The Man I Was Not Supposed to Love

A Sudden Change

Five years later

Marquise Roman’s POV

I stared at the letter in my hand and shook my head. Unbelievable! This does not seem real at all. How could this happen to Queen Mira? How can Princess Aldrea do this? My jaw dropped as I trembled because of the realization I just had that the queen would be dethroned because of the accusation brought against her before the Assembly of Ekron Kingdom. I knew it! Princess Aldrea has something on her sleeves, and she definitely came here to find fault in what Queen Mira has been doing for years. Weeks ago, when she came here to have an alleged ocular inspection of what the land had been producing, I already had an inkling that this would happen and I’m not wrong.

“My love, what is going on?” my husband, Marquess Roman, asked the moment he noticed my pale face. He immediately held my clasped hands in between his.

“I-it’s the queen…” I whispered, losing my strength, and leaning on him. My knees immediately turned jelly and I automatically fell on his broad chest. A tear fell down my face as I helplessly looked at his eyes. “W-what will happen to us now?”

He frowned as he stared at me. Slowly, he led me to the chair and let me sit on it. He poured a glass of water and handed it to me.

“Wait…” he said and looked at me directly in the eyes. “My love, I don’t understand what’s happening. What are you talking about?”

I can feel my lower lip trembling. This is too much. How will I tell him? Slowly, I handed him the letter in my hand. Reluctantly, he took it and read it fast. I could see his face turning paler as the moment passed by.

“P-princess Aldrea…” he whispered helplessly as he put the letter down with trembling hands.

“S-she’s nothing like the late Queen Irene…” I commented, remembering how Queen Irene used to keep silent on matters that she discovers in the kingdom. “S-she seems to be a warrior type…”

“W-what will we do, Arthur?” I asked in desperation.

“It’s okay, Wilhelmina,” he replied. “We will find a way.”

“But…” I tried to reason out, but I saw the state of his face that made me withdraw whatever I was going to say next. He looks so down, and I don’t want to weary him anymore. My words could make him more depressed than he already is.

“Our land will survive…” he whispered as he hugged me near to his chest. “We will survive.”

“I know…” I said after a while of silence. Right now, feeling pity for our inability to sustain this land without the palace’s help would not do us any good. We should plan for ways to generate income instead. That’s the most important thing now.

We spent the whole day thinking together in the library. In our entire years of ruling the land of Adarna, I have never seen my husband work this hard. We worked hard until past midnight and researched for more ways to increase the yield of our people’s harvests.

For the next weeks, Arthur and I worked harder than ever. Again, we did things that we never thought of doing in the past, like visiting our people’s farms. One by one, we tried to propose solutions that could increase the harvests.

“Lord and Lady Roman!” one of our servants called as she rushed towards the library one day.

“What is it, Martha?” I asked.

“The royal messenger is here, and he has something for you,” Martha answered.

I suddenly felt nervous for reasons I can’t explain. I turned my head to look at Arthur who is sitting beside me. We both look nervous, but we have to deal with this.

“Let him in,” I ordered. “We will meet him in the receiving area.”

“Yes, My Lady,” Martha answered, and turned towards the door.

Almost immediately after Martha left, Arthur and I stood up and went to the receiving area. Our steps are hard, knowing that this might not be good news. After all, Princess Aldrea sounded so not pleased with us when she was there. I mean, she questioned why Adarna has not been producing much given the fact that it has been receiving a big chunk of budget from the palace. She even mentioned some discrepancies that she noticed in our records.

“Greetings, Marquess and Marquise Roman,” the royal messenger said as he bowed his head with his right hand on his chest.

“Greetings, sir!” Arthur and I greeted him back. My eyes are fixed on the scroll on his right hand. “Welcome to Adarna!”

“Thank you so much, Marquess and Marquise Roman,” he answered, and then looked at the scroll in his right hand. “I came to deliver a letter from Princess Aldrea as the one in charge of the labor force.”

I stared at the scroll in his hand as I swallowed hard. I know that this could be bad news. I just feel it. Arthur extended his hand and received the scroll from the messenger’s hand. I can see how he struggled to control the trembling of his hand.

“Thank you for the warm welcome,” the messenger said after the scroll was taken away from him. “I shall be on my way.”

Arthur and I nodded again.

“T-thank you, sir,” we both said.

After he was gone, I turned my head to look at Arthur, who was now staring at the scroll. He looks hesitant and torn.

“Arthur?” I called for his name.

He flinched and then lifted his eyes to look at me. My eyes shifted from him to the rolled scroll in his hand. With trembling hands, he started opening it. I can see how hesitant he is about doing so, but I can see how he is doing his best to overcome the struggle within. I held my breath as the scroll was being rolled out.

Arthur read it for a while. I swear that I can literally see the changing colors on his face. Without waiting for him to tell me what was happening, I took the scroll from his hand and read its contents.

“No!” I cried in despair as I read what was written there. “This can’t be happening!”