Gardenia of Blooming Desire

Chapter 261: Two Shattered Hearts

Charles' golden eyes turned jet black immediately. His hand trembled, but he tried to maintain his sanity at this point, his jet-black eyes silently gazing at the minister who reported about the news to him. He asked calmly, but with enormous pressure that filled the room immediately, "Was that true?"

"Yyes Your Majesty. MMilord got married with Crown prince Rama in Great Arctyr and he got crowned as Great Queen on the same day. He is now eligible for the multilateral treaty between nations across the continent. We cannot touch him immediately, because it would spark the wrath of all other nations, and the Sun Kingdom has also participated to protect their soon to be queen."

"I see," Charles nodded calmly, "You can leave now."

"YYour majesty, what should we"

"LEAVE!" Charles' voice thundered inside the room. The minister went pale instantly. He scuttled out of the room like a frightened mouse. The door was closed and Charles was alone in this room. He stared at every decoration inside his room, he felt that everything was ridiculous at this point.

He already prepared everything, he already prepared for Aster's arrival, he prepared for his room, he even went through the length of studying all Aster's favored food, books, and garments, so he would feel comfortable once he returned to Golden Camellia.

But it was all a joke now. Aster got married with that slave who cheated on him, who didn't trust him and went around hurting him like an ungrateful bastard. Meanwhile, he had been loyal to Aster since he was a child. He had been protecting Aster and he put all his heart in Aster.

'Why' Charles walked to Aster's portrait that he hanged in this room. Aster was still a child, smiling at him and depended on him. It was probably the best time of his life. Charles slowly touched Aster's portrait with his fingers, 'His soft cheeks, his sweet voice, his beautiful eyes all should be mine.'

Charles didn't hold back his tears at all, he almost never cried in his life. But when it involved Aster, everything about Aster simply broke him like a shattered glass, 'Aster, why can't you look at me? I love you, I love you so much.'

'Why would you choose a slave who cheated on you, he never trusted you. If you think that he is a saint that would never hurt anyone, he already killed many innocent bystanders when he went berserk. Do you still think of me as the bigger monster here?'

Charles caressed Aster's cheek in the portrait, 'I think so too, right? That slave must've been ruining your brain. You are a brilliant man, Aster. But look at what that slave had done to you after he entered your life. You lost your innocence, you lost your mother, your childhood friend, your wealth, and your status. You lost everything because of that slave, but why'

Like two hot stones that got clashed together, Charles felt that his brain and his heart clashed against each other and it created countless sparks in his eyes. Charles' smile became twisted and he said, "No, it's okay. As long as you're not dead, I can still have you."

Charles looked around, it was all Aster's possession in this room. It only made him nauseous. He felt that Aster was particularly disgusting here. He hated adult Aster who would scheme against him, who would fight him and would run away and betray their love.

Charles breathed deeply and then punched Aster's portrait in front of him. His twisted smile bloomed as he destroyed everything in this room, one by one. Nothing was spared in this room except one small portrait inside a drawer.

He took the small portrait inside the drawer, it was his seven years old portrait with three years old Aster, holding hands together. It was painted when they were kids. Charles hugged the portrait in his embrace, 'Ah, it should be like this. I will take you back here, Aster. And I will make sure that you will return to your three years old self. You don't need to be a functional Empress, I can do everything for you. I will make sure that you can't think of anything, it is better for you not to think at all. Because when you have your own independence from me, you'll start doing these troublesome things, right?'

Charles closed his eyes, but tears didn't stop falling from his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, each of his eyes now had two pupils, a golden pupil and an ink black pupil, lining side by side, just like what happened during the Winter Feast. But this time, it didn't waver at all.

As if, his eyes had been turned permanently like that. Charles smiled thin, he called the guards outside. When the guard entered the room, they were frightened with Emperor Charles' terrifying aura. This aura was completely different from any of his previous aura. It was bleak, frightening and undecipherable, it was almost similar to that monster that killed many people and soldiers in Roagelt City Center.

"Tell the ministers to prepare everything, we are going to have a big war. We are going to invade Great Arctyr and take Aster Di Arlingdon back to Golden Camellia," Charles' thin smile turned into a wide grin, "Station as much soldiers as possible around Dionde City, we don't want those things in Dionde to live if Aster dares to run away again this time."

The guards nodded immediately, he just wanted to run away from their Emperor. Because the Emperor was simply too frightening to look at the moment, especially the double pupil in both of his eyes.

'I will burn your beloved Dionde to the ground this time, Aster. I will not spare anyone. You may have the advantage, but let's see if you can abandon your duty for a sex slave like him.'

***

Merry trembled as she heard the news about Aster and Ramuja's marriage. And Aster's coronation as the new Great Queen, ruling side by side with Great King Tuskan, while getting married with Prince Rama and would soon become the new Sun Queen of Sun Kingdom.

And now, Emperor Charles prepared to invade Great Arctyr no matter what. Placing Golden Camellia into jeopardy because the war would cost a lot. If it was Golden Camellia against Great Arctyr, it was high possible for Golden Camellia to win, but if Golden Camellia faced ten big nations, including Sun Kingdom, it was simply suicide.

Emperor Charles would go that far only to have Aster back.

Merry felt robbed. Yes, she felt that Aster did too much injustice for her, "It's not fair."

"You stole Ramuja from me, you stole Tuskan from me, now you also stole Charles from me. You stole the hearts of three men that were in love with me before. Bitch, did you really let three men fuck you consecutively only to get their love? You are cheap, Aster."

Merry clenched her bed sheet tightly, she gritted her teeth because she felt powerless at this point. She glanced at the mirror, and saw that she lost two of her front teeth, making her look funny whenever she smiled or talked.

"Did I ever do something wrong to you, bitch? You tormented me like this, you tormented a good woman like me, who never did nefarious stuff. Unlike you, you are simply a despicable monster," Merry's smile creeped out the two maids who were standing on the door and listened to everything in the first place.

They knew that Countess Merry was unreasonable, maybe downright delusional and crazy, but this was beyond their expectation. To blame Grand Duke Aster for all her misfortunes that she created herself.

Merry's eyes darted at the maids who shuddered out of fear, she smiled, "Don't you think so too? I am the victim here, all I want is someone to love me. But of course, I want someone with the same level as me as my husband. I am a noble, I am worthy of the kings. But Aster steals everything from me. He is a greedy bitch."

"You must've thought that Aster is a good person because Dionde thrives under his rule, right? Trust me, he shook his ass every day and begged for other nobles to give Dionde City money, so it would thrive. I have some dignity myself, so I won't prostitute myself like him."

The maids were too scared to say everything, they only nodded.

Merry scoffed, she looked around and saw a knife on the table, "Whatever, a good person always wins in the end, right? In every tale, the protagonist always wins after so many hardships. I've had so many hardships, of course I will win in the end."

Merry took the knife on the table and stabbed the bed a few times mercilessly, "Don't worry, I am the protagonist, I am the good maiden who has been tormented for so long. But I don't want a prince to save me, I will end this evil Aster and then save the day. The princes will naturally return back to me after I banished the slutty evil from their head."

Merry glared at her maids and pointed the knife at them, "This is a secret, okay? If any of you want to live, you must keep this a secret, or I will also kill you two. You two are not evil, right?"

"NNo! Countess, we are not evil! We are good people!" the maids said desperately. Merry hummed for a moment and then nodded, "Well, I trust you two."

The door was knocked hurriedly from outside, the maids opened the door, and Merry's mother, Lisa said panicky, "Merry! Your brother your brother! His condition gets worse! Please call the doctor now!"

Merry scoffed at her slave mother, "Big brother contacted a sexually transmitted disease, the doctor said that there is no cure for his illness," Merry rolled her eyes in annoyance, "It is his fault anyway. Why would he play with many prostitutes every day? He is a debauched man like that bitch Aster. He is not a good person, of course he got what he deserved. Let him die."

"Merry!" Lisa snapped. She wanted to scold her daughter, but her daughter pointed the knife at her, "Shut up, you slave! You are not worthy of a noble like me! I should've been born from high aristocrats, not from your filthy womb!"

"I am a good person, I didn't deserve all this!" Merry's voice thundered, Lisa fell on her knees weakly. She couldn't believe that both of her children had turned like this because of wealth and status.

'Just wait, you bitch Aster. I swear I will kill you with my own hands,' Merry swore in his heart with firm determination.