Taste of Poison

03

Chapter 3:

Where the pieces were moved.

-

The clock continued to tick.

Silence deafened the room. It was only when some fast-paced movement had passed through the hallway did Roseanne jolted from her sleep. Sitting up from where she had laid, it took her some second to process everything. Unaware that she had passed out, her eyes had moved directly to where the Duke should be seated. All too soon, she felt the sweat burning on her back.

He’s not there!

Where is he?

“Does that mean… that I can’t change the course of time?” She whispered, holding her heart as the fear was getting to her. Looking to where the clock was, she almost shuddered. It would be exactly three minutes when Marianne would rush in her door, attempting to save her from what she was accused of. “What was I thinking? How could I assume that I could do something to change the future? Maybe I was really meant to die, nothing more.”

Maybe this was her hell.

To live her pitiful life over and over again, remembering how bad she was at disregarding everyone who cared about her. To continuously watch as people waste their life away for her.

Her hands carefully hugged herself, shaking like a leaf. Remembering that she would see the death of her maid of honor made her horrified. Marianne is willing to offer her life for her master, and so does every maid that had served her. If she had run away from this mansion, she would come back to her old life.

She would then relive that same terrifying life that she had.

“Did you have another nightmare?”

Her eyes whisked to the person who had called her, automatically feeling relief.

It was the Duke.

Unlike her memory, he was looking at her with eyes filled with worry. There was something else in his expression, but she was not sure what it was. Her face was flushed; tears were gathering on the side of her face as she quivered.

Marianne did not come for her.

Could she have guessed that she did change something?

“Are you okay?” He asked, clearly panicked as he walked towards her.

She blinked, moving slightly from her spot. It seemed to be the first time she noticed that she was clutching a dark coat from her action. She knew the detail too well and glancing back at her husband, she seemed to have only recognized that he was not wearing his coat.

“Thank you,” she whispered absentmindedly.

Like always, he had received it with a brisk nod. Severin was never cold, but he is a man that is hard to read. Carefully examining her face, he murmured in a soft voice. “Would it be too much for you if you had come with me?”

“No, I do not mind,” Roseanne automatically answered, wanting to have him as her alibi.

Duke Severin beckoned for the door, to which she had silently followed. She didn’t know what was happening, but it seemed like she was still exhausted to care. It was also the fear of what is to come did make everything more anxious for her. Everyone seemed to be panicked, and she could not see her maid. From what she had remembered on this day, she believed that she had not seen Severin from this current timeframe.

She had seen him the day after when he had ordered to kill Marianne before her eyes.

Unconsciously, she had frozen in her spot. Terror simply coated her eyes, haunting her of her damned past. The sight had caught his eyes, looking towards her. “Roseanne? Is everything alright?” He asked.

Surprised by the sudden call to reality, she faced her husband with shaking eyes. Taking her time to compose herself, she answered. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

After some minutes of walking, they reached the receiving area. Despite her confusion, she followed him without question asked. It was only when Severin carefully opened the door did she stilled. From a small distance before her, she could openly see the set of people who had made her life a living hell.

It was her Father, Mother, and her older sister—Annalisa.

The people she had once called family.

Duke Severin took his seat, looking proper and intimidating. His posture spoke of his status, and those piercing red eyes let everyone quiver in fear. It was clear why he is sitting in the position. Severin was made to be the Grand Duke, that was no question. From what she had gathered, Severin can be dangerous if he wanted to. Yet when she had lived in this house, she had only seen him scary on one occurrence, and that is when he is standing in a distance as his Master Knight killed Marianne.

Like always, Roseanne had found herself standing before her family. They were all kneeling before the Duke, so she reckons that she should do the same. Well, it was not like she had a choice. The look of her family made her see that they wanted her to do just that. Before she could do so, a voice had stopped her.

“Roseanne.” He called, letting her eyes meet him.

Severin patted the seat next to him to indicate what he wanted to happen, but she replied with a blink. Her action had him amused. He had always seen her composed and void of emotion. To see her acting so confused was a take of fresh air. It doubles her adorable meter by a tee.

“Come and sit beside me,” Severin says.

“I—huh?” She blurted out, surprised.

It was not only Roseanne who was startled by the announcement, everyone was. After all, everyone was gathered here because of what Roseanne is being blamed for. The three kneeling people were also taken aback, glancing back at the Duke with a face that gathered to be bewildered. Yet, the man did not seem fazed.

Duke Severin simply offered his hand in the direction of his wife. As if she was beckoned to abide in his every command, Roseanne had simply accepted his hand. Sitting next to her husband, she silently fisted the pillow beside her.

Did she do it?

Has the future changed?

Or would she be implicated again?

“Baron Aethelburh, could you repeat your words in the presence of my wife?”

Roseanne recoiled, followed by the hand of her husband that soothes her back. His tone was not loud, but it felt like a whip that had cut through her. Even if it was not targeted at her, she had never heard him speak in such a tone. She knew that the Duke did not leave anything for discussion. Despite the words that seemed coated in question, he was simply dictating to him what her father needed to do.

Like always, the father that she always had dignified had lowered his head. “We had seen her in the wing of the young master’s room a few minutes after the attack.”

A frown settled on her face.

Just as she had thought, everything was really happening as she had remembered. It is not a surprise to hear that these people were out to get her. She really traveled back in time, and all that she had gone through were flashing before her again. Even if she had wanted to know why and how that happened, she needed to focus on the task at hand.

“Are you saying that you saw my wife hovering in my child’s wing?” Severin fired back.

Knowing she was innocent, it was easy for Roseanne to play like she had not known this. She had the advantage of the situation for someone who had a record of not lying and behaving in this mansion. Blinking her eyes, she looked confused. “Wait, you were talking about me?” gazing at Severin, her eyes grew wide. “And attack? In his wing? Is everything alright?”

“Do not sputter such lies, Roseanne!” She had flinched at the tone of the person she had hated most. Looking back, Annalisa was sending daggers into her face. Her red locks fall to her shoulders as clear signs of envy are plastered all over her face. “Are you going to use that you were sleepwalking again and feign like you did not know where you had gone?”

She would really hit her with that.

Roseanne would usually shiver in the anger of her older sister. Annalisa is someone who had a bright reputation for everyone in the Kingdom. Despite their family being nothing but a Baron, she was treated as someone much higher. All that escaped her mouth was always deemed as true. Annalisa is beautiful, and everyone gathered to have her attention. That is why Annalisa was enraged when she realized that Roseanne was sold to the Duke.

Right by this time, Roseanne was aware of who her enemies were.

Her older sister, who was in love with her husband, is her biggest opponent.

Still casting an innocent look on her face, she whispered back. “No, I was not sleepwalking,” the confused expression on their faces was satisfying, but she was not done. Adding more implications to their schemes, she continued her words. “I was sleeping in the Duke’s office.”

Nothing but fear glowed in their proud faces.

It was a breath of fresh air for her. Through the long years of her life, she had seen nothing but their sneer and fake kindness. Her family always vibrated ill intent, but she had always been a fool to believe that her own blood and flesh would never implicate her to their own selfish demise. It is about time that their evil deed came to strike them back.

She will not fall to their wicked feats ever again.

She knew that her family holds the upper hand from her past life from what she had seen. Roseanne did everything possible never to meet the Duke's path—that was sole because her sister had told her never to disturb him. That the man was doing his best to provide for her, and the last thing she should do is trouble him.

To her naive mind, it seemed truthful.

But now, she knew better.

“What?” Annalisa questioned, astonished.

Since she was determined to ruin whatever her sister holds against her, she had a look at her husband. Severin returned her gaze. With a soft and worried look, she murmured. “That being said, I do humbly apologize. I know what I did was not proper and something that your wife should not do. I do hope that I did not meddle with your work, Your Grace.”

“Roseanne, you did nothing of the sort. You are my wife, and you are always welcome wherever you please.” He answered. His thumb was gently stroking her waist in a comforting manner, one that had helped to settle her nerves. The look in his eyes made her breathless, and the way he was talking to her did not help either. With such a worried look, he asked. “Wait a minute, is this the reason why you had never walked my way?”

She simply bites her lips, lowering her head. “Yes....”

“Lift your head, Roseanne.” He says softly; those bedroom red eyes glanced back at her with the softest expression she had seen from Duke Severin. “How have you come to that conclusion?”

Before Annalisa could say anything rash, Roseanne had answered truthfully. “My sister had told me that it would be better if I did not do anything that will bother you. She said you would divorce me if I grew as a nuisance who strives to have your attention.”

“You little—”

Annalisa backed off as Severin darted his eyes back at her with a fierce look. She shuddered in fear, trembling at the way the man was looking at her. He had never given her that look before. To give respect to the family of his wife, Severin had shown kindness to these people. This was the first time that he had snapped before them.

Up for a challenge, he fired back. “My wife is a little what?”

Genevieve, the mother of the two, had pushed the head of her oldest down. Like a small puppy, Annalisa had done what she was beckoned to do. “I apologize, Duke. It seemed like we had seen wrong.”

“Seen wrong?” He asked, crossing his legs. “With how you confidently reported to me, you all seemed to be willing to put your daughter in shackles all because of your hunch. If she was not sleeping in my office, what had stopped her from getting all of the accusations?”

Roseanne frowned.

She had known the result of what had happened if she had not walked into his office and made him his alibi for the event. Even then, if she would remember it clearly, Severin didn’t want to render her a suspect at first. From the second that her family coached her to flee and reported her to the Duke, she was sentenced.

“We apologize for the mistake, Duke Cheztimir.” They all replied in a monotone, bowing before them.

Roseanne managed to change the sequence of the future, but she still needed to be careful. Despite the spurting loads of bull, she had done what she needed to do. She had only stopped her banishment and implicating her relationship with the Duke. While this does not change much of her family's future, it had heavily impacted hers.

Looking at her older sister, she was anxious.

Annalisa would stop at nothing to have her husband. In her past life, even if she was banished from the estate, the horrors that her older sister had given her did not stop. It seemed like Annalisa really wanted to make her life a living hell. With the safety offered by the Duke, that is impossible.

Is that also the reason why they cast her out?

Without realizing it, Roseanne had held the sleeves of her husband’s coat. That gathered the attention of the man, finally seeing the worries on his wife’s face. Not only had she gathered some bad dreams tonight, but she had also woken up to be accused of harming her own son. He had never explained what happened, but it must have troubled her enough for her to be this anxious.

“Roseanne.” He called, tone quiet and soft.

By his call, her eyes automatically met his. “Duke?” she asked.

“For tonight, sleep in my room.” He announced.

...what!?