Stolen bride- Rebirth of abandoned duchess

Ardos

"Brother must have never felt what it is to suffocate around evil beings, now this sister gives you a chance...strangle him."

Shadow guards given by Duke Everdale to Marianna entered the chamber swiftly while the female ignored the wailing brother of her and left the chamber as if watching Leon a second more gave her disgust, Layla could not still leave the place and with her own eyes saw Leon falling down from his seat like a madman struggling to get away from those men.

One of the shadows dragged him by his hair while another strangled him with a rope.

It was a horrible sight to see but the god made sure that Layla watched it, this was redemption, justice and above all the vengeance of the horror she felt and karma soon came back at full force to throttle those that had once haunted her.

The scene changed and before Layla could stop she was shifted to the place where she was once punished to enter- the study of Emperor Icarus in Ardos where he buried Ilaria. Layla had endured a lot in life but at this moment when she saw her husband whom she loved beyond control she could not help but turn her face away.

To see him like that...it was better that the god take her life than make Icarus blind. Her husband with the most beautiful golden irises sat with a silk cloth wrapped around his eyes because he could not see anymore. What happened to him was beyond her understanding and she wished she could just run and embrace him tightly when he looked so exhausted.

"Your liege, you summoned me?" Commander Helios with a scary scar running across his left side of face entered the chamber and bowed on a knee, he could have very well looked up but dared not do so.

To see his King whom he had served all his life this way was painful.

Layla saw the man her sister has chosen for herself and observed him closely.

"How is the resurrection of that child is going?" The words were calm, so calm that it did not made Helios feel peace but instead there was a terrible monstrous fury hiding underneath.

Layla was excited for a moment, she wanted to know, she wanted to see her child.

Surprisingly, after Icarus came back with Layla's corpse into the capital, his close aides were made aware that this was their master's beloved who was dead but it was a shock to them even when he accepted to resurrect the child of his beloved with another man.

What in the world was this bizarre thing?

"Your majesty, we are in the last phase of the process and it will soon be completed-"

"Discard it"

"Your majesty?"

"There is no need to proceed anymore, discard the process. I will bury the fetus with his mother." Layla wanted to cry out and complain. Her sister has already paid the price then why would they not fulfil their end of wish?

Were they playing with Marianna......knowing her sister, she would be devastated if that happened. Even if her child could not be with Layla but he was the lifeline of Marianna. How would her sister live?

"Your majesty Marianna...I cannot break my promise with her...I cannot deceive my wife." At one end where Layla felt sorrow at another she felt Helios was dependable and prove to be a good candidate for her sister. Even in the face of his King he did not lost.

"Do you love that child Marianna?" The question surprised Helios and Layla similarly. Why did it sound like Icarus was really bitter and wanted to kill Helios?

Helios chuckled and replied after contemplating for sometime.

"What if I love her or not? She knows that my manor has only one female and that is her but refuses to become my wife. Last time to have her with me I had to even open that shameless and abhorrent position of a concubine because that was the only way she agreed.

Even if I love her she doesn't feels the same. If it wasn't the dead kid needing a revival she would not have agreed ever to marry."

The more Layla listened the better she felt, so what if the Everdale falls her sister would have a supportive husband at the end. Wasn't it better than having no one.

"The child that Empress Layla gave birth to..." Icarus clutched the throne tightly as if speaking those words took so much of his efforts.

"...that child had no soul from the beginning. Even if you resurrect it, it would have a formed body but he would still be dead." Layla was stumped and even the last hope of reviving Arvaram back was lost to her.

Would her child as Ilaria never have a happy ending without pain?

"Instead do something for me, wipe out all the memories of Marianna since her childhood."

The words made Layla stumble back.

Why in the world would Icarus do this, why?

"Helios, I had received a letter yesterday-members of Everdale ducal house are declared to be traitors of the nation and the person to reveal that information is the princess of Everdale Marianna. Except her and her brother Karl every member is already dead so Karl was taken to the prison and executed for betraying the country.

What Marianna had to do is already done except Valentine...she does not knows about him and shall never know."

Layla looked at Icarus and her fingers were trembling.

She knew him more than himself.

Marianna would never know because Jeremiah was not on run.

He must be in the underground prison of her husband going through hell which he did not want Marianna to witness.

"Helios, you must take care of Marianna, more than your life you must cherish her and more than your breath you must love her. What I couldn't do you must do instead. It is my last command as your emperor." Helios bowed deeply and even a warrior who had seen battle had his eyes turned red.

"I promise to love her like you would have loved Empress Layla! This servant must follow your command!"