How To End This Marriage-Chapter 147: Cracks in the Facade

"Master, why have you changed so suddenly? Tell me what happened there?" Erios pressed his words.

Bernice’s lips curved into a smirk. "So you were aware of where I was?"

He stammered, unable to meet her gaze. "I- I know!"

"Ha ha, yet you still didn’t come?" Her question hung in the air, silencing him.

"You’re all the same, aren’t you?" Her voice dripped with disappointment. "I thought I could trust you, but it seems you’re no different from the others. And I won’t spare you either. You, too, will taste my revenge." She glared at him with a chilling intensity.

"Master, you misunderstand me! I’m your loyal servant. You could make me do whatever you wish," he insisted.

"But you didn’t even try in this case. It’s laughable how your claims of devotion ring hollow now," she said bitterly. Then, her eyes fell on the destroyed key mold on the floor.

"Alright, you said you’d do anything I ask, right?" she asked, a spark of determination flickering in her eyes.

"Yes, Master! I will do whatever you command!" Erios exclaimed, eagerness evident in his voice.

"Then retrieve the key mold from the prison!" she ordered, her tone sharp with urgency.

"The prison key?" he echoed, surprised.

"Yes, the prison key! The one that crumbled while I was trying to recreate it. Get it!" she commanded, her eyes flashing with authority.

"I’m your master, am I not?" she added, a challenging glint in her gaze.

"Yes, Master! I will not fail you. Consider the task done," Erios declared before vanishing in a swirl of light.

Just then, a maid entered the room with a food trolley. "Duchess, your meal has arrived," she announced.

Bernice rose from the bed, blocking the maid’s exit. "Did I say you could leave?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

The maid faltered. "No, Duchess, but I have completed my task."

"Not quite," Bernice countered, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. "Tell me, who do you truly serve?"

"Duchess, I am the Princess’s new maid," the maid stammered.

"Ah, a princess’s maid, are you? Then you must have been responsible for testing the food for poisons, wouldn’t you?" Bernice pressed, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

The maid gulped. "Yes, Duchess," she replied hesitantly.

"Then do it!" Bernice commanded, her voice ringing with power. "Taste the food. Don’t you consider yourself the poison tester? What if I were poisoned here? You’d be held accountable, and that’s a fate I wouldn’t wish upon anyone."

The maid’s eyes widened in shock. "But Duchess, the food has been thoroughly checked at every stage. Tasting it again is unnecessary."

"How can I be certain unless someone tests it before my very eyes? What if you’re here to kill me?" Bernice’s words hung heavy in the air, sending a shiver down the maid’s spine.

"No, Duchess! I would never!" the maid protested earnestly.

"Then prove it!" Bernice insisted, her voice unwavering. "Eat the food."

With trembling hands, the maid approached the food trolley and hesitantly sampled each dish, her face growing paler with each bite. Finally, she looked at Bernice, her eyes filled with fear and resignation.

"I have done as you commanded, Duchess," she whispered.

"Excellent. Now stay for a while. Some poisons take time to act. I need to be sure," Bernice said with a calculating smile.

Minutes ticked by, filled with an agonizing silence. Finally, Bernice cleared her throat.

"You may go now. My suspicion seems unfounded," she said, her voice regaining its usual coolness.

The maid, visibly relieved, bowed deeply and hurried out of the room.

As the door closed behind her, Bernice’s smile disappeared. Her eyes, cold and calculating, scanned the room. The game was far from over.

"Same thing repeating once again! But I’m still unsure of the princess’s true intentions," Bernice muttered, sitting on the bed and pondering the connection between the two timelines.

"She portrays herself as an ally, but I don’t believe it. I don’t believe anyone who played a part in my death," she declared, her anger rising as a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Duchess, it’s me, Vix! May I come in?" Princess Vixara called.

"Vix? What’s she doing here?" Bernice mumbled.

"Come in!" she said, allowing her entrance.

"What brings you here, Princess?" Bernice asked, a hint of formality in her voice.

"Why do you speak so formally, Duchess? I’m Vix! Just talk casually, like you used to. I’m not quite comfortable with this formality," she said shyly.

Bernice sighed. "How can I not, Princess? You weren’t a princess before, but now you are. If I address you informally, the entire empire will make a fuss. Do you want that?"

"No, Duchess! No one will force you to do it. It’s my wish to be treated like I used to be. The time I spent with you at the mansion was wonderful after you arrived. It’s a great pleasure for me to be with you again, the way we used to be. Your sudden change has made you seem so distant." Princess Vixara said, her gaze downcast.

"I still can’t do that, Princess. You too must remember to behave respectfully in public, or else rumors will start circulating about us," Duchess said, attempting a smile.

The door swung open before Vixara could reply, and Duke entered. "I came to see the Duchess. It’s been a long while," he declared.

"Duke, how many times must I say it?" The Duchess’s voice turned firm once again.

"What, Duchess?" he asked, confused.

"Duke, when entering someone’s room, you knock first. You wait for permission before entering, not just barge in like you did just now," she explained, still with a forced smile.

"I know you’re concerned about the princess, and I understand your worry, but don’t let it make you forget basic etiquette," she added, her voice laced with a subtle reprimand.

"Duchess, it’s my fault," Princess Vixara interjected, trying to defend Duke.

"You two can discuss this in your own room if you like," Bernice replied, a hint of annoyance flickering in her eyes.

"But Duchess—" Vixara began to protest, but before she could finish, both she and Duke were out of the room, the door already locked.

"The same behavior! I didn’t fail to recognize it! She is the same. I am sure this is an act!" the Duchess said as she locked up the door.

"The behavior is the same also from the duke’s side," she said while she got reminded of the night where she found him laying on the bed on his back without any clothes, moaning ’Wife’ in his sleep.

"No! Stop thinking about that! You don’t deserve this! You never deserved this! This all happened because of my mistake. And I already wasted another life of mine. I can’t do this again. I have to do this. I have to take revenge from everyone here." She slapped herself, jolting back to her senses.

"I can’t dwell on that too much!" she said. Erios appeared before her.

"You have finished your task?" she asked, her voice devoid of remorse.

"Yes, Master, I did! I didn’t take an extra key, but I got the key itself. We need to place it back in its original place as soon as possible."

"Good. Now I have to go to the underground prison." She slinked through the doorway.

"Master, we can just teleport!" Erios suggested.

"I don’t need your help! Didn’t you say you’d do as I said? Do it! You don’t need to offer your opinion. If I think it’s right, then it is." Her words silenced him, his gaze falling down.

"Master, may I follow you?" he asked.

"You can if you want." Stepping out of the room, she scanned both sides for anyone. Finding none, she started walking.

Suddenly, two knights approached, forcing her to hide behind a wall.

"Did you hear? The Duchess has returned," one knight spoke.

"Yes, I heard the Duke searched everywhere for her, but she disappeared. Then, poof, she reappears with the Tribal Princess, as if they’d planned to vanish."

"These people!" The Tribal Princess burst from her hiding place, ready to confront the knights, but the Duchess pulled her back.

"No! Don’t go! It will mess up my plan." The Duchess clamped a hand over her mouth before the knights could notice.

As the knights moved on, the Duchess released the Tribal Princess, Sylvia, and stared at her.

"How did you get here? Are you trying to follow me?" demanded the Duchess.

"Why did you stop me from confronting them?" Sylvia countered.

"Princess, I asked first, and you will answer first. Then, you can expect an answer from me," the Duchess said, her tone firm.

"Yes, I followed you here!" the tribal princess revealed.

"Why? Why did you follow me? I don’t think we have anything related going on between us. Then, what made you follow me so sneakily, as though you were trying to catch me doing something?" the duchess asked.