How To End This Marriage-Chapter 169: Labyrinthine Loop

"Duchess, may I come in?" A maid’s knock shattered the Duchess Bernice’s solitude. "Come!" the Duchess called, suspicion lacing her voice.

"Duchess, I’ve come for Duke Alexavier’s belongings," the maid explained, bowing her head. "Belongings? Didn’t he come to stay?" the Duchess frowned, confusion blooming on her face.

"I have no idea, Duchess. I was ordered to move his things back to his chamber, merely following orders," the maid replied, efficiently packing the Duke’s belongings, fueling the Duchess’s simmering anger.

"Everything’s gathered. With your leave, I’ll be going now," the maid said, offering another bow before slipping out. Alone again, the Duchess slammed her fist against the wall, her features contorted in fury. "Always the same! He waltzes in and out at will, leaving me to play the dutiful wife. Does he think I’m some guard dog, waiting at his whim?" she thundered, her voice echoing in the opulent room.

Suddenly, another rap on the door interrupted her tirade. "Duchess, it’s me!" the Duke called out, entering the room.

"What are you doing here? Didn’t you just send your maid to reclaim your precious belongings? What more could you possibly want?" she spat, her words dripping with icy venom.

"Why are you back? You just sent your maid to collect your belongings!" the Duchess spat, her eyes blazing with anger. "Did you forget something?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Bernice, it’s not like that," the Duke pleaded, his voice laced with frustration. "I only retrieved my things because I feared I was intruding on your journey. I wanted to give you the space you deserve."

"Space?" she scoffed, bitterness twisting her lips. "That would have been preferable! At least then I’d understand your erratic behavior. Instead, I’m left in the dark, grasping at straws, clinging to your words as if they’re truths I desperately need to believe. There’s no transparency, no shared trust between us."

"Why would I lie to you, Wife? If you need something, ask. I’ll tell you everything I know," the Duke promised, his gaze earnest.

"Oh how convenient!" the Duchess retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I hadn’t realized I need to beg for information like a commoner. It seems I married a man who expects obedience but offers no reciprocation, content to keep me in the shadows while demanding unwavering faith. If I’d known it would be like this, I’d never have agreed to the arranged marriage, even with my father on the brink of financial ruin."

"Bernice, please," the Duke interjected, his voice strained. "I never intended to deceive you. It’s just..." he faltered, his eyes avoiding hers.

"Just what, Duke?" she challenged, her voice hardening with each word. "Speak! Or are you simply another master of the battlefield, skilled at wielding blades but utterly incapable of wielding honesty?"

"Let me speak, wife!" the Duke insisted, his voice tight with frustration.

Duchess Bernice scoffed. "What will you say? You’ve hesitated enough already."

"As I said, I want to give you space. Princess Vixara told me something’s happening, that I’m getting in your way." The Duke’s voice wavered, betraying his uncertainty.

"Oh, so the Princess said it and you simply agreed?" she smirked, bitterness lacing her words.

"You’re misinterpreting things again, wife." The Duke reached for her, but she flinched away.

"I’m not misinterpreting, this is how it is. You only value their words, not mine. My thoughts hold no weight in your life. I’m just another face, like the maids, guards, and knights. All the same to you." Her voice shook with hurt and anger.

"Everything is a lie!" she spat. "Just yesterday, you wanted to keep playing this husband and wife game. Now, because the Princess whispers in your ear, you change your mind? I see no other reason."

"Then why are you still here? Go! Get yourself out of this mess. I might be dragging you into a labyrinth you don’t understand."

"Wife, this isn’t—" The Duke tried to explain, but she cut him off.

"This is how I see it. From this moment, we have no relationship. If you see me, act like I’m a stranger. That’s what I expect." She turned her back on him, her shoulders shaking with unshed tears.

"Now that all’s said and done, you can leave." Her voice was a broken whisper.

"Wi—" the Duke stammered, but she cut him off again.

"Didn’t you hear me? Leave! I don’t even want to see your face." Her entire body trembled as she shouted, her anger a mask for the pain that clawed at her heart.

As the Duke finally left, she collapsed onto the cold floor, her legs giving way. "Always the same," she whispered, her voice choked with sobs. "No matter how I fight, it’s always her, never me. Why? I’ve been helping her find her own path, her rightful place, yet she pushes me aside as if I’m the obstacle. Why?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice startled her. "Bernice!" God Lunar called out.

She whirled around, her eyes blazing with fury. "Oh, you! Have you come to add insult to injury?"

"There’s no time for anger," God Lunar said urgently. "What I have to tell you is crucial."

Duchess Bernice scoffed. "Since when do gods indulge in petty gossip?"

"This is no mere gossip," God Lunar insisted. "I’ve come to discuss the issue with the Supreme God."

"Supreme God? Why is everyone suddenly talking about him? Fate God Moiroi came earlier, spouting about the Supreme God and how I belong to the Heavenly Realm. And now you come with the same story."

"Moiroi came?" God Lunar’s eyes widened. "That’s impossible! He’s lost his memory of a certain timeframe."

"Maybe he’s forgotten meeting me before losing his memory, Duchess Bernice declared.

God Lunar contemplated. "Yes, that might be."

"But how can a god lose his memory? He’s not some mortal who forgets things easily," the Duchess pressed.

God Lunar sighed. "I had the same thought when he told me he couldn’t recall talking to you about this. But why? How did it happen? Does the Supreme God have that power? Of course he would, being who he is."

God Lunar shook his head. "No, he’s not the true Supreme God. Before losing his memory, Moiroi told me the one on the throne isn’t the rightful heir. Someone else is. He believed you could help uncover this truth."

"But what can I do? I’m trapped in your gods’ twisted loop," the Duchess said, frustration lacing her voice.

"Bernice, we have no hand in your loop. Someone else has woven it. We weren’t even aware this is your third time returning from death. Even the Supreme God is in the dark. It’s another entity’s work. To unravel it, you must come with me to the Heavenly Realm."

"Why me? And if it’s not a god, then who?"

"I don’t know. But the answers lie in the Heavenly Library. Come, and the truth will be revealed. Only you can unlock it."

As God Lunar chanted a teleportation spell, they arrived in the Heavenly Realm, shrouded in ethereal white clouds. "What do I do now?" the Duchess asked, awestruck by the celestial grandeur.

"We head to the library," God Lunar replied.

"Library?" the Duchess echoed, curiosity piqued.

Suddenly, Moiroi’s hostile voice boomed, "What’s she doing here again?"

God Lunar stepped forward, his voice firm. "Moiroi, your memory’s fragmented. She’s key to solving this mess. She holds the universe’s secrets."

Moiroi scoffed. "She? Don’t make me laugh."

"You’re not in the right state of mind, Moiroi. Let me handle this." He pushed Moiroi aside and led the Duchess towards the library, her mind swirling with questions and a dawning sense of destiny.

Reaching the grand entrance, the library guard bowed deeply. "Welcome back, Heavenly Princess. Such an honor to once again grace the Heavenly Realm with your presence."

The Duchess blinked, utterly confused. "Heavenly Princess? I’m... a mortal, human. How can you call me that? The princess should be immortal, residing here, not on Earth."

The guard smiled enigmatically. "My eyes never fail me, Princess. You are the rightful heir. Your exile wasn’t properly concluded, yet you stand here. A miracle, as if the heavens themselves call for your return."

"No, you misunderstand. I’m only here to confirm the gods’ suspicions, to test if their theory holds water. I have no hand in this, no personal stake. I simply fulfill my duty to them."

The heavenly library guard smiled enigmatically. "No, Princess. These are but the whispers of your forgotten memories,echoes of your celestial origin. They will return, I have no doubt. And now, your path lies within. Enter and explore as you desire."

Duchess Bernice stepped forward, her feet light, her eyes flitting across the towering shelves as if rediscovering an old friend. "Princess," a voice whispered in her mind, almost indistinguishable from her own thoughts. "Bernice, move onwards. The key lies before you, guarded by a slumbering door."

Meanwhile, God Lunar’s voice cut through the ethereal symphony of her thoughts. "The entrance to the forbidden archives stands before you, Duchess. What wisdom do you seek within its guarded walls?"