"Duchess, may I co in?" A maid’s knock shattered the Duchess Bernice’s solitude. "Co!" the Duchess called, suspicion lacing her voice.
"Duchess, I’ve co for Duke Alexavier’s belongings," the maid explained, bowing her head. "Belongings? Didn’t he co to stay?" the Duchess frowned, confusion blooming on her face.
"I have no idea, Duchess. I was ordered to move his things back to his chamber, rely following orders," the maid replied, efficiently packing the Duke’s belongings, fueling the Duchess’s simring anger.
"Everything’s gathered. With your leave, I’ll be going now," the maid said, offering another bow before slipping out. Alone again, the Duchess slamd her fist against the wall, her features contorted in fury. "Always the sa! He waltzes in and out at will, leaving to play the dutiful wife. Does he think I’m so guard dog, waiting at his whim?" she thundered, her voice echoing in the opulent room.
Suddenly, another rap on the door interrupted her tirade. "Duchess, it’s !" the Duke called out, entering the room.
"What are you doing here? Didn’t you just send your maid to reclaim your precious belongings? What more could you possibly want?" she spat, her words dripping with icy venom.
"Why are you back? You just sent your maid to collect your belongings!" the Duchess spat, her eyes blazing with anger. "Did you forget sothing?"
"Bernice, it’s not like that," the Duke pleaded, his voice laced with frustration. "I only retrieved my things because I feared I was intruding on your journey. I wanted to give you the space you deserve."
"Space?" she scoffed, bitterness twisting her lips. "That would have been preferable! At least then I’d understand your erratic behavior. Instead, I’m left in the dark, grasping at straws, clinging to your words as if they’re truths I desperately need to believe. There’s no transparency, no shared trust between us."
"Why would I lie to you, Wife? If you need sothing, ask. I’ll tell you everything I know," the Duke promised, his gaze earnest.
"Oh how convenient!" the Duchess retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I hadn’t realized I need to beg for information like a commoner. It seems I married a man who expects obedience but offers no reciprocation, content to keep in the shadows while demanding unwavering faith. If I’d known it would be like this, I’d never have agreed to the arranged marriage, even with my father on the brink of financial ruin."
"Bernice, please," the Duke interjected, his voice strained. "I never intended to deceive you. It’s just..." he faltered, his eyes avoiding hers.
"Just what, Duke?" she challenged, her voice hardening with each word. "Speak! Or are you simply another master of the battlefield, skilled at wielding blades but utterly incapable of wielding honesty?"
"Let speak, wife!" the Duke insisted, his voice tight with frustration.
Duchess Bernice scoffed. "What will you say? You’ve hesitated enough already."
"As I said, I want to give you space. Princess Vixara told sothing’s happening, that I’m getting in your way." The Duke’s voice wavered, betraying his uncertainty.
"Oh, so the Princess said it and you simply agreed?" she smirked, bitterness lacing her words.
"You’re misinterpreting things again, wife." The Duke reached for her, but she flinched away.
"I’m not misinterpreting, this is how it is. You only value their words, not mine. My thoughts hold no weight in your life. I’m just another face, like the maids, guards, and knights. All the sa to you." Her voice shook with hurt and anger.
"Everything is a lie!" she spat. "Just yesterday, you wanted to keep playing this husband and wife ga. Now, because the Princess whispers in your ear, you change your mind? I see no other reason."
"Then why are you still here? Go! Get yourself out of this ss. I might be dragging you into a labyrinth you don’t understand."
"Wife, this isn’t—" The Duke tried to explain, but she cut him off.
"This is how I see it. From this mont, we have no relationship. If you see , act like I’m a stranger. That’s what I expect." She turned her back on him, her shoulders shaking with unshed tears.
"Now that all’s said and done, you can leave." Her voice was a broken whisper.
"Wi—" the Duke stamred, but she cut him off again.
"Didn’t you hear ? Leave! I don’t even want to see your face." Her entire body trembled as she shouted, her anger a mask for the pain that clawed at her heart.
As the Duke finally left, she collapsed onto the cold floor, her legs giving way. "Always the sa," she whispered, her voice choked with sobs. "No matter how I fight, it’s always her, never . Why? I’ve been helping her find her own path, her rightful place, yet she pushes aside as if I’m the obstacle. Why?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice startled her. "Bernice!" God Lunar called out.
She whirled around, her eyes blazing with fury. "Oh, you! Have you co to add insult to injury?"
"There’s no ti for anger," God Lunar said urgently. "What I have to tell you is crucial."
Duchess Bernice scoffed. "Since when do gods indulge in petty gossip?"
"This is no re gossip," God Lunar insisted. "I’ve co to discuss the issue with the Supre God."
"Supre God? Why is everyone suddenly talking about him? Fate God Moiroi ca earlier, spouting about the Supre God and how I belong to the Heavenly Realm. And now you co with the sa story."
"Moiroi ca?" God Lunar’s eyes widened. "That’s impossible! He’s lost his mory of a certain tifra."
"Maybe he’s forgotten eting before losing his mory, Duchess Bernice declared.
God Lunar contemplated. "Yes, that might be."
"But how can a god lose his mory? He’s not so mortal who forgets things easily," the Duchess pressed.
God Lunar sighed. "I had the sa thought when he told he couldn’t recall talking to you about this. But why? How did it happen? Does the Supre God have that power? Of course he would, being who he is."
God Lunar shook his head. "No, he’s not the true Supre God. Before losing his mory, Moiroi told the one on the throne isn’t the rightful heir. Soone else is. He believed you could help uncover this truth."
"But what can I do? I’m trapped in your gods’ twisted loop," the Duchess said, frustration lacing her voice.
"Bernice, we have no hand in your loop. Soone else has woven it. We weren’t even aware this is your third ti returning from death. Even the Supre God is in the dark. It’s another entity’s work. To unravel it, you must co with to the Heavenly Realm."
"Why ? And if it’s not a god, then who?"
"I don’t know. But the answers lie in the Heavenly Library. Co, and the truth will be revealed. Only you can unlock it."
As God Lunar chanted a teleportation spell, they arrived in the Heavenly Realm, shrouded in ethereal white clouds. "What do I do now?" the Duchess asked, awestruck by the celestial grandeur.
"We head to the library," God Lunar replied.
"Library?" the Duchess echoed, curiosity piqued.
Suddenly, Moiroi’s hostile voice bood, "What’s she doing here again?"
God Lunar stepped forward, his voice firm. "Moiroi, your mory’s fragnted. She’s key to solving this ss. She holds the universe’s secrets."
Moiroi scoffed. "She? Don’t make laugh."
"You’re not in the right state of mind, Moiroi. Let handle this." He pushed Moiroi aside and led the Duchess towards the library, her mind swirling with questions and a dawning sense of destiny.
Reaching the grand entrance, the library guard bowed deeply. "Welco back, Heavenly Princess. Such an honor to once again grace the Heavenly Realm with your presence."
The Duchess blinked, utterly confused. "Heavenly Princess? I’m... a mortal, human. How can you call that? The princess should be immortal, residing here, not on Earth."
The guard smiled enigmatically. "My eyes never fail , Princess. You are the rightful heir. Your exile wasn’t properly concluded, yet you stand here. A miracle, as if the heavens themselves call for your return."
"No, you misunderstand. I’m only here to confirm the gods’ suspicions, to test if their theory holds water. I have no hand in this, no personal stake. I simply fulfill my duty to them."
The heavenly library guard smiled enigmatically. "No, Princess. These are but the whispers of your forgotten mories,echoes of your celestial origin. They will return, I have no doubt. And now, your path lies within. Enter and explore as you desire."
Duchess Bernice stepped forward, her feet light, her eyes flitting across the towering shelves as if rediscovering an old friend. "Princess," a voice whispered in her mind, almost indistinguishable from her own thoughts. "Bernice, move onwards. The key lies before you, guarded by a slumbering door."
anwhile, God Lunar’s voice cut through the ethereal symphony of her thoughts. "The entrance to the forbidden archives stands before you, Duchess. What wisdom do you seek within its guarded walls?"
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