Izekiel's excitement surged as he spotted the approaching carriage. "Aria!" He dashed towards her as she alighted from the carriage.
"I'm back, Your Majesty," she greeted, bowing.
Izekiel embraced her warmly. "I missed you so much," he declared, but her forced smile hinted at a different sentiment.
Rasheen questioned, "Will you not greet me?"
Izekiel responded with a cold, dismissive gaze. "I didn't expect you to return here."
Rasheen rolled his eyes. "Why not? I'm her husband."
Izekiel chose to ignore Rasheen and took Aria's hand. "Let's go inside."
.
.
....
"What did you say?" Aria slammed her hand on the table in frustration. "You want me to divorce my husbands?"
Izekiel explained, "We will get married soon. The Empress shouldn't have multiple husbands."
Aria vehemently refused, "NO!!! I am not going to marry you!"
Izekiel clenched his fists, growing more insistent. "Why? We were in a relationship in the past. Why can't I marry you?"
"Past is past! I am no longer the woman you knew," Aria retorted.
Izekiel issued a menacing ultimatum. "You will marry me, whether you like it or not. If you refuse, I will imprison your husbands indefinitely."
Aria felt overwhelmed. "I will give you two days to think. I'm doing this for your sake, not for mine," Izekiel declared before leaving her, leaving Aria in distress.
Frustrated, Aria vented her emotions by hurling a figurine across the room. "Arghhh!!!"
What am I going to do now?
.
.
Subsequently, Aria visited her husbands.
"Aria!!!" They eagerly ran to her.
"I'm glad you're safe." Gawain said.
They held her hands.
Aria couldn't contain her concern. "How are you guys here? I'm so sorry; this is all my fault."
Claudius reassured her, "Don't blame yourself. We're fine, no one dared to hurt us here."
Valentine inquired, "How are you? Why did you return?"
Aria replied, "I was forced to return. They threatened to behead Jenny if I didn't."
Napoleon voiced their collective concern. "We were so worried about you."
Aria expressed her longing, "I miss you guys so much," caressing their faces. "I promise I will free you from here."
They smiled in response.
Hachi, who heard her voice, awakened, crying out. "Master!"
"Hachi!" she held his hand.
Hachi's distress was evident. "M-Master…they are bad. They locked us here. Hachi wants to find you, but Hachi can't get out." He sniffled.
"It's all right, Hachi. I'm already here. I'll get you out of here," she said.
Hachi nodded.
Curious, she inquired, "By the way, where's William and Philip?"
The husbands exchanged meaningful glances.
.
.
Aria rushed to the place where William was imprisoned, her heart heavy with concern. Tears streamed down her face when she saw his battered condition, his body covered in wounds.
"W-William?" she sobbed. "I-Im sorry…"
He looked at her, mustering a smile through the pain. "Y-Your Highness? You're safe."
"I'm sorry!!!" Aria cried as she embraced him.
"Don't blame yourself. I chose to protect you," William assured her.
"I will get you out of here; I will talk to Izekiel. I promise…" Aria declared while clinging to him.
"I-I'm sorry…" he said. "Prince Mikhail…"
Aria's eyes widened in fear. "W-What happened to him? He's alive, right? Where is he?" She wiped away her tears.
William shook his head, and with a heavy heart, he said, "He's dead…"
Aria stood frozen for a moment, disbelief washing over her. Then, she erupted into tears. "N-No!!! No! That's not true!! You're lying! He's not dead!" She vehemently denied the devastating news.
William could only manage, "I'm sorry," as he shared the heartbreaking truth.
Despair consumed Aria. "No! He's not dead! He can't die, he can't leave me!!...h-he can't…"
Overwhelmed by grief, Aria fainted from crying. William urgently called for the guards, and they swiftly carried her away.
.
.
Izekiel inquired about Aria's condition. "What do you mean she fainted? How did that happen?"
The guard explained, "She fainted after she heard the news that Prince Mikhail was dead."
Izekiel gently caressed Aria's face, still unconscious. "Why is he still on your mind? I'm here, I can give you everything. Please forget him…" he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
.
.
....
Days passed, and Aria withdrew into her room, avoiding contact with everyone. She refused to eat, spending most of her time sitting on the balcony, gazing at the sky.
Izekiel brought her breakfast, trying to break her silence. "Aria... you're not eating your breakfast again. How long will you stay like this?"
Aria remained unresponsive, not even looking at him. Izekiel knelt, holding her hands, and implored, "Please... I can't bear to see you like this. Don't you know it pains me every time I see you like this?"
However, Aria continued to ignore him. Izekiel sighed, his frustration apparent. "How long will you ignore me?" He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Always remember that I am always here for you," he whispered before departing.
.
.
"How's the Princess?" Duke Wolfsbane asked Izekiel about Aria's well-being while they had tea in the garden.
"She's still ignoring me." Izekiel confessed.
The Duke offered a candid perspective. "How many times have I told you to forget about her? She's in love with Mikhail, you should accept it."
Izekiel remained resolute. "He's dead, she'll forget him soon."
The Duke simply shrugged. "Okay, if that's what you want to believe."
.
.
Inside Aria's room, Jenny and Cedrik, were growing increasingly worried.
Jenny implored Aria to eat, saying, "Your Highness, please eat."
Cedrik added, "Your husbands are worried about you. They keep asking us about you."
Aria continued her silence, her gaze fixed outside the window.
Cedrik couldn't bear it any longer. "Kaye! How long will you stay like this? Don't you know that the others are still locked up in jail?"
For the first time, he used her original name, surprising Aria. Cedrik pressed on, reminding her of her promises. "You promised them that you would get them out of that dirty place!"
"Ced…" Jenny tried to calm him down.
Aria finally responded. "Cedrik..."
"Your Highness…" He looked at her expectantly, and she continued.
"You're right... You are right, Cedrik. I promised them. I'm so stupid... Why did I forget them?" Her eyes filled with regret as she acknowledged her lapse.
.
.
....
The next morning…
Ludwig informed Izekiel, "Your Majesty, Princess Aria came and asked for your audience."
Izekiel immediately set aside his writing. "R-Really?" He couldn't hide his excitement and swiftly went to meet her.
"Aria!" he called out with joy, glad to see her.
She respectfully bowed and greeted him, "Your Majesty."
They took their seats, and Izekiel expressed his relief. "I'm glad to see that you're fine now. I'm so happy you came to visit me."
Aria offered a warm smile. "I'm sorry for ignoring you these past few days. I was just really stressed because of what happened. But I am fine now."
"I'm glad to hear that," Izekiel responded.
Taking a sip of her tea, Aria revealed the purpose of her visit. "By the way, I came here because I want to tell you something."
Izekiel felt a mix of nerves and hope. "Really? What is it?"
Aria took a deep breath and made her decision. "Actually…about your proposal before, I've already thought about it."
Izekiel held his breath, wondering whether she would accept or decline.
"I... will accept your proposal. Let's get married."
Ecstatic, Izekiel couldn't contain his happiness. "Really?"
"Yes," she confirmed, "but I have conditions."
He listened intently. "What are they?"
"First, free my husbands and my knight, including Napoleon, Valentine, Hachi, and Philip."
"I will," Izekiel agreed.
"Second, I will not divorce them. They will continue to be my husbands even after we marry."
Izekiel was taken aback. "But that's so unfair."
Aria explained her stance. "I need them too…this is my only request from you. I will never ask you for anything else, just this."
Izekiel sighed. After some contemplation, he agreed. "All right... if that's what you wish. I'll do that."
Aria's smile brightened. "Thank you... and lastly, I will help you in your duty as the Emperor. As your Empress, it's my job to assist you. Many will try to take advantage of you, but I will make sure that no one will try to trick you."
Izekiel smiled and nodded, hugging her tightly. Aria was determined to protect the empire, ensuring that Duke Wolfsbane's manipulations wouldn't affect Izekiel again. As long as she was breathing, she would do everything in her power to thwart the Duke's nefarious plans.