The Debt Of Fate-Chapter 257: The king’s Plot

As soon as Duke Thompson sent word to the palace accepting the marriage proposal, King Edward immediately assigned a eunuch to deliver gifts. He wanted the wedding to be grand. To the public, it would seem as though he placed great importance on this marriage—but in truth, he simply wanted to make Anastasia regret her decision not to return to the palace.

As the gifts were sent out, the news spread quickly throughout the royal city.

"I’m sure the former queen regrets her actions," a noblewoman said with a satisfied smile.

"You’re right. Who would have expected her to do something so disgraceful?" her friend agreed.

"But it really strange that she decided on a public confession," the noble lady said thinking of the situation.

"Do you think this is Duchess Anita’s plot?" Her friend said after thinking for a while.

The noble lady thought about it but shook her head. "I do not think Duchess Anita can do this. After all, Lady Anastasia’ never went back to the Duke residence after the separation. I think, she is afraid of the king," the noble lady said.

Conversations like these echoed across different quarters of the city. Different people had different opinions about the situation but everyone agreed that Anastasia must regret her actions.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth, seeing the king’s efforts and the lavish attention being paid to the marriage, was overjoyed.

"Mother, this marriage was always mine to begin with," she said with a beaming smile. She was the legitimate daughter of the family and should have been the one to marry the crown prince.

"You’re right," Duchess Anita replied, equally pleased. She could still remember the conversation with the Duke when the marriage proposal to Anastasia first arrived.

"Since things have turned out this way, why don’t we take this opportunity to completely disassociate ourselves from Anastasia?" Elizabeth suggested. She still couldn’t get over the fact that Anastasia had once held a legitimate status as queen. Her mother was forced to adopt her

Duchess Anita considered her daughter’s words and agreed it was a good point. Without delay, she went to see Duke Thompson.

"My lord, I think we should remove Anastasia’s name from our family record. Her recent behavior has been disgraceful," Duchess Anita proposed. Although she was determined to see it done, she knew her husband was no longer so easy to influence.

Duke Thompson paused at the suggestion. Indeed, Anastasia had acted shamefully—disregarding his advice, divorcing the king, and now publicly confessing to an affair. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

He felt that Anastasia had shown him no respect as her father, making major decisions without his counsel. She hadn’t even returned home after leaving the palace.

"Leave this to me. I will handle it," he said after a long moment.

"Alright," Duchess Anita replied. She knew that since her husband had responded this way, he would see it through.

Duke Thompson, his mind heavy with thoughts of the disgrace his daughter had brought upon their name, made his way to visit Anastasia. His anger simmered beneath the surface, but he was determined to speak with her, to make her see the gravity of the situation. His visit was not one of reconciliation; it was one of finality, and he intended to end things between them once and for all.

Anastasia, sitting alone in the small cottage she now called home, did not expect a visit from her father. The past few days had been filled with the weight of her confession and the rumors that followed, and the last thing she needed was a confrontation. When Rosa came to inform her, she hesitated for a moment , she could still remember what Grater had told her about her background but still chose to see him.

The sight of Duke Thompson walking in put her on the edge but she managed to control herself. Duke Thompson once regal bearing now seemed tainted by anger, his face twisted in a mixture of disappointment and fury. He strode into the room his eyes scanning the humble surroundings as if disgusted by the simplicity of it all.

"You’ve brought shame upon this family, Anastasia," he began, his voice cold. "Your actions—your confession—it’s all a disgrace. You’ve ruined everything."

Anastasia’s eyes narrowed. She had expected him to speak in anger, but the sting of his words still cut deeply. She had long ago stopped looking for approval from him, yet to hear him accuse her so harshly annoyed her. Knowing that he had taken her father’s right and lives a comfortable life but yet dare to talk about shame and disgrace.

"I’ve done nothing but what I thought was best for me," she replied, . "If anyone is to blame for my downfall, it is you."

The Duke scoffed at her words. "Me? You blame me? I gave you everything! You had a crown, power, respect. And what did you do? You threw it all away for a fleeting moment of passion."

Anastasia’s lips tightened into a thin line. "You always acted as if I owed you something, Father. As if I owed this family. But I owe nothing to you. My marriage to the king was the late king’s decision, it has nothing to do with you. You have me nothing" Her voice was firm as she looked at the Duke.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" The Duke’s voice rose, his eyes flashing with anger. Although he had never cared about Anastasia, he knew she always respected him. "I’m still your father. You’re still part of this family. And you’re about to ruin us all!"

Anastasia’s gaze hardened. "I’ve never been part of this famil. All these years, I was nothing but a pawn in your schemes—your ambition. You never once considered me, only what I could give you. Will you swear you don’t know how you beloved wife has treated me all this years?"

Duke Thompson’s jaw clenched, but he was silent for a long moment. The weight of her words seemed to settle in the room, thick with tension.

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and venomous. "You should have never been queen. You’ve always been a disappointment."

Anastasia stood up from her seat, her back straight and her eyes blazing. "And you," she said softly, "you’ve always been a man I could never respect. Not as a father, not as a man. You are a liar and the truth would be known someday," Anastasia bit on her tongue not wanting to say more. She understood that she did not have the ability to fight against the Duke at this moment.

The words hit him like a slap, and for a brief moment, his face twisted with a mixture of shock and pain. He opened his mouth to retaliate, but nothing came out. He could not find the words to argue with her anymore.

"Goodbye, Father," Anastasia said, her voice calm but final. "We are done. I am done with you, and I am done with this family."

Duke Thompson stood frozen, staring at her for a long moment, but when he saw that she would not back down, "fine, from now on, you are no longer my daughter. Your name will be removed from the family and I will announce it to the whole kingdom," he turned on his heel and left, after those words.

Anastasia watched him go, her heart heavy but resolute. She had cut the final tie with her past, she knew it was the only way forward. She would never return to the palace, and she would never again be controlled by the man who had never truly cared about her.

"My lady," Rosa came out with tears in her eyes. The two have spoken in such loud voice so she heard them. She could not believe that Anastasia would be abandoned by the Duke.

All this years she believes that the Duke no matter what care for her lady as his daughter, only in this moment did she realized, she might be wrong.

Anastasia clear the tears on her face. She was not sad that Duke Thompson wanted to remove her from the family tree. Her pain was that she would never be able to meet her biological father or expose Duke Thompson’s lies.

"I am fine, it is better to be a commoner," Anastasia’ said with a forced smile.

"My lady, how can he say such hurtful words to you. I heard madam was also the wife of his youth when he was not a distinguish Duke," Rosa said. She could tell that her lady must truly be hurt.

Anastasia smile, she always thought this way but now she understood she was never his daughter. Her mother had mistaken her husband. She felt that her life has become a joke but compared to the ending in her dreams, she felt that this was better.

What was the use of been a queen, if she would be poisoned to death. She did not care what others thought but she did not regret her decision, especially when she knew of the king’s plot.