"Madam, saying things like that, anyone who hears you might think you’re planning to seize the throne," he cautioned, his tone serious and concerned, his eyes filled with worry.
"Oh, should they?" I replied with a sly smile, leaning back in my chair, the faint aroma of coffee lingering in the air.
"As I said, I’m not joking," he stated firmly, his voice laced with a sense of urgency.
"I’m not joking either, Duke. If my suspicions are correct, then the Emperor himself may be the main culprit," I declared, my tone growing serious once more, my fingers tracing patterns on the contract papers before .
"You’re well aware of the Emperor’s vast authority. He can eliminate anyone without a trace. He can make soone vanish without a trace. So, think about it. I’m confident I can uncover the truth," I stated calmly, taking another sip of my coffee, its warmth contrasting with the chill in the room.
"I’m not so sure," he responded, looking away, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Duke, you have one day to decide and sign the contract afterward. Ti is not on my side; I have only a year, and it will pass in the blink of an eye. Do you understand?" I asked, locking eyes with him, my determination unwavering.
"Yes, Madam," he replied and started to leave. However, he paused before he could exit the room.
"Oh, by the way," he began, "the Emperor wishes to et you."
Is the culprit coming to willingly? I couldn’t believe it. This was turning out to be more exciting than I had anticipated.
"Why, Duke?" I asked, feigning indifference, though curiosity gnawed at .
"The marriage was approved by him, so he wishes to et you, to understand the Duchess you are. I assure you, it’s nothing more than that," he explained, a hint of awkwardness in his deanor.
"So, if he doesn’t like , will he annul the marriage?" I asked playfully, flashing a mischievous smile.
"Madam!! No!" he exclaid, his eyes widening in shock at the thought.
"Ha ha, I was only joking, Duke," I chuckled, watching as he left the room, his departure marking the end of our conversation. Had I laughed a little too much? But it was rather entertaining to see the Duke display emotions I had never witnessed before.
"But, I’m looking forward to eting the Emperor," I muttered to myself, the prospect of this encounter filling with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
"Erios!!!" I called out to the holy sword, my voice echoing in the room.
"Yes, Master!" Erios knelt before , his presence a reassuring anchor in the midst of uncertainty.
"What can you tell about the Emperor?" I inquired, seeking insights into the enigmatic figure at the center of my suspicions.
"The Emperor? Um, I’m not entirely sure, but I do know that he always prays to my creator," Erios responded, evading my questions about his creator, a shroud of secrecy veiling his origins.
"Your creator?" I prodded, my curiosity growing more insistent.
"What kind of person is your creator?" I pressed further, determined to unravel the mysteries surrounding Erios and his maker.
"Master, I can’t..." Erios hesitated, his words trailing off as he grappled with his internal conflict.
"Think of it as an order from ," I urged, my tone firm, my desire for answers overriding his reservations.
"Master, I object to that order," he resisted, his loyalty to his creator clashing with my insistence.
"Why? Why is he so insistent on hiding his creator’s identity? Is there sothing about his creator that I shouldn’t know? Is he just another god? Is there sothing about his creator that should remain hidden from the world?" I wondered aloud, my frustration mounting as I probed the depths of this enigma.
"Bernice!!!!!" I heard my na being called with a deep-seated hatred, as though my very existence was despised. Why did this voice make my heart race? Why did it feel like my heart would stop if I heard it again?
"Master!!!!!" Erios’s voice brought back to reality, his concern evident in every syllable.
"Master, what’s happening? I’m scared. I don’t know what’s going on with you. I don’t know why you’re acting like this. Is it because of ?" Erios asked in a panic, his worry for overshadowing his own confusion.
"Did I anger you and cause this? No, right? Or is it about my creator?" he speculated in a hushed tone, his mind racing to find an explanation.
"I said there’s nothing. Can’t you hear ?" My voice ca out louder than I intended, a hint of frustration tingeing my words.
"Master?" Erios looked at with a shocked expression, as though I were so kind of monster, his concern deepening.
"Master, your eyes?" he pointed out, his voice trembling slightly.
"My eyes? What happened to my eyes?" I questioned, my own apprehension mounting as I realized sothing was amiss.
"They’re red," he replied, causing to glance at the study’s window. It terrified . Who was this person? Was it ? Was I the monstrous figure I saw? No, I couldn’t be. I wasn’t a monster. I wasn’t a monster.
"Bernice!!!!!" Soone called my na loudly again, this voice was not hatred, their words echoing in my ears.
"Bernice, snap out of it!" the voice shouted, shaking from within, its urgency pulling back from the abyss.
"Bernice, stand up. You’re not a monster," the voice urged, its gentleness a lifeline in the darkness.
"Yes, I’m not a monster," I muttered to myself, clinging to that fragile truth as I fought to regain control.
"Master, what’s happening? I don’t understand. Please, tell ," Erios implored, his voice a mix of fear and concern.
"I’m fine, Erios. Don’t be afraid," I assured him, forcing a weak smile as I attempted to reassure both of us.
"I’m fine," I repeated, though the unease still gnawed at the edges of my consciousness, a foreboding presence that refused to be ignored.
"You can go now," I instructed Erios, dismissing him with a wave of my hand, though questions and uncertainties continued to whirl in my mind.
"Master, you can tell !" he persisted, his loyalty and worry for unshaken.
"I said there’s nothing. Can’t you hear ?" My voice held a note of finality, signaling the end of our conversation for now, though the unsettling events of the day lingered, casting a shadow over the future.
"Master?" Erios hesitated, his concern etched in the lines of his tallic face.
"Go, Erios," I urged, my tone softening, a semblance of gratitude in my eyes for his unwavering support.
And so, Erios left, departing from the room, leaving to grapple with the mysteries that enveloped my life, the looming encounter with the Emperor, and the haunting voice that had shaken to my core.
"But, I’m looking forward to eting the Emperor," I muttered to myself, a mix of anticipation and trepidation welling within , uncertain of the revelations that awaited in the days to co.
My vision blurred, and the weight of exhaustion threatened to pull into a deep slumber. My eyes struggled to remain open, but I could sense soone approaching. The footsteps echoed with urgency, as if the person were fleeing from an impending threat, their fear palpable in the rapid rhythm of their gait. I can see the person who I always see in my dream.
"What are you doing? Save her! Or there won’t be a single soul left if sothing happens to her," a commanding voice ordered sternly, the words cutting through the fog of drowsiness that enveloped .
"Save her! Save her!" I could hear cries, a chorus of desperate voices pleading, their tones a tumultuous blend of fear and anguish.
"Bernice, wake up! Open your eyes! Look at ! Bernice!" a voice urged with a sense of desperation, as though my very existence hung in the balance.
"Bernice!" another voice called out, the word heavy with a depth of emotion that sent shivers down my spine.
"Love!" a voice cried out, laden with an intensity of feeling that defied description.
"Wake up! Look at ! Touch with your own hand!" another voice implored, their words laced with a profound sorrow that echoed in the recesses of my consciousness.
The pain in these voices was palpable, a raw and unfiltered anguish that reverberated through my being. I struggled against the encroaching darkness, the urgency in their pleas compelling to fight the fatigue that threatened to consu .
"Why so much pain in the voice?" I wondered, my thoughts swirling in the hazy liminal space between sleep and wakefulness, my heart heavy with an inexplicable sorrow.
The room around seed to waver, its contours shifting and undulating as if caught in the throes of a surreal dream. I longed to respond to the cries, to reach out and comfort those who called to , but my own strength waned, and I teetered on the precipice of unconsciousness, uncertain of what lay beyond.
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