Chapter 353: Two obstacles!

Marianne pov.

"Your highness, are you feeling ill?" asked Lina with concern.

"No, I am just feeling a bit stuffy and drowsy. It would be better if I sit in the open air for a while. Daulla, I have a job for you."

"Yes, my lady"

"Go to the orchid, there is a half bit apple there, i know it's difficult to find it in such a big orchid, but i want it."

"My lady, I can always bring more fresh apples for you." she replied confused with my queer request but i shook my head.

"I want only that apple, Daulla. It is under the apple tree on the west side. It will be only where their apple tree starts, not too deep.`` She looked very confused at my request. But looking at my grave face, she did not question any more and nodded.

"Yes, my lady" she bowed and left.

"Kate, go and ask Killian if he has time to take a walk with me." I needed to know what was in his mind before telling him the truth.

"Yes, your highness"

I walked towards the garden followed by Lina when I saw a carriage stopping in the distance with the same blue and silver flag of Wiltshire. If that was not enough to surprise me, then I saw Roselia rolling on the ground when I walked closer to it.

I was sure she had left for Duke's palace after our morning conversation. I walked closer to her when I saw Isabella walking out of the carriage.

Roselia instead of standing up kept rolling and crawling on the grass making me further confused.

She just stopped in front of me when Isabella also turned to listen to her voice.

"Are you here to meet me, lady Isabella?" I asked, looking at her face which was hazy. Her eyes have that drowsiness that I was feeling a while ago, but hers was more evident than me.

"Don't tell me that you were missing me. It had been only a day, lady Isabella" i taunted when she just stayed silent.

"I think there is some misunderstanding" she started and i was about to nod when Roselia tried to flare her.

"Do not tell us that you were also thrown out of the duke palace, so you are here to plead us to talk to them to take you back '' i frowned at her words, why was Isabella thrown out of the palace!?

"Ha! Requesting you… you are the one who had nothing to do with Cassius now. He would rather listen to me than you." she replied in a haughty tone.

Then she looked at me.

"I am here to share my happiness with Lady Marianne." she walked towards me, her steps were clumsy no matter how much she tried to balance them.

"I am getting married to Cassius. My father is there to fix the date. So I am here to invite you for the occasion." she replied with a smirk on her face.

"Aww, I never knew that you loved me so much Isabella. Thank you." I replied with such a sweet voice that her facade cracked. I moved closer to hug her and then I whispered in her ears.

"I have never seen someone being so happy marrying a man who was once her brother in law. Tell me, have you always been in incest"

"You, how dare you? You are not archduchess anymore to show your haughtiness to me. You are nothing now. I will make sure that you will rot in this place for your lifetime and that husband of yours. He will soon be the puppet of my hands, and then I will show both of you what I can do" she snarled. I was about to reply to her when I saw Killian walking towards us.

His face was darkened. I was sure he had heard a bit of conversation or maybe just her last words. I needed to just flare her up a bit.

"Why do you hate me so much, Isabella? I thought we are friends now after Killian told me that you worry about me."

"Ha, there is a limit to being delusional. I said that to Killian to move his heart. I just wanted to win his confidence. That dumb boy was getting too much attached to you. But you know what, you can keep him here with you for a lifetime. My children would be the one to rule the dukedom in the future. Who needs him now, when I have got the main key for winning." she replied finally looking into my eyes, 

"You both are good company to each other. Both of you are dumb yet full of pride. Pride of the position which was not yours from the start. The dukedom is mine and my children" she continued and i did not know shall i tell her that her children would not have the dukedom or she would not have children anytime soon.

"Do not say that, Isabella. Killian loves you a lot. His heart would break if he would come to know that you did not love him ``I said in a tone of denial and pleading.

"Who cares, it was not like i am going to meet him now or i would need his assistance any more. Do you think Cassius wanted him to be with you, that was why he let him go?" What was she talking about now. She shook her head, and chuckled.

"Cassius never wanted him. He hates him to the core. You know when Elizabeth died. He had locked Killian into his room. Cassius even denied him to see his mother for the last time. When Killian jumped from the balcony to attend the funeral of his mother. He was badly injured yet Cassius did not even spare a glance to him. He had always been cold to him, his hatred for Killian was so deep that you could not even fathom it. When he finally found the chance, he threw both of his obstacles at once, you, a pawn and him, a bastard!"