How To End This Marriage-Chapter 64: A Clash of Realities

As I looked around, still dazed, a disheveled woman suddenly came running towards me, catching me off guard. She moved with an almost animalistic desperation, crawling on her hands and climbing onto my body.

"Give me this! Give me yourself. I’ll be rich in an instant. Give me the dress you’re wearing. Give me all the money you have, and I’ll buy a year’s worth of food for myself," she pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation.

Fearful for both her safety and my own, I attempted to calm her down. "Hey, hey! Stop doing this. I’ll give you food, as much as you want, but stop climbing on me like that, or we’ll both fall," I pleaded. Despite my words, she continued to scratch at me, leaving painful marks on my shoulders.

Erios, my loyal companion, moved to intervene, but I halted him. "Stop it, Erios!" I shouted. "She’s not a beggar."

"If she’s not a beggar, then everyone present in this place should be called beggars as well," I added, directing my gaze at the others nearby.

"Lady, come with me. I’ll get food for you. You don’t have to be scared. You don’t have to behave like this to get food. I’ll take care of the food and you too. So come with me!" I offered, extending my hand towards her. The woman’s eyes filled with tears of relief as she accepted my help.

I walked with the woman to a nearby store, but as I tried to enter, a waiter came outside, blocking my way.

"You can’t enter here with this beggar," he said with a dismissive tone, referring to the woman. I was infuriated.

"Why can’t I enter? And why do you call her a beggar when seventy percent of the population looks the same as her?" I retorted, my patience wearing thin.

"I can’t say, but you can’t enter this shop with a beggar. If you want to, you can, but she can’t. We have our reputation to maintain, to keep our heads held high with dignity. If we start letting these beggars inside, our reputation will be ruined. They will run without paying for the food. Then what should we do? We’re not running a shelter for orphans; we’re running a business to feed ourselves. So this is the rule," he explained arrogantly.

I decided to test his assumptions further. "How can you be so sure that I can pay for the food? Just because I look like I’m from a respectable family doesn’t guarantee anything," I challenged.

The waiter’s greedy eyes gleamed. "Look at yourself! You look like someone from a reputable family, so you must have gold coins in your wallet," he said.

"Very well, fine! I’ll see how long you can maintain this smug attitude," I declared before walking away. My only option now was to take the woman back to the mansion. I couldn’t allow her to roam the streets, even though I knew she wasn’t alone, and many others were suffering as well.

"Erios, let’s return," I instructed.

"Are you going to enter just like this?" Erios asked.

"Yes, we’ll go through the main entrance," I replied, pushing open the main gate myself. I had decided to face the misinterpretations and accusations head-on.

"Duchess, you’ve returned! Let me inform the Duke," one of the guards hurried inside to deliver the news to Alex. The other guards remained in their positions, casting suspicious glances my way.

"Madam! You’ve returned? Where were you? I searched everywhere for you from the moment I heard of your disappearance," Alex said, panting heavily.

"Why? Why did you search for me after my disappearance? Didn’t anyone inform you when I left through the main entrance?" I asked, holding onto the woman’s shoulder.

"Through the entrance? How is that possible? If you had left through the entrance, the guards would have been aware of it when you left. But no one knows how you left or where you went," Alex explained.

"Yes, Duchess! The guards are on high alert mode. They haven’t changed shifts since morning. So it’s impossible for you to have left through the entrance. You must have taken help from the h—" Grant interrupted as he noticed the crowd.

"Erios, did you help me escape?" I turned to my loyal companion.

"No, I had no part in your disappearance. I was summoned when you returned to the mansion," Erios clarified.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear that I didn’t teleport from my room to the town but left through the entrance in front of the guards? Does it make you even slightly aware of the incompetence of the guards you’ve appointed?" I questioned Alex.

"Duchess, how can that be possible when the security has been tight since the incident last night? Even an ant couldn’t enter without being seen by the guards," Grant defended.

"So, I’m accused of lying again? It’s not new, though," I said, gazing directly into Alex’s eyes.

"It’s okay. Let me accept myself as a liar, as you all have made me out to be. I don’t have anything to argue about, so let me just go inside," I said, attempting to proceed, but the guards once again blocked my path, fueling my frustration.

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of nearby trees. The mansion’s imposing entrance gate loomed ahead, its iron bars a stark contrast to the delicate beauty of the surrounding flora. I felt the weight of scrutiny from both the guards and the curious onlookers who had gathered, their eyes fixed on this heated exchange.

"Duchess, you can’t go inside with this beggar," one of the guards stated, using that term again.

My patience wore thin as I confronted the guard’s harsh words. "Beggar? ’Beggar’ this and ’beggar’ that! I’m tired of hearing this. I don’t understand how people from the same state can call their fellow citizens ’beggars.’ Do none of you possess even a shred of humanity? Or have you all abandoned the sense of humanity that God has instilled in you?" My voice resonated, carrying a mix of anger and disbelief, drawing the attention of those around us.

The woman at my side, ragged and emaciated, cowered slightly, clearly frightened by my outburst. Her eyes, filled with both gratitude and trepidation, darted between me and the guards.

"Madam, what are you doing? You’ve been acting strangely for a while now. What has come over you? Have I done something to offend you? Have I done something to make you behave this way? If I have, please tell me. I’m willing to listen to all your complaints," Alex said in a hushed tone, clearly trying to avoid drawing more attention to our already unconventional situation.

The mansion’s grand façade stood as a symbol of the stark contrast between wealth and poverty that plagued Ablia. Its opulent architecture and manicured gardens clashed with the reality faced by the woman at my side, and countless others like her. The air was thick with tension, the unease palpable, as I grappled with my own frustration and the glaring social injustice that had been thrust into the open.

But I couldn’t let this moment pass without taking action. I squared my shoulders, a newfound determination coursing through me. "I don’t need your explanations or apologies, Alex. It’s high time I take responsibility for the people in this city who are suffering. It’s time I address the stark divide that has been allowed to persist."

My words hung in the air, a challenge not only to the guards but to the very foundations of Ablia’s society. As I stood there, my resolve unwavering, I knew that change was inevitable, and it would start with me.