"Duchess!" a voice called from the room. Was it Vix?
"Yes? What brings you here?" I asked.
"Duchess, I’d like to talk to you about sothing," she requested in a hushed tone.
"You may enter," I replied, turning away from her. She stepped inside, and I heard the door close. A familiar feeling of unease crept over , the sensation that had persistently whispered that I had no place in his heart.
"Duchess!" She called to .
"Speak, what do you wish to say?" I responded without facing her.
"Duchess, you know why I’m here. I understand that you might be deeply hurt, but this isn’t what you think it is. I don’t know what the Duke may have told you, but-"
I interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. "What my husband has told is none of your concern. Please, tell the purpose of your visit."
"Yes, Duchess. Actually, you have it all wrong. There is no romantic involvent between and the Duke. You shouldn’t let such thoughts cloud your judgnt," she said timidly. Yet, her words felt like mockery, as if soone was explaining to my own relationship with my husband, sothing I should know better than anyone else. Why did it feel like my worth was being determined by others?
"Is this what you desired, Bernice?" the god’s whisper echoed in my ear, a reminder that I might have made a grave mistake.
"You may leave," I told her.
"But, Duchess-"
"I heard what you had to say. Isn’t that why I allowed you into my room? Your explanation is complete, so you may go now," I stated, not giving her another opportunity to speak. She left, and my heart felt as if it were being squeezed, with a sense of dread gnawing at . What if my suspicions were correct? What if he had truly plotted to end my life? What if he had sent assassins to eliminate so that there would be no barrier between him and her?
The re thought of his smile at the sight of my demise sent shivers down my spine. Imagining him holding her in his arms, feeling his lips on hers - it all pained more than the physical agony of death.
"Madam! Have you done sothing?" Alex entered the room without preamble.
"What do you an, ’have I done sothing’?" I asked, my brows furrowing.
"I just saw Vix leaving your room in tears," he ntioned.
"I can’t believe you’ve co to ask this. Or should I say, I must truly have the worst luck to hear such words from you, Duke," I replied with a bitter smile.
The tension in the room grew palpable, like a storm ready to unleash its fury.
"What are you trying to say?" Alex retorted.
"What am I trying to say? Don’t you already know? How long do you plan to maintain this façade with ? Just act the way you did when I first arrived at the mansion, slicing a worker’s throat because they didn’t et your expectations. Or should I say because they beca an obstacle in your path?" I said bitterly.
"Madam!!! It’s all in your imagination," he attempted to deny.
"No, it’s not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have co here to ask why she left crying. As if her tears are my fault. As if everything that happens in this mansion is my fault. If soone dies tomorrow, are you going to bla for not managing the household properly and say they died because of ? Or will you place your sword at my throat and slit it, ending my life with your own hands?" I rambled, losing control of my words.
Tension hung heavy in the room, the air thick with unspoken accusations.
"Madam!!! Snap out of it!!! Break free from this delusion you’re in!!! Nothing like that will happen! I could never bla you, even if you did sothing wrong. This is your ho. This state is yours. The workers are yours. You can do as you please!!! No one will stop you. So, stop making baseless assumptions," he urged, shaking in an attempt to bring back to reality.
I could feel his frustration and anger, his grip on my arm becoming firr.
"What are you doing to my master?" another voice suddenly interjected. It was Erios.
"Let her go!!!" Erios’s voice bood, the blue flas surrounding him reflecting his anger toward Alex.
"Who gave you permission to enter this room? Do you think that just because you’re a holy sword, you can co and go as you please? Haven’t you been taught etiquette?" Alex responded angrily.
"Yeah, I don’t need to hear that from you, especially when you left my master in this mansion to die. Or are you responsible for the deaths of the previous Duke and Duchess, just like the incident yesterday?" Erios’s voice grew colder as he broached this topic.
"You’re pushing your limits!!!" Alex said, his grip on my arm tightening and causing pain.
"Both of you, shut up!!!" I shouted, pushing them away from .
"What do you think you’re doing? Having fun? Or is this so kind of battle? If it’s a battle, then take it to the battlefield and leave alone. I already have enough on my plate. I can’t handle any more of this," I scread, my voice echoing with frustration.
"Madam!"
"Master!"
Their voices blended together, creating a dissonant symphony of chaos. My heart raced, and I could feel the room closing in on , the walls bearing witness to my anguish.
"Why are you both circling around like this? I never accepted either of you. I don’t consider you my husband, and I refuse to be Erios’s master. So, leave alone! I want to live in peace. I don’t want to die!!!" I shouted again, my voice trembling with a mix of anger, fear, and confusion.
My chest heaved with each breath, and the room seed to swirl around , a whirlwind of emotions and accusations that threatened to consu whole.
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