How To End This Marriage-Chapter 171: Tears of the Fallen Princess

"Don’t you know anything, then? I’ll tell you who you are, Aurelia!" the Supreme God boomed, his anger palpable as he stalked forward.

"The rules are inflexible. They cannot be broken," the Library Guardian insisted. "Her punishment remains incomplete, and no one can disregard that."

"Rules? Do you think they still hold sway after she returned to the Heavenly Realm? No! I believe you all played her again, easing her punishment, hoping to dethrone me. I know your petty tricks, and you only exploit them because I lack the power to erase your memories. If I could smite you like others, you wouldn’t dare lecture me about rules." He glared at the Guardian, venom spitting from his words.

"Ha! I know you’re powerless. That’s why she can reappear with the unsettling memory of her first death, even though she forgot it before. But you’re right. The gods yearn for her return, for you have become...this thing after she left. Slaughtering gods like they’re beasts."

"Her return, at any cost, binds you once more," the Guardian stated coolly.

"Hypocrites! All of you! Gods who preach one thing and do another, treating your own proclamations as sins. I suspect it was you who reminded her of her past death." the Supreme God roared, disbelief coloring his voice.

The Guardian let out a knowing smile.

"I knew it!" the Supreme God snarled, lunging forward to grab the Guardian by the throat. His hand met an invisible barrier, sending him reeling back in frustration. "Don’t you dare try what you can’t achieve. You have limits, young master. You’ll never be like the Heavenly Princess. She has a singular purpose, one veiled in mystery. No one knows how she appeared, how she reached the Heavenly Realm, but I do. Unlike the previous Supreme God, slain by her own kin, I am not so weak. Though memories fade, some remain etched in my soul. Yet, even I have boundaries I cannot breach, which is why the chamber remained locked. I am the guardian of secrets, and when those secrets are at risk, I must act to protect them."

"Of course I know!" the Library Guardian affirmed with a knowing smile.

"Then tell me! Who is she, and how did she arrive in the Heavenly Realm?" the Supreme God demanded, his voice laced with impatience.

"Why the sudden curiosity, Marcus Fulcinius Eumenius?" the Guardian countered, addressing the Supreme God by his full name. "Didn’t you despise her for choosing a mortal over you? Didn’t you try to erase her from existence after learning she was born in the mortal realm? Why now search for answers about her origins?"

The Supreme God faltered, his gaze flickering. "Because I want to know why she, not I, was chosen as the Heavenly Realm’s heir."

"Because you, Marcus, are unworthy of the title!" the Guardian boomed, his voice ringing through the chamber. "Can you look at yourself and honestly claim you deserve the throne? Ask yourself how many transgressions stain your soul. How many lives you’ve taken, how many mortals you’ve manipulated for your own gain. You’ve bathed in their beliefs, committed the cardinal sin of murdering fellow gods, erasing their lives as easily as mortals’."

"Do you still believe yourself worthy after such atrocities?" the Guardian challenged, his voice heavy with accusation.

"Gods...slaughtered?" God Lunar whispered, shock coloring his features. "I have no memory of such an event."

"Because Marcus," the Guardian pointed to the Supreme God, "has stolen those memories. He eliminated every trace of his crimes. He slaughtered those who opposed him, but not all. He needed subjects, puppets to rule. So, he stole your memories, as he did to everyone else. You’ve forgotten the Heavenly Superior’s exile of the Princess, the bloodshed that painted the Realm red, the young boy who ascended to power after slaying his own mother, the previous Supreme God."

God Lunar’s eyes widened in horror. "How can I restore these memories?" he rasped.

"When the Princess recovers her own, everyone’s memories will return," the Guardian explained. "The Heavenly Realm will heal, restored to its former glory."

"But how will the Princess regain her memory?" God Lunar pressed.

"She must complete her punishment first," the Guardian said. "Only then can she return as the Princess, her memories restored."

Duchess Bernice, still grappling with the revelation, cried out, "Enough of this! I’m no princess! How many times must I repeat it?!"

"The truth will reveal itself soon enough, Duchess," the Guardian replied calmly.

"But if I have the time to recall, then I have one question," Duchess Bernice conceded.

"What is it, Princess?" the Guardian inquired, subtly acknowledging her potential identity.

"Who was the mortal?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Who was the mortal the Princess saved from death?"

The Guardian offered a cryptic smile. "You will remember everything soon, Princess. There is no need to rush."

Duchess Bernice’s frustration bubbled over. "Why can’t I recall now? Is it enjoyable to die every day? To face death again and again?" she cried.

"I understand, Duchess," the Guardian said gently. "For mortals, death is a finality. But your punishment serves as a reminder of life’s preciousness. You used forbidden magic to cheat death, to grant life beyond its natural course. Now, you must understand the true meaning of both life and death."

"Your Heavenly Princess must have had a reason to break the laws of the Heavenly Realm," Duchess Bernice argued.

"Reason? No reason can hold more weight than the Heavenly Laws," the Library Guardian countered.

"Ha! How can you say no reason is important? You said she broke the laws for a mortal, meaning she must have fallen in love, desiring to spend a lifetime with them." Duchess Bernice challenged.

"Love has no place here. Those who dwell in the heavens lack such emotions. We live for the people, bound by unbreakable laws. The Heavenly Princess’s mother, Aurelia, received the harsh penalty of vanishing because she fell for a mortal, an unacceptable act in the Heavenly Realm." the Library Guardian explained.

"What? Aurelia’s mother suffered such a cruel punishment that took her life?" the Supreme God gasped.

"Yes, hence why Aurelia was sent to the Heavenly Realm as the heir. Her mother held a significant position." the Library Guardian clarified.

"Then who is the father? What happened to him? Where is he? Does he face no punishment? Do only heavenly beings suffer consequences?" the Supreme God questioned.

"Our laws bind only us. We’ve protected humans for centuries. We cannot punish them for violating Heaven’s laws. Their fate is set by the Divine." the Library Guardian replied.

"Then who is he? Tell me! I want to meet him and uncover the whole truth," the Duchess demanded.

"It is hidden, Heavenly Princess. Completing your punishment may reveal everything about your life – your father, mother, lineage, position, and the mortal you encountered." the Library Guardian said.

"You can now return to the mortal realm. You can only return here once your punishment is fulfilled." the Library Guardian instructed.

"I will be back soon," the Duchess declared, "to unravel the truths hidden behind these faces, to hear the whispers spoken only in truth." And with that, she teleported back to the mortal realm.

God Lunar, the Library Guardian, God Moiroi, and the Supreme God remained. "Now, your charade as the Supreme God is over," the Library Guardian stated.

"Why? Did I say I’d relinquish my position? No! I never said I’d give up so easily. The mortal realm still has my followers, and with them, I regain power. The throne, now under my control, will fuel my power, and I will never allow your Heavenly Princess to return."

"She chose her own punishment, to experience the pain of loving a mortal who couldn’t even save her twice. Do you think he can rescue her this time? No! He’s a spineless man who will soon abandon her." the Supreme God sneered.

"What if his feelings for her deepen?" the Library Guardian countered.

"It won’t happen. Not once has he stood by her. He won’t now either. Mortals are selfish. He will betray her, just like before." the Supreme God spat.

"How do you have this memory?" the Library Guardian pressed.

"Didn’t you say you had no memory of the past events? How, then, do you recall this? How did you retrieve a memory you shouldn’t have?" the Library Guardian demanded.

"Because that memory never escaped my mind," the Supreme God countered, his voice thick with emotion. "It has always remained clear and sharp. I still remember that night, the betrayal, how he embraced another princess while abandoning Aurelia. I remember her shock, the endless tears streaming down her face as she was dragged to the dungeon for a crime she never committed."

His voice choked with sobs. "I haven’t forgotten the stones hurled at her by the entire state, drawing blood even as she faced execution. How could I forget, when the woman I loved so deeply was dying before my eyes?"