Chapter 179: Family Ties
"Before I could even extend my hand to stop her, she had already fallen, her blood flowing freely from the self-inflicted wound on her neck, made with my own sword," Marcus choked out.
"Even though she chose this path, it would never have happened if I had tried to stop her. It’s all my fault," Marcus lamented, his voice heavy with grief, as Duchess Bernice stumbled out of the room, shaken by the story.
"That’s all you can hear, Princess. Now, return to the mortal realm," the library guardian commanded, pushing the Duchess out of the heavenly realm before she could delve deeper into the forbidden knowledge.
Back in her room, the Duchess found herself alone, the truth she discovered gnawing at her.
"Why me? Am I really the heavenly princess? Heir to the throne? No, I can’t believe it. Yet, what I saw in that book felt so real, I can’t deny it. Her face, her eyes... how could I not be her? And the way the tribal princess died... it’s traumatizing," Duchess mumbled, her emotions swirling in a confusing storm.
Suddenly, the tribal princess entered, her voice startling the Duchess from her thoughts. "Duchess, may I come in?"
"Oh, yes, come in, Princess," Duchess allowed, her mind still reeling.
"Were you off somewhere? I tried to find you earlier but you didn’t answer, so I figured you might be busy with something important. I even told everyone not to disturb you, assuming you were sleeping, and they believed me, based on yesterday’s session," the Princess chuckled.
"Enough of this! Tell me why you’re here," Duchess cut through the pleasantries, her voice tight with urgency.
"Ah, yes, I almost forgot," the Princess responded playfully. "I heard rumors of someone visiting the Emperor’s chamber last night, though no one’s confirming it officially. But I have my sources, you see."
"As I recall, neither you nor I left our rooms last night. Then it must be that suspicious figure we suspect," the Duchess mused, her brow furrowed.
"Precisely," the Princess confirmed. "And another tidbit: the entity visited the Empress as well. Connect the dots, Duchess. It’s becoming quite clear who we’re dealing with."