The Commoner Consort: The Country’s Respected Empress - Chapter 185
Xavier freezes hearing Veronica. He couldn’t believe what he had heard was true. He knows Veronica so well and her face screamed so much seriousness.
He gasps still in shock “What did you say?”
She rolls her eyes as she is bored of his reaction. Whenever she tries to tell him some serious things secretly, his reactions were same. She always takes huge risks to provide him some news from her father’s chamber.
She doesn’t want him to be too stunned and unprepared when their father says the news. She speaks smugly “You heard it, Xavier. And I forgot to mention!-“.
She shakes her head noticing him.
His eyes turned already cold making her to roll her eyes again.
She scoffs “Father wants to tell you this once you recover”.
Xavier’s whole demeanour changes into sorrow within seconds and mutters under his breath “W-Why…”
Veronica frowns feeling something strange. She asks straight “Why are you sad? You should be jumping in joy for getting a wife!”.
Xavier hisses in fury “Why is he doing this? What does he want now?!”.
Veronica who is still oblivious of his heart ache exclaims in realization “Oh! You must be sick still. Or you would have found the reason by now”.
And she was true. He was still muddleheaded by his continuous sleep. He raises his eyebrows as if remembering something.
His face hardens and declares in emotionless tone “He wants to end this war by selling me”.
‘Of course, he would! When did he even care?’.
Veronica clears her throat “Would like to correct it. By buying the Princess of The Southern Realm”.
He rebukes still emotionless in his tone “I am the one paying the price”.
‘He just decided to put my life at his foot! Why am I even hurting still by his actions? He can never think of my feelings. Never’.
Veronica pouts disappointed “Too bad they don’t have an eligible Prince. Or I would have got married instead-“.
Xavier snaps immediately even before she could finish that line “This is no joke, Vero! Even if there was one, don’t even think of marrying a stranger! I would never allow that for my sister!”.
Veronica smiles in her heart at his words contently ‘That’s Xavier for you. He can never be emotionless when it comes to me!’.
She adds sternly “But you allowed it to happen to your brother anyway”.
‘I am still mad that he never stopped brother from marrying a stranger! He didn’t even try!’.
He looks away recalling Maya. He doesn’t know what to do now. He has no idea how he is going to handle this situation. He knows Veronica is still glaring him. .. accusing him.
She was so mad that Xavier didn’t try to convince Kalki not marrying a stranger. That’s what made Xavier to think that Veronica tried to kill Maya in the start. He knows he can’t trust Veronica’s temper when she is angry. Her anger has no boundaries!
Xavier speaks still not facing her “You know no one could make him change his decision”.
She scoffs “Oh! Don’t try to fool me, Xavier. You could have at least tried! But you never stopped him from marrying that girl!”
Xavier is in deep thoughts and sighs sadly ‘If only you know the truth….how will I face Maya now? What if she doesn’t like me? What if she wants to give this marriage a chance..even though it’s not really a marriage?’.
His mind is chaotic! He can’t think straight anymore and his heart had an entirely different heart aching story.
Veronica breaks the silence in the chamber “What are you going to do now? Will you decline? If you do…”.
Xavier completes the line for her “Xander must marry her on my behalf”.
Veronica looks down guiltily and sighs defeated.
She hates herself at this moment for being selfish but she could only behave that way.
No way she will allow her beloved brother to marry another stranger woman! She also doesn’t want that for Xavier!
Even though he always annoys her by interrupting in her way, she still doesn’t like this happening to him.
She speaks sneakily looking at his face “You look sad”.
He smiles bitterly and sighs muttering “No..I regret waking up….. to hear this news”.
Veronica frowns “What?”.
He shakes his head in complete disappointment “I shouldn’t have woken up”.
She gasps “You are insane! Do you even realize how worried we were?!”
He smirks bitterly and speaks sarcastically “Yes, I can just see!”.
She could only say hesitantly “Do something about this before father tells you this personally. After that..no one can change…”.
He asks in sudden curiosity for the first time “Why are you helping me? You might get punished if His Majesty gets to know this..”.
She rolls her eyes and speaks carelessly “I haven’t done with you yet. I still want to annoy you. If a wife appears out of no where, how could I bother you?! Now a brother already left for a family life, why should I let you go too?”.
He shakes his head and chuckles seeing her terrible acting of being nonchalant “Just tell me you care”.
She stomps her foot stubbornly “Who does?! I don’t!”.
She leaves the chamber in next moment before he could tease her more.
Xavier sighs worriedly and looks around the chamber as if missing something. Or someone?
——-
Maya instinctively walks towards Kalki. She notices his painful breaths through the smoke and walks towards him. She too is suffocated in the smoke filled chamber.
‘How did he get trapped here?! I should leave this place before both us die!’
Coughs!
She rubs her chest due to her burning nose and throat. She hurries towards him but before she could reach him the chamber doors burst open from outside.
“He must be unconscious by now!”
“Kill him without any delay!”
“Hurry!”
Maya doesn’t have to think before understanding the situation. Her hands are already ready even before her mind. Her one hand snatched three arrows from her archive and the other held the bow ahead ready to kill even before she realized.