Stolen bride- Rebirth of abandoned duchess

Empress

"Your majesty, may I see my sister?" Marianna came to see Layla in her chambers only to find that her sister had fled to sleep in her husband's study the previous night.

"No" Icarus didn't had the heart to wake up Layla after she had been so sound asleep thus he did not listen to Marianna and flipped through the scrolls.

"Okay I am going to meet her then." One was obsessed with her sister and the other did not have any idea why he liked the enemy princess so much.

It was so bizarre that he just did and it was even more foolish to think that Marianna did not follow his command and he did not have the heart to be cold and ruthless to call the guards to make her leave.

"You don't have the authority to, try entering if you can."

"There is nobody who knows Layla better than me, I will help you win her over if you let me meet her." There was a long stretching silence as Marianna tapped her fingers on the table and Icarus kept scribbling something.

"She is still sleeping." Marianna's face fell and she nodded turning around to take her leave.

"Today I and Layla are having lunch together in the Southern Gardens, do you want to come and eat together? Just tell the head maid whatever you want to eat, I will have them prepared."

"O-Okay!"

Hours passed and the omnipotent sun hiding behind the clouds gave a soft illuminated glow of warm rays signifying the oncoming of noon, several maids stood in attendance of the emperor and empress while at the same time the young duke of Everdale was taking a stroll in the garden.

A sweet laughter echoed in the arena making his footsteps stop and look in the direction of such pure voice, he had heard it many years ago on the evening of his birthday when he got a gift for his siblings including Layla.

It was just that at that time he thought she was a little stupid to give so much attention to a small gift.

The atmosphere on the other hand had quietened down with Layla's innocent gesture as Icarus felt somewhat dazzled by her. She was really the most enchanting creature he had ever seen.

So pure

And she was his

His wife

He had such a woman by his side

And he wasn't willing to let go, should he cage her with him so that she wouldn't run away?

"Sister, brother-in-law is looking at you like he is going to gobble you up, stop with your cuteness." The words seemed to have brought the little pink empress back to her senses for her entire face heated up as she looked at Icarus whose eyes had darkened and then at Marianna who was smiling like a cheshire cat.

"Layla tell your husband that the one whom you love the most is me."

"I-I love you Marianna." Layla spoke but when she saw Icarus's face morphing to that of an angry one she stuttered out to correct herself.

"I l-love you too so don't get angry at my sister!"

She said it.

She said it finally!

Eep she really really loved him and she didn't even know why but she wanted to please him.

"See, I told you that she loves you." Marianna smiled at Icarus who in turn looked at Layla and bowed his head to whisper something into her ear. For the three of them, it looked really harmonious but for Karl who could only look at them from afar, it was like his entire being was being crushed.

Layla was like sunlight that had loved them without any conditions, she only knew what it was to shower others with love and thus had suffered at their hands,on the other hand, Marianna even when she was a child did not have much affection towards him or Leon and just paid attention to Layla.

But he wasn't blind to see that in this place when Layla looked at Icarus it was not just a simple affection, after being betrayed by the Everdale duchy she had instead placed her love on this one man whom she did not even know.

Karl had brought Marianna in hopes that she could convince Layla to come back with them but the person who was colder than ice and often looked at him with veiled disgust, she who even disliked her own father and said rude words stabbing his heart often, looked at Icarus with such gentle expression.

If he did not know better he would have thought that she was Icarus's sister and not his own.

Karl felt hatred, pain and real anguish.

The heavens were so cruel as to not give him even a chance to rectify his mistakes.

When he entered the garden he wasn't stopped by the maids who let him go to the lunch table, it was just that there was no seat for him signifying that he had no place in either Layla or Marianna's heart.

"Young duke."

"Elder brother" That was what Marianna called Icarus and he let her, he recognized her but Karl when appeared at the scene felt like a stranger that had disrupted a family.

They looked like a perfect beautiful family.

"Your majesty Emperor Icarus, I wish to tell you that our father has invited you and Layla to a ball kept in her honor at the Everdale duchy."

Karl waited for a reply in affirmation yet Icarus did not utter a word and instead turned to look at Layla whose smiles have disappeared.

"Do you want to go Layla?"

"Whom have the Duke of Everdale invited again?" those words weren't soft like they usually were with others but an unknown majestic aura seemed to surround the female as if she had dealt with such situations innumerable number of times.

"Emperor Icarus and Empress Layla."

"Young duke Karl, the Empress of Ardos will attend your ball with his majesty. I shall dispatch a knight to inform the same to Duke Everdale."

Empress of Ardos will come

Layla will not

Empress Layla lived, daughter of Everdale Layla was dead.