The Duke's Bed Warmer

Chapter 181: Twenty Four Hours

The heavy doors of the king’s private chamber closed behind them with a loud thud. The king sat behind his desk with a quill in his hand. He looked up slowly as they entered. His face looked calm but his eyes immediately darkened as he noticed the file in Austin’s hands.

"Austin and Alina," he said with a smile. "How good to see you again. I’ve heard quite interesting rumours about your little journey to the capital."

Austin ignored his greeting completely. He stepped forward and put the file on the table.

"Your Majesty," Austin said. "We have come here to discuss something very important. The matter concerns the crown itself."

The king didn’t respond, waiting for him to continue. Austin then opened the file and spread all the documents across the desk, putting the adoption papers on the top.

"We found these documents from Chancellor Crane’s private archives. They prove that Audrey is not your biological daughter. She is the daughter of Chancellor Crane and the late Empress."

For a moment, silence gripped the room. Then the king’s expression changed. Cold denial flashed on his face first, quickly replaced by fury that made his face red. He picked up the adoption document and read it.

"Treacherous lies," he snarled. "How dare you bring forged filth to me and call it truth? This is treason, Duke of Ravenmoor."

Austin stayed calm.

"The documents are real, Your Majesty. You know that or you wouldn’t be this angry."

The king slammed his fist on the desk, making papers fly like startled birds.

"How dare you walk into my chamber and accuse the royal family of scandal?" he snapped. "Do you know what happens to people who spread rumours like this?"

"We didn’t come here to spread rumours," Austin replied. "We have come here to save the royal family from the public scandal."

"Audrey doesn’t deserve public humiliation," Alina finally spoke, her heart pounding hard. "She doesn’t even know the truth. We came to talk to you privately because we wanted to resolve this without ruining her life."

The king’s gaze drifted to Alina.

"And who are you to speak between a king and a duke?" the king snapped as he rose slowly from his chair and walked towards them.

"You turned my most loyal duke against me," he said, stopping in front of Austin. "Do you know how long it took to build his loyalty? Years. And now he is standing in front of me threatening the crown because of you."

Austin instinctively stepped slightly in front of Alina.

"We are not threatening you," Austin replied. "We are giving you a chance to end this quietly."

"Who are you to give me a chance?" he laughed bitterly and looked at Alina again. "One word from me, and you would vanish within a second. Austin would never recover, and he’d marry Audrey out of guilt alone."

Austin’s hand shot out, gripping the edge of the desk until his knuckles turned white.

"Touch her and I will burn the whole kingdom to the ground," his voice dangerously cold. "I will renounce my title right now and walk away from everything. And I will make sure the truth reaches the every corner of the kingdom before I leave."

The king narrowed his eyes.

"You would really throw away your title for her?"

"Yes," Austin answered immediately.

"We are giving you a choice, Your Majesty. Cancel the engagement and set Austin free. Let us live in peace or we’ll have to make the documents public."

"You think this will end well for either of you?" he laughed. "If this scandal becomes public, the kingdom will turn unstable overnight. Nobles will form factions and people will question the crown itself. Audrey will be ruined. And you..." he looked at Alina again. "You’ll be the reason behind all of this."

"We don’t want to do this either," Alina replied. "But we are left with no other option."

The king walked back to his desk and put both his hands on it, thinking something.

"You have no idea what it cost me to bury this scandal," he murmured. "Do you think I wanted a life where I had to raise a bastard child as my own? But kingdoms survive on appearances and sometimes stability matters more than the truth."

"And forcing me into a marriage built on lies is your solution?" Austin asked.

The king’s expression hardened again.

"You will marry Audrey."

"I will not," Austin replied instantly.

"Have you forgotten who you are speaking to?" he snapped. "I gave you a fair chance and you failed to meet the condition. What you’re doing right now is betrayal."

Austin laughed.

"Betrayal?" he repeated. "How can you talk about betrayal when it’s you who has been betraying the entire kingdom for decades?"

The king had no answer to that. He looked at the documents again and took a deep breath.

"Twenty four hours," he said, looking at Austin. "I’m giving you twenty four hours to come to your senses, Austin. Fulfill your promise and marry my daughter."

His eyes then moved to Alina.

"And if you refuse, I will make sure she pays first."

Austin’s body trembled with fury. But Alina immediately gripped his arm to hold him back before he could attack the king himself.

"Now leave and use your time wisely," he warned them.

Austin grabbed the file from the desk, then took Alina’s hand and led her outside.

Austin pulled Alina into his arms, crushing her against his chest. His hands shook slightly as he caressed her back.

"I won’t let him touch you," he whispered.

Alina held him tighter, burying her face in his neck.

"I’m scared for us, Austin," she murmured. "But...I won’t let him use me to break you. Whatever happens tomorrow, we’ll face it together."

He tilted her chin up and kissed her forehead.

"Tomorrow...either the king will cancel my wedding with Audrey or I will finally break everything that’s standing between us."