How To End This Marriage-Chapter 39: Unveiling Shadows

"You don’t have an answer, right?" I inquired, but once again, silence filled the room, deepening my suspicions.

"Please, leave!"

"Let’s maintain our relationship as employer and employee, and I will provide you with the contract paper as soon as it’s ready," I stated.

"No!" he objected.

"I’m not taking ’no’ for an answer, so leave. You’ll receive the contract papers in a day or two, so be patient until then. But don’t worry; I will fulfill my duties as required, so you don’t have to concern yourself with that," I declared, closing the door firmly in his face.

I collapsed onto my bed, a whirlwind of thoughts tearing through my mind, threatening to overwhelm me. I had thought that once I got past this stage, everything would fall into place, but now the situation seemed even more tangled. How had that assassin died so mysteriously before I could extract any answers? Did they hold their own name in higher regard than their own life? Or was it the work of someone in a position of power?

"Duchess, the workers have assembled in the hall," Grant informed me.

"I’ll be there," I replied, rising from the bed. As I attempted to leave the room, Erios finally materialized.

"Master! Are you alright?" he inquired with genuine concern, his first words to me.

"That’s what I should be asking. What happened? You claimed you could read my mind, understand my inner thoughts, yet you didn’t reach out to me. Why? Is it because I can’t defy my fate? Is that why you couldn’t connect with me?" I questioned.

"I cannot say," he responded, sealing his lips like the others. What was transpiring? Why was everyone so tight-lipped when my life was hanging in the balance?

"Alright, I won’t press further. Please give me room to exit the room," I requested. He complied, but instead of heading downstairs, I lingered in the room, observing the reactions of the gathered workers. They didn’t appear frightened in the least; they simply stood in a disciplined formation.

A wry smile played on my lips.

"Duchess, why have you summoned us?" one of them inquired.

"Why indeed? You want to know why I’ve gathered you all?" I retorted.

"We don’t comprehend your intentions, Duchess," they replied.

"Oh, don’t you? Really? I thought I was speaking plainly enough. Why can’t you understand then?" I prodded.

"We are at a loss, Duchess," one began to say.

"I wonder what compelled each of you to work in this mansion. Is it that you can leave the mansion at night like it’s a haunted place? Or is it that this mansion requires no guidance or guards for its protection? Is that what the conditions were?" I inquired.

"We have committed a sin," they all knelt as they confessed.

"So, you are aware of your actions? Yet, none of you seem to have considered the consequences? Remarkable! I didn’t think you all were so ignorant," I said, pacing from one corner to another.

In this charged atmosphere, the truth remained hidden, and I was determined to uncover it.

"Show mercy!" they collectively pleaded.

"Show mercy? To all of you? Did you take me for a saint? Do you believe someone would save those who plotted to end my life?" I retorted, arching an eyebrow.

"We did no such thing," they insisted.

"We only went to visit the night market, it’s so famous," one of them explained.

"Oh, you all decided to go together? How convenient!" I remarked with a smile.

"And who inspired this brilliant idea of visiting the night market?" I inquired. It was clear that not all of them could have been involved in such a plot, given the magnitude of the situation.

"It was...it was..." one of them stammered.

"Yes, tell me who dared to disobey my orders," I pressed.

"Duchess, we’re not certain who it was. There was a woman in a hood selling posters, and she informed us that everything would be free on the first day of the market. So, we thought, why not go," one of them confessed.

A woman in a hood? I had no acquaintances in this state, let alone anyone who might despise me. So why would someone do something like this?

"Yes, Duchess! We didn’t do anything you’re accusing us of. Please, spare our lives," they pleaded once more.

"You may all return to your duties," I instructed, without providing further explanation.

The situation was spiraling out of control. First, I had died and somehow traveled back in time. Then, I attempted to change past events, only to face death once more. I had met Erios, who had become my holy sword. I had even encountered a god. Yet, many aspects of this world remained beyond my grasp. Was someone targeting Alex’s family? His parents had been murdered, and he was still hunting their killers. Now, were assassins sent to eliminate me? Or was I misinterpreting everything, and Alex was the mastermind behind all this, orchestrating my "assassination" to cover up an affair?

"Madam!" Alex’s voice snapped me back to reality.

"Yes, Duke, how may I assist you?" I replied.

"You don’t have to be so formal with me," he insisted.

"No, I must be. How could I casually address the war hero? If I did, do you think my head would remain on my shoulders for more than a minute?" I repeated my earlier sentiments.

"Madam, it’s not what you think. How many times must I explain?" he said in frustration.

"You don’t need to explain anything to me. As I mentioned before, I’m here for only a year. Once that year is up, I’ll be on my way, and you can marry your beloved and lead a happy life. You can find your true duchess that way," I stated.

"You are my duchess!" he declared loudly, as if he were asserting me for the first time in my life.

The atmosphere remained thick with tension and unanswered questions, leaving me to ponder the mysteries that seemed to enshroud this mansion.