How To End This Marriage-Chapter 36: Revelations and Resolutions

"Master."

"What happened?"

"Why are you being like this?" I heard a familiar voice.

"Master, it is me, Erios. Please look at me!" he said while gently holding my hands.

I finally managed to breathe properly. As he rubbed my palm, he crumbled the letters I had received from Excalibur, which made me relax my grip on his hand.

"Master, are you okay now?"

"Should I bring some water for you?"

"Or should I call the doctor?"

He bombarded me with questions, and it made me smile a bit.

"No, I’m alright," I said as I walked into my room, with Erios following me.

As I sat down on my bed, I couldn’t help but ask, "Did you come to know about this connection?"

"Yes, I’ve learned about it," he replied.

"There are so many rules regarding the contract that I’ve never heard of before. Maybe it’s because no one has ever been able to summon anyone out of desperation like you did," he said.

"So, what is it?"

"Basically, the first thing is that you have every right to make me do anything you desire. You can control your own body and mine. Our souls are bound together by our blood, just like how twins are connected to each other."

"Twins?"

"Yes, twins. When twins are born, they often share their thoughts with each other. They start developing a connection inside their mother’s womb, allowing them to understand each other’s thoughts and emotions. It’s similar for us."

"Twin connection? Just like siblings."

"Yes, just like siblings," he confirmed. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I have no idea why it’s like this, and there’s no written explanation, but we can share our emotions, thoughts, and feelings. I can feel your pain, your emotions, and I can read your thoughts as if we were twins. You can’t make it stop," he explained.

So, there was something real about it. Even though I didn’t fully understand, I couldn’t deny what I had experienced, especially when he froze upon my command.

"So, tell me what it is this time?"

"What has the Duke done to you now?"

"Did he raise his voice at you?"

"Did he hurt you?"

"Or did he hit you?"

"Tell me, and I’ll handle it," he said with a worried expression.

"No, there’s nothing I want."

"But I want you to promise me one thing," I said.

"What is it?"

"When I complete my one year of marriage, help me break free from this marriage. Help me escape from here at any cost. Will you do it?" I asked.

I didn’t know what his response would be, but I hoped it would come true.

"I will do everything you want," he agreed and left my room. For a while, I had some peace from thoughts of Alex and Vix, but as he left, their images returned, tormenting me like jesters trying to make people laugh no matter the circumstances.

"Duchess, may I come inside?" I heard Grant’s voice.

"Yes," I replied.

"Duchess, I know you’ve been working hard, but this is urgent."

"Winter is approaching, but we have zero plans in place. The entire place is always buried in freezing ice because there’s been no preparation or organization. This year, you need to oversee this, or..."

He stopped, leaving a tense silence.

"Or?" I asked.

"Or this year, there will be more deaths than before," he said, his gaze fixed on the floor.

More deaths? I couldn’t even imagine it. Just the thought alone was terrifying.

"I will call for a winter meeting," I said, and he left the room, handing me a file.

As I reviewed all the files, it became clear that the accounting part was a complete mess. There was no record of where the budget for the mansion had been spent. Many sections were incomplete, with no mention of how funds had been allocated.

Where was all the budget going?

Apart from the three bedrooms used by me, Alex, and Erios, the clothing in the other rooms looked shabby, as if it were more than ten or fifteen years old. Could Ablia be in such dire straits?

"No, I need to address this," I decided and walked out of my room. Maids were cleaning the stairs, their uniforms also looking old and worn.

"Hey," I called out to one of the younger maids.

"Yes, Duchess, how can I assist you?" she asked, wiping her wet hands on her dress.

"How old are you?" I inquired.

"I’m not sure," she replied, leaving me surprised.

"You don’t know how old you are? Are you certain?" I pressed further.

"Duchess, she turned fifteen this year," another maid chimed in.

"Isn’t she too young to be here?" I questioned.

"No, Duchess, this is actually quite late. I’ve been working here since I was thirteen. I used to come here with my mother, and now I’m one of them," she said. She must be in her late 30s now, which meant she had spent half her life working here.

Just how disorganized was this place?

"Alright, so why is your dress so dirty? Don’t you have another uniform?" I asked, noticing the stains.

As I questioned her, everyone in the room seemed to be watching me intently.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" I asked, puzzled by their reactions.

"Duchess, we were given these dresses five years ago, during New Year’s," the same maid replied, making me feel guilty. How could they wear the same dress every day for five years? Even if they washed it every night, it would eventually fade and fray.

"I will find a solution," I said as I headed to his study.

I was furious now, unable to keep my cool. How could the Duke let things deteriorate to this extent? How could he not see that people were suffering?

"Duke, may I come inside?" I asked.

"Yes," he responded promptly.

"Madam, you don’t need to ask permission before entering," he commented, although his eyes remained focused on his paperwork.

I didn’t say anything but placed the papers on his table, even though he was already busy.

"What’s this?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"It’s what you needed to know and do," I replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Duke, I don’t know what state this place was in, but it’s worse than I imagined. I know you married me to manage the state and the mansion, but how could you ignore people dying? How could you turn a blind eye to the deteriorating state of the mansion’s curtains? I don’t understand," I said, my frustration mounting.

"I still don’t understand what you’re trying to say," he said, rubbing his temple.

"Look at these papers and tell me where all the money went. Is there any record of how the budget was spent? Is there any proper documentation? No, right? So how could you neglect to ask about the budget you were providing? Or perhaps you simply didn’t allocate any funds, letting people suffer while you turned a blind eye?" My frustration boiled over, and I even mentioned the maids’ deaths, which was a mistake.

"Grant!" His voice was loud enough to make him come and stand beside me instantly.

"Yes, Duke," Grant replied.

"Gather everyone in the living room. Right now!" he ordered.

"But Duke, what’s going on?" Grant still questioned.

"Can’t you hear me? Or do you want me to repeat myself at the tip of a knife?" I could sense my own fear.