"Duchess, what are you doing?" The voice of the head maid cut through the air.
I wondered why she hadn't appeared before me when she had come directly to my room the first time I arrived here as the duchess. She introduced herself to me before I could even ask.
"Duchess, what are you doing?" She asked again, her tone laced with concern.
"What am I doing? Can't you see what I am doing?" I snapped.
"We can clearly see, but don't you think you're being too hard on your newly appointed maid? If you're not satisfied with her work, you could have informed us so that we could assign someone else to you," she suggested.
"It's not even been a day..."
I heard her mumbling under her breath, and it fueled my anger.
"I could have told you to change the maid?" I questioned, my patience running thin.
I could clearly see the satisfaction in her smile, as if I was doing exactly what she wanted.
"Yes, Duchess. So, you should ask before you do something," she said, locking her gaze onto mine.
I don't know why I'm getting triggered so easily, but one thing I do know is how blind I was in my previous life. How could I not see that these people were using me? How could I not see that they were trying to maintain control over me when they were merely employees and I'm the duchess? Yes, I'm the Duchess of the North. I'm Duchess Ablia. How dare they try to dictate what I should do!
"Duchess?" She called my name, snapping me back to reality.
"So, you're saying I need to ask for your permission?" I questioned.
"Yes-"
Before she could complete her sentence, my hand was on her throat, lifting her off the ground, rendering her unable to touch the floor. She struggled to break free, but I held her firmly.
"You're saying that I, the duchess, need to ask permission from you? Do you even have the authority over me?" I continued to stare at her face intensely. My pupils dilated, making me appear like some kind of monster, and I couldn't break free from the overwhelming feelings of rage that had taken control of me.
"Du-duchess, you can't do this."
"We have been working here for years. You can't treat us like this when you just entered this place."
"The duke won't be happy seeing this."
How dare she try to threaten me with Alexavier? It took me by surprise to hear someone seemingly take my side, especially when they barely knew me. How could he possibly side with me when these people had been with him for years? Why?
"Master, should I finish her off?"
"She's been talking nonstop for a while."
I had almost forgotten that Erios was still present.
"Erios, stay back!" I ordered him.
"Okay, Master, but she is threatening you..."
I was aware that she was, but did I even have the authority to do as I wished?
"Madam, what is taking yo-"
Alexavier entered the room.
"Duke, save us!!!!"
"The Duchess has gone crazy."
"She will kill us!!!!"
"Please save us!!!!!"
Their cries were making my eardrums ring nonstop.
"Madam, what is going on?" Alexavier came straight to me, ignoring their pleas. Why?
I let go of the head maid's neck, dropping her on the floor just like I did with Yuna.
"Good, you are here. I was about to go to you," I said while wiping my hands on my dress.
"I don't understand."
"What is happening here? Could you bother to explain?" he asked.
I took a deep breath.
"Duke, can you please tell me if I have any privacy here or not?"
"Privacy? You are the duchess. Why wouldn't you have privacy?" he said.
I took another long breath. I couldn't explain why, but I felt an odd chill as I asked him. Something about speaking with him always sent shivers down my spine. It was weird.
"Then what do you want me to do with this maid that you have assigned to me? She was eavesdropping, lurking just outside the door. Should I say she cut off every word of mine, trying to control me? Tell me what kind of authority I have as your wife."
"Tell me what kind of authority I have as the duchess?"
I knew that if I were the old Bernice, I would never have bothered to ask this. I would have never mentioned the word WIFE. Because he never made me feel that way. But this time, I wanted to use that power, even if we still wouldn't have anything but companionship on paper, a marriage legalized by the emperor himself. Still, I wanted to take this chance.
"Tell me! Did I do wrong when they are telling me to do things their way?"
I kept asking the same question in different ways, all while keeping Erios hidden behind him. Otherwise, the situation could turn even messier.
"Duke, save us!!!!"
"Duchess is going to kill us!!!!"
"She lied!!!"
"We can't do this to our master."
"Believe us!!! Please!!!"
They pleaded so much, but he stood there like a statue. I became silent too, but soon their voices went numb, and a chilling sensation overcame me as something hot and terrifying touched my feet.
"Yeah, silence is the best," were the words that escaped Alexavier's lips while I stood there, trembling and scared. My body shook even more than before.
"Master!"
"Master! Breathe!"
"I can feel your heartbeat racing, but your breathing has slowed down."
"Master, breathe!!!"
No, no, no... I couldn't afford to be this weak again. I couldn't allow myself to succumb to weakness once more. But I couldn't ignore the gruesome reality before me—lifeless bodies of the maids who had been crying just moments ago, their blood staining my feet. The blood beneath my feet seemed to flow like a never-ending river, as though it had been running for an eternity without finding an end.