyes."