The Duke's Unwanted Wife

“What a nice word to describe big. You do not like it?”    

“No! I think it looks really nice.”    

“Okay. Let’s go in before I exhaust all the sophisticated words you can use.”    

She led him into the castle, giving him a tour herself while Amaika followed behind. It made the servants very curious, especially after she commanded Antonia to open the room she asked to be kept closed.    

“Do you think that is the master?”    

“Who knows? He’s a werecreature. I can’t even tell if he’s a he. Maybe a werecreature the Duchess decides to sponsor? Even the one behind him is dressed better. I think I’ve seen him around the palace.”    

The servants were unaware that all three that were being talked about could hear everything they were saying though they weren’t close to them. Amaika looked very proud, not minding that they were assumed to be a man. Natalia continued giving the tour, ending it in her office. Whilst inside, Antonia brought them snacks delivered from the palace. When she was leaving, Antonia was asked to call all the servants. It also happened to be the exact moment Count Brenn arrived.    

He was very surprised to see Natalia giving Marvis, a werecreature, more attention than she had given anybody else. Amaika there, he was used to but it looked like Marvis had come out of nowhere. If he didn’t announce his presence in the office, Count Brenn was sure he would’ve been ignored.    

“Everyone, this is Amaika. They’re the head of security and the branch manager of the Adamantine Company here in the North. Please treat them with respect.”    

Everyone nodded, understanding the message she was passing across. However, everyone was curious to know who Marvis was. They peeled their ears for his introduction.    

“This is Sir Marvis Jane. He is someone very important to me so I want you to treat him the same way you would treat me. In a way, you can consider him the master of the house.”    

“Lia, that’s too vague!”    

“Well, what else should I introduce you as? Or you won’t take responsibility after seeing my body?”    

“Lia!” he exclaimed, his face turning red. She smirked, leaning in.    

“So, you remember?” she whispered into his ear. He stood up and rigidly walked out of the office.    

"So, do you need any further explanation?"    

Just like that, the chance of weaseling his way into her heart disappeared for Count Brenn. However, for the servants, the chance to gossip was revived. They whispered among themselves excitedly once they left the room, the gossip soon reaching the ends of the north.    

"Amaika, I will soon be leaving for the conference. Once I'm gone, the affairs of my house are in your hands."    

"Why can't I go with you, master?"    

"Didn't you just cause a fuss with Marvis in the capital? I don't think it's a good idea for you to go with me."    

"But you will be taking Marvis, will you not?"    

"I'm still considering it. If it's absolutely necessary, you will come with me. If it is not, then you will remain here. No, if you'd both excuse me, I have an important guest to attend to."    

"You are quite affectionate, Lady Natalia,” Count Brenn commented.    

“I think one would be if they had someone they liked.”    

She walked away but instead of heading to the living room, she went to her room. Once she got inside, she saw Madaline and another ephemeral looking being waiting for her. She let go of her restraints on her magic and her hair turned completely white.    

“Hello.”    

“Natalia, this is Quene, the God of Wisdom.”    

“You were right, Madaline. She does resemble Nataroth. Her aura, her gait, almost everything is the same. I was almost compelled to call you, your majesty, Natalia. You are truly an incarnation of our beloved Queen.”    

“I don’t remember her having this same fondness for the gods.”    

“You’re right. She used to be affectionate before the gods started to turn against her. The Queen held absolute control of the heavenly court and ruled over the heavenly court with fairness. Of course, fairness held a different meaning to humans and so, they started to protest the Queen’s method of ruling after they ascended. Nataroth is the goddess of destiny and the mother of all things that live. She knows the past, present, and future of the world. So, when she made a prediction and ordered the gods to withdraw from human affairs, the gods decided to rebel.”    

“But Nataroth supposedly died when she failed to ascend.”    

“Nobody bothered to ask the reason Nataroth decided to ascend. Madaline accused the ascended gods of killing Nataroth and to an extent, she was right. When Nataroth and the other gods couldn’t come to a conclusion, the ascended gods invoked the law of Causality.”    

Madaline bunched her hands into fists, seemingly holding back her anger.    

“Those bastards! I knew they did something conniving.”    

“What’s the law of causality?”    

“It’s causing an event to influence another. In this case, the gods asked Nataroth to assemble a few low-level words and assimilate them into our world. By doing that, she would change the future and everyone would get what they wanted. So, Nataroth assembled two other worlds and assimilated them into ours. She assimilated the barely conscious creator gods into her being, forcing her to ascend. However, she failed at her ascension and so, her consciousness disappeared from the world. When that happens to a god, they are considered dead. These worlds are still connected to ours but the connection is loose. That’s why there are so many natural disasters.”    

“I…see. But, how did the gods know it would happen?”    

“Because…I was the one who suggested it.”    

Madaline turned to look at him, her eyes wide open. Natalia, on the other hand, was calmer. He was the god of wisdom, it made a lot of sense.    

“WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO KILL NATAROTH?”    

“In the past, I used to think I knew everything and that my calculations were infinite. It was only after I no longer felt Nataroth’s protection that I realized that even though we considered ourselves lofty, we were nothing more than specks in the grand scheme of things. I do feel repentant for what I’ve done and if I could take it back, I absolutely do. And I also want to help with whatever I can to save our world.”    

“Madaline, you cannot be angry. We don’t have a lot of people on our side.”    

“I’m sorry, Natalia but I don’t have the kind of patience you have. Nataroth was more than just the Queen of Gods to me. I was a part of her. I felt her betrayal, her constant pain, and sorrow, her anger. When Nataroth died, my first incarnation, her familiar, died as well. When I was reincarnated thousands of years later, I only retained a little of my memories. After I ascended, everything came back to me. I can’t just let it go.”    

“I understand but I also know that revenge and violence won’t solve anything. I know in a situation where we don’t have a lot of choices, we need to tread cautiously and with patience. When you finally get an advantage, then you can assume that lofty position and get the revenge your heart desires.”    

“...you’re nothing like Nataroth in that aspect.”    

“Perhaps. But if I was betrayed and lost the ones I love as well, I would also have this type of mindset. So, what do you suppose our plan is to save this world? I would suppose as the God of Wisdom, you would have a plan.”    

“The first thing to do is identify the real problem. On the surface, nothing looks wrong and our world is still supposedly being protected. However, Nataroth assimilated two other creator gods and failed to assimilate them fully. This means their consciousness is still out there somewhere and they must have some kind of vendetta. On top of that, there is supposedly some kind of gap we have overlooked that would destroy our world if we aren’t careful. So, as gods, we will go in search of that. You can continue what you’re doing, Natalia.”    

“What if that doesn’t work?”    

“There’s always another option. Resurrecting Nataroth. But that might take a lot more sacrifices than expected. Since it’s a very complicated ritual with less than one percent chance of actually succeeding, it might not even work. It would also involve a lot of risks on your end like you dying.”    

“I can’t die.”    

“That’s what you think. If Nataroth’s essence is removed from your soul, then whatever is left will dissipate so you will be erased from existence.”    

That made Natalia pause. A few months ago, this was what she wished for. For some reason, it made her hesitate. She had a lot of things she couldn’t have in her past life; friends, family, and someone to love. When it came down to it, she didn’t know if she could give it up.