The Villianess story: A 100 ways to kill your husband-Chapter 441: A fading memory

He could still remember the last day he saw his mother. Their screams rang through the walls of the castle. He was young but the image was vivid.

His father had come to visit his mother who was pregnant at the time. There was tension between his parents. Aurelius recalls hearing whispers from the servants that the crown princess had lost the favour of the crown prince and he had chosen another person to be empress.

They fought that night, he could not remember exactly what it was about but his mother obviously didn’t like the idea of him taking another wife. Aurelius stood by the door, trembling and scared, until it was pushed open.. His father stepped out, and his cold blue eyes fell on him.

"You should not be here." He said, then left, leaving the door slightly ajar. His father’s footsteps faded leaving the hallway empty and lifeless. No servant was close by because they knew the repercussions.

Aurelius slowly entered the crown princess’s room. His eyes found his mother. "Mummy," he called but she didn’t answer. She was seated at the edge of her bed, her head bowed as she cried.

Aurelius ran towards his mother, afraid and wanting to offer some comfort. He was little and didn’t understand politics. He didn’t understand why his parents were fighting. His only assumption was that his mother didn’t want the new wife.

"Mummy," he called again, his little hand reached out for her hand that was clenched by her side. She froze, her cries stopped. She glanced at him, and her trembling hands reached for his little face. "Why do you look so much like him?" She asked.

"I look like Mummy, we have the same hair," Aurelius argued knowing his mother hated his resemblance to his father. He was their child, and his features were naturally a blend of both sides.

"That’s right," she said giving him a smile. "You should go back to your room. Mummy needs to rest " she said before wiping off her tears with her sleeves. His mother’s face was still blurry in his memory. She loved smiling even when she was hurt.

She grabbed his hand and led him out of the room. They got to his room after a short walk where they saw his nanny. The nanny was scared. Aurelius didn’t understand his nanny’s fear because his mother was the nicest person he knew

He had no idea, the nanny was scared because he accidentally found out about his parents fighting. "I will pay close attention to him. I am sorry he slipped out." His nanny apologised over and over again on her knees with her head bowed.

His mother didn’t spare the nanny a word, "Let’s put you to bed, Aurelius. You should stop being naughty." She said treating the nanny like air. Aurelius could feel his mother’s repressed anger; she hid it under her smile.

"I wanted to see you, " Aurelius blurted scared to make her angrier. She sighed and stepped into his room. She led Aurelius to his bed and tucked him in.

Her fingers were weaving through his hair, as she sang lightly a lullaby he didn’t even remember the words anymore. He drifted to sleep in his mother’s comfort. Her warmth and voice which was a distant memory now.

The next morning, she wasn’t by his bedside, and the entire castle was stripped of all colours. The servants were all dressed in mourning clothes he didn’t understand why. He asked for his mother but no one gave him an answer until he eventually met his father.

"Your mother has gone to a better place and we can’t see her anymore." He actually looked sad with grief written on his face. Regret filled his voice and he trembled slightly.

He never got to see her face again every painting of her was stripped off because his father could not bear looking at them. Years passed, and when Aurelius was old enough, he found out the truth.

His mother didn’t pass away from stress as they said. She hung herself that night after she left his room. She didn’t even say goodbye and chose to end her life and the unborn baby’s life.

He grew up hating his mother for killing herself selfishly but later understood it was because of his father she killed herself. The next week, his father was crowned emperor as planned, and he married a new wife the same day he made his empress.

No one spoke of the crown princess who committed suicide, nor did they remember her death anniversary. She was like a faded memory. The current empress gave birth to 4 heirs. 3 boys and a girl, whom the emperor wanted to match with Cedric.

He was never going to let that happen; he knew this was all a plan to increase their influence and attempt to take away the crown prince title from him. Aurelius smiled at the picture. "Soon the truth will be revealed, mother. I will make them pay." He swore.

*******

Abrielle immediately got on her feet once she heard the door open. Cedric came in, his face wrapped with his scarf.

"What did he say?" She quickly asked. Cedric’s gaze flickered. He was deliberating whether he should tell her or not.

"Nothing unexpected, but everything will be fine with time. " Cedric replied. He closed the door behind him and pulled off the scarf. Abrielle’s fingers curled; she could sense his hesitance.

"Can’t he be trusted?" She asked once more trying to find any clue from his expression. Cedric thought for a split second, maybe it would be better to let her know the entire situation.

"I honestly don’t know if we should trust Aurelius, but for now, he isn’t a threat. The main problem is the emperor’s condition, he refuses to give us an audience." Cedric explained as he approached the bed where he sat at the edge. His body was growing weaker making it hard for him to stand for long without support..

He hissed, jolts of pain running through his body as he sat. It was unbearable for Abrielle to watch. "What is his condition?" She asked sitting by his side. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"I have to wed the princess. That is his condition. " Cedric stated. Abrielle’s breath hitched, her head lowered.

"It is not the worst situation. If that will assure your success you should wed her. I am fine with it." Cedric froze stunned by her reply.

New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com