[Marriage Headed for Divorce - Part Two]

Seventeen-year-old Vergil Sparda kept the emotions contained inside tightly as he stepped through the camp set up a short distance away from the dead land in front of him. The field of utter waste laid out in front of him had been created through years of recurring battles, and when Vergil had first stepped out onto this plain, he had hoped that it would be the location of the last battle of the war as well.

But at the moment, his thoughts were the furthest away from war.

"Prince Vergil, will you be attending the training session for the archers..." One of his helpers chased after him with a question that faded away at the recognition that the prince had no intention to stop for anyone.

When Prince Vergil had first appeared at the front lines, he had been viewed at with contempt from the soldiers who had spent almost their whole lives at the front lines. To them, a prince grown up sheltered and coddled in the lofty palace could never be their commander, and they refused to heed his orders. Unfortunately, rebuke was something the First Prince was very used to, and instead of crumbling and breaking like how the soldiers had expected of a prince sent out to die at the front lines, Prince Vergil had carved a name for himself. His cold, calculative, practical and rational decision-making skills were exactly what was required on the front lines in deciding whether to sacrifice the lives of his underlings, or to sacrifice a little bit of position gained.

But that was not to say that the Prince was completely uncaring about his subordinates. A softness that only soldiers could recognize in each other could always be seen in the prince in the way he dealt with his people, and more than a prince, Vergil seemed more like a capable commander instead. His fighting skills had certainly been acknowledged on the battlefield, and his strategic thinking was the second to none.

And of all the things that made the capable Prince Vergil looked soft –and even vulnerable –it was always the piece of letter, sent with in an envelope with a motif of a violet printed on the bottom right hand corner and sealed with wax and the stamp of royalty. Over the months that Vergil spent staying in the campgrounds with his soldiers at the front line, his subordinates had noticed the young man's movement with increasing amusement. Vergil never forgot about Letter Day, the day when the letters meant for everyone staying in the camps near the front lines were delivered. And whenever Vergil received that particular piece of letter, nothing would stop him from reaching his private tent and reading the contents in absolute privacy.

The world could be falling apart, and Vergil would not give it a single care in his bid to read the contents of that letter.

Vergil retreated immediately to his private tent and made sure that the entrance was blocked before dashing to take a seat in his usual chair. There was eagerness in his hands as he tore the letter open, fishing for the piece of handwritten paper and unfolded it with care, feasting his eyes upon the content that he had been waiting for the past month.

My dear husband, it read with a cursive font of a well-educated woman, it has been almost two years since you left for the front lines, and I have been hearing nothing but encouraging news of your continual successes on the battlefield. You must think the worst of me when I say that pride was not the first emotion I feel when I hear news of your success. It is always relief that fills me to the brim first. I am always relieved to hear that you have survived another battle and walked out of another battlefield alive. I constantly wait anxiously for some form of news of you being injured or put in any dangerous situations, but I only hear stories of your success. Please continue to be safe, my husband.

Vergil paused to make sure that he was not smiling stupidly at the letter, taking a deep breath before daring himself to continue scanning through the next paragraphs of the letter.

The happenings back here in the capital must mean little to you, and I do not wish to burden you with simple housewife-gossip. Please be assured that I am doing well, and have recently found new talent in farming life. I dare not let anyone else know of this for it is a hobby unbecoming of a noble, much less a princess. What I can safely conclude, however, is that when we are divorced, I should be rather capable of taking care of myself and ensuring my own survival. I might had been a little concerned about my own abilities in supporting myself, but I do think I should be able to achieve independence when I move to live in the countryside.

This time, Vergil paused upon the realization that he was frowning at the letter instead. He rubbed his brow slightly; confused as to why his wife seemed to believe that there was a future of divorce in front of them. Sure, they have had gone through 2 years without seeing each other, but surely Elise would not be foolish enough to think that he would break their marriage just on the basis of having a distant relationship? Besides, he had not heard anything about his wife being close to any other men in the palace, and the only other man he had ever heard staying close by her side was his one and only...

Second Prince Dante is also doing very well on his own. He disappears sometimes for days, but it has become so common nowadays that the palace no longer panics when he is gone. King Mundus also has given up on tracking him, but I sometimes help Prince Dante out by claiming that he has come to visit me. I do wish him very well in whatever he does when he is away.

Vergil made up his mind to send his brother back to the palace quickly now that the latest battle had been won with Dante's help. Nobody –except of the frontline soldiers sworn to absolute secrecy –knew about the Second Prince's routine appearance in the battles to help him. Two years back, before Vergil had been sent by his uncle to the front lines, his little brother had come searching for him and had declared that even though he might be the Second Prince and viewed as useless, Dante wanted to be strong enough to protect the people he cared about. The two of them had trained together secretly, and when Vergil had been sent out to the front lines, Dante had continued to sneak out to find him and participate in Vergil's battles under the guise of another soldier.

Talk of my everyday life must bore you so much, but eagerness to share my happiness in a bid to cheer you up motivates me to write this: I have found new enjoyment in confectionery sold at this shop named Kyrie's bakery. The young lady who is also the owner, Kyrie, is a beautiful woman and we have made very fast friends. She bakes the best confectioneries in the world, and I fear she has been the reason why I have not been able to fit in some of my older dresses. She tells me that she has a lover who is also at the front lines; a young man named Nero. I do hope you look out for him if you can, my husband. Kyrie treasures him very much so, and I would be so sorry if she were to lose her spark at news of the death of her lover.

The coincidence was striking. Vergil made a mental note to order stronger and more solid set of armor for his closest aide. Nero had come chasing him to the front lines, and though Vergil had always known of Nero's lover and of the shop-house that both Nero and his lover stayed together in, Vergil had never known his own wife to be in acquaintance with Kyrie. Then again, they had been separated for 2 years; Vergil could not claim to have kept track of every single person that his wife had been keeping in touch with while he was not around.

Vergil read the remainder of the letter with quick efficiency. When he was done, he rose from his chair and made for the temporary shelf that was set up at the corner of his large tent. There, his sword sat impressively on its stand beside an innocently locked box. Vergil retrieved the key for that lock from the chain of his dog tag around his neck, neatly folding the letter and depositing on top of the small stack of similar letters before locking up the box again. Second to the sword, the locked box was Vergil's most precious possession –something so important that even if the tent were burning down, he would still brave any injury and rush in to save it.

Hours later in the evening, Vergil stepped into the training corner of their camp, barely surprised to find the space already occupied by a familiar individual. In silence, he leaned against the makeshift door-frame that separated the corner from the common area as he watched Nero unleash his skills onto the straw dummy set up. It did not take very long for the young sixteen year old to cut the straw dummy into half its original size before Nero finally stepped back, panting at the work-out done.

"You're still slightly-off balance." Vergil spoke up only when he thought it appropriate to announce his presence, replied with only a side-ward glance made towards him while Nero wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Why the frustration?" Vergil asked in soft confusion, stepping further into the training area now that it was clear that Nero was taking a break. "You should be saving the dummies for the other soldiers instead of wasting resources tearing one apart. If you have to let loose a little, at least be productive and chop some firewood."

"It wasn't like I planned to be frustrated." Nero took in a deep breath, held it in for a few long moments before letting them out slowly. "I couldn't help it. It's Letters Day."

"You didn't get anything from your lady?" Vergil chanced a guess with the current evidence presented before him, but Nero only shook his head, patting his pocket.

"I got a letter. Kyrie would not forget to send me a letter. The contents bother me; it seems like she has found a new companion that she enjoys her time with, so much so that she almost forgets that I am not around. She confessed that she felt guilty for forgetting about me when she is with her new man, but she is much happier than she has been in ages." Nero confessed. Many married and attached men had to leave their wives and lovers behind to risk their lives here at the battlefield. Many of them shared the same worries of long-distance relationships, always wondering if their ladies had forgotten about them, if they had found someone better back home, and Nero was clearly not exempt from such scary thoughts.

"The two of you grew up together, and she promised that she would marry you once you return home. Your lady would not do such thing to you. Even if she were lonely, I doubt that she would find solace in the arms of another man."

"Of course you can say it so easy." Nero snorted once. "I'm not trying to compare our lovers since they are two different people, but Kyrie isn't your princess. I can't say for sure that Kyrie is waiting eagerly for me at home like how the princess is for you. Besides, she already has so many good things to speak about him. He apparently has power high enough to reach royalty, pockets deep enough to rival King Mundus, and manners beyond anyone she has met before. He is a true noble right down to the bones, and he visits her regularly to buy out everything at the bakery. She could not stop talking about how excited she is to meet him and talk to him again. In her letter to me!"

Vergil's instinct to reply a comforting speech was stalled when his mind stumbled upon what he had read from the letter from his wife hours before.

"Did... Did your lady ever tell you that her new friend was a male?"

"Of course not, but which noble lady would be in the right mind to repeatedly visit a small town bakery and keep Kyrie entertained all day? Only a guy interested in Kyrie would do all those things since the noble ladies all care about face. Even if a noble lady buys something from our bakery, she definitely wouldn't return personally over and over again to buy our bread."

"So, your lady never said that this new friend was male or female." Vergil concluded, answered quickly with a nod paired with a confused expression.

"What are you trying to get at?"

"I cannot claim to know the truth, but it is highly likely that your lady's new friend is a female." Vergil concluded. "I have reason to believe so, and evidence to support such theory."

"Evidence? How would you know anything about Kyrie? You have never given any female other than your wife any care before. Not that I want you to start caring about Kyrie. Her new friend is trouble enough for me without you coming into the picture."

"I happen to know about Kyrie from my wife's letter. Elise has been going down to Kyrie's bakery to buy confectionery, and she seems to really enjoy your lady's companionship. She did not go into the details, but Elise very much enjoys the confectionery your lady makes. I do not doubt that Elise would have bought everything in the bakery at least a few times."

"You mean... the princess is Kyrie's new friend?"

"I cannot confirm it, but I sure do hope so." Vergil answered honestly with a satisfied nod when Nero straightened to his full height, face brightened up with new hope.

"Evidence... I trust your words, but I still have to read the evidence myself. Can I read your wife's letter?" The eagerness to having the theory proven and confirmed wrote all over Nero's face and in his innocent sixteen-year-old eyes that looked up at Vergil.

"No." The answer was short. "You will have to take my words for it."

"I trust you, Vergil, but I want to see what your wife says about Kyrie!" Nero insisted, frowning a little now that the plain rebuke from his prince and his best friend for the past three years.

"No." Vergil turned to face the straw dummy, unsheathing his sword.

"Vergil!"

"No."

"I promise I won't read any other love-nothings she wrote for you. I just want to read what she wrote about Kyrie."

"No. I do not want you reading Elise's letter. Her letter is for me and me alone."

"You need to stop acting so childish about your wife, Vergil. Everyone knows you love your wife to bits, but it's just a letter."

"You will not read her handwriting. I do not allow it." Vergil started warming up with his slashes.

"So you're saying that only you can read anything that she writes?" Nero demanded, in disbelief at the childishness displayed by his prince. Was this the same commander who stood beside him on the battlefield just the day before?

"I am saying that I do not allow you to read her words. Trust me that your lady is not cheating on you and instead spending her time with my wife. It is easy to understand why your lady could not stop talking about Elise." Vergil's cold and unbending answer was similar to the rational, heartless commander who had given his orders the day before, but the subject matter was completely wrong.

"You're ridiculous, Vergil." Nero declared hotly, half annoyed but the other half of him amused at how much talking about the princess could make the rational, sensible prince turn into a child.

"I am ridiculous." The prince admitted, eyes never wavering from the dummy in front of him. "But I will be even more ridiculous if I let you read my wife's letter."

______________________________________________________________________________

It had been 5 long years since they last saw each other. The last time they had seen each other, they were just beginning to show the physical signs of puberty, and now they were in their early twenties.

Elise had seen the adult-Vergil many times in her dreams before, but she knew that even with the mental image, her breath would be stolen at the sight of the real thing. For the past four years, the real thing had been posted at the front lines of the battlefield, winning battles and helping the kingdom claiming more territories. The reputation of the First Prince had steadily risen, and was now the most beloved individual despite his absence in the capital. However, that absence was not going to continue for much longer –the hero of the kingdom was finally returning home after his victory of the last decisive battle of the war. There were even talks on the street of starting a petition for the First Prince to be named the Crown Prince.

Things were going according to plan, and Elise was ready for the end. She was ready for the declaration that her husband would make in front of the hall full of nobles, the accusative finger pointed at her as he recited of how they were not close enough to be considered husband and wife, and that she –hailing from the poor Lancaster family –was incompatible as his future Queen. The nobles who had seen her as a roadblock to their rush for power would agree whole-heartedly with Vergil as long as it would free the Crown Prince-to-be to possible remarriage.

In fact, Elise was so ready that she even had her evacuation bag packed and waiting for her, buried in the small farm that she had nurtured behind their palace. She had been sure to hydrate herself fully the past few days so that she would have enough tears to spare for the most important event of her life. Besides, as a princess about to be stripped from her position, she needed to shed enough tears to convince their audience.

"We're here, Your Highness." Her personal maid Annie announced as Elise returned to reality. If there was one thing Elise would greatly regret leaving behind in the palace, then it was Annie. Annie had been by her side ever since she entered the palace as the princess, and had never questioned any of Elise's weird orders. Annie and Elise genuinely cared for each other like close sisters, but their close relationship was going to end. Elise could not bear to beg Annie to leave the palace to join her with her commoner life; Annie's family relied on Annie's paycheck to survive.

Elise hesitated in front of the double-doors of the grand hall. Most of the audience had already arrived; royalty were only allowed to arrive at the venue after the bulk of the audience.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?" Annie had certainly served her well through the years, because that small hesitation from Elise motivated a look of deep concern.

"Today is going to be a turning point in my life, Annie." Elise answered, wishing she could be completely honest with her maid, but not wanting to ruin all that she had worked so hard for. "I thought I was ready for this, but... I'm still afraid that I may not be able to take the change."

"Your Highness," Annie stepped closer to Elise cup Elise's hand in both of hers, "the husband that you have been waiting for so long is finally coming home in his full glory. He has won the war for your sake, and above all, you will finally be able to meet him after so many years of separation. We can tell from his letter replies that he has been thinking a lot about you even while he was on the front line. You should be wearing a happy smile on your face to be able to meet him physically once again. All concerns about your future together should come afterwards."

Elise sighed heavily, looking at their hands between them. If only Annie's reassurances were valid. If only Elise did not know of the future that would befall on her within the next hour.

"When anything bad happens to you, Annie, always remember that you always have an ally in me. No matter what you do, I will definitely take your side. I might not be capable of much now or in the future, but I will take you in for sure if you have no place to go. However, I beg you not to try chasing after me when I am gone. Please be happy with your new mistress. I hope she will be more suitable a princess than I am." Elise could not bear but let her true wishes spill out, eyes travelling up to meet the frozen, confused expression on Annie's face.

"Your Highness, why do you think you will be gone? What are you saying?"

"I am a Lancaster." Elise sighed, her weight of her family name heavy on her shoulders. "There has been many nobles who are vying for the position as Prince Vergil's wife now that he is coming home victorious, and one of them will have their way. And I must face all of those words today."

"Your Highness..." Annie's protest was fell on deaf ears as Elise gave one last heavy sigh, fixed a neutral, elegant expression on her face befitting of a princess, and retracted her hands from her maid. Turning back to the double-doors, Elise pushed them open slowly herself as Annie scrambled away quickly from sight.

"The princess Elise has arrived!" The announcer called as Elise walked her way elegantly down the aisle to claim her seat beside her husband's empty one on the dais.

Today, her husband's seat was finally going to be filled once again, but another empty space would be opened up -her seat. 

Small chatters filled the hall as the nobles waited once more for the next arrival of royalty. Elise maintained her poker face with ease despite the not-so-silent whispers floating around. She could catch the gossip rather easily from where she sat; gossips about whether her husband had truly won the war or simply just lied about it, whether King Mundus had any intention of ever naming her husband the Crown Prince, and whether the shameful, gold-digging Lancaster woman would be allowed to stay in her seat.

The gossips were truly just another day for her, but her nervousness grew as the minutes passed. Elise hoped no one saw her jolt when the door opened abruptly and the Second Prince Dante's arrival was announced. The grin of her husband's brother was wide as he dashed to take his seat, waving in an almost child-like fashion to her.

Thankfully, she did not have to wait much longer before King Mundus arrived, and the entire hall full of nobles and royalty bowed to greet him as he took his throne.

"Today is a day of joyous celebration. We mark the return of Prince Vergil, victorious from his battles at the front line!" King Mundus announced, but Elise could hear an ironically unhappy tone in his voice. It made sense that he was unhappy with the celebration –the nephew he had sent out, hoping to have him killed at the front lines, had come back victorious and bringing fame and support.

"You have all heard of Prince Vergil's brave, gallant and loyal performance at the front lines. Many have witness his prowess in battle and managed to remain alive thanks to his active engagement in every battle in a bid to win the war for the sake of the kingdom. The man has finally returned home to his family, proudly victorious." King Mundus's announcement was clearly scripted by one of his aides, because Elise would never imagine the man himself to ever write a speech lauding the nephew he hated so much.

Cheers rose up loud from the nobles to lend to the atmosphere of celebration, and Elise spared a quick look over to the Second Prince to see him clapping along heartily. Both her husband and his brother had managed to somehow keep the Second Prince's involvement in the war a secret the whole time, and the way Dante was acting surely made it a convincing fact.

"Cheer for the new savior of our kingdom. Let us welcome home a cherished prince!" King Mundus might hate his current situation, but the man was surely good at adapting, for he managed to sound happy as he declared loudly, and the doors opened on cue again.

All eyes turned to the entrance, and Elise's breath was taken away.

Vergil was once again wearing his father's ceremonial coat, but his broad shoulders now filled up the shape of the coat perfectly, making it seem as if the coat had been tailored especially for him. Her husband must have been forced to be dressed in his most dashing figure for his welcome home, but it was all working because Elise struggled to breathe properly as icy blue eyes swept across the hall.

They had not met each other for five years, and she had long forgotten how chilling his gaze could be. Still clapping along with the atmosphere on automatic, Elise kept her eyes on the main character of the day, hoping that he would catch her gaze and at least acknowledge her presence no matter how much she did not deserve it.

Vergil did. The scariest part of being caught in his gaze was the fact that he never let go even as he walked slowly down the aisle. It was as if the world full of cheers and congratulatory clapping around him was utterly insignificant as he walked closer and closer to Elise, his raptor gaze never wavering from her for even a single moment.

Was he already dead set on seeing the last of her today?

Elise only remembered to drag in a deep breath when her husband stopped in front of his uncle and snapped his gaze to his king.

"I have returned home, Uncle."

The rumble of words was like an announcement for the hall full of people to cease their noise making.

"You have done well, Prince Vergil. It is assuring to see you safe in person." King Mundus replied, a spiteful tone that could not be completely erased.

"It could not have done it without your support." Everyone in the hall could hear how unnaturally cold and frigid this normally warm and familial conversation was. Like how King Mundus had no love for his nephew, the absolute same could be said the other way around. Though the current Vergil would never admit that he very much despised the king for oppressing him since childhood, Elise had witnessed the older, dream-version of the prince confessing his true feelings about his uncle.

The two seemed to save each other from further frigid conversation when King Mundus invited the First Prince to his seat again. Elise was careful not to keep her gaze on her husband this time –to escape his visual trap –as he took his seat beside her, facing the crowd in front of them. Elise barely listened when many of Vergil's subordinates and battle-companions came in to give their recollection and testimony on the many event and memories that they shared on the battlefield with the First Prince, giving their first-hand witness accounts of the great hero who had essentially saved the kingdom.

Though she knew that her husband had truly done too many things to be even considered human anymore, Elise found it hard to enjoy these stories of grandeur simply because she knew of what was to come immediately after these stories. The rewards to the men who had contributed significantly to the war would be announced by the king, and the nobles would speak up to have Vergil named Crown Prince. King Mundus would be forced to agree and afterwards, Elise's husband would stand from his seat and declare that he had only one wish as a Crown Prince, and that was freedom. Freedom to do whatever he liked, and the first decision he would make of his freedom was to rid himself of a wife who had spent his money like water and would have no contribution to the future of the kingdom.

If Elise were being completely objective, she would say that she had not actually spent very much herself. Because she had not been looking forward to be humiliated in front of a crowd, Elise had been rather frugal with her own lifestyle ever since being made a princess. Any sort of spending were made only when necessary and she had even braved criticisms a few times by wearing the same dress for different occasions to save her husband's money from being spent on needless new dresses.

All that probably was not going to matter to her husband, who probably had to eat simple army rations for his meals daily the past years while she stayed in their palace enjoying meals prepared specially for her by highly paid chefs.

Elise was so far in her own thoughts that she realized she had sat on automatic through the entire rewards-giving ceremony for Vergil's subordinates and army leaders. It was only the announcement of her husband's name by an unhappy king that jerked her thoughts back, and Elise could not help her heartbeat picking up pace.

It was here. The end was here.

Elise's mouth felt unnaturally dry as the crowd in front of them began to raise volumes of chatter, loudly imploring the king to give the First Prince the most deserving reward of naming him the Crown Prince. Her stomach churned uncomfortably, and the nervousness brought up the queasy feeling of nausea. What form of determination she ever had about completing the act along with her husband by crying and making a fuss suddenly gave way to uncertainty and fear as she watched her husband stand up from his seat and position himself back in front of his uncle, kneeling to receive his reward.

"For you, First Prince Vergil Sparda," King Mundus declared with a frown, no longer bothering to hide his obvious displeasure but having no other real reason to reject the demands from their audience, "I give you the reward of the title the Crown Prince. You shall inherit my seat when you have proven yourself fully to your people that you deserve the throne."

"I thank you deeply for your reward. I am utterly humbled to receive such graciousness from you." Vergil's acceptance was reverend –but fake.

Somewhere inside Elise, she felt as if a doomsday clock had struck.

"If I may be allowed a few words as the new Crown Prince?" Her husband-but-not-for-longer asked for some airtime, and his uncle unhappily obliged, gesturing for Vergil to go ahead.

"I must thank all of you in audience for recognizing my successes on the battlefield and supporting my rise in rank. There are many individuals I shall owe my life and many favors to return within this room, most particularly to the ones who have saved me from death too many times to count." Vergil announced, casting a quick gaze to his grinning brother with a hidden meaning behind it.

"First and foremost, in my first declaration as the Crown Prince, I dedicate it to someone special." Vergil continued, all confident and ready. He turned so that he was facing both Elise and their audience in a triangle.

It took all of Elise to resist jumping out of her seat and dashing out the door.

As it was, the tears were already escaping helplessly from her eyes.

"I declare, in my name as Vergil Sparda, son of the late King Sparda and the newly-named Crown Prince, that I will achieve my own absolute freedom. In my past years, many of you might have seen me constrained in my position as a simple First Prince, but this I promise you: I will assert my will for freedom."

The instinct to run faded away as quickly as it came, and Elise simply just stopped feeling her body. Like some sort of unmovable weight had been pressed on her, Elise found that she could not feel her hands and legs, and that all she could do was to let the tears leak from her eyes as she watched the new Crown Prince raise his hand and point a slender finger at her.

"Lady Elise Lancaster and I were married 7 years ago in an arranged political marriage. Neither she nor I had the freedom of rejecting the engagement and thus we went ahead with the marriage. For years, Lady Lancaster has been staying in my palace and watching over my staff while I was out on the battlefield." Vergil announced, his gaze turning back to Elise to capture her.

Despite all her preparation, Elise still chose to escape her reality by closing her eyes, unable to watch the scene.

"I declare now that I will exert my will for freedom and divorce Lady Lancaster."

The collective gasp of the crowd added much more pressure to the current atmosphere, and Elise began to tremble in her seat, refusing to open her eyes. Even though she had already heard the words of her husband's declaration so many times before in her recurring dreams, she had never known how grating it was to hear it all in her ears until now.

"A Crown Prince must be free to woo whoever he feels is deserving of his love and dedication. The worthiness of the woman he chooses must not be decided arbitrarily by his people or his king, but he himself only. I was not given the chance to choose, and now I demand my chance to choose again." Vergil continued in the stunned silence of their audience.

"If you will divorce Lady Lancaster, then who will you choose?" King Mundus asked curiously, clearly viewing her as a pawn that was no longer useful in helping him pull the First Prince back.

"I choose Lady Elise Lancaster."

Confused chatter started again.

"My victories at the front line was motivated by one reason and one reason only." The Prince continued as Elise dared herself to open her eyes again, not sure if she had heard what she thought she did. "I did not win the war for the sake of my kingdom or my people. I did not survive wounds and assassination attempts to gain the power to rule. I only did all of it because I wanted to come back to Elise as a man she could be proud of."

"P-Prince V-Vergil... what are you..." She whispered softly, utterly baffled. This speech was something she had never heard before in her dreams. Where was this declaration coming from? What about the accusations that she was unworthy to be the future Queen?

"Elise was forced to marry a disgraced prince 7 years ago, and it was from then on that I worked towards my freedom so that I would be able to return her freedom. She deserves to choose a man deserving of her love and dedication, and that is why I intend to divorce her today." Vergil answered her question by addressing the crowd.

"But today, right after our divorce is confirmed, I intend to spare no effort in proving myself worthy of deserving her hand in marriage again. I intend to win her back as my wife, for everyone in audience to see the same woman who has been my wife the past 7 years back on the seat that she currently sits now."

"I... I don't understand, Prince Vergil... Weren't you supposed to hate me? I was a shackle to your freedom! You could not be free to turn your eyes to any other woman because I was around. You could not raise your position because you were married to a Lancaster... I stayed in your palace and wasted your money while you were out there staking your life on the front lines!" Elise somehow found the strength to stand up, still trembling.

"There was never a need for me to turn my eyes to another woman exactly because you were around. I do not need a woman to raise my position, Elise. As you can see, I have raised my own position without your family's help. I do not intend to achieve any rank without my own abilities, Elise, so it does not matter to me at all which family you come from. In addition, the money you spent... Dante has shown me evidence the past years that my palace has consistently had the highest revenue. The farms you cultivated behind our palace for your hobby; you ordered the excess to be sold and donated to the church. You kept all spending in order and you even refused to spend too much on yourself in order to afford better pay for your servants. None of the money you spent was wasted, Elise, because all those money served their purpose to the fullest extent."

"But... I don't understand... You still wish to divorce me but you want to have me as your wife again?"

"Were you not the one who has always been talking about a divorce in your letters to me? You have always been so convinced for some reason that I would divorce you the moment I return to the palace." Vergil finally stepped back closer to her, and Elise could not see anyone else except the man who was supposed to be her husband. "I am granting your wish, Elise. You wish to divorce me, and I agree to that. But after you are a single woman again, I will ask you again for your hand in marriage, and you will go nowhere until you agree to marry me again."

"Do you mean you still wish to be married to me ultimately?" Elise could hardly believe the words the man was saying. He wanted to divorce... and then marry her again?

Elise had gone through a whole ridiculous cycle of preparation for a commoner lifestyle, just to realize that her husband had no intention of letting her leave his side?

"I mean that this second time, our marriage will no longer be heading for a divorce, but an eternity together." Vergil declared strongly, the promise unshakable in his tone.