Mark immediately shook his head slowly, "An attractive offer, but I must apologize, as I have to decline."
The purple princess clenched her teeth hard, and then spoke rapidly, "Why do you decline? If you do not give me a satisfactory answer, I will not be happy."
Mark again shook his head, "Princess Violet. You are an outstanding lady. Intelligent and decisive, and while it isn't polite, but I can only comment that you are candy for the gaze of whomever falls upon you, but I already have a wife. I have no wish to take another."
"It's hard to be showered in praise and then immediately turned down. Then if I become your first wife, I'll relinquish my sovereign power to you as King, come time for the crown to pass from my father. I will not overshadow you... Can you think about it now?" Violet finished, and bit down hard on her teeth, awaiting the answer from Mark. What she hoped would finally be a positive result, though she knew at this point it was a lost cause. She had to try any way.
"Haaa~ Princess Violet is really making this hard for me today. I know these are not the words you wish to hear, and I am most flattered that you have even offered me such a great deal. The King of a Nation and the hand of the most beautiful princess of that nation, but I must still refuse this offer. While my wife isn't in the limelight, I am still dedicated to her. I will have no other woman before her, or after her. If this is the only condition to provoke Jakahn in razing the capital of Deagoth, then I must take my business to others." Mark spoke everything at once. He did not speak hurried or slow, and he didn't seem to be mad. Violet picked up a few notes of sadness in his voice...
The King sat on his throne looking over the negotiations between his daughter and Honored Guest Mark. He could only wearily sigh in his mind. He didn't expect Mark to not take another wife... He would have to apologize to his daughter later for fanning the flames of her heart.
"Alright then... As that deal has fallen through, then I can only ask for other compensation." Princess Violet said with a touch of disappointment.
"Most anything will work." A smile was heard in the tone of Mark, now that the topic had shifted to better waters.
"Then I wish for you to not only provide the information that you advertised earlier, but I wish for you to take part in the war as well. You one time spoke that you will be an adviser, but I wish for you to take a more direct approach. Be a Guest General, and take your war to Deagoth personally."
Mark mentally frowned... "This... This would be a difficult thing to do, as I am not the most mobile of fellows. Moving isn't a problem, but always on the move is... I will need to deliberate on this for a decision. Are there any other terms?"
"No. If you wish for the Capital of Deagoth to be razed to the ground, then I suggest that you take the deal, otherwise, the Kingdom of Jakahn will be happening to carve out a chunk of Deagoth, and slowly eat the rest."
"I, humbly, request to deliberate on this matter. This is not a small decision for me, and implicates many of my personal affairs." Mark said slowly.
"Of course. There is no problem, but I can only say that if you wish to agree, the longer you wait to reply will be longer before we start our war on Deagoth." Princess Violet dully said.
"That goes without saying. With that, I must bid you both good day, for now." Mark bowed slightly, and then turned to leave.
Both the King of Jakahn and the princess watched him, until he had left. They both remained quiet until they were sure he was well out of earshot for a high-ranking cultivator.
Princess Violet could not hold herself any longer, "Father..."
"I know... I know..."
"Was the information you receive incorrect?" Violet looked up at her father, displeasure could be seen from her posture.
"No... The information is correct, just not complete it would seem."
"I see... Well... It was a long shot. I know I will never be able to love, but I was hoping to find a partner that matched up to me that was at least likable." Violet now shook her head, as she turned to leave the room behind.
Her father, the King, could see from her back a depressed aura. He wasn't sure how to make this up to her. He hadn't seen any reason for Mark to turn her down, so had built her up and gave her the courage to negotiate such a thing as betrothal with Mark. Seeing that, at the time, she didn't fight him, he figured his decision was correct. His folly had caused the last hope of his daughter to be dashed for a better love life. He could only lament that she was too outstanding.
*******
Mark had returned to his abode, and after checking that he wasn't followed. He performed a few spells for anti-tracking, and detection spells. When his returning ritual was completed, he then went to a bookcase that shifted, at the touch of a mechanize lever hidden as a book named, "The Rapture of a New Kingdom."
He walked down, down, down into his basement area, where he had his laboratory, his library, his living quarters, resources, but most of all... Where his wife was currently.
"Dear, I'm back. Are you okay?" Mark spoke as soon as he entered the threshold."
His Princess Janet was sitting in her wheelchair reading a book, she looked up at Mark rather expressionlessly.
"Is there any reason why you call me dear?" She spoke in a flat voice.
Mark was rather embarrassed, "I... I already explained everything, right?"
"I don't believe it." She replied flatly.
"Dear, I would never hurt you! You must believe me..." Mark said as he looked to her for her understanding. After his wife recovered from the shock of the accident... She lapsed into amnesia. Sometimes she could recall bit and pieces of the past, but for the most part, she was like she was now.
"...No... I can't remember everything, but I know I'm important. You kidnapped me, and did abyss knows what to me. I can't remember anything, and I can't even run away... This screams some type of plot. I bet you're blackmailing or ransoming my parents."
"Haaa~" Mark walked over to his desk, and sat down.
"Release me back to my parents, or where ever I came from..." Princess Janet glared at Mark.
"Doll baby, please..." Mark pleaded. He had already went over this.
"I'm not going to believe your stupid lies. Who believes their captor! I must be stupid to be talking with you in the first place..." Princess Janet went back to her book.
Mark sighed aloud, "Yes, I did say before, I can't take you home. I already told you you're the princess of Dragon's Jaw. Princess Janet."
Janet put down her book again, "Then take me back!"
"I can't..."
"Why?!"
"...Because your... Never mind... Yes, I am your captor. I'm so sorry, my love. So so so sorry." Mark said with a tear in his eye. Yes... Mark produced at least one tear of the skeleton each day when speaking to his wife. This rare phenomenon wasn't so rare now.
"Don't play you're little crying trick on me. I don't believe in tears of the skeleton." Princess Janet brushed off Mark.
Mark took note, and stood to get a vial from the other side of the room, and looked into his mirror. He carefully put the tear into the vial. This vial could hold 10ml, and with this tear, it was full. He opened a box, and put the vial in with the others. Mark had twelve more vials like this in the box. He put the box back where he kept it. He didn't know what he would do with these tears, but these were shed for his wife, so he felt he should keep them.
"Why do you do that?" Janet had seen this process many times. She never understood her captor, and why he feigned these tears to put them away... Could they be real?
"Because I shed tears for you, Haaa~" Mark shook his head, and went back to his desk.
"So you finally admit you're my captor... Why lie for so long, and only now tell me? You're not going to kill me now are you? Have I outlasted the money from my family??? Answer me!" Janet became increasingly angry as she watched Mark stare at her.
"No. It's better for you to believe I am your captor than tell you the rest of the truth. Just... I have an important decision to make, and I wanted to talk it over with you." Mark started on the task he wanted to at the beginning.
"What choice... Like whether to bury me or cremate me? I'll let you know I prefer-" Janet was interrupted by Mark.
"Cremation, because you don't want to rot and let the carrion creatures eat you."
Janet shut her mouth... [How does he know that? Did he do something to my soul?]
Mark shook his head again, "Wife, I-"
"I'm not your wife!" Janet threw her book at Mark. She hit him square on the side of the jaw. She did this with such force that it dislocated his jaw, as it hung from his head. A product of her strength he had instilled into her so many rituals ago.
"Ah!" Janet covered her mouth, shocked! She paused afterward, not understanding why her first reaction was pain looking at Mark, as he picked up her book, and walked to her.
She used her wheelchair to back up a bit, until she was against the wall, as she feared this unknown undead with now a hanging jaw walking slowly to her.
Mark stood in front of her, and checked the book, after making sure a few crumpled pages were fixed, he put it back in her lap. He pushed her back to where she was near the glow stone lamps, and walked back to his desk.
Now seated again, with a few quick movements he reset his jaw, "Is your book okay?"
"My book?" Janet looked down at her book, and found that it had a few creased pages, but were already flattened by Mark. She had thrown the book in anger, but she feared his retaliation, once she realized what she had done. She wasn't sure how strong he was, but she found that he was very mysterious... Who knew if he was some old undying that had reached High Knight Rank... Or worse.
"Why aren't you mad?" Janet asked, she was more curious than fearful.
"I could never be mad at you. I will always love you, even if you don't love me, even if you hate me." Mark said with a sweetness in his voice.
Janet would always feel something when he talked like this, but it unnerved her more. She changed the topic.
"What did you want to talk about? What decision?"
"The Kingdom, We are in... They wish for me to become a partner for a short while... A General of one of their armies as We fight against a common hated enemy."
"Jokahn, wasn't it?"
Mark laughed, "They pronounce it 'Jakahn.'"
"Alright... Well what's the problem." Janet asked.
"I... I just can't go without leaving you. Either I will take you with me, or I will stay with you. I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me, or you wanted me to stay here."
"What does it have to do with me? I'm just a victim. What kind of captor asks for their captive's opinion."
"The kind that loves you." Mark said, again like every day since she came too.
"A change of scenery would be nice." Janet mused aloud.
"I would need to make sure you kept away from everyone. No one can know you exist. So if I bring you, you have to agree to be being quiet."
"Are you serious, right now? You don't want me to shout 'I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED! HELP!'" Janet raised her voice to act dramatically.
"Well... No... Your identity is rather subtle. It's just a good idea not to be seen."
"And you want me to believe that?"
"Well... If you don't that's alright with me, as well. I'll just turn down the offer made, and find another way." Mark said soothingly.
"...What if I say I won't yell for help, and then do it any way...?" Janet tilted her head as she looked at mark.
"That's fine too... I'll just have to deal with the aftermath." Mark nodded.
"So it's fine for me to yell for help?" Janet asked, as she wasn't exactly sure what to make of this conversation.
"Well, I wish you wouldn't, but I'll clean everything up. You can do whatever you want, as long as I can protect you from harm."
"Then I want to leave."
"That would harm you."
"I see... I'll come with you." Janet spoke her choice.
"I'm glad. Now I can direct the armies of Jakahn to burn the nation of Deagoth to a cinder! Once I get the final piece, I will heal your legs... And at that time, if you still wish to leave me I will not stop you. I will always love you, always remember that." Mark rose from his seat and went to his laboratory.
For some strange reason, a warm feeling filled Janet, before she quickly pressed it back down from these words. She was completely confused by the whole situation, and unsure how to escape. If this mad man will bring her out, then it would be her best chance to do just that... Escape.