Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 140 — The Coronation

The Solar Palace was steeped in silence. Not entirely, as the murmurs of the nobles persisted despite the great tragedy that had befallen the royal family—or the kingdom.

Their sole concern: who would become the next king?

Before them, three coffins had been placed—the king’s and the crown prince’s bodies rested inside them.

White flowers adorned the glass coffins as everyone paid their respects.

Lucian stood at the center of it all, his heart-wrenching. Not because he mourned their deaths, but because he couldn’t even present Arisia’s body. It had been burned to ashes, leaving nothing behind to show or mourn, just like the queen’s.

The high priest approached, holding the ornate crown of Selvarys on a velvet pillow. Its golden frame glimmered like a jewel beneath the sunlight that streamed into the hall.

Lucian clenched his fists at his sides, his gaze hardening as the priest began the sacred rites. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Do you, Lucian Von Gwyndor, swear upon the throne of Selvarys to lead this kingdom with wisdom, strength, and justice?" the priest intoned, his voice echoing through the hall.

Lucian hesitated.

For a brief, fleeting moment, he thought of walking away, of rejecting it all.

But that wasn’t an option.

Not now, not ever.

He glanced down at Cynthia, standing among the nobles, surrounded by her brothers and Lucian’s soldiers who had fought by his side during the recent battle. They stood restlessly, their postures stiff.

"I swear," he said, his voice sharp and unwavering.

The hall erupted in applause, but Lucian barely heard it. The crown descended onto his head, its weight solid and unrelenting.

After the coronation was completed, the coffins were buried down in the cemetery a little further away from the palace. Cynthia insisted on burying Suyou’s body at the place where Princess Arisia’s body was buried before.

Lucian didn’t understand her reasoning but he didn’t ask. His mind was too clouded with much more important matters.

He had to fix everything that went wrong. Not long ago, he received a report stating that Elise, the king’s spy among his servants and Elene, the handmaid, were the ones who assisted the queen in finding the book. He had locked them in the dungeon to execute them after the coronation was over and he couldn’t wait to do so.

"But before that..." He turned to face Cynthia who now stood behind him.

"I believe we need to talk."

Cynthia did not say a word and simply walked away.

Lucian followed her to the carriage yet, only silence swept away during the whole ride back to the palace.

The last time they spoke was when she regained consciousness after the gruelling battle. She had asked him about Rosalina, and Lucian explained that she had cared for him after his mother passed away shortly after his birth. He admitted he had never asked Rosalina about her origins and had no idea she was originally a noblewoman.

Then Vincent entered the room, revealing the results of his investigation. He had interrogated Duke Dorian’s father, who disclosed that the youngest daughter of the Ramsel household had run away with her lover. No one knew what became of her, but it was believed she had been killed along with him.

Once they arrived at the palace, Lucian stepped out, extending his hand to her but she decided to get off the carriage on her own.

He clenched his fists, letting out a soft sigh. She had been acting strangely ever since she had regained consciousness. But he couldn’t understand what was in her mind no matter how much he observed her.

"Let’s talk over some tea," Cynthia softly said before her figure faded away in the large palace hallways.

***

"About what we were talking about before everything..." Lucian began hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper.

His gaze flickered upward, searching hers, but quickly dropped to the teacups on the table separating them.

Cynthia nodded stiffly, her shoulders tense.

"I... I’ve been having fragments of memories," he admitted, his voice faltering. "Memories that don’t belong to me... Memories I never lived. But everything in them felt so real."

Cynthia clenched her hands in her lap, trying to steady her breathing. Her past life, her constant nightmares—those haunting memories had nearly suffocated her.

Did he experience that too?

The bitter taste of resentment filled her mouth at the question.

"But... I don’t understand—"

"It was our past," Cynthia interrupted, her voice trembling. "Our past before we..." Her voice broke, and she struggled to continue.

Lucian’s heart sank at the raw pain etched on her face. He had never seen her so vulnerable, so utterly devastated. And if she had seen everything he had, then the weight of it all must be unbearable for her. He swallowed hard. He knew what he’d done in those dreams. The guilt threatened to crush him.

"Our past lives," Cynthia said firmly as if forcing herself to believe her own words. "I believe that’s what it was. Because, Your Highness, there’s no way I dreamed of you when I was ten years old. I didn’t see the future—no, that would be absurd. The only explanation is that everything we saw in those sad, cruel dreams truly happened. Somehow, we’ve been given a chance to return to the past."

Lucian bit his lip, struggling to find the right words.

Did that mean he’d hurt her so deeply in their past life?

And if so, what did that mean for them now? Why had she married him again, knowing the torment she would endure?

As if reading his thoughts, Cynthia spoke again.

"I had to marry you," she said quietly. "The king left me no choice but to end the war between our kingdoms. Isn’t it laughable? I wanted to escape this hell at all costs, but I had to come back. I needed to avenge my parents, who were killed by King Valerian and Queen Isabella."

Lucian stared at her, stunned by her candidness. Both the Cynthia from his dreams and the one before him now seemed to share an unflinching honesty that left him reeling.

"Oh, don’t look at me like that."

"Like what?.."

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