章 1: 1. Progress 95%
"Mother, what should we do right now?"
Maya raised her head to look at her son. He would have been considered a teenager on Earth, but he is a man in this world.
'No.' Maya corrected her thoughts. She was confident that people no longer differentiate between men and teenagers, recalling the situation on Earth.
"Mother." The teenager tried to pull Maya off the bed.
"Listen to me, Merabath. You have to leave the capital as soon as possible." Maya explained this to her son. "I have prepared a contingent of soldiers obedient to me at the hamlet 20 km from Ester. You have to reach there by tomorrow."
"What are you saying, mother?" Merabath stared at her mother in utter disbelief. "You need to leave the capital with me. If that bastard catches you…"
"You shouldn't control your language from now on. He is your brother and will soon become the Duke. You should show some respect."
"Respect?" Merabath screamed, "I am supposed to be the next duke. That bastard son of a servant should have died on the battlefield. I will kill…"
"Don't do anything stupid." Maya grabbed his hand, stopping him from talking more. "The five years he had spent on the battlefield and the people…"
[Error: The host must not reveal any vital information about the storyline.]
Maya paused and took a deep breath. "You should leave right now. If you waste any more time…"
"Mother, you should leave with me too."
"I can't." Maya smiled.
Merabath couldn't feel any happiness in his mother's smile. He pleaded with his mother, "We will be safe if we can reach my grandfather's domain. What if he becomes a duke? There is no way he could charge into my grandfather's domain. He is a Duke, too."
"I know." Maya patted his head, smiling, "I am the daughter of one duke and the wife of another duke. Even if he became a Duke, he could not do much for me. At most, he could put me under house arrest. I am sure my father will find a way to take me out of this place."
"But why aren't you leaving with me now?" He couldn't understand his mother's reasoning.
"If both of us leave, he won't be able to vent his frustration. Your chances of escaping would improve if I remained behind to slow him down just a little. That is what a mother should do."
Merabath looked at his mother, wanting to say something. Instead, Maya shouted, "What are you doing, Tynor? Remember to keep the promise. Don't you dare to die until my son is safe?"
"Your wish is at my command, my lady." Although the knight's helmet hid his face, the room resounded with the sound of his fist pounding his chest.
"What are you doing, then? Take him and leave now." Maya's face didn't contain any part of motherly love. Her voice and expression just confirmed her name—the Iron Dutchess.
"Don't you worry, mother, I will be back. I will kill him with my own hands." As Tynor forcefully pulled Merabath away, he continued to scream.
Soon, the room fell silent. Maya took a deep breath and looked at the transparent screen only she could see.
There was a long, detailed explanation of the work she must do in this world. She wasn't sure if it was a novel world or a parallel world, as the mission's details also contained information about the future. Neither did she care.
To get the gist of the mission, she had to do her work to develop the main character's character. If it were a novel, Maya would say she was a supporting character who had to contribute to the MC's character development up to the third volume.
[Progress: 95%]
And it will be ending soon. It may not spell the end for her character or anything. Once the system determined she had finished her task, her consciousness would presumably reintegrate with her primary body on Earth.
"Now for the grand finale…" Maya sighed.
"Did you want something, my lady?"
"No." Maya waved her hand away before asking, "Where is he?"
The 'he' she was asking about was her husband's son. As the daughter of a duke, she was married to another duke. However, they were married when they were just 17. Her husband already had three concubines. One such concubine had given birth to a son.
And it was 'he.'
Normally, Maya would take over a body at birth. However, due to urgency, Maya came to this body on the wedding night. Acquiring control of the duke's harem was a part of her mission. It was not particularly difficult coming from the home of a duke.
In the process, she had to take care of the servant, the 'he's' mother, as she had given birth to a son before Maya.
In the last decade, she has given birth to three children, Merabath being her eldest. He was the one who was supposed to be the duke.
However, the war broke out five years ago, and 'he' went to the war along with the duke. Last year, they received the news of the duke's, her husband's, passing.
The mission detail says he had already gained control over the Duke's army. Also, after he returned, the king would personally hand over the title of Duke to 'him.'
Naturally, her son could no longer inherit the title. And she knew what would happen if her son didn't escape as soon as possible.
After all, it wasn't her first mission, but the 1000th.
"The rumor is, the new duke will enter the capital tomorrow morning."
"He will meet his highness first…" Maya was well aware of how this fantasy kingdom-type world works. "Then by noon…"
"Prepare my bath."
"Yes, my lady." The servant bowed and was about to leave.
"Prepare the phoenix dress."
"My Lady!!" The servant wasn't sure she had heard it right.
"The new Duke is coming home. Shouldn't I welcome him?"
Dressed for joy, the phoenix gown for women and the dragon robe for men are perfect for any celebration. According to the servant, tomorrow at the Duke's mansion would certainly not be a joyous occasion.
If anything, there might be a bloodbath.
But the servant couldn't say it out loud. Under Maya's urges, she quickly left the room.
********
The next day evening.
"Congratulations, my lord."
Maya was bowing. Still, she could feel sharp gazes on her body. She looked up, meeting the eyes of the man in his early twenties.
'As expected, the main character…' Maya exclaimed while focusing on the body of the handsome man standing in front of her.
She had seen almost 1000 MCs in different worlds. Every time, it was mesmerizing, though she was unaware of the specific powers possessed by these Mcs.
The MC in front of her was over six feet. He had a broad shoulder, and the loose robe exposed the muscles of the Greek gods.
"If it isn't the iron duchess."
His voice sent a shiver down her spine. And the eye contact reminded her that she was not the MC of the story. She was just an evil supporting character who had come at the end of her usage.
One wrong step, and she might really die. It was not that Maya was worried about it. 80% progress was enough to deem the mission complete.
The only reason Maya was sticking around was because a 100% completion rate gives a better reward.
Maya's thoughts were cut short as the MC suddenly grabbed her chin and raised her face to look at her.
Her reflection on his vein-popping eyes made her feel like it was nothing but a rabbit under his paw.
"What did you expect when you came here?"
"I would expect nothing."
"Nothigh! Nothing?" The MC pushed her back, making her stumble. If it weren't for the servant behind her, she would have fallen on her buttocks.
"You killed my mother, and you expect nothing from me?" The MC's voice continued to rise. "You make your son rape the woman I love, and you expect nothing? You…"
Maya knew this day would come. Ultimately, she played a crucial role in the MC's character development as the antagonist. However, she was unable to claim that her actions contributed to his rise to power.
"I expect nothing. If the Lord deems it right, I am willing to die. I know I have nothin…"
Maya didn't get to complete her words before he grabbed her throat and raised her in the air. Maya couldn't stop her body from struggling as her feet left the ground.
"Death would be too good for you. I will keep you alive and pay for all of your sins." And he threw her towards the servants.
The servants failed to support her, and they fell to the ground.
"Do you know what his majesty said?" he asked.
Although Maya was happy that everything was progressing in her desired direction, she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she continued to glare at her as she coughed.
"Everything my father had owned would belong to me. And that includes…"
"You wouldn't dare," Maya screamed at him with a perverted smile. "I am…"
"You are nothing but my property." The fake rage and anger on Maya's face made him more excited.
"Didn't you care so much about your noble blood? Didn't you say I have dirty blood in my body?"
"You…"
"Now you will give birth to children who will carry the same dirty blood as mine."
"Noooo. NEVER." She screamed and pulled out a dagger. But before she could plunge it into her heart, he kicked the dagger away from her hand.
"Didn't I say I will make you regret every moment you live from now on?"
"Nooo. Please let me die. I am…" Maya grabbed his leg and continued to plead for mercy.
Luckily, no one noticed the grin as she looked at the transparent screen.
[Special mission: Bear the children for two generations of Duke.
Weightage: Progress-5%]
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