How To End This Marriage-Chapter 48: Echoes of Intrigue

"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 me.

"You’re well aware of the Emperor’s vast authority. He can eliminate anyone without a trace. He can make someone 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. Time 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 meet you."

Is the culprit coming to me 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 me.

"The marriage was approved by him, so he wishes to meet you, to understand the Duchess you are. I assure you, it’s nothing more than that," he explained, a hint of awkwardness in his demeanor.

"So, if he doesn’t like me, will he annul the marriage?" I asked playfully, flashing a mischievous smile.

"Madam!! No!" he exclaimed, 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 meeting the Emperor," I muttered to myself, the prospect of this encounter filling me 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 me, his presence a reassuring anchor in the midst of uncertainty.

"What can you tell me 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 me," 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 something about his creator that I shouldn’t know? Is he just another god? Is there something 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 name 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 me 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 me?" Erios asked in a panic, his worry for me 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 me?" My voice came out louder than I intended, a hint of frustration tingeing my words.

"Master?" Erios looked at me with a shocked expression, as though I were some 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 something was amiss.

"They’re red," he replied, causing me to glance at the study’s window. It terrified me. Who was this person? Was it me? Was I the monstrous figure I saw? No, I couldn’t be. I wasn’t a monster. I wasn’t a monster.

"Bernice!!!!!" Someone called my name loudly again, this voice was not hatred, their words echoing in my ears.

"Bernice, snap out of it!" the voice shouted, shaking me from within, its urgency pulling me 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 me," 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 me!" he persisted, his loyalty and worry for me unshaken.

"I said there’s nothing. Can’t you hear me?" 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 metallic 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 me to grapple with the mysteries that enveloped my life, the looming encounter with the Emperor, and the haunting voice that had shaken me to my core.

"But, I’m looking forward to meeting the Emperor," I muttered to myself, a mix of anticipation and trepidation welling within me, uncertain of the revelations that awaited in the days to come.

My vision blurred, and the weight of exhaustion threatened to pull me into a deep slumber. My eyes struggled to remain open, but I could sense someone 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 something happens to her," a commanding voice ordered sternly, the words cutting through the fog of drowsiness that enveloped me.

"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 me! 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 me! Touch me 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 me to fight the fatigue that threatened to consume me.

"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 me seemed 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 me, but my own strength waned, and I teetered on the precipice of unconsciousness, uncertain of what lay beyond.