For the wedding night, Natalia had to go to the duke’s room. As she walked through the dark corridors, the fear of past and present merged, making her steps falter. She held fast to the object inside her sleeve, trying to calm herself. It was bad enough she was dizzy and still had to use magic in that state.
She reached the door and it was opened for her by the duke’s guards. They stared at her with dark eyes, like they could devour her at any moment. She knew they weren’t human. They were beastkin, the reason why dragons hoovered on the roofs of the castle.
Her heart beat faster as she entered the familiar room. It was just like her room, huge and depressing. He wasn’t there so she had time to set up. She took the object out of her sleeve and set it on the bedside table. She waved her glowing fingers over it and it lit with a blue flame. She mumbled a spell over it and it developed a faint amber glow, making it look like a normal candle.
She uttered another spell, disguising it until it fully burnt. An illusion candle that made whoever inhaled it, including the caster, fall into a deep sleep, imagining whatever they wanted to. It was a spell of her creation, one of the spells that made her the prestigious young lady she was.
[Please, I beg you this one time, work on this beast]
Her eyelids grew heavy. In the past, she burnt so many illusion candles to make herself grow well. It affected her mana and magic cycles, making her grow weaker by the day. By the time she needed her mana, she was too weak to defend herself. She had to remember that there were other beasts crueler than the one that treated her as sub-human.
She was unable to fight sleep and soon slumbered beside the bed, sleeping in a sitting position. It didn’t take long for the owner of the room to return and to say he was surprised that she was sleeping on the floor would be wrong. His gaze was harsh, his actions even harsher. He ignored her, entering the bathroom, not noticing the candle that was almost out.
He took a long bath and when he returned, she was still on the floor. Even in such a position, she looked graceful. Compared to her, Alana was clumsy despite being a princess. However, if it was Alana, he would’ve carried her to the bed and slept respectfully beside her. Why did he need to respect someone forced on him? He ignored her and climbed into the bed, feeling strangely drowsy. He always found it hard to sleep. He closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber. Thus, the crisis was averted for Natalia that night.
“My lady, it is time for breakfast”
When she woke up in the morning, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She knew he was cruel but to leave her sleeping like that the whole night, he was not human. Since it was better than being raped, she picked herself off the floor and hobbled back to her room.
It was too close to morning so she couldn’t sleep any longer and ignored the request for breakfast. Since getting back to her room, she had gotten ready, taking a bath to relax the knots in her muscles. The way she hobbled back to her room was enough to deceive everyone into thinking she did sleep with the duke and she was chased out. She avoided the crisis.
She came out of the room in another black dress. The servants Wilbur brought were there with another one of the duke’s mother’s dresses. Seeing she was already dressed, they took it back and escorted her to the dining room. The Illusion candle worked too well apparently because the duke wasn’t present for breakfast.
Even if it tasted bad, she was still able to endure it and finish it. It was more edible than what she ate the day before so it wasn’t a problem. Once she was done with breakfast, she returned to her room to rest. In the past, she used to run all over to prove her usefulness but as a duchess, it was very shameful. There was no need to work. Alana was coming to do her work for her.
“I call on the mother of fairies, the bearer of light, Madaline”
She appeared again, this time fully awake with a frown on her face.
{Are you foolish, child? You do not have the mana to continuously call me like this. Do you want to shatter your soul and suffer everlasting pain?}
“If I weren’t desperate or if there was a brighter future, I wouldn’t be this reckless. I used to wish for many things but now, all I can think of is my death”
{Why have you called me here, child?}
“I want to make a contract with you”
{Do you understand the implication of your words, child? You belong to that god. Making a contract with me will mean your disinheritance. I am fae and when you make a deal with a fae……}
“You lose your free will, your mind, and eventually, your soul. I know”
{I am not as frightening as the other fae. I do not delight in sinister offerings. For this contract, I want your negativity. If it’s strong enough to influence time, then it is perfect for me. Who do you want in exchange?}
“I want power. For as long as I live, I want the power to overcome my fate”
{If that is all, then I will make the contract. In the name of all that is fair, all that is true, and all that is just, under the evidence of the order of the world, I Madaline, bind myself to Natalia to receive her karma in exchange for my power. This contract binds us till the end of her life}
The sky rolled, thunder rumbled. A bolt of lightning struck beside her window, alarming everyone in the castle. While all this was happening, the power of the fae flowed into Natalia’s body. She cried out, falling to the floor like she was boneless. Her body contorted dangerously, her veins protruding, turning a blue color. Madaline watched all this with a neutral expression.
The duke was woken up by the sounds of thunder. The skies that were normally dark seemed darker than normal. An ominous feeling overcame him and he immediately darted out of his room. The guards were running amok to see if there was something wrong, like the attack of a monster. Not even the dragons had spotted anything.
Not once did his or anyone’s thoughts stray to the new duchess. Naturally, they all forgot she existed and only went to check on her far after the incident was over. If someone had gone to check on her, they would’ve either discovered she was the cause because of how she looked or that she was in immense pain and needed a doctor. Either way, her existence wasn’t acknowledged.
The pain going through her body was worse than dying. Her head completely shattered on impact so her body wasn’t able to recognize the pain before she passed. Nothing compared to the soul-shattering pain the contract gave her.
{It is done. From now on, you can use the power of a fairy}
Fairies were natural mages. They could use magic as easily as breathing, controlling the very essence of the world known as the world order. Mana and order existed in tandem, checking each other. If a person had the power of a fairy, they could become gods themselves since fairies were recognized as deities.
“Thank you for recognizing my selfish request, fairy mother”
{From now on, you can call me Madaline. I will heed your call whenever, Natalia}
It had been a week since she got married and got contracted to Madaline. The effects were immediate. She felt lighter and could use magic with so much ease, it was ridiculous. With power like that, it would be easy to get away with poisoning herself and escaping.The situation in the dukedom was as she expected. Even Wilbur forgot about her existence. No one came to assign the duties of the duchess to her and she was left alone, save for mealtimes. They were as dreadful as ever but it brought her closer to her goal. If they treated her nicely, it would be difficult to implicate them when the time came.“I slept well again today”The duke was convinced they spent the first night together and no longer called her to his room. In her past, he only did it once every three months to avoid the eyes
{You want a poison that will make you seem like you are dead?} “I want to slowly escape this place after all. I want to go somewhere without the reach of my family or this kingdom. The best place to go is the Empire of Illumine. This is the reason for my contract” {You changed your mind about dying?} “If I die, it will change nothing. I want to get rid of this regret first” {You know
Since she spent the better half of her first married year looking up and down for the elusive man, she could recognize him and his route even in her sleep. No one was assigned to help her so she bent her back to find and persecute Cage. Even the lowly guards of Traisen mocked her, the duchess who chased after another man. There were rumors that he was her secret lover. The descent of her reputation started from there. “I wish I were his lover. He is a better man than Fredrich would ever be”When she finally met Cage, he eluded her grasp more than one. He said his hobby was messing up noble ladies, seeing them descend into depravity, giving them the pleasure their uptight husbands couldn’t give. Because she was so intent on finding him, it made her his next target. Natalia fell for his sweet words and started to look forward to seeing him more. She had her dignity as a noble so she didn’t fall for him but the pleasure that Fredrich couldn’t give her tempted her. It was
The stuffy air of the carriage was hard to endure when the breeze was fresh outside in the city. Everything the man in front of her harped entered one ear and came out of the next. It was okay to ignore him, especially as she searched the crowd for familiar faces. Even after 10 years, her memories were still fresh, making her mission easier.“Milady, we would alight here. Please hold on to this”“Thank you” she smiled, taking the tablet. It had traces of fae magic which in the past, burnt her fingers when she took it. It was one of Wilbur’s many pranks. In the past, she flinched whenever she touched it but when she took it, even after a burn appeared on her hand, she didn’t flinch. The carriage door opened and she got down, leaving the stunned butler inside.It was the
“Who are you and what do you want from me?”“KNEEL”He fell to his knees, the dagger dropping from his grasp. Her heels rested on his head, pushing it into the ground. He felt her cold eyes rake over his body and the chill that accompanied it. “This is the last time I would tolerate such behavior from you. I am your master and you serve me. I don’t need to answer your questions”“I do NOT have a master,” he grunted, struggling under the hold. “If you defy me one more time, you will be granted the chance to lose an arm. I’m sure that would be quite unfortunate going through the forest of damnation” she quipped. He was immediately calm, clenching his teeth. “Good. Let's try this again. I am Natalia Adamantine. Just a few days ago, I was married to the Duke of Kristen. I have enslaved you for one purpose only, to get out of this hell hole. You have two options, get me out and I free you from your hold or die right now and I take over your little squad. I can
{Do you need me to heal that for you?}“No, that’s not the reason I called you, Madaline. You live in the forest of damnation, right?”{Do not call our home with that terrible human name}“......I apologize”{Yes, I do live in the forest of Telra. Do you need anything in particular?}
"Congratulations on solving the case, your grace. Thanks to you, the illegal trading ring had been uncovered and the town's peace had been restored""There is no need for thanks. I was just doing my job. Make sure to handle this well so his grace is not disturbed with such petty matters again""Yes, your grace"Natalia finished the pleasantries and returned to the Duke's mansion. She looked up to the skies and thought even if they were a bit gloomy, it was still a nice day. Why? The Duke's beloved was arriving that day!"You seem pleased, my lady. I'm sure his grace would reward you for a job well done""I don't really need a reward. I'm just relieved that I made the lives of the citizens a little better" she smiled brightly. Wilbur could almost see a halo over her head, inspiring a feeling of guilt and disgust in him."I'm sure the citizens are glad that you're the duchess""Please, I'm not deserving of the title yet. U
It was impossible to not have heard of the Castle on the Edge. Even for a forgotten princess, hearing gossip of the Duke’s life in the Southeast was easy. All she had to do was listen in on the chatty maids doing laundry behind her palace. It was also how she heard he was getting married. Lady Natalia Adamantine. She was well known and loved in the capital by the common people. The nobles showed her courtesy in front of everyone but behind her backs, there were many malicious words being said. Alana thought they were just alike. Everyone spited her for being the bastard born into the royal family even though she didn’t ask for it. Her days in the palace nowadays were quiet and long. In the past, she would be maltreated by mere servants but now, she was left to rot like a spiderweb in the corner. The reason for this was none other than Fredrich. It happened suddenly. One day, the abandoned palace got a visitor. The place buzzed to life, the servants hurriedly cleaning