"Duchess, I’ve brought all the files you requested," Grant inford as he placed the files neatly on the study table. It was then that I realized I hadn’t inquired about Grant’s whereabouts the previous night.
"So, Grant!" I called to him.
"Yes, Duchess!" he turned to face .
"Where were you last night?" I asked. He froze, avoiding eye contact with , making it difficult for to gauge his expression.
"I..." he stamred.
"Yes, you! I saw you returning around the sa ti as the Duke, but I know you weren’t with him. So, where were you?" I calmly inquired while organizing the files. His deanor didn’t strike as that of a conspirator.
"I went to my ho," he replied.
"Oh, is it far? Couldn’t you bring your family here? You have your own quarters here, right?" I inquired.
"Ah, yes, but they are safer there," he explained.
"Safer? What do you an? What happened last night?" I pressed.
"Well, sothing quite serious occurred last night. I didn’t want my siblings and their child to witness it," he clarified. I couldn’t help but realize that not everyone was suited to confront the darker aspects of this world.
"Alright, you may go now. However, when you return, please inform the attorney that I wish to et with him," I instructed.
"Yes, Duchess," he replied and exited the room.
But Alex’s words lingered in my mind. Why had he referred to as ’my duchess’? He typically didn’t speak in such a manner. He always considered the promise he had made and the responsibility entrusted to him by my father. So, why this sudden shift to ’my duchess’? Was I overthinking things, or was it rely because I now held the title of Duchess in this state, which was in so way connected to him?
"Ahh, I’m losing my mind!" I exclaid, sinking into the chair.
"Bernice, focus! You have to focus on solving this. You don’t want to die again, right? Then find the killer. Find out why you’re caught in this trap, or else..."
My vision blurred once more, thrusting into the realm of the god, a place where I had no control.
"So, you’ve reaped the consequences of your choices?" the god remarked, just as I had anticipated. I had known that even if I survived, the god would continue to taunt .
"Is this what you desired, Bernice Balliol Agnes?" he questioned. I turned my gaze away.
"You know, I have better things to do than argue with you like a child," I retorted.
"I’m not asking you to argue. You simply need to heed my advice if you wish to survive once more because this is not the end. There will be more attacks on you because the world you’re striving to fit into isn’t yours," he warned , his words a chilling reminder.
"It’s not mine? Then what am I? Who am I? If this world isn’t mine, then how was I even born into it?" I asked, anxiety welling up inside , making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
"Bernice, there are many things hidden from humans. This is one of them. You’re not soone who can know everything. That’s the rule of this world. It’s the rule of the world’s creator," he explained.
"No! I will know everything. This is about my existence. How can you deny my existence so casually? I’m human. I’m a human created by you gods. But you’re saying I shouldn’t exist?" I protested, frustration bubbling inside .
"That is the rule prescribed for you," he reiterated.
"No! I reject that rule. I’m not a puppet. I won’t dance to your whims. I’m a human being. I have every right to live. Why should I die to further soone else’s agenda? Is this all a setup to let another climb the ladder using my life? I won’t allow it," I declared as I tried to leave the space he had created.
"Going? Where to? To the husband who has another woman? Who only took you in out of desperation? Is that the life you desire?" he questioned, causing to halt in my tracks.
"Do you want your life to be like that? Choose carefully, Bernice!" he urged.
"I don’t need to consult you on my life. I can shape my own destiny," I retorted, a hint of defiance in my tone.
"And the next ti you bind Erios without my permission, I won’t hold back," I warned.
"Erios? I bound him? What makes you think that? Did he tell you that?" he inquired.
"No."
"Then why do you assu I restrained him?" he pressed.
"Then why wasn’t he with when he usually appears whenever I need him? Where was he? If it wasn’t you, who did it? Who prevented him from coming to his master?" I demanded, my frustration mounting.
"Bernice, do you believe I’m the only god in this universe? No, right? Use your intellect. Who could it be? I can’t disclose everything. So things are even beyond the reach of gods, and this includes ," he explained before vanishing, leaving to awaken from my sleep.
"There are other gods. Are they after as well? Do they not want to live? Are they willing to do anything to end my life? Why? Was Erios with them? Did they prevent him from coming to ? Is this what god Lunar is trying to convey to ?" I muttered.
"Erios!!!!" I shouted his na, fixating on the ceiling.
"Yes, master, you called?" he instantly appeared.
"Was it your creator?" I inquired.
"What?" he asked, bewildered.
"Did your creator stop you from coming to ? Was it him who kept you away from ? Is he displeased with you being by my side?" I bombarded him with questions, my desperation evident.
"Did he tell you to stop coming to ? Is he preventing you from being with ? Is he the one you ntioned?" I continued to bombard him with questions, my desperation growing by the mont.
Erios remained silent for a brief mont, and then he spoke, his voice filled with an unusual seriousness, "Master, I cannot disclose all that transpires in the realm of the gods. But I am bound to protect you, and nothing, not even the gods, can change that."
His words left with a sense of unease. There was much I didn’t understand, and the answers seed to slip further away with each question.
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