How To End This Marriage-Chapter 97: Tensions Rise

"I have to do something."

"I have to release them. Things are not going in the right direction," the emperor mumbled as he walked toward his resting room.

"Greetings, your majesty!"

"Ah, yes!" he didn’t even bother to see who it was until the person asked, "Where is my wife, your majesty? Where did you hide her?" It was Duke Alexavier.

"Alex? What are you doing here? You didn’t even return to your state," the emperor asked, ignoring his question.

"Your majesty, I would like to ask one more time. Where. Is. My. Wife?" he asked.

"Alex, how many times do I have to tell you? I have no idea where your wife is," the emperor said.

"You have no idea? Are you so sure about this, your majesty? If so, where is the princess of the tribal empire? You should be aware of this," he asked.

"I don’t know. How would I know where she went? Am I her guardian?" he straight up lied.

"Your majesty, as an emperor, you should have been aware of whether you are the guardian of the people or not. I don’t think I need to remind you of that. But I want to ask again: where the hell is my wife? Why did you hide my wife?" he growled.

"I did—" before he could deny again, Duke interrupted.

"Don’t lie once again. I know you did. The princess has clarified that you are the one who kept my wife hidden. The princess has clarified that you are the one who has been aware of how the state has been going through, but you never once paid attention to it. Why? Why are you being like this when we are family? What have I done to you?" Duke let out his frustration while the emperor clenched his fist and forced a smile.

"Alex, your thinking is wrong. As you said, we are family, so how am I supposed to do this to you? That princess has lied to you to save herself. Look at how she has vanished on her own. Can she come out and clarify what she did? Can she even make sure she comes out clean? No. But I can justify if I did something."

"Don’t believe her! Remember, we are family, right?" he said while a black aura wrapped around him as if something has been trying to possess him once again. His eyes slowly turned black.

"Remember, Alexavier Agnes! For you, I’m the only one who you can trust," he slowly whispered.

"Father!!!!!" the voice came from behind the emperor, making him startle.

"Maximus! What are you doing here?" he asked, stuttering.

"Duke, leave to your state right now!" the Crown prince ordered.

"Huh! What? Why? What just happened?" Duke sounded confused.

"Do as I said! Leave the palace right now. Go and do whatever you can do. I will handle things here," the crown prince said once again, as if he had sensed something.

"But what!!!" he asked.

"Remember your promise! Remember what you have said to him. Make sure to fulfill the promise if you want to redeem yourself in front of me," Crown Prince said, making Duke Alexavier walk away from the place while the Emperor continued to glare at the crown prince. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Maximus!!! What is with this behavior? Who the hell gave you the authority to interrupt my conversation?" The Emperor’s rage grew.

"I know what I am doing, Father. But should I let you know what you are doing? Are you trying to destroy everything? How much lower do you want to stoop in front of me? How much more do you want me to despise you? Tell me!!!" Maximus shouted.

"Maximus!! I’m your father!! The Emperor of this empire. Is this how you behave toward me?" he asked.

"I know that’s why I didn’t want to see you stoop so low. But your greed has no bounds. If I had come a little bit late, I don’t know what you would have done, or if you really mean it. Don’t tell me you have done this before?" he said with a shocked reaction.

"I don’t understand what you’re trying to say," the Emperor looked away.

"You know what I mean. You’re doing something to Alex. You clearly know that. You have not done this for the first time. I have seen him like this before too. Don’t tell me you made him kill those innocent people of the Tribal Empire just to get me out of the palace? Don’t tell me you made him like this so that he couldn’t do anything but obey you? Don’t tell me you did this to him when he used to leave for war? Don’t tell me you’re making him turn into a monster?"

"Don’t tell me you did this?" Maximus couldn’t believe how dots were connecting.

"You don’t have to think about all this." The Emperor tried to walk away.

"I need to. I have to. I can’t let him turn into that monster. He is not a monster. He is a human. He was born as a human and he will live as a human. Stop all of this now or I don’t know what will happen in the future. Or I will take a different path than you. You could never know." Maximus said as he walked away from him, his eyes searching for something else. He kept looking here and there.

"Hey, come over here!" the Crown Prince called to the guard who was standing in a corner.

"Yes, Crown Prince!!! Do you need something?" the guard asked.

"Yes, have you seen the Tribal Princess anywhere?" he asked without hiding his curiosity.

"Tribal Princess? No!! No one has entered this palace except you, the Crown Prince," he stated, making him worry.

"Are you sure? No one has entered?" he asked again.

"No, Crown Prince. No one has entered the palace except you," he repeated the same thing. Then he looked behind at the Emperor, who was leaving, and his expression turned from worry to anger.

"Father, you again!!!! All the connections tell me it is you. My gut tells me it is you. Please make it stop, or I will be one of the reasons for the demise of this empire," he thought, looking at him walking away.

***

Emperor walked into the meeting room once again, his rest time already wasted. As he entered, he noticed a messenger standing in the middle of the room, drawing his attention.

"What’s the situation? Why has the messenger returned so early?" he inquired.

"Your majesty, as he mentioned before, the neighboring country has been planning for war for some time. He has returned with information about the impending war, and it appears they are fully prepared to launch an attack against us. Unfortunately, we are ill-prepared for this conflict," the minister reported.

"Then start preparing. What are we waiting for? Didn’t I make my intentions clear? Why hasn’t preparation begun? Is there something else needed before the war can commence?" the emperor demanded.

"Your majesty, I apologize if my words seem impertinent, but I must speak plainly," the minister continued. "All members of this meeting have reached a consensus that the crown prince should be sent to the front lines of the war. Given the current circumstances, it has been unanimously agreed that he lacks basic military knowledge and needs to gain practical experience, even if it means being held captive and subjected to the other empire’s training."

"Can’t you see the condition of the crown prince? Are you making light of his situation?" the emperor responded with concern.

"I am well aware of his condition, your majesty, but he needs to acquire essential skills to rule the empire effectively after your reign. The people must have confidence in their king. We need a ruler who can defend the empire, and we cannot always rely on others for protection. We cannot afford to have a complacent king," the minister explained.

"I understand that my words may be harsh, but this is the collective desire of the council. I hope you understand the urgency of the situation. If we are not adequately prepared, the empire’s future is at stake," the minister concluded, before leaving the room along with the other ministers, some visibly shaken, while others remained resolute.

Emperor clenched his teeth as he watched them depart. "How dare they defy me!" he muttered.

The supreme god, Zudicus, spoke, mocking him, "I wonder, Zudicus, how they obey you when you’ve never set foot on the battlefield."

"I am not incompetent, my lord," Emperor Zudicus protested.

"Then what are you? Weren’t you the one who wasn’t even next in line for the throne? Didn’t you eliminate all your siblings with my help? How does that make you competent?" the supreme god challenged.

"Weren’t you the one who arranged your sister’s marriage to the North Duke so she would no longer have a claim to the throne?" he continued.

"Weren’t you so afraid of her that you resorted to hiring mercenaries to have her killed?" the supreme god taunted, exposing the emperor’s secrets.