"Duchess, give this another thought!" Duke Alexavier Agnes said.
"One less year wouldn't change my mind. My decision is made. The contract is over, let's reclaim our lives," Duchess Bernice declared with a brittle smile.
She turned towards the door, ready to leave, when Duke interjected, "What if I say I can make this marriage worth it?"
"What are you implying, Duke?" The Duchess asked, her voice cool without turning back.
"This marriage may have begun due to circumstance, but what if the true reason for its continuation isn't circumstance, but love?" he stated, earning a humorless chuckle from her.
"Love? A foreign concept to me," Duchess chuckled, her smile fading into a bitter bite. "I've forgotten what it means to fall in love, how it feels, how unbidden love blooms."
"Duchess, did you have a lover before?" Duke ventured cautiously.
