Married to the Villainous Duke

Chapter 18

"I hope you'll have a safe journey back to the Dukedom," Tisha says as she gives a hug to Estelle.

"Thank you, Tisha."

"You have to stay at the Imperial Palace when you visit the Capital again this summer, okay Estelle? It's going to be even more fun especially with all the festivities we're doing for the Empire's founding anniversary!" Mitch tells her.

"Yes, I will."

Estelle gives her two friends one last farewell wave before going into the carriage. The Duke is already waiting for her inside. I'll definitely miss the twins, she thinks as she takes the seat right next to him.

"It's going to be another long and tiring trip back to Blanchard," Nikolaidis speaks as the carriage begins moving.

He turns to look at her with a grin, "but I'm glad we don't have to do it in silence, unlike before."

She smiles in return but her mind is filled with worry. Now that we have plenty of time to talk, I have a lot to tell Niko. But, I don't know where to start. Should I tell him about my forthcoming death first?

"Niko, can I ask you about some stuff?"

"Of course, my love."

She blushes from his sudden utterance of 'my love'. She's still not used to this term of endearment that he decided for her.

"What do you know about witches?"

"Well, witches are women who use forbidden magic. Most of them use it to curse and deceive people for money while others do fortune telling rituals that are prohibited by the empire."

"Why is fortune telling not allowed?" Estelle gulps. Having knowledge about the future is actually a form of witchcraft? This is extremely bad news for me!

"Because looking into the future is believed to be going against the will of the gods."

"And what happens to a witch?"

"There will be a trial to judge whether she's really one and, if proven, she will be burned alive in front of a temple."

He shakes his head in dismay before continuing, "you really lost all your memories, even your knowledge about our Empire's beliefs. Maybe I should become your tutor instead of Abenant?"

"No! No need to do that, Niko. You're already so busy managing the Dukedom."

"But why are you suddenly asking about witches, Estelle?"

"Um, I'm just curious..."

He cocks his head to the side, trying to read her mind. She gazes at him innocently while he studies her face. Now that I know this, I don't think I should tell him about my death.

"Is there something you wish to tell me, my love?

She turns away from him and stares out the window. The pine tree forest pass by in a green blur. They're already outside the Capital and it'll take half a day of travelling to get to the Blanchard Duchy. She's afraid he'll misinterpret her expression and needlessly worry for her. I don't want to share this burden with Niko. It's better if we spend the time we have together without a dark cloud looming over us.

Estelle feels his hands wrapping around her from behind. He whispers in her ear, "I'll still love you even if you're a witch."

His tone was half-joking but she knew he was also saying it sincerely. I think he does deserve to know the truth about where I'm really from.

"Niko, what if I told you I'm not from this world?"

"What do you mean?"

She faces him with a serious look, "this will sound crazy and I won't blame you if you won't believe me. Actually, I'm-."