The Debt Of Fate

Chapter 354 - 13

Days passed after the child died. Life on the Island of Kain slowly continued.

Edward rarely spoke. He tried to understand the layout of the island for a better chance of survival. When he was not exploring the island, he sat outside the cave, staring at the sea in silence.

Dorothy also became quieter. She spent many hours sitting alone, holding the small cloth that once belonged to their son.

The pain of losing him still filled her heart. Many times she thought of dying, but she never had the courage.

Mary watched the two of them and felt uneasy. She knew they were suffering, but she did not want them to sink into despair forever. Since they had decided to survive on the island, they should do their best to live as well as possible.

So one evening, Mary finally spoke.

"You two are still young," she said slowly.

Edward and Dorothy both looked up at her.

Mary forced a small smile. "You can still have another child," she said gently. "Do not lose hope. After we settle properly."

But the moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere suddenly became strange.

Edward and Dorothy both looked at her.

Their gazes were unnatural.

Mary felt a chill in her heart.

She did not understand why they reacted like that. She wanted to ask about their reaction but was afraid of the answer.

Dorothy slowly lowered her eyes.

In her heart, she knew something Mary did not.

Elizabeth had already poisoned her shortly after she entered the palace. Because of that poison, she could never give birth again.

The thought made Dorothy’s chest tighten.

Dorothy and Edward had discovered the truth later. But by then, it was already too late.

Because of fear...

Because of anger...

Dorothy had also done something terrible.

She had secretly poisoned Edward. It was a slow poison.

Edward would never know.

But just like her, he would never be able to father another child again.

Neither of them could bring a new life into the world.

Edward did not know he was now unable to father a child. He only believed that because of Dorothy’s condition, they would never have another child. And given his current situation, no woman would be willing to marry him.

Only Dorothy knew the truth.

She sat quietly beside the dying fire, her face pale.

Royal City

Anastasia took a walk around the palace. She had planned to walk only around the garden, but she suddenly noticed a path. Flower branches seemed to have covered it for a long time.

Anastasia immediately became curious. Without thinking, she pushed the branches aside and saw the path clearly. It seemed no one had used the path in several years.

"Your Highness, this path has not been cleaned. How about the servants clear it first?" Rosa suggested. She had served Anastasia all her life, so she knew what she was thinking.

"Why wait? Let’s go now," Anastasia said and stepped onto the path.

Worried about her lady’s safety, Rosa followed.

Just as the two disappeared behind the branches, Ernest arrived at the royal garden. A servant had told him that Anastasia was there.

He looked around the large garden but could not find Anastasia or the maid.

"Where is the queen?" he asked the gardener, who spent most of his time there.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty was over there a while ago," the man said, pointing to Anastasia’s favorite spot.

"She is not there," Ernest shook his head. He had already gone there when he arrived at the garden.

"Maybe Her Majesty took a stroll around the garden," the gardener said.

The royal garden was large, so Ernest thought it was possible. He began to look around but did not find her.

Later, as he was about to leave, he noticed footsteps.

Those footsteps seemed to lead toward the east side.

Ernest looked in that direction and immediately noticed a path covered with flower branches.

"Why has this road not been cleaned?" Ernest asked the gardener again.

"Your Majesty..." the man looked unsure. It was not that they had not cleaned around it, but for some reason the path itself had become covered.

"Go call others and have it cleaned," Ernest said.

Then he pushed the branches aside and followed the path.

As he walked, he noticed the footsteps of two people. He became certain that Anastasia had come this way, but he did not understand what she would be doing there.

After walking for a while, he began to feel anxious and quickened his pace.

Soon a small courtyard appeared before him. It looked as if it had been abandoned for several years.

He moved forward quickly.

The door to the courtyard was open.

"My lady! My lady!" Rosa’s anxious voice echoed from inside.

This made Ernest even more worried. He hurried inside the courtyard.

There he found Anastasia standing in a daze, looking at something in front of her, tears rolling down her face.

"What happened?" Ernest asked as he moved forward and hugged Anastasia.

"Your Majesty," Rosa bowed and explained that Anastasia had noticed the path. They had just found the courtyard, and suddenly her lady had spaced out and started crying.

Ernest did not think there was anything special about the courtyard.

He carried Anastasia out. Since she would not say anything, he could only wait for her emotions to calm down.

After carrying her back to the main palace, he gently laid her on the bed.

Just then, a eunuch knocked.

"Your Majesty, an urgent message from Gube," the eunuch announced.

"Come in," Ernest said. Seeing Anastasia in such a strange state, he did not have the heart to leave her.

The eunuch walked in and bowed.

"The army has broken into Gube territory and taken two new cities. The king of Gube wants to end the war and begin peace talks. A message has arrived asking for Your Majesty’s decision," the eunuch said.

"The war continues unless Gube bows and surrenders," Ernest said.

He understood that Gube would only rest for a few years before attacking again. Since they had started the war, he wanted Gube to become a sub-kingdom of Nexile.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the eunuch bowed.

The two southern kingdoms that had supported Edward had immediately sent congratulatory gifts the moment they learned that Edward had been defeated. But Gube had not backed out. Their ambition was clear.

"My lord," Anastasia finally spoke just as the eunuch was leaving.

"How are you feeling?" Ernest turned his attention to her.

"I am fine," she said with a small smile. "I think it would be better to find an opportunity to kill Edward, to avoid future problems."

Ernest looked at her in surprise. It was the first time she had commented about Edward.

"Don’t worry. He cannot cause trouble in the future. It would take him generations to raise an army to fight for the throne, but he has no children. I received news that his first son is dead. Elizabeth’s child also did not survive," Ernest explained.

"But he is still young. He can have children," Anastasia said, unconvinced.

Today, when she walked down that path and saw the old courtyard, it reminded her of her nightmare. It was the first time she had seen the place, yet it looked exactly like the one in her dream.

Just like she had felt in the past that leaving the palace would save her life, she now felt that only Edward’s death could truly cut off that fate.

"Don’t worry about that. Your sister already found a way to poison Dorothy. She will not be able to bear children. When Dorothy heard that, she feared losing the king’s favor in the future. Although her skills as a physician are limited, she is very good with poison. She poisoned the king. He will never father another child," Ernest explained.

Anastasia was shocked.

Ernest had loved Dorothy so much, yet out of jealousy she had harmed him. During the time Anastasia was married to Edward, she had never even thought about harming him or Dorothy’s child.

But then again, she felt he deserved it.

"How do you know all this?" Anastasia asked after a while.

"You were poisoned in the palace. Of course I had to monitor those women to make sure it never happened again," Ernest said.

"Death is a relief I am unwilling to give to those who hurt you. Isn’t it better for them to live and watch you do better than them?"

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

He had already made arrangements for Edward to hear all the news from the royal city. Edward might think that during his exile he could start planning a rebellion and tell his children that the throne belonged to him.

But unfortunately, there would be no child to continue that legacy.

Edward should keep living in hope.

After a few years, if he truly discovered the truth, he would die in complete despair.

That was a better punishment than a quick death.

"Why are you thinking about Edward today?" Ernest asked, raising his brows.

"I am not thinking about him. What if I tell you that I decisively left the palace because of a nightmare?" Anastasia said.

Ernest frowned.

"What kind of dream would scare you so much?" he asked.

Anastasia smiled and told him about the first nightmare she had, even before her engagement to the prince.

Ernest looked at her.

"Well, God is good. He saved you from that disaster," Ernest said. He was happy that she had taken the dream seriously and left the palace. Otherwise, they would not have such a happy home now.

He was happy that he had taken the step to claim the throne. Perhaps neither him or Anastasia could have live a peaceful life.

Although he did not know what the future held, he was certain it would not end the same way as in her dream.

"Yes," Anastasia said softly. "I believe I will have a good future from now on. Whatever debt the royal family has no longer concerns me."

She smiled.

The End