"Madam, this isn’t what you believe," he tried to convince , but his words struggled to soothe my skepticism.
I stared at him, uncertainty etched across my face. "If it’s not what I think, then what is it? Or are you trying to tell that you married because you wanted to? If that’s the truth, then why? It’s not like we’ve ever t before." I recalled the day we first laid eyes on each other, when I had dashed down the corridor just to glimpse his radiant face, kissed by the sun’s golden rays. It felt like a miracle.
His response was evasive. "I’m not sure," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
I pressed further, my curiosity mixed with apprehension. "What are you not sure about, Duke?"
Again, he hesitated, his gaze darting away. "I said I’m not sure."
Growing frustrated, I decided to retreat, or so it seed. "I’m going back to my room. You can get so sleep."
But I couldn’t let the matter rest. The questions burned within . "Why? You haven’t answered my question. Do you have ulterior motives for marrying ? If so, I’d like to know." I lowered my voice, feigning vulnerability, attempting to probe for the truth.
He turned to face , his eyes eting mine, and spoke my na for what felt like the first ti. "Bernice," he said, his voice gentle.
My heart pounded, almost audible, threatening to give away my inner turmoil. I couldn’t let him see my emotions. "You already know why I married you," he stated.
Confusion swept over . "What? I know? How?" I looked at him, completely puzzled.
"As you said, I do have a need for a wife. I want soone to handle the duties of the duchess so that I could..." He stopped abruptly.
"So that you could find the murderer of the duke and duchess?" The words slipped from my tongue, unbidden, and I rembered the consequences of my previous inquiries. Why had I brought up this topic again? A strange unease washed over , as if he might lash out at , right here, right now, on our first day together. It prompted to close my eyes briefly.
"How did you know?" he asked.
I clenched my fists, gripping the sheets on the bed. "I..."
I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes.
"Duke, you’re forgetting that this is the empire where everyone is aware of what’s happening inside the royal family," I said, my fear still palpable.
"I know you’re probably wondering how this is related to the royal family, so let explain. I’m not sure if there are any history books dedicated to the royal family, but one thing I do know is that I’ve studied about the royal family. The previous duchess was a mber of the royal family and a candidate for the throne."
I spoke with confidence, but fear still lingered in the background.
"How is this related to their deaths?" he inquired once more.
"Duke, you’re forgetting that if soone’s life is docunted in a book, it would surely ntion how they died, even if there’s not much information, but so rumors that almost everyone knows," I explained.
"Regardless, I hope you won’t dwell on this topic," he said, his gaze now fixed on the door.
"I’ll keep that in mind," I replied. I wasn’t particularly interested in delving into his personal life. As long as I stayed alive, that was all that mattered to .
"I’m not trying to be rude," he repeated after , a statent that, despite my growing calm, seed to irritate inexplicably. Was it my past experiences or the uncanny feeling of déjà vu that made his words feel like nails on a chalkboard?
"Duke!"
"You don’t have to explain yourself to ."
"I know I’m not in a position to be choosy, given that I was essentially sold here," I repeated, underscoring my precarious situation.
"Madam!" His voice grew louder than his usual neutral tone.
"Thanks for your genuine care towards ." My heart ached, and the pain beca unbearable.
"I also know beggars can’t be choosers," my final words were choked with tears that welled up in my eyes. I hid them well by keeping my head bowed.
Uncertainty swirled in the room until a sudden noise echoed from the door. My head snapped in that direction, and I saw Erios standing at the entrance to my room, sweat trickling down his face. His expression was barely contained fury, but what could have provoked such anger?
"Erios? What happened?" I asked, maintaining a cautious distance.
He offered no verbal response.
"Don’t you have decent manners? You can’t enter a lady’s room like this!!!" the Duke scolded him.
"I hope you won’t make my master sad anymore either. But I’m sure the previous duchess forgot to inform you of your duty," Erios retorted, anger boiling in his voice as he approached .
"Erios?" I called out, my voice a mix of confusion and concern. I was just as bewildered as I appeared.
"Master! Are you okay?" Erios asked in a tone that mixed panic and anger. He drew nearer, his deanor transforming as he reached my side. Despite his evident concern, the way he clenched his teeth in anger gave him an air of a mature man.
"Master? Bernice? Can you hear , right? Did this guy do sothing to you? Just say it!!!! I will finish him off right here," Erios declared fiercely.
"Erios!!!!!" the Duke shouted.
"Duke, you don’t have the right to call by my na. Or are you unaware of the rule that a holy mber can only be addressed by na once they’ve ford a contract with their master? Or perhaps you’re unaware that my master is Bernice Balliol Agnes, not Alexavier Agnes?" Erios challenged.
"Do you want to remind you?"
"What is he saying? Why is he speaking in this manner or behaving like this? Is there sothing going on between them that I’m unaware of?" I wondered aloud, my thoughts spiraling into a tangled ss of confusion.
The Duke’s cryptic responses and Erios’s fierce protectiveness had left bewildered. My head ached with the weight of unanswered questions, and the situation only seed to grow more perplexing.
"Is it truly the rules of calling the holy sword? Or could it be sothing entirely different from the norm, maybe a past conflict between them resurfacing now? Or am I simply overthinking this?" I pondered, my mind tangled in a web of uncertainty.
However, I soon realized that I was positioned between them, almost as if I were the one creating a divide. It was as though I had beco an unwitting boundary, a pillar standing between them, causing them to appear as if they stood on opposite sides.
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