Waves surged within Minerva's heart, a persistent tangle of contradictions knotting in her chest.
(I have things I must do... Things I cannot but do...)
Those were responsibilities she had been conscious of ever since she was informed of her engagement to Roland and had been reminded of once again by the Princess's prompting.
The marriage contract was not meant to make her play the role of a simple woman who would care for and assist Roland, but rather to make her, on the surface, a pawn of harmony between the consortium and the royal family, and secretly, a collar that would slowly gain control over Roland and the consortium.
