The Duchesses

Chapter 52 : Taboo Among Us

"I didn't even regret killing your father at that time," he lets out an evil smirk, wanting to poke around Natalie's nerves.

Once more, the knights placed Harren's head on the guillotine, and they felt his head become wedged in the opening where the sharp blades were anxiously waiting to fall and sever the man's skull.

"And I don't regret wiping out all of your existence while enjoying the money and properties you gave to me," she said, patting Harren's head with the handkerchief before walking away.

"NATALIE! YOU-- " the knight lets go of the blade before Harren finishes his words, and his head rolls off to the ground.

That's it. Harren is dead. The Duchess of Light composed herself as she could hear people talking on behind her, feeling the situation a bit lighter afterwards. Her ruby eyes now gaze onto the sapphire eyes with determination to target him next.

The execution ends that evening, and the night continues as if nothing happened earlier. Lord Apollo rushes to his lady's side, escorting her to come back home.

The night comes, and Aurora feels something choking the air out of her lungs when she walks around the manor. Natalie's childhood memories with her parents ran through her mind, and she couldn't help but feel something heavy in her heart, and the tears began to pool. The blonde woman motioned in her hand, and then, as usual, she would land in Medea's room. It is like her go-through place now.

"Duchess Natalie," a voice comes from her behind, almost causing Natalie's heart to leap out of her chest.

It is unmistakenly Marquess Hector's voice. The blonde woman turns her head, looking at the deadly purple eyes. His eyes narrow, looking at her improper attires for visiting someone. Well, Natalie wears her night clothes there. Not in her best outfits.

"Yeah, he still hates me," Natalie thought.

"Marquess Hector," she acknowledges back, without noticing the amethyst eyes gazes at her in rage.

The Duchess of Light has taken a seat on the couch, causing Hector to assume she is usually here at night with Medea. What are they doing at night? His imagination runs wild with it because he is the one who always is with her. It only takes him to one occasion, the night when he heard everything from Natalie's room at Veronica's.

After walking away from the room, he bawled his eyes out at night. The man just came from the capital to ask Hera to save her while carrying a heavy heart on Medea's request. As soon as he arrived without rest, he went to find Medea and found the thing that made his heartbreak.

Duchess Smith doesn't give a thing about his thought, somehow feeling annoyed at the bottom of her stomach. She tries to empathise with him, but he makes it impossible. Throwing some useless view in her mind, she walks to the usual couch and then notices the amethyst eyes out of the corner of her eyes.

"What were you doing was reckless, Natalie," Duchess Valimos voices out. Two pairs of purple eyes demand an answer as she looks at them back and forth.

"I had to do what I saw appropriate in the situation. But, sometimes, another variable comes up in the way," Natalie lets out a small sigh before answering the question.

"Any slight mistake that can make the plan goes in vain," Hector interrupts.

Natalie feels annoyed, but she knows she is wrong deep inside. The stabbing thing is out of the plan. However, she could feel a bit of pinch in her heart when the two of them never asked if she was alright at first. Not that she expects them to do that anyway.

"I know I am wrong about jeopardising the plan, but as I said, another variable comes up in the way," the blonde said again.

The two figures raise their brows as Medea asks, "Tell us about the variable."

The two of them notice Natalie's face harden at the moment. Her grips on the couch are also set while trying to wipe off the burning anger in her.

"That trash told me he killed my parents along with your father," it turns Natalie to catch a glimpse of their faces changing at her answer.

"You know that, don't you?" Natalie asks Medea, suddenly ignoring everything around her.

With a bit of hesitation, Medea lets out, "Yes."

"When and how?" there is a hint of shakiness in Natalie's voice.

"The day of your parents' funeral day. I saw you hide around the bushes while I was at a tree branch and heard the conversation about it. The moment they discovered you, Apollo carried you to another place. But I don't know about Harren. Only Viscount Jonathan and my father."

The day of former Duke and Duchess Smith's funeral day is a taboo or forbidden topic, especially to be talked about by the three figures. Yet, so many things happened that day, destroying every bit of Natalie. When she learned about her parents' murder till she encountered both figures in a compromising situation. Since that day, she has been lost in the sea of revenge, blinded by rage that slowly darkens her.

"You were at the funeral day? Why don't you come to me?" Natalie asks, somewhat feeling scared and curious about Medea's answer.

"I was about to when you walked alone until the moment you find out about that."

Natalie connects the dots right now, but one thing she doesn't understand is how Medea and Hector she met that time looked like that. She can't understand it; perhaps she did, but she is still in denial. The Duchess of Light addresses the elephant in the room, something they avoid the whole time.

"You should have. If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't have run into either of you in the past like that, especially on the day I had to bury my parents," Natalie's decision to touch on the topic causes a minor shift in both figures. She could feel her heart shred apart at that moment but decided not to let her emotions get in the way.

"I--I apo--,"

"I understand about Harren, but for that moment, save your apologies. You left me when I need someone the most, you! How insensitive. You had your chance to do it, but you missed it now. " the blonde woman said, leaving the two figures dumbfounded.

After a while, Medea speaks again to Hector, "Find me everything about this particular someone."

A few days passed, and the price for basic supplies stabilised a bit after the execution. The small bakeries and other vendors are happy, as well as the customers who flood the market again. However, Ares wastes no time striking back when the rumour about the Cardinal will spend lavishly at the celebration for the upcoming Holy Day after the severe incident.

It is considered insensitive to the lavish spending, especially for the Cardinal himself. Some accessories and anything for the celebration have reached the Temple for it. People criticise him for his action, starting another groundless rumour about the Cardinal of the Empire. His reputation starts to hit bottom, and the priests at the Temple even look at him in a different light, the same way they look at the high priests.

"Your Eminence!" Felix screams at the man who walks too fast.

"What, Felix?"

"Are you sure you want to buy all of these things for the celebration? Aren't you the one who despises lavish spending and the high priests' selection?" his aide is out of breath on that.

"Just do it as I say," the Cardinal said, inspecting some things that he previously purchased for the celebration. It is not a simple one, but more lavish.

One thing that Felix notices a bit about the things that Eryx purchased is odd, that doesn't fit into the celebration picture, but he can't make up his mind about it. The more he works for the Cardinal, the more he becomes confused about him.

"People criticise you for being insensitive and spending much money on the celebration!" Felix said, feeling uneasy about it.

The Cardinal acts as if he hears nothing, ignoring the man's presence causing Felix's blood to boil again. He is so headstrong on this! Then, Eryx turns his back on Felix, reaching out for a letter in his pocket. He reads it for a while and then relieves a sigh afterwards.

Hopefully, it works.