How To End This Marriage-Chapter 30: Unveiling Truths and Tensions

"Madam, this isn’t what you believe," he tried to convince me, 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 me that you married me because you wanted to? If that’s the truth, then why? It’s not like we’ve ever met 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 seemed. "I’m going back to my room. You can get some sleep."

But I couldn’t let the matter rest. The questions burned within me. "Why? You haven’t answered my question. Do you have ulterior motives for marrying me? If so, I’d like to know." I lowered my voice, feigning vulnerability, attempting to probe for the truth.

He turned to face me, his eyes meeting mine, and spoke my name for what felt like the first time. "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 me. "What? I know? How?" I looked at him, completely puzzled.

"As you said, I do have a need for a wife. I want someone 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 remembered the consequences of my previous inquiries. Why had I brought up this topic again? A strange unease washed over me, as if he might lash out at me, right here, right now, on our first day together. It prompted me to close my eyes briefly.

"How did you know?" he asked.

I clenched my fists, gripping the sheets on the bed. "I..." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

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 me 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 member 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 someone’s life is documented in a book, it would surely mention how they died, even if there’s not much information, but some 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 me.

"I’m not trying to be rude," he repeated after me, a statement that, despite my growing calm, seemed to irritate me 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 me."

"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 me." My heart ached, and the pain became 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 me.

"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 demeanor 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 me, right? Did this guy do something 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 me by my name. Or are you unaware of the rule that a holy member can only be addressed by name once they’ve formed 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 me to remind you?"

"What is he saying? Why is he speaking in this manner or behaving like this? Is there something going on between them that I’m unaware of?" I wondered aloud, my thoughts spiraling into a tangled mess of confusion.

The Duke’s cryptic responses and Erios’s fierce protectiveness had left me bewildered. My head ached with the weight of unanswered questions, and the situation only seemed to grow more perplexing.

"Is it truly the rules of calling the holy sword? Or could it be something 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 become an unwitting boundary, a pillar standing between them, causing them to appear as if they stood on opposite sides.