A Question Without An Answer

Eleanor’s POV

“Eleanor, what exactly do you know about my father's death?”

The question left me speechless.

Three hundred and sixty-five days.

To Duke Edward Alistair, that number clearly meant something far more serious than a simple measure of time. Judging by the way he was staring at me, he seemed to think my words were a clue that I knew some secret about the Alistair family—or perhaps even something about his father's death.

But to me, the number meant something entirely different.

Three hundred and sixty-five days was the time the system had given me to make the man standing before me fall in love with me. If I succeeded, I might be able to escape Eleanor Genevieve Rose's tragic fate. But if I failed, I'd die for the second time, without even another chance to start over.

That was the only secret I truly knew about the number. I had no idea what it had to do with Edward's father, let alone the agreement he'd just mentioned. But I couldn't possibly explain everything without making him think I was insane or, worse, that I'd deliberately infiltrated his life.

I had to be careful. One wrong sentence could be enough to make this man suspicious of me.

“Please let go of my hand, Your Grace.”

Edward glanced down at his hand, which was still wrapped tightly around my wrist. After a few seconds, he released me, but his gaze never left my face.

“Answer my question. Who told you about the agreement?”

“I've already answered that. I know nothing about any agreement or your father's death.”

“Then where did you hear about the three hundred and sixty-five days?”

I rubbed my sore wrist, trying to conceal my nervousness. “Because a year consists of three hundred and sixty-five days. Is that a reasonable enough answer for you?”

“Don't play games with me, Eleanor.”

“I'm not playing games with you. You're the one connecting two things that may have nothing to do with each other.” I narrowed my eyes and met his gaze. “But now I'm curious. What does that number have to do with your father's death?”

His jaw immediately tightened. For a moment, I thought he would press me for answers again, but Edward stepped back instead.

It seemed my attempt to stop him from forcing an answer out of me was finally working.

“Fine. If you won't answer me now, I'll find out for myself.”

He delivered the threat in a calm voice, which somehow made me even more wary.

“By all means,” I replied, doing my best to maintain a neutral expression. “I hope you find the answers you're looking for, Your Grace.”

I turned away before he could ask another question. I could feel his gaze following me with every step until I finally left the reception hall.

Only after the door closed behind me did I dare to let out a long breath.

Edward should have been the one to leave first to meet someone from his family's office. But I could no longer bear to remain in his presence, especially after his questions about his father's death. I was afraid my nervousness would only make him more suspicious.

Brilliant, Eleanor. You've been married for barely a day, and you've already made your own husband suspect that you know his family's secrets.

The glowing panel suddenly reappeared before me, accompanied by the same emotionless voice echoing inside my head.

[System: Caution.]

[The main target's suspicion level has increased.]

I closed my eyes.

“Thank you for the warning. That's incredibly helpful.”

The system didn't respond, and the panel vanished just as abruptly as it had appeared.

Of course. The system was good for issuing threats and assigning quests, but apparently, offering solutions was beyond its capabilities.

I had to make Edward fall in love with me within a year, but how was I supposed to get close to him when everything I said only made him more suspicious? Worse still, I didn't even understand why the system had chosen me to become his wife, while Edward seemed to have his own problems that were far more complicated than this loveless marriage.

One thing was certain: I couldn't let him discover the truth about who I really was or the system controlling my every move.

Because if he found out that I wasn't the Eleanor who was supposed to be here, I had no idea whether he'd think I was insane—or consider me a threat that needed to be eliminated.

“From this moment on, I have to be more careful.”

***