"Master."
"What happened?"
"Why are you being like this?" I heard a familiar voice.
"Master, it is , Erios. Please look at !" he said while gently holding my hands.
I finally managed to breathe properly. As he rubbed my palm, he crumbled the letters I had received from Excalibur, which made relax my grip on his hand.
"Master, are you okay now?"
"Should I bring so water for you?"
"Or should I call the doctor?"
He bombarded with questions, and it made smile a bit.
"No, I’m alright," I said as I walked into my room, with Erios following .
As I sat down on my bed, I couldn’t help but ask, "Did you co to know about this connection?"
"Yes, I’ve learned about it," he replied.
"There are so many rules regarding the contract that I’ve never heard of before. Maybe it’s because no one has ever been able to summon anyone out of desperation like you did," he said.
"So, what is it?"
"Basically, the first thing is that you have every right to make do anything you desire. You can control your own body and mine. Our souls are bound together by our blood, just like how twins are connected to each other."
"Twins?"
"Yes, twins. When twins are born, they often share their thoughts with each other. They start developing a connection inside their mother’s womb, allowing them to understand each other’s thoughts and emotions. It’s similar for us."
"Twin connection? Just like siblings."
"Yes, just like siblings," he confird.
"I have no idea why it’s like this, and there’s no written explanation, but we can share our emotions, thoughts, and feelings. I can feel your pain, your emotions, and I can read your thoughts as if we were twins. You can’t make it stop," he explained.
So, there was sothing real about it. Even though I didn’t fully understand, I couldn’t deny what I had experienced, especially when he froze upon my command.
"So, tell what it is this ti?"
"What has the Duke done to you now?"
"Did he raise his voice at you?"
"Did he hurt you?"
"Or did he hit you?"
"Tell , and I’ll handle it," he said with a worried expression.
"No, there’s nothing I want."
"But I want you to promise one thing," I said.
"What is it?"
"When I complete my one year of marriage, help break free from this marriage. Help escape from here at any cost. Will you do it?" I asked.
I didn’t know what his response would be, but I hoped it would co true.
"I will do everything you want," he agreed and left my room. For a while, I had so peace from thoughts of Alex and Vix, but as he left, their images returned, tornting like jesters trying to make people laugh no matter the circumstances.
"Duchess, may I co inside?" I heard Grant’s voice.
"Yes," I replied.
"Duchess, I know you’ve been working hard, but this is urgent."
"Winter is approaching, but we have zero plans in place. The entire place is always buried in freezing ice because there’s been no preparation or organization. This year, you need to oversee this, or..."
He stopped, leaving a tense silence.
"Or?" I asked.
"Or this year, there will be more deaths than before," he said, his gaze fixed on the floor.
More deaths? I couldn’t even imagine it. Just the thought alone was terrifying.
"I will call for a winter eting," I said, and he left the room, handing a file.
As I reviewed all the files, it beca clear that the accounting part was a complete ss. There was no record of where the budget for the mansion had been spent. Many sections were incomplete, with no ntion of how funds had been allocated.
Where was all the budget going?
Apart from the three bedrooms used by , Alex, and Erios, the clothing in the other rooms looked shabby, as if it were more than ten or fifteen years old. Could Ablia be in such dire straits?
"No, I need to address this," I decided and walked out of my room. Maids were cleaning the stairs, their uniforms also looking old and worn.
"Hey," I called out to one of the younger maids.
"Yes, Duchess, how can I assist you?" she asked, wiping her wet hands on her dress.
"How old are you?" I inquired.
"I’m not sure," she replied, leaving surprised.
"You don’t know how old you are? Are you certain?" I pressed further.
"Duchess, she turned fifteen this year," another maid chid in.
"Isn’t she too young to be here?" I questioned.
"No, Duchess, this is actually quite late. I’ve been working here since I was thirteen. I used to co here with my mother, and now I’m one of them," she said. She must be in her late 30s now, which ant she had spent half her life working here.
Just how disorganized was this place?
"Alright, so why is your dress so dirty? Don’t you have another uniform?" I asked, noticing the stains.
As I questioned her, everyone in the room seed to be watching intently.
"What? Did I say sothing wrong?" I asked, puzzled by their reactions.
"Duchess, we were given these dresses five years ago, during New Year’s," the sa maid replied, making feel guilty. How could they wear the sa dress every day for five years? Even if they washed it every night, it would eventually fade and fray.
"I will find a solution," I said as I headed to his study.
I was furious now, unable to keep my cool. How could the Duke let things deteriorate to this extent? How could he not see that people were suffering?
"Duke, may I co inside?" I asked.
"Yes," he responded promptly.
"Madam, you don’t need to ask permission before entering," he comnted, although his eyes remained focused on his paperwork.
I didn’t say anything but placed the papers on his table, even though he was already busy.
"What’s this?" he asked, looking puzzled.
"It’s what you needed to know and do," I replied.
"What do you an?"
"Duke, I don’t know what state this place was in, but it’s worse than I imagined. I know you married to manage the state and the mansion, but how could you ignore people dying? How could you turn a blind eye to the deteriorating state of the mansion’s curtains? I don’t understand," I said, my frustration mounting.
"I still don’t understand what you’re trying to say," he said, rubbing his temple.
"Look at these papers and tell where all the money went. Is there any record of how the budget was spent? Is there any proper docuntation? No, right? So how could you neglect to ask about the budget you were providing? Or perhaps you simply didn’t allocate any funds, letting people suffer while you turned a blind eye?" My frustration boiled over, and I even ntioned the maids’ deaths, which was a mistake.
"Grant!" His voice was loud enough to make him co and stand beside instantly.
"Yes, Duke," Grant replied.
"Gather everyone in the living room. Right now!" he ordered.
"But Duke, what’s going on?" Grant still questioned.
"Can’t you hear ? Or do you want to repeat myself at the tip of a knife?" I could sense my own fear.
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