"You have sothing to tell ? What is it? Is there sothing I should know?" I inquired, feeling completely clueless.
"Yes, Duchess, there is sothing you ought to know because the ti has co," the attorney declared, leaving bewildered.
"What?" I questioned.
"Duchess, your marriage tiline is coming to an end!" he announced, shaking my world.
"My marriage is ending? How do you know, and why do I need to hear this from you?" I retorted, refusing to accept what he was saying.
"Because I am the attorney who facilitated the contract between both families," he disclosed.
"Both families?" I asked.
"Yes, the marriage was arranged for a specific duration, and now the fourth year is about to complete, which ans you only have a few months before becoming single again," he explained.
What is he saying? A marriage of four years? How? I didn’t sign anywhere. I never agreed to such conditions in my lifeti. Then where did this contract take place? I pondered internally while outwardly pretending that nothing had happened.
"A contract for four years. Then there should have been my consent, right? Why don’t I rember agreeing to such conditions? I don’t recall signing any papers without reading or ntioning such conditions," I voiced my confusion.
He handed so papers and said, "Take a look at these papers. You will realize whether you signed or not. I don’t know how your signature appeared here or how you don’t rember, but as an attorney, I have done my work by providing the papers to both parties."
I picked up the papers from the table and started flipping through them, realizing that my father had asked to sign them.
"Father, what are these papers?" I asked.
"Bernice, there is a bank account of yours opening, which needs your signature on this. So sign it. I have to submit it as fast as possible," he explained.
"Sure, father. I will do it right away," I said and signed as per his instructions.
Reality struck , making realize the extent of betrayal from my own father. Was it because I was an obstacle in making Excalibur the heir? Was it because I was in his way? Was that the reason he pushed into a four-year contract marriage?
"Duchess, did you check the paper?" the attorney asked once again.
"Yes, I did. It’s obviously my signature, but it was done without my knowledge. Also, even if the marriage ends in a few months, don’t you need the duke’s confirmation regarding this? You should ask both parties if they want to maintain the contract or terminate it," I pointed out.
"Yes, I do. That’s why I ca here to inform you. I wanted to remind you of the contract between the Agnes and Balliol families, which you might not have been aware of," he explained.
"Thank you so much. I really had no idea about this matter. If you hadn’t co to inform , I would have been in the dark," I said, faking a smile.
"Okay, so I’m leaving now! It was great to see you, Duchess!" he said, walking toward the entrance gate, leaving in despair.
"Contract! What a joke life has made!" I sighed.
"Where is the attorney?" I noticed the duchess had arrived after the attorney left.
"He left," I stated.
"Why? He must have co to et . Why did he leave before my arrival? And why has no one co to inform ?" she asked.
"Because he didn’t co for you but for ," I said.
"He ca to tell the truth that has been kept hidden from ," I clarified.
"Truth?" she asked.
"Yes, Mother-in-law! The contract you made between both families. I’m talking about the contract that you made for just four years, and now the tiline is starting to co close," I revealed.
"How did you know?" Her fear was evident.
"Didn’t I say the attorney ca? How can you forget so quickly that the attorney told all this information, which you, my father, have cooked up behind my back?" I said.
"So how do you feel knowing it is all just a contract marriage?" the duchess asked.
"How do I feel? I’m not sure. I’m not sure at all how I feel or how I need to feel because I don’t have my husband with to ask the reason behind all this. I don’t know, duchess. But I might know once your son returns from the war," I said while walking past her, as I no longer had the strength to deal with this pain.
"Madam, should I take your lunch to your room?" the maid asked.
"No, I’m not hungry. But if Mother-in-law wants to have lunch, pass my side of lunch to her also. She must be feeling too hungry right now from plotting so much," I said while smiling, but my frail, unmovable body still walked forward toward my room and locked inside.
"Madam, are you sure you don’t need lunch?" I heard the maid asking even after I entered the room.
"Yes, I don’t need anything. No need to ask any further. I don’t want to deal with anything any longer," I said while throwing myself on the bed, looking at the ceiling with a blank mind.
"You have broken the rule! You could no longer stay in this realm!" a loud voice ca out of nowhere, making startle. I searched all over the room to know the real truth but found nothing. The room is a ss now, but still, I found nothing.
"Mother-in-law, stop it if you are trying to do sothing with ! It is no longer funny at all," I asked, but now no more voice ca, making shocked.
"What now? For a while, I keep on hearing so many voices while sotis I hear nothing, as if my mind is playing its own ga and making go crazy," I said while holding onto my head, screaming like a maniac.
"Madam!" the voice startled .
"The evening has covered the sky. You still need nothing. I can make you supper if you need!" the maid asked .
"Ah, no! I need nothing. You can return to your rest place," I said while swiping sweat from my face.
"Ok, Madam, as you say!" she said and left while I’m here, all scared. The sound of the voice haunts . Is there any ghost living in this place? No, it shouldn’t be, or the maids or other workers would have complained, but none have. Is this my illusion? I thought while I thud on the bed once again when I heard a knock once again.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"Madam, there is a letter for you," another maid ca, handing so letters.
I rushed outside to get the letters. But I asked, "Who is it from?"
"Madam, it has co from the imperial palace. The princess has invited you to her tea party!" she said, making think of the one mory I have with the princess.
"Princess!" I mumbled while I opened the letter.
"There will be a tea party going to be established soon. So I hope the duchess will co and attend the tea party with ." The princess wrote everything so briefly, as if the fear I have been holding inside is all just an imagination of mine.
"Ok, you can go now!" I said while returning to my room once again.
"Tea party? Then there will be so many other ladies like . Do I need to go?" I asked myself.
"But if I don’t go, then the princess wouldn’t have a good impression of . I have already declined her request once so I don’t think I need to decline once more. If I did, I will be finished by the imperial family." I said while kept the letter on the floor and returned to bed once again. I thought of writing a return letter but then I wondered if I’m attending the tea party, I don’t need to send a letter once again.
While thinking all of this, I ended up falling asleep.
"Soone save !!!"
"I’m dying!!!" a man screaming in pain by the riverside.
"Soone save !!!!" the man could barely speak while an angel-looking person landed on the surface, placing her feet on the ground.
"Who are you, human? Why are you in blood?" the angel asked.
"I.... I’m a knight!!! I’m injured from the war!!" the man replied.
"Knight!! So you fight for your empire! Nice!!! You are doing such a good job, but don’t you think you are ruining other people’s families too?" the angel asked, making his mouth shut.
"P-please save !!" he pleaded once again.
"I can’t!!" the angel answered.
"Why?" the man questioned.
"Because your life span is coming to an end. I can’t interfere with life or fate. That is not in my hand!!" the angel spoke.
"P-please save !!!" the man said while coughing blood.
Seeing the man in pain, the angel couldn’t hold it anymore and said, "Ok, one ti, I’m going to extend your life span. You will not die now, but there will be a painful death for you in comparison to this!" the angel said and did sothing with her hand while a bright light covered the man.
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