[MarriageHeaded For Divorce – Part One]

Elise Lancaster sat perfectly still on the edge of her nuptial bed, still dressed fully in her wedding gown. It had been her battle armor earlier during the day and it had served her well. No stops had been pulled for a royal wedding, even if the wedding was between her –a daughter sold to clear to her baron family's debt, and a prince that was widely known as a disgraced prince.

Elise's gaze focused on her fifteen-year-old husband, First Prince Vergil Sparda. When they had met for the very first time today, Elise had initially thought that she was ready for anything. After all, she knew more about the First Prince than many –especially how handsome he would grow to become in the future. She had thought that she was ready to face the younger version of the handsome man she saw so often in her dreams, but she had been so wrong.

His eyes had been cast to the ground most of the time during the day, heeding and obeying instructions without questioning and affecting the general air of a reserved and quiet boy. Throughout the ceremony, nothing had made Prince Vergil seem like he was ready for the crown and throne. In fact, he had been so solemn and expressionless throughout the wedding ceremony that Elise had even heard whispers through the audience of how this marriage had effectively sealed Prince Vergil's last chance of ever fighting against the almost-omnipotent force that was his uncle, the one and only King Mundus.

After all, a disgraced prince was married to a woman of lowly status like Elise Lancaster, preventing him from gaining any political advantage from marrying someone else from a powerful family. King Mundus had not offered his nephew even the slightest inkling of a chance; Elise had been chosen precisely because her family was so deep in debt that they had to sell their one and only daughter to anyone who would offer to clear their arrears. The Lancaster family was perfect as a burdensome family of in-laws put in place to block a prince's potential path to success.

Nevertheless, Elise knew better.

"Your Highness, please have a seat. You must be tired after the ceremony today." Elise bade politely. The only good thing that came out of Elise coming from the Lancaster family was the fact that her parents had made sure she was groomed to be a perfect, marriageable woman. Her parents had set her value right from her childhood; she was an asset of the family set to be sold to the highest buyer once she turned of age. King Mundus had certainly turned out to be the richest buyer in the entire kingdom.

"I thank you for your concern, Lady Lancaster, but I am fine." The equally polite and deferential reply came from Vergil, whose back was to her as he hung his father's ceremonial coat up.

It had been the first time the late king's ceremonial coat had been worn since King Sparda's death. Elise knew that that coat held a very large significance to the young prince and it could be seen easily in the way he held it with care, as if unwilling to part with it since the ceremonial coat would be returned to the Kingdom's Treasury the next day.

"Your Highness, we are now a married couple and no longer strangers. Please feel free to call me by name." Elise bade, watching as the prince continued to shed his ceremonial robes slowly at the far end of their bedroom. They had moved into their new palace –a wedding gift from King Mundus –after the ceremony. While it was a well-furnished palace that was worthy of housing a prince, Elise as well as many other nobles knew the real, unspoken objective behind the gifting of this palace to the prince. This palace, being far detached from the Main Palace, was given to Vergil to keep him far away from political affairs.

"We have only met today, and this is the first time we are conversing in private without audience. I would not like appear rude, Lady Lancaster." The prince's reply was typical of the defensive nature that he had grown up to develop.

Every now and then, Elise would hear whispers and gossips about how Prince Vergil and Prince Dante had used to be lauded by nobles and servants alike to be promising individuals worthy of the throne, and how their potential had been completely ruined and suppressed by their uncle ever since their father passed on. She had heard talks about how the two princes were much livelier and open when they were younger, and how they had become defensive over the years after King Sparda and Queen Eva died. Second Prince Dante had become playful and rebellious –never seen studying and always outside flirting and having his fun. Meanwhile, First Prince Vergil had simply become withdrawn, secretive and defensive.

"I do not mean to imply anything about your character, Your Highness. But now that we are married, you can do or say anything to me as you wish. I am now your property."

Elise could see that her words disturbed the young prince who had never truly had something belonging to him before. Even his attendants and servants in the castle were not truly his -they all belonged to King Mundus and had been installed there to carefully watch over the First Prince to ensure his absolute obedience. For the first time, however, Vergil had someone who belonged to him. Weak and powerless as she was, Elise was his property.

"You should rest." Vergil replied awkwardly with his back still towards her. The prince seemed to have made a habit out of avoiding eye contact with people. "It has been a long day for you, Lady Lancaster. You can go to bed without me."

Before Elise could protest that his escaping their bedroom on their nuptial night could possibly invite negative rumours, her husband was already out of the room with the door acting as a solid barrier between them and blocking further conversation. Elise could not know if her husband intended to somehow sneak his way back into his study room back in his old palace, or if he simply was going to spend the day outside in the forest.

What was clear, however, was the fact that Vergil treated her the exact way she had expected.

Things were going according to plan –according to the stories her dreams had told her.

Step One of getting married to the First Prince was done.

Now, on to Step Two.

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When the dreams first started, Elise had barely turned 5. She had assumed that the same young man appearing in her dreams had been crafted out of seeing the handsome men surrounding her mother. She had not been able to understand why it was always the same young man, and why she always dreamt of him being alone and emotionally abused by his uncle. Her dreams had been strange to her because the people in her dreams always referred to the King as King Mundus when she knew that her king's name was Sparda.

The first warning sign that her dreams were not simple dreams of a child's mind playing tricks happened when news of King Sparda's death and the late king's younger brother stepping up to the throne came around. That was when Elise began to realize that her dreams were much closer to her reality, and when she confirmed the name of the young princes that the late king and queen had left behind, Elise realized that she had been dreaming about the First Prince the whole time. However, the timeline had not made sense –she had dreamt of the First Prince being bullied by his uncle before Mundus had risen to become King. It could only have meant that she was somehow dreaming about a future that had not come to be yet.

Elise never dared to tell anyone about her dreams especially after she realized that she had been dreaming about members of the royal family all this while. Her fears began to solidify when she picked up news and gossips after King Mundus's crowning that corroborated with her dreams.

It came as a shock the first time she saw the fourteen-year-old version of herself appearing in her own dreams. The assumption that her prophetic dreams only surrounded the First Prince and was unrelated to her had been ruined when she saw herself in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle to meet her husband at the altar, King Mundus himself sitting close by and watching the entire scene with a satisfied smile hanging on his face.

As the years passed, Elise began to make much more effort to remember her dreams, to plan for her future as she watched her relationship with the First Prince continue to be cold and frigid. In her dreams, Elise was the exact type of princess that King Mundus had wanted her to be –she spent money like water, posed as a financial burden to the First Prince, and caused trouble with nobility that ruined the First Prince's reputation. Yet, in her dreams, the First Prince managed to overcome his odds. While Dream-Elise remained within the palace walls doing whatever she wanted, the First Prince had been sent out by King Mundus to fight the long-standing war on the frontlines. Everyone had gossiped and talked about how the First Prince was never expected to come back alive. The King had sent the First Prince on a suicide mission.

However, in Elise's prophetic dreams, the opposite had happened. For some reason, the First Prince had been able to turn the tides of the war. His battle accomplishments were so great that the commoners and some nobility began to acknowledge the First Prince's battle prowess. When the First Prince returned from the decisive battle that secured their kingdom's victory, there had been a grand hero's celebration. From then on, the First Prince's luck went through a complete upturn: his accomplishments were too great for King Mundus to go up against, and the king had been forced to name the First Prince as the Crown Prince. Though King Mundus continued to try his best sabotaging his nephew, the aides that the new Crown Prince brought back with him from the frontlines helped him. Even the Second Prince -who had always been under the radar and hiding under rumours of being a complete flirt and useless –appeared in Elise's dream to support his elder brother.

Elise's prophetic dreams went so far to show her the Crown Prince's coronation. The young man who used to be labelled the 'disgraced prince' had become 'King Vergil'. In addition, one of the very first few decrees he gave as king was to announce his divorce with Dream-Elise. Dream-Elise had immediately been cast out by her family for ruining their chances of getting on the new king's good side, and she had been forced to hide in a small countryside as punishment for her lavish lifestyle.

The ending for Elise in her own prophetic dreams had been a terrible one, and for a short while in Elise's eighth year, she had been terrified of any more dreams that continued to describe her bleak future.

Nevertheless, the thirst for survival came stronger than fear. Slowly, Elise realized what precious a power she had to dream about the future of not only the First Prince, but also of her own future. She realized she knew what would happen, and if she worked with her knowledge, she could change her own ending. Getting married to the First Prince was something she would not be able to prevent –her family would definitely sell her to the highest buyer –but she could control her own behaviour after marriage.

Elise's goal became clear, and for the six years that eventually led to her marriage to the First Prince, Elise worked hard to achieve her goal: to help Vergil rise to power so that he would have the freedom to decide his own marriage (and divorce). Elise wanted the divorce; she wanted as much as possible to get out of the palace and its complex relationships. She had it all planned out; she would retreat into a quiet town and start her life afresh as a simple farmer girl after everything.

The only way she could achieve that was to help her husband into his success. It was ridiculous to think about it now while the First Prince was still considered the 'disgraced prince', but Elise had to set her foundations right.

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The small twinkle of bells announced the arrival of a customer in a cold, stormy afternoon, and the surprised shop assistant had wide innocent eyes when Elise brushed the hood of her cloak back, glad that her hair and clothes were still largely dry.

"I do apologize for dripping water all over your floors." Elise bade out of pure manners as she rushed to remove the cloak from around her before the rainwater could drip further on her dress underneath, hanging it on the coat rack by the door. "The weather outside is terrible."

"Indeed, and it isn't a weather for a girl your age to be coming out to buy bread." The shop assistant answered honestly, even as Elise brushed down her dress quickly, shaking any excess water droplets on the mat that spoke of the shop owner's welcome.

"I don't think that should be something you say to a customer who have come all the way here, braving the rain to buy your goods. You should not let the owner hear your words." Elise advised, finally deciding that her appearance was right enough to venture further into the warmth of the shop that was filled with the comforting smell of freshly baked bread. The bakery at the corner of Town Square was not imposing, and in the perfect position to take advantage of weary adventurers and soldiers on their way home after a long days' worth of work.

"I'm pointing out the truth. Couldn't your mother wait for the rain to stop before having you come down to buy bread?" The boy standing at the other side of the counter asked with a slight frown. Since the clouds had dimmed the natural afternoon shine, the shop assistant's white hair seemed to glow –very similar to Elise's husband's hair.

"The rain actually helped me escape undetected easier." Elise answered, approaching the counter with the friendliest smile she could make.

"Escape?" The confused expression drew across the young man's face, wariness at Elise's words and her friendly smile. It was the wise, natural reaction from someone who would eventually become her husband's closest aide. This young man a few years junior to both her and Vergil, innocent and albeit a rebellious child with no cares for appropriate manners, would stand behind her husband some years down the road, holding his sword and gun and protecting Vergil's back. Most importantly, this young man would play a very crucial role in helping to sort out the many differences Elise's husband would have with Second Prince Dante in the future.

"I would like to buy all the bread you have available in this bakery right now." Elise said with a bright smile, withdrawing her pouch full of gold coins and dropping it on the counter between them before the young man could think that she was making a joke.

"I don't serve breads to suspicious people." The young man peeked to make sure that Elise had indeed brought gold coins, and then pushed the pouch back to her. "I'm sorry you had to come all the way here to be turned back, but I don't trust anyone who carries that amount of cash around this place without having a bodyguard."

"That is why I said I escaped, didn't I?" Elise explained.

"I don't accept money stolen from others." He answered, crossing his arms to show his determination.

"This is not stolen money." Elise explained. "I cannot tell you my identity, but I can assure you that I have every right to possess and use this money."

"I don't believe that you're here just to buy bread. Young ladies with dress as new-looking as yours should not be sneaking out of houses for whatever reason. I don't know what the reason you are trying to buy all my bread is, but I'm not selling them to you."

"I truly do not mean anything more than just what it is. I'm simply trying to buy your bread." Elise insisted, pushing the pouch of money across the counter. "I insist, Nero."

"How do you know my name?" The young man's frown only deepened, and Elise realized her mistake. This was their first meeting; she was not supposed to know this young man's name at all.

"My maids are always gossiping about a good looking young man named Nero in this Town Square. They drop in with a copper or two just to see your face sometimes." Elise excused quickly. "Please just give me all the bread you have. I am in a rush."

"No, you are suspicious, and I don't sell bread to suspicious people."

Elise didn't want to use this weapon, but the young man was forcing her hand...

"If you do not sell me all your bread right now, I'll have Kyrie and Credo know you turned away a young lady who braved this terrible weather just to buy your goods!" She declared.

Any words that either of them could possibly have said following her declaration was ruined when a blinding flash of light and particularly loud clap of thunder startled the both of them. Elise jumped a little despite having expected this moment, and then pulled her sleeve up immediately to check the time.

"We're late!" She exclaimed more to herself before looking back up at Nero. "Come with me!"

Elise turned and ran back to the door, grabbing the cloak off the rack and fastening it back on even as she flew back out of the door. Behind her, she heard the shouts of the young Nero as he chased after her with her pouch of gold coins in his hands. For all his accusations of her being a suspicious individual, Nero's heart was still honestly and innocently pure in doing his best to return her the money she had left on his counter.

Elise was glad at the head start that she had gotten in the run, because she knew that she could not hope to outrun Nero in any other circumstances. Looking back to make sure that Nero was still chasing after her, shouting at her and waving her pouch, Elise put on her best speed and navigated the streets until she had led Nero to the church nearby.

"Hey! Lady! Stop!" Nero was still shouting after her, but Elise clearly was not about to listen. Throwing the hood of her cloak back over her head, she dashed through the doors of the dark church and escaped to the darkest corner of the church. Covering her mouth with her hand to hold back her pants from the laboured running, she checked the time on her watch again.

Anytime now...

Another blinding flash of light came, and Elise blinked stars away from her vision, hearing the terrible sound of cracks.

Glad that she had found her hiding spot beneath a window, she sneaked a peek through the dirty windows just in time to see her husband walking past. His shoulders were hunched to fight the cold of the storm, and his head was bowed to prevent the raindrops from dripping into his eyes. It was the normal posture of a young man walking through rain, but if Vergil spared a moment to look up, he would have realized that the most recent lightning had struck the roof of the church, and the awning for the attic had come loose and was tumbling down right towards him.

Elise tightened her hand over her mouth to force any instinctual scream as she watched the scene worriedly. Nero had still been a distance behind her when she burst into the church, but he should be in sight anytime soon, unless he had lost sight of her...

Elise tagged her green eyes worriedly on her husband, praying that her planning had gone down right. This was a very important moment in Vergil's life: the one in which he would meet the young man who would eventually grow to serve Vergil as one of his rare friends, and more importantly, his trusty right-hand man in battle.

"Oi, watch out!" Elise's heart almost leapt in relief when she heard Nero's shout. Her husband stopped in startled surprise, and then was tackled by the flying boy to the ground. A split second later, glass and wood splinters came crashing down over where Vergil had been standing just moments ago.

"I know it's raining and all, but at least take a look upwards when there's sounds of cracks after a lightning! Don't you know the roofs around this area will fall even if you give them a light breeze?" Nero's anxious scolding was largely unheard by the dazed prince still blinking at the sight of carnage in front of him.

Elise watched as Nero climbed off her husband before pulling him up to his full height, and then scanned him up and down.

"Another one of you well-dressed nobles walking around this area in this god-forsaken weather?" Nero commented with a confused raise of brow, looking around for her. Elise ducked quickly to remain out of sight.

"You saved me." The stunned answer came from Vergil who was still struggling to realize that had it not been for Nero, Vergil would have been a flattened mess underneath the rubble in front of him now.

"It's no big deal. Just don't come after me for dirtying your clothes or tackling you to the ground or something. I don't like to deal with high-and-mighty noble guys." Nero sighed, then pushed Elise's pouch full of gold coins into Vergil's stunned hands. "Take this money and buy yourself some new clean clothes. Don't thank me; some strange woman came into my shop and said she wanted to buy all my bread but ran off without her money before I could sell her anything. If you want to repay the kindness, find this lady for me and return her the money. She has long wavy red hair and crystal blue eyes."

"Wait." Elise peeked again to watch her husband call after the retreating young man's back. "I didn't get your name."

"Nero." A charismatic wave of hand came. "Swing by Kyrie's Bakery in Mid-Town Square for some bread sometimes."

Both young men were not aware of it, but it was the start of a very long and precious friendship.

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"Where are you going, Your Highness?" Elise asked politely, catching her husband in the middle of escaping out from the front door of their palace. Though she already knew the answer, she was still under the guise of an all-unknowing princess who only ever spent her time locked within the walls of the palace. Elise, in her position as the wife of a prince, was obliged to ask her escaping husband where he was headed.

"Out for a breath of fresh air." His excuse was weak, but Elise forgave him. Vergil had often found success in sneaking out undetected to find his friend and thus had little experience lying to save himself.

"Please be careful." Elise bade in the exact way that dignified wives of princes were supposed to say. "There has been a disease going around these days."

"I will be fine." The short reassurance should have been the end of their conversation, and Elise's intent to continue her path towards the kitchen was surprisingly interrupted when Vergil called her name again. Elise could hardly stop the surprise from showing across her face when she blinked blankly at Vergil who stood with one foot outside the door, still looking at her with a complex swirl of colours in his eyes. Even after months of marriage and seeing each other within the palace daily, Elise was still unused to the handsome man that was her husband.

"It has been months since our marriage. Please call me by name." Vergil's request surprised Elise. This was the first time Vergil had tried to close the distance that he had set out between them from their nuptial night.

"But, Your Highness, you are still a royal..." Elise's protest faded away when she saw the small droop of Vergil's brows. "If I were to call you by name, will you call me by mine instead of 'Lady Lancaster'?"

Her husband hesitated a moment to consider her counter proposal, then nodded in agreement.

"Very well. I shall call you Elise, and you shall call me Vergil." He announced the fact like a decree, and Elise could not help but be reminded that her husband was truly the son of the late king. She nodded her acknowledgement to his declaration, and before more could be said, her husband ducked out of the door and disappeared.

Elise. He had agreed to call her by her name. For all her ability to dream of her future, she realised that Dream-Vergil had never once addressed her by name. Dream-Vergil and Dream-Elise's relationship had been one of indifference  from start to end –they had treated each other like strangers living in the same place. Even during their divorce, Dream-Vergil had refused to call her by name. He had declared that 'Lady Lancaster' was no longer his wife.

Yet, now he had agreed to call her Elise?

Elise had the inexplicable sense that something was changing the current situation away from what she thought she knew. It would start with something as simple as her husband calling her by name, but what if her dreams were starting to become inaccurate? What if Vergil could not win the war? What if –god forbid –her husband would be cut down before he returned to claim his position as Crown Prince? Who would divorce her? A widowed princess could not escape the palace or politics. She would be returned to the Lancaster Household, and they would prepare to sell her away again. Her efforts on Vergil would have been for nothing.

Elise grit her teeth and made her quick decision.

There were small irregularities, but she could not stop just because of this fear that her future was changing. She was the only person who knew what was going to happen to her husband, and to herself.

She was not going to let anyone stop her.

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One very good advantage that Elise had from her dreams was the fact that she dreamt about Vergil and the people around him so much that she had their personalities pinned down to a T. For a woman who intended to retire quietly into the countryside and living a commoner life, this knowledge would be practically useless –except for the fact that she needed to use this knowledge to achieve that commoner life she was aiming for.

That led Elise to be sitting under the shade of a well-groomed veranda, with a high tea set in front of her and a few ladies of the upper society sharing polite laughter and well-hidden daggers in their gazes. On any other normal day, Elise would be rue to even meet these ladies face to face, but today was slightly special. It was yet another special event that her dreams had told her of, and she needed to play her part right to put every single chess piece in place.

Even as she pretended to laugh politely at some joke that the Lady Cromwell had said, Elise wondered how long Prince Dante, hidden perfectly in the bush behind her, just beyond the veranda, was going to remain sleeping. Because she had purposely taken that seat the moment they arrived at the veranda, Elise could even hear the quiet snores of someone in his peaceful deep sleep.

Nobody except for Elise knew that Prince Dante had sneaked into his brother's palace to find Elise's husband, then fallen asleep carelessly behind the bush when he found that Vergil had left the palace. Unfortunately, Prince Dante was about to be woken up in a terrible fashion.

"Ladies, we have been talking for so long. Please, take a sip of the tea. I've specially ordered the best leaves and they will not taste well cold." Elise as the host of today's tea party graciously poured a good measure into each cup, and then raised her own cup in a toast. Her guests suspected absolutely nothing as they raised their cups to their lips, but if anyone were to be watching them carefully, they would have realized that Elise's calculative gaze was solely on Lady Cromwell.

With good reason.

Lady Cromwell spluttered at the tea, jerking everyone (Elise made a fine show of being startled as well) in surprise.

"Dear me! Is there something wrong with the tea, Lady Cromwell?" Elise made sure to remain in her persona as the host, rushing to right the wrong.

"I-I am so terribly sorry for my manners, your highness! I-I..."

"Nonsense. I must be at fault for serving you terrible tea. But how strange... it tasted fine to me." Elise put the acting skills that she had learnt all these years to use, reaching towards Lady Cromwell's teacup. "May I?"

"O-Of course..." The poor Lady Cromwell gestured to the teacup as Elise took a quick look at the rim of the cup. The very small, almost invisible layer of dried sour-plum syrup that she had secretly applied to the cup was still there.

"Maids!" Elise affected her most authoritative voice that she had learnt to put on after being made the princess, watching as the scared servants scramble hurriedly to attend to her call. "How can you think of serving the Lady with a dirty cup? Get her another!"

Then, in the most perfect, angry-lady fashion, Elise did an instant mental calculation as she tossed the cup full of tea backwards. Directly into the bush, where she estimated Prince Dante to be sleeping.

"I don't want any repeat of this embarrassing mistake, do you hear me? If this happens one more time, I will have your heads for attempting to poison Lady Cromwell!" Elise raised her voice, more to make sure that the prince would be more awake and knowing of his surroundings.

She prayed that Prince Dante would not fall back asleep during the time the maids scrambled to get another clean cup for Lady Cromwell, and the tea party returned to its original pace –the ladies in attendance a little more wary at Elise's temporary show of anger.

"Let us take our minds of what happened with a little gossip, shall we?" Elise suggested, hoping that –true to her dreams –Prince Dante was still around and listening. There was no way she could check for the Second Prince's presence in the current situation without revealing her knowledge of him being there in the first place. "I have heard some interesting rumours with regards to my husband's little brother."

"Second Prince Dante?" Lady Yumeria questioned politely. "What other rumours has he created beyond the usual claims of getting a lady pregnant or stealing another man's lovely lady?"

"Oh, those are an everyday." Elise waved the question away. "What I have heard, it seems, is that his Highness has been secretly training to be a commander outside the palace. It really does seem quite ridiculous, but I could not help but give it some consideration. After all, Prince Dante always seems to disappear and nobody can trace his whereabouts..."

"But, a commander?" Lady Cromwell asked sceptically. "King Mundus will never allow either of the Princes to lead an army."

"I have heard from my father that the battles at the frontier are increasingly getting harder. There are talks of the kingdom sending someone significant down to the frontline to boost morale." Lady Yumeria, the daughter of one of the king's advisors, spoke up.

"So I have heard." Elise nodded. "I am no desirable princess for this kingdom, but as a woman, I truly wish that my husband not be chosen. He has been training himself up very well, if I am to be honest, I think he will do the job very well. But as his wife, I just want him to stay by my side."

"If you place the two princes side by side for comparison, we cannot deny that Prince Vergil is a more obvious choice for King Mundus to send to the frontlines." Lady Cromwell expressed carefully.

"Am I a terrible person for not wanting my husband to go?" Elise had been practicing all week long for this very moment, as she let her voice waiver with emotions. She let heat well up to her face, and her practice proved true as the tears began to crowd her eyes. "I am so sorry for showing you ladies this weakness in me..."

"No, your Highness, we understand your pain. A woman will definitely wish for safety of her husband, prince or not." The ladies expressed –as were expected of them –but Elise still let her tears drop.

"You speak too kindly of me." Elise made sure her voice was overcome with emotions and trembling. "My husband... I love my husband so much and I truly do not wish to see him perish on the front lines. He might be a good warrior, but he is after all just a fifteen-year-old boy! If there were someone I could trust; someone with the position to walk beside His Highness, then at least... at least I would not be so distraught thinking about his highness going into battles alone!"

The ladies immediately turned on their 'caring mother' personas as they did their best to convince Elise to stop her tears, but she was on a roll in her acting as the tears continued to drop and her voice continued to waver.

"I am a terrible princess for this kingdom! I hate that I am so worthless and useless to protect my husband. I hate that I even had wished a few times for Prince Dante to be sent to the front lines instead of him! I know Prince Dante is still unmarried and has been having fun outside the palace walls, but he is still a prince, and still my husband's brother. I am terrible for having these thoughts; thinking of wanting Prince Dante to be sent out when he is not as well trained as my husband... But... his Highness..."

Elise knew that her speech was heard by her intended audience when a small tell-tale shake of the bushes nearby came. None of her other audience caught the small movement behind her –they were too preoccupied in trying to calm her tears down.

A few hours later, as Elise retired to her bedroom in the palace, she reviewed on her acting skills earlier in the day, satisfied that nothing had gone wrong. She had said everything that would make Prince Dante tick. She had targeted his strong manly heart, his secret soft 'little brother-in-law' persona, and his wounded dignity at being compared against his elder brother.

Everything was coming into picture; Elise was ready for the day of her divorce to come.