Hidden Urges

The Duke, was just about to step inside the very entrance of the palace, but there were servants that seems to have a plan of their own, stopping the Duke on his tracks with their grim expressions.

The Duke planned to talk to the Duchess, but he was immediately interrupted when a number of servants surrounded him with fear-stricken eyes.

"What is going on? Why are the lot of you here?", The servants does not answer immediately, hesitation obvious from their expressions. The Duke immediately noticed the odd shift of the atmosphere inside the palace, and the suspicious behavior of the servants only made it clear that something— not likely to be a good thing— happened when the Butler and he, the Duke, were out and about.

The Duke inched closer towards an old servant who looks frightened by the mere presence of the Duke towering over him. Her whole body began to shake, and her eyes darted from one place to another.

"Tell me. What happened while I was gone?", The Duke's tone was commanding, and the servants, could not take the pressure any longer. It felt like if they do not talk, and the Duke remains to be met with silence, there is bound to be repercussions.

The woman beside the old servant nudge her, and like an innocent lamb to be sacrificed, she couldn't resist telling the Duke of what happened inside the palace, in a desperate attempt at saving her own life, and the life of her colleagues.

"T-The Princess and the Duchess... they got into an awful argument, your Majesty.", The old woman's lips were quivering as she speaks. And, when the truth was finally out, the servants looked like cold water was splashed right into their faces, resulting into such expressions, that they look like they were all about to faint.

"How awful are we talking about?", The Butler pitched in, curiosity obvious from his gaze.

"Her Highness, The Princess... She... She dragged the Duchess by her hair, and pushed her down the stairs."

The two men looked at each other, and knew, there and then, that things just turned for the worst.

The day had just started but things are already moving way too fast that it was hard for both the Butler and the Duke to keep up. They returned, so that they could organize a search party for the missing Prince, in hopes that he was still alive, but now they have to deal with another matter that endangers the position of the Princess.

What, indeed, on earth is happening?

No less on a supposed joyous occasion?

"Are you certain that it was the Princess? If it is not her, you know the consequences.", The Duke was obviously furious, and the servants could only hope that by telling the truth their heads would not roll down the very streets of Emerald City.

"Yes, your Majesty, we are certain! We even have here the attendant of the Princess who witnessed it all.", a young woman with bandages all over her body made her way into the crowd of servants, surrounding the Duke and the Butler. The two men looked at her in shock, the awful state she was in was enough proof of what had happened, it wasn't enough that the Duchess was hurt, even this young servant was not spared, "She tried stopping the Princess from pushing the Duchess but the Princess was determined to do it."

The Duke felt his heart sank, and even though the truth is right in front of him, he wanted to believe that it was all a lie, that it was all fabricated to shake him from the inside, to make him falter.

The sweet daughter he knew did something terrible that could cost her, her life, it could very well take her position away from her. The Duke knows it was all the Duchess's doing but what proof does he have?

Things are beginning to become more and more difficult. First, it was the Prince who is still missing, and now, it is the Princess who had gone mad, and pushed the Duchess down the stairs.

The Princess the servants adored, all of a sudden shifted and turned insane. The eyes around the Duke cannot hide the truth, they now see the Princess as someone to be feared, someone that may hurt them, someone who is capable of murdering in cold blood.

And, inside the servants mind is the question 'what if I was next?'.

The Duke faces the Butler and put one hand on his shoulder, "You take care of the Princess, make sure you stay by her side at the moment. I'll do something about this.", The Butler nodded, and dispersed the crowd surrounding the Duke to make way for the two of them.

The Duke was sprinting towards the direction of the Duchess's chamber and the Butler was in the opposite direction, walking towards the chamber of the Princess.

The two men hides the nervousness with their controlled facial expressions but deep inside, their heart could not stop beating as if they were walking towards death's door itself.

The Butler softly knocked on the Princess's door but there was no answer. He took one deep breath, to calm his nerves before opening the door.

"It is me, your Highness. I'm sorry but I—", he stopped mid-sentence seeing the Princess lying down on the floor, her pulse weak, and blood on her wrist trickling down the cold floor.

The Butler rushed to her side but he feared that he was already too late.

"IS ANYONE OUT THERE! ANYONE! THE PRINCESS—! HELP!", Tears streamed down the Butler's face, and for the first time, the emotions that he kept in check for years in front of everyone, was overflowing.

"NO! No, please! Wake up, Princess! Don't leave me like this! Please!", He couldn't stop sobbing, holding unto the Princess tightly, it felt like his world was torn apart. He knew her troubles, her painful past, he knew everything but he believed the Princess was strong enough to persevere, and that the last thing she would do was to end her life.

And, that might just be his biggest mistake.

The Duke on the other hand reached the Duchess's chambers, still hesitant but it wasn't because of pity or the feeling of guilt. It was because if he saw her face like this, he might just snap, and be the one to end the Duchess's life for the sake of saving his daughter. The rage he quietly kept inside of him was slowly seeping out.

He might be cursed by god himself for this, but the thought of slicing her neck does come to mind from time to time. Today, specially, the thought of decapitating her was far too tempting to resist.

"It is me, Duchess.", He announced himself, and the door was opened by a maid he was sure, he haven't seen before in the palace.

His eyes wander from the suspicious maid to the Duchess, who made sure that she looks feeble and weak while she lie on her bed. It was perfect, and it was as if the Duchess was actually expecting the Duke to show up.

Everything seems to be according to her plan, and the Duke can feel his grip on the hilt of his sword getting tighter.

"Oh, my love, you must've heard about what happened for you to show up like this in my chambers. It's been so long since we—"

"I would like to be alone with the Duchess.", The Duke said in a commanding tone, and the Duchess looked at her 'maid', instructing her with her eyes to leave.

Once alone inside the room, the Duke kept his distance from the Duchess who is now sitting up. The bruises on her body tells him that covering this situation will be impossible.

And, even if he decide to kill the Duchess right now, at this very moment, he will only be seen as the man who killed his own wife driven by madness influenced by his daughter who harmed the Duchess.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, I-I can't greet you properly because I have injured myself. Fell down a flight of stairs, a very unfortunate thing to happen on such an auspicious day."

"I heard from the servants. The Princess pushed you down the stairs?"

The Duchess put on a forlorn expression, and even included tears to start forming on her eyes. The Duke felt his stomach turn upside down by the act put on by the Duchess.

Her act was so perfect, it's surprising that instead of being a Duchess she wasn't a theater actress instead.

"Oh, I... I know it must've been quite a surprise, and I told the servants not to tell you but it seems like all my effort was in vain. It was a small quarrel between me and the Princess, I tried offering her advice on her wedding day, and all of a sudden she charged at me like a madwoman.", her lips began trembling, and the tears she took effort forming finally made its way down to her cheeks, "I was so scared, I never thought that the Princess would get angry. I tried to stop her, I begged her to not do it, but she was so strong, and I don't want to hurt her by fighting back. The Princess is like a daughter to me, I could never hurt her. You must believe me, your Majesty!"

Lies, and more lies. It irked the Duke to listen to her run her mouth off, and claim to be innocent. It was too much to endure, and all the Duke could think of was how it would feel cutting that sinful tongue.

How would it feel to finally avenge his belated wife, the mother of the Princess he hold so dear? Or, his son who was framed and exiled unfairly?

One could only wonder.