The Duchess - Gruvia

Chapter 14

AN: Heeeeeere comes the drama!

Juvia blinked a few times, trying to understand Lyon's words. What did he mean about her being his bride? She was meant to be Gray's wife. Wasn't she? It was what everyone told her, that she was supposed to be given to marriage to the 31st Duke-

"You were supposed to be the Duke." Juvia whispered, eyes wide and she took a step back. "Not Gray-sama. You." She was supposed to marry Lyon Vastia, not Gray Fullbuster. Everything she thought about fate joining her and Gray was void?

"Hey, hey, hey." Lyon was by her side a second later, holding her by the shoulders. "You went white as a sheet." He led her towards a chair and made her sit down. "Don't faint on me now. Gray would skin me alive." Hearing her husband's name, her eyes became wider. "Okay, not mentioning his name, then."

"Juvia was supposed to marry you instead of Gray-sama." She whispered.

"You never made the connection." Lyon finally understood, and spoke softly. "I was first in line to succession, Gray was the second – when I gave up being Duke, he was the next to get the title. And with the title, he got you."

The Duchess stared at Lyon for some time, thinking how much different everything could've been if he hadn't given up the title, if she had married him instead of her husband. Would she still be happy? Would she fall in love with him?

She didn't have much more time to think about it, because the next thing she heard was her husband's angry voice and steps. "What did I tell you about still being here in the morning? What are you doing to her?" She felt Lyon being pulled away from her side and her husband putting himself between the two of them.

"I was going away, but then Lady Juvia summoned me to talk." Lyon scowled. "I wished not to mistreat her and came, where I told her why I am here."

Gray al but snarled. "We've had this conversation, Lyon."

"Yet here we are, having it again." Lyon snapped. "I am trying to do the right thing! I am tired of feeling a coward, of burdening you with my responsibilities. You were supposed to have gotten a good and free life, married someone you wanted to and not doing it out of an obligation our grandfather commanded to. It was all me but I was a coward and I left it all for you."

"Guess what, it is my burden now." Gray yelled at his cousin. "I told you before that I am the Duke."

"Goddammit you don't get it!" Lyon became angry. "People had never been happy that you are not a Vastia, but they tolerated it because they thought you would find some lesser noble woman from Winter to marry and ground your claim; but you did not." He pointed at Juvia. "They had been trying to kill her since the day you married her and just yesterday they almost succeeded."

Juvia's eyes widened and Gray's body tensed as he asked, voice low: "What?"

"I didn't know until I was halfway here." Lyon sighed. "At first I was going to come here to see how you were doing, if you were happy and meet her." He looked at Juvia. "And for the first time in years I truly regretted stepping down." With Gray's growl, Lyon returned his attention back at his cousin. "But then an old friend of the Vastias told me that there are radicals wanting me back – that's not news, I've got supporters everywhere – but he also told me that there is another group that likes you, but doesn't want her as your Duchess; they'd rather have a Winter girl beside you."

Juvia finally got up from the chair, her legs wobbly as she walked to stand by Gray's side. "Why" her throat suddenly felt dry "why did you say that if you had me, you could be Duke again?" By the corner of her eye, she saw her husband tense even more.