Divorce The Duke, Marry The King!
Chapter 120: Village

Chapter 120: Village

"Why? Is it because you do not like me? Or because I once hated you?" She inquired, her expression turning serious.

"No, it is not about you. It is me. I cannot love someone...I find it hard to embrace people," he stated, his voice devoid of emotion.

Mia scoffed. "I am not just ’people.’ I am your mate. Is that not reason enough to want to be committed to me? Isn’t that what everyone hopes for? To find their mate?" She questioned him, her voice laced with frustration. Though she had once been guilty of loving a man who was not her mate, she now realized how wrong she had been. She should have waited for the one fate had chosen for her instead of trying to forge a love where it did not belong.

"Not me, Mia. I have never, even once, wanted a mate," he responded, earning a bitter smile from her.

"And you do not wish to try? To embrace your new reality?" She asked, her voice quieter this time.

"No. If you marry me, you will only end up miserable. I cannot love you the way you want to be loved. Can’t you see that? I yelled at you outside simply for standing up for yourself. I am broken in a way you cannot fix," he divulged, and Mia didn’t know whether to feel worse for him or for herself. She had always known there was something deeply wrong with him, but she hadn’t realized the extent of it. How could a man reject the very idea of loving his mate? How could he not even try?

"I know, Ray. I am well aware that you are broken," she admitted and suddenly burst into laughter, though there was nothing joyous about it. It was a laugh of sorrow, not amusement.

"I was assigned to be your guard during this war. That is the only reason I have been following you around," he revealed, and in that instant, everything became painfully clear to her. She had been delusional all along, foolishly believing there was something deeper between them when, in truth, he had merely been fulfilling his duty.

"I understand," she said, forcing a smile. "And I am capable of protecting myself. I do not need a guard." She lied through her teeth, but inwardly, she was burning with anger. She wanted to scream at him, to demand why he had waited until now to tell her this. But after crying for hours, she no longer had the strength to argue.

"You can love another," he said after a moment. "And when you decide you want to be free, I will reject you." He thought he was being considerate, but she scoffed inwardly, irritated that he truly believed he was doing her a favor.

"Hmm. Okay," she responded flatly, not bothering to express how she truly felt. It had been an ill-fated bond from the very beginning, and she had been foolish to entertain second thoughts about it.

"I will inform the others that you are awake. Stay here," she said as she rose to her feet, her voice devoid of emotion. Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked toward the exit.

Ray frowned, contemplating whether to stop her or let her go. He was the one who had ended things, what right did he have to act as though he cared?

All he could do now was protect her from a distance and ensure he was no longer a burden to her.

It was better this way. She deserved to be with a man like Klaus, not a hopeless soul like him. She would be fine after a few days, the bond would not be so strong as long as they remained far apart.

...

The following morning, they resumed their journey, but this time, Belle willingly sat in her carriage, enduring the discomfort if it meant keeping her distance from Quinn. That morning, she had searched for the necklace once more, only to come up empty-handed again, which left her feeling disheartened. It was not that she regretted not reciprocating his feelings, she merely regretted discarding something so precious, something most women would cherish, like her sister would have. Speaking of her sister, she had not seen her since their brief encounter at the tent. Where could she be?

Even when the rogues had attacked, Michelle had been absent. Belle’s eyes widened as realization struck, and a deep frown settled on her face. Of course. Now it made perfect sense how the rogues had managed to track them down in such an isolated area, it had been Michelle who betrayed their location.

Just when she thought Michelle might not trouble her any longer, the ever-irritating stepsister had once again proven her allegiance to their father’s twisted schemes. Was Michelle truly so naïve, or was she simply too much of a coward to stand up for herself? Even a child could have pieced together how her mate had met such an untimely end. Who, after all, would leap off a cliff for amusement?

Either she was truly unaware of the cause of her mate’s death, or she was pretending ignorance for the sake of her own survival. Out of all her step-siblings, Belle resented Michelle the most. She had been the cruelest, the one who tormented her the most. Perhaps that was why Belle felt no urge to enlighten her about the true cause of her mate’s death. That fool. Instead of resisting Clifford’s control, she was willingly allowing him to dictate her life.

Belle only hoped Michelle would come to her senses before it was too late. As for the rogue attack, she would let it slide this once, but if it happened again, she would confront her stepsister. The only question was how. How could she do so without fueling rumors that she was merely envious of Michelle for marrying her former husband? Gossip spread like wildfire, especially among the nobility, where people thrived on scandals.

"We have arrived," a voice announced, pulling her from her thoughts.

Belle sighed in relief. Her body ached from the endless hours of sitting—six hours, to be precise. It was a form of torment that not even the guards had yet discovered. Far worse than being whipped!

Carefully stepping out of the carriage, she glanced around, taking in her surroundings. It was a village, quiet, almost unnervingly so. But something told her it was all a façade, a carefully crafted illusion meant to ward off unwanted visitors.

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