How To End This Marriage-Chapter 145: Bernice’s Return

"Duchess, give this another thought!" Duke Alexavier Agnes said.

"One less year wouldn’t change my mind. My decision is made. The contract is over, let’s reclaim our lives," Duchess Bernice declared with a brittle smile.

She turned towards the door, ready to leave, when Duke interjected, "What if I say I can make this marriage worth it?"

"What are you implying, Duke?" The Duchess asked, her voice cool without turning back.

"This marriage may have begun due to circumstance, but what if the true reason for its continuation isn’t circumstance, but love?" he stated, earning a humorless chuckle from her.

"Love? A foreign concept to me," Duchess chuckled, her smile fading into a bitter bite. "I’ve forgotten what it means to fall in love, how it feels, how unbidden love blooms."

"Duchess, did you have a lover before?" Duke ventured cautiously.

"Lover? Isn’t that reserved for someone who loves you back? I never reached that stage. But I might say the one I fell for was a traitor. Every word, a lie. He mocked my feelings, made me a spectacle, less than a bug in his life."Bernice’s anger flared, then subsided as quickly as it came. She took a deep breath. "Please, forget everything I just said. I hold no grudges."

She flashed that chilling smile again, sending shivers down the spines of those nearby.

"No, Duchess, you should hold grudges!" Duke countered, his voice firm.

"What did you say?" The Duchess’s eyes narrowed.

"I said, hold onto your anger towards those who wronged you. You seem to crave it." Duke’s expression remained neutral, but his words held a hidden meaning.

"Crave it? What a ridiculous notion! If I craved it, you wouldn’t be standing there. You’d be in those hands that held my sword, your throat slashed just like mine was!" The Duchess thought, her glare burning holes into him.

"Duchess, what are you thinking?" Duke pressed.

"Nothing," she said dismissively. "You want to help with my grudge?"

"Of course!" Duke declared. "I’ll do anything you ask, as long as you don’t bring up the contract."

"The contract can wait. First, I have revenge to serve." She smiled, a dark, predatory smile, as she imagined the demise of those who had taken her life.

"Master!" a familiar voice called out, snapping her back to reality.

"Erios?" The Duchess exclaimed, turning towards the source.

"Yes, Master, it is I!" Erios’s voice boomed.

"Why are you here?" she asked, a flicker of genuine warmth in her eyes.

"Master, I am your holy sword. Wherever you are, so am I." Erios’s voice resonated with unwavering loyalty.

"Oh, is that so? I wouldn’t have known, considering the months I spent locked away, and my holy sword didn’t grace me with his presence." The Duchess’s smile returned, hinting at a deeper story yet to be revealed.

"Master, you know that I- ’’ Before Erios could finish, Bernice stopped him.

"Yes, yes, of course I understand your concern. I wasn’t wishing you there either." She smiled once again.

"Master, are you okay? You aren’t injured anywhere, are you?" he asked.

"Why, if I were, would you have come to save me?" Bernice said, a playful glint in her eyes.

Erios started to reply, but she cut him off with another laugh. "Just a joke!"

She stepped outside the door, where she saw the prince and princess standing. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"We weren’t listening," Princess Vixara clarified, a hint of unease in her voice.

"Did I say anything, princess? I didn’t. Why the tense atmosphere? I’m no longer your master. If something bad happened, you could just hold me accountable, and I wouldn’t bat an eye."

"Duchess! Don’t say it like that!" Vixara exclaimed, placing a hand on Bernice’s lips.

"Duchess, you sound so different. What’s happened to you? Did someone do something? Tell me, I need to know! I’ll make sure they’re held accountable for what they did to you."

"You can punish them? Ha!!! Aren’t you the one who was having intimate time with my wedded husband when I was getting executed? And you said you will punish? Can you punish yourself? Can you pull out that head of yours from your neck?" Bernice thought once again.

Bernice’s smile faltered slightly. "I’ll handle my matters, princess. I appreciate your concern."

She bowed, and as she straightened, Sylvia pulled the crown prince away by his sleeve.

"What’s wrong? Why are you pulling me like that?" Prince Maximus asked.

"There’s something I need to tell you, but not here," Sylvia said urgently.

"What is it?"

She leaned in and whispered, "The duchess is lying."

The prince’s eyes widened. "What do you mean? And where were you after I arrived at the palace? Why did you vanish?"

Sylvia’s voice dropped to a hushed tone. "Your father, the Emperor, ordered me sent to a dark place. He locked me away until I died. That’s where I found the duchess, trapped in enchanted circles, crying for help. But there was someone else with her, someone who didn’t seem human."

The prince’s jaw clenched. "Who was it?"

Sylvia shook her head. "I’m not sure, but the duchess called them the Supreme God, worshiped by the people of this empire. That’s why I know she’s lying. She wasn’t just imprisoned; she was tortured. We haven’t eaten for months, yet we’re alive. How? She was there even longer, and yet she seems...different. She smiles like something big is about to happen, and we’re all in the dark."

"And why would the duchess do that? What must be the reason behind it?" he asked.

"Only she knows," Sylvia said, her voice laced with suspicion. "But whatever happened with her must be connected to something larger, something we’re not yet aware of."

"I don’t think this is anything to worry about," the Crown Prince dismissed, walking towards the duchess.

"What’s wrong, Crown Prince? Is there any trouble with my return?" The Duchess asked, her smile unwavering.

"No, not at all! You must be tired. I’ll instruct the maid to prepare your room."

"No, before that, I’d like to speak with the Emperor," she insisted, her smile turning determined. "Your father. I have something important to discuss."

The Crown Prince and Duke exchanged a wary glance.

"Why? You can talk to us, or you can tell the judicial team," the Crown Prince offered, his voice guarded.

"No," Duchess countered, her voice firm. "This is a matter of utmost importance, and it can only be discussed with him alone. Give me a few moments with him, and then I’ll be at your disposal."

The Crown Prince and Duke hesitated, then eventually relented.

"Alright, follow me," the Crown Prince said, leading the way with a lamp in hand.

They descended into the underground prison, the air thick with dampness and the echo of distant footsteps.

"Be careful," the Crown Prince warned. "There are prisoners down here. Stay close."

"I’m fine," Duchess reassured, her eyes scanning the dark tunnels with a flicker of curiosity.

After a long walk, they reached a solitary cell where the Emperor sat chained, his head bowed.

"May I enter?" Duchess asked, her voice echoing in the silence.

The Duke started to protest, but Duchess silenced him with a look.

"I need to speak with him," she declared, her voice ringing with conviction. "Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll be back."

The Crown Prince and Duke nodded reluctantly, retreating to a safe distance.

Duchess stepped inside the cell, the heavy door clanging shut behind her. The Emperor looked up, his eyes wide with shock.

"You!" he gasped. "How did you escape? How did you break free from the Supreme God’s grasp?"

Duchess smiled enigmatically. "It seems I was destined to break free, just as you were destined to rot here," she said, her voice laced with a dangerous undercurrent.

"Don’t you dare mock me!" the Emperor roared, his voice raw with anger. "I am the Emperor!"

"The Emperor?" Duchess scoffed. "You are nothing more than a prisoner now. A pathetic shadow of your former self, soon to be executed or forgotten in this darkness. But I," she said, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper, "I will make you suffer the pain you inflicted on me. I saw through your charade, your fatherly act. You were consumed by your daughter’s betrayal, blinded by your own selfish desires. And now, you reap what you sow."

The Emperor recoiled, his face contorted in fear and confusion.

"What are you saying?" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper.

"Ha! You may not remember," Duchess laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "But I recall every detail. And seeing you here, desperate and broken, I realize you were never truly good. I simply failed to see your true nature."

She reached into her shoe and produced a glint of metal, its purpose chillingly clear.

"This is the moment I could never have achieved, even with the greatest effort. So why shouldn’t I finalize my most anticipated work right now, Your Highness the Emperor?"