How To End This Marriage-Chapter 116: Whispers of Fate: A Contract Unveiled

"You have something to tell me? What is it? Is there something I should know?" I inquired, feeling completely clueless.

"Yes, Duchess, there is something you ought to know because the time has come," the attorney declared, leaving me bewildered.

"What?" I questioned.

"Duchess, your marriage timeline is coming to an end!" he announced, shaking my world. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"My marriage is ending? How do you know, and why do I need to hear this from you?" I retorted, refusing to accept what he was saying.

"Because I am the attorney who facilitated the contract between both families," he disclosed.

"Both families?" I asked.

"Yes, the marriage was arranged for a specific duration, and now the fourth year is about to complete, which means you only have a few months before becoming single again," he explained.

What is he saying? A marriage of four years? How? I didn’t sign anywhere. I never agreed to such conditions in my lifetime. Then where did this contract take place? I pondered internally while outwardly pretending that nothing had happened.

"A contract for four years. Then there should have been my consent, right? Why don’t I remember agreeing to such conditions? I don’t recall signing any papers without reading or mentioning such conditions," I voiced my confusion.

He handed me some papers and said, "Take a look at these papers. You will realize whether you signed or not. I don’t know how your signature appeared here or how you don’t remember, but as an attorney, I have done my work by providing the papers to both parties."

I picked up the papers from the table and started flipping through them, realizing that my father had asked me to sign them.

"Father, what are these papers?" I asked.

"Bernice, there is a bank account of yours opening, which needs your signature on this. So sign it. I have to submit it as fast as possible," he explained.

"Sure, father. I will do it right away," I said and signed as per his instructions.

Reality struck me, making me realize the extent of betrayal from my own father. Was it because I was an obstacle in making Excalibur the heir? Was it because I was in his way? Was that the reason he pushed me into a four-year contract marriage?

"Duchess, did you check the paper?" the attorney asked once again.

"Yes, I did. It’s obviously my signature, but it was done without my knowledge. Also, even if the marriage ends in a few months, don’t you need the duke’s confirmation regarding this? You should ask both parties if they want to maintain the contract or terminate it," I pointed out.

"Yes, I do. That’s why I came here to inform you. I wanted to remind you of the contract between the Agnes and Balliol families, which you might not have been aware of," he explained.

"Thank you so much. I really had no idea about this matter. If you hadn’t come to inform me, I would have been in the dark," I said, faking a smile.

"Okay, so I’m leaving now! It was great to see you, Duchess!" he said, walking toward the entrance gate, leaving me in despair.

"Contract! What a joke life has made!" I sighed.

"Where is the attorney?" I noticed the duchess had arrived after the attorney left.

"He left," I stated.

"Why? He must have come to meet me. Why did he leave before my arrival? And why has no one come to inform me?" she asked.

"Because he didn’t come for you but for me," I said.

"He came to tell me the truth that has been kept hidden from me," I clarified.

"Truth?" she asked.

"Yes, Mother-in-law! The contract you made between both families. I’m talking about the contract that you made for just four years, and now the timeline is starting to come close," I revealed.

"How did you know?" Her fear was evident.

"Didn’t I say the attorney came? How can you forget so quickly that the attorney told me all this information, which you, my father, have cooked up behind my back?" I said.

"So how do you feel knowing it is all just a contract marriage?" the duchess asked.

"How do I feel? I’m not sure. I’m not sure at all how I feel or how I need to feel because I don’t have my husband with me to ask the reason behind all this. I don’t know, duchess. But I might know once your son returns from the war," I said while walking past her, as I no longer had the strength to deal with this pain.

"Madam, should I take your lunch to your room?" the maid asked.

"No, I’m not hungry. But if Mother-in-law wants to have lunch, pass my side of lunch to her also. She must be feeling too hungry right now from plotting so much," I said while smiling, but my frail, unmovable body still walked forward toward my room and locked inside.

"Madam, are you sure you don’t need lunch?" I heard the maid asking me even after I entered the room.

"Yes, I don’t need anything. No need to ask me any further. I don’t want to deal with anything any longer," I said while throwing myself on the bed, looking at the ceiling with a blank mind.

"You have broken the rule! You could no longer stay in this realm!" a loud voice came out of nowhere, making me startle. I searched all over the room to know the real truth but found nothing. The room is a mess now, but still, I found nothing.

"Mother-in-law, stop it if you are trying to do something with me! It is no longer funny at all," I asked, but now no more voice came, making me shocked.

"What now? For a while, I keep on hearing so many voices while sometimes I hear nothing, as if my mind is playing its own game and making me go crazy," I said while holding onto my head, screaming like a maniac.

"Madam!" the voice startled me.

"The evening has covered the sky. You still need nothing. I can make you supper if you need!" the maid asked me.

"Ah, no! I need nothing. You can return to your rest place," I said while swiping sweat from my face.

"Ok, Madam, as you say!" she said and left while I’m here, all scared. The sound of the voice haunts me. Is there any ghost living in this place? No, it shouldn’t be, or the maids or other workers would have complained, but none have. Is this my illusion? I thought while I thud on the bed once again when I heard a knock once again.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Madam, there is a letter for you," another maid came, handing me some letters.

I rushed outside to get the letters. But I asked, "Who is it from?"

"Madam, it has come from the imperial palace. The princess has invited you to her tea party!" she said, making me think of the one memory I have with the princess.

"Princess!" I mumbled while I opened the letter.

"There will be a tea party going to be established soon. So I hope the duchess will come and attend the tea party with me." The princess wrote everything so briefly, as if the fear I have been holding inside me is all just an imagination of mine.

"Ok, you can go now!" I said while returning to my room once again.

"Tea party? Then there will be so many other ladies like me. Do I need to go?" I asked myself.

"But if I don’t go, then the princess wouldn’t have a good impression of me. I have already declined her request once so I don’t think I need to decline once more. If I did, I will be finished by the imperial family." I said while kept the letter on the floor and returned to bed once again. I thought of writing a return letter but then I wondered if I’m attending the tea party, I don’t need to send a letter once again.

While thinking all of this, I ended up falling asleep.

"Someone save me!!!"

"I’m dying!!!" a man screaming in pain by the riverside.

"Someone save me!!!!" the man could barely speak while an angel-looking person landed on the surface, placing her feet on the ground.

"Who are you, human? Why are you in blood?" the angel asked.

"I.... I’m a knight!!! I’m injured from the war!!" the man replied.

"Knight!! So you fight for your empire! Nice!!! You are doing such a good job, but don’t you think you are ruining other people’s families too?" the angel asked, making his mouth shut.

"P-please save me!!" he pleaded once again.

"I can’t!!" the angel answered.

"Why?" the man questioned.

"Because your life span is coming to an end. I can’t interfere with life or fate. That is not in my hand!!" the angel spoke.

"P-please save me!!!" the man said while coughing blood.

Seeing the man in pain, the angel couldn’t hold it anymore and said, "Ok, one time, I’m going to extend your life span. You will not die now, but there will be a painful death for you in comparison to this!" the angel said and did something with her hand while a bright light covered the man.