The world seemed to spin. Or was it just her world that was spinning around her head? She felt like she's gonna die of humiliation and anger, yet her face remained neutral as an expressionless doll.
He was shamelessly escorting a golden-haired girl with a big round bump, looking at the girl with warm eyes and a smile. Seeing Briana, his eyes turned cold and piercing.
She was the fool for awaiting anything else. He had always looked at her with those cold eyes. Be it now, after having had two children together and spent 15 years as each other's spouses, or be it 15 years ago when she first entered the duchy.
Taking her eyes from the man, she announced the banquet that she had meticulously planned for almost a month.
"Thank you for being back, everyone. A banquet is prepared for you. Please wash up and be in banquet hall by mealtime."
No one really showed much respect for her, yet she did not get discouraged or embarrassed, since she didn't expect it either.
Her skin was quite thick, after all. Previously, she had even hugged and kissed the duke in front of them, of course, just to get rejected.
Her determination quite impressed everyone. Despite how cold the duke was to her, she was still persistence, and those impressions showed in their actions and words.
"Was that all? I was tired but came to watch the drama..." a knight murmured.
"Do you think she's gonna jump on the duke this time, too?"
"No way! Even she can't be that thick skinned after seeing lady Melvin!"
"Why should she get embarrassed? After all, she is the legal wife.."
"She looks kind of pitiful! Lady Melvin is so beautiful."
"Really? I think the duchess is more beautiful than lady Melvin!"
Briana had quite the keen ears and could hear the whispers. Well, even in her own opinion, she had been too extra. Each time he was back from the battlefield, as if expecting a miracle, she pushed all the boundaries to direct their marriage in a romantic direction.
The duke seemed to have heard the whispers too. His face darkened with each passing second as he stared at her. He seemed really pissed off. He pressed his lips tightly and blood vessels popped out on his forehead.
Trying not to push anymore boundaries, she nodded her head regarding the angry-looking duke of Golding, before backing down towards her room.
"All the knights, 100 laps around the training ground!" she heard the duke say in a hushed but violent tone as he spread his horrifying aura.
To reach her frugal room, Briana had to cross a river. She got cast out of the duchess room five years ago, the moment the young duke gained enough power to surface his vassals. The duke allocated this frugal room in the secondary castle, far from the main building, to her.
A building mostly used by maids. She fastened her path to get out of this uncomfortable outfit. She still has to go back to the main building and prepare the last bit of the documents.
Even though she noticed that someone was tailing her, she feigned ignorance. After all, she was in enemy's base. It wasn't like she could ask the man not to spy on her every breath. She had gotten used to it, getting monitored by maids and guards, and not having even a second to herself. The only difference between this duchy and the borderlands was that there hadn't yet been any assassination attempts.
Noting that from tonight on she should be more careful made her sigh. Unlike earlier, when she saw him all warm and cozy with another woman, she didn't feel much betrayal now.
Not like she actually liked him or like they were lovers. Actually, almost all the nobles in high society had lovers by their side. Well, except for her father, who loved Briana's mother to death. He didn't even remarry, let alone having a lover...
Having lived as emperor's cousin and a duke's daughter, even during her attendance at the battlefield, she made sure to always return for high society events. Never missing social events, she knows high society well.
Well enough to know better than anyone that her father was a rare occurrence in high society, not happening again. It was also why she wanted to marry an honest man of a low statue or a common.
Briana wanted a man to love him as much as her father loved her mother, but not even her father loved her. She should really learn to lower her expectations.
It was her father's idea to attend the events at all costs. Not letting anyone get a whift of her putting her life on the line on the battlefields. She thought it was because of her own benefit, but she was stupid.
Not long after her marriage, she had heard a rumor that her father was planning to hand his title to his younger brother's son. All the while, this nephew was nowhere to be found when they had to send a member of the family to war.
If she wasn't that stupid, she didn't have to clang to duke of the Golding, acting like a head over heels wife. Instead, she could have ruled her own land while having a loving husband by her side.
Taking off the suffocating clothes that obsessively embraced her beautiful spotless figure like an armor, she remembered the bloodthirsty look in duke of Golding's eyes. He was probably angry because she was still here.
"It's the last warning. You, Emperor's dirty mouse, shall be gone by the time I am back! Or else I will kick you out in the most humiliating way!"
His words before leaving, five years ago, ringing in her ear drums made her pocket her savings inside her new clothes, before departing for the main building. Even though she still followed her father's orders, she didn't want to go back to him.
It was also the reason she was still here. She needed to save money so she wouldn't starve on the gates.
Not being your typical lady, she didn't fear humiliation. What scared her the most was starving to death. One of the many scars war had left her with.
Besides, the most humiliating thing in her eyes was her own actions during these years. The almighty commander of the north, a legendary general whose name made the ones who had seen her on the battlefield shiver from fear, had fallen this low. Pampering and fearing her arrogant young husband.
Actually, she thought he was bluffing when he said those things.
However, seeing that he had brought in a pregnant mistress, she wasn't so sure if she had read him right. Maybe, all these years, he too, had been pretending to be a fictional figure.
*
From the moment, entering the gates, he was expecting to feel an annoying weight hanging from his neck while whispering in his ears, "Thank you for coming back alive..".
The whisper that coming from his enemy's cousin should sound like humiliation and make his blood boil. Whispers that didn't come, no matter how long he stood in his place.
There were no hugs, no kisses, no passionate looks and no whispers, yet there still were words of thanks. Directed towards everyone else but him. She looked at everyone except him, mockingly so. Everyone!
His heart felt heavy. What did his wife mean? Was he not supposed to com back alive, or was he not welcome?