The Duchess and the Devil - Chapter 31.

Reading a book by the burning fireplace, Judith fell asleep. However, someone knocked on the door of the living room, interrupting her sweet rest:

«Madame… I think you should come out for a moment.»

It was the Duke’s butler. Judith glanced at her pocket watch – it was already midnight, it was time to leave.

As usual, she understood why Derrick was coming home so late. Frowning, Judith noticed that the butler was behaving too strangely compared to his normal behavior; but she left the living room anyway. After taking a few steps, the girl heard a perosn whisper – this person turned out to be Lord Horton, who always supported Derrick and helped him.

The man looked too drooping and sad, which was also a very unusual sight, because usually on his face there is a persistent smile.
Judith sighed and walked over to them: Derrick smelled like alcohol, as usual.

This, of course, is not the first time that her husband returned home in the same form in which he left him. However, lately he was always drinking, which was accompanied by a pungent smell of alcohol.

But something was definitely wrong today: Derrick couldn’t stand on his feet.

Judith felt something strange looking at Sir Horton, and asked:

«What happened?»

«I don’t know either. When we got into the carriage, everything was fine. But on arrival, this happened…»

Judith grabbed Derrick’s arm, which was hanging lifeless, and recoiled: it was as cold as ice.

«Is everything okay?» – she turned to her husband. But there was no answer to such an easy question. Judith hurried to give instructions to the drivers and the butler, Derrick was immediately taken to the bedroom and a doctor was called as soon as possible.

Lord Horton and another knight helped the Duke to a room on the second floor. Only after he was laid on the bed did Judith get a proper look at him: a calm face, as if he had just fallen asleep, no tension or emotions.

Soon there was a fuss at the door – the doctor arrived:

«Madam, hello,» he greeted and immediately went straight to the bed.

During the examination, Judith managed to talk to Sir Horton about Derrick’s usual returns home on ordinary days. There was no particular difference, except for the coldness of his body and the emotionlessness of his face.

Usually, after finishing his official work, the Duke spent his personal time in the company of Sylvia. Although the Lord did not say anything about it, Judith understood it perfectly without his help.

Glancing at the bed, the Duchess saw Derrick’s cold, pale and tired face, as if a dark energy enveloped Derrick. Even the knights accompanying him did not know anything about the condition of his spouse.

«What happened to him?»

«When I checked, I didn’t find anything strange.»

«Then he just fell asleep?»

«I think so, but…» – the Doctor ran his eyes from side to side, which made the girl feel uneasy. «There is no evidence of a fatal injury, breathing is regular, a heartbeat is heard… But his body is too cold.»

The man bowed his head, indicating that he did not know the reason, and left the bedroom, asking to raise the temperature in the room – it was necessary to warm the Duke. Everyone left the mansion, and in the bedroom a fireplace was lit. While the servants were running around and fussing about, Judith sat on the bed and looked at her husband.

It was the first time she had seen his face so calm and quiet.
«Then we will leave you, Madam,» the servants said, leaving the girl in silence. The only sounds were the sounds of burning coals in the fireplace.

The Duchess recalled how they swore every time they saw each other, and looked at each other with aggressive looks. Obviously, the girl liked this silence: her head did not hurt from shouting and arguing.

Derrick’s palm, which she touched, even seemed to change its texture, becoming like an ice cube. When Judith touched her husband, it seemed as if she was running out in her pajamas on the street in a cold winter.

Even if the couple quarreled and did not love each other, and the Duchess felt that she was next to him, as if on the sidelines of life, she would never wish Derrick harm or torment. Judith had always thought that she would die first, but now the feeling inside seemed very strange and oppressive.

Life with Derrick is like a maze from which there is simply no way out. This is too destructive for both people, in which a quiet life will come only after the death of one of them… Or if someone just disappears.
Judith suddenly realized what she was thinking and tried to push these terrible thoughts away from herself.

«When Derrick dies…»

She silently looked out the window, flooded with bright moonlight.

***

Recovering from the dark memories, the girl looked at the demon. There was a warmth in his gaze that she had never received. Derrick listened attentively to his wife’s story and nodded:

«What happened the next day?»

The girl didn’t even have to strain, she remembered every second perfectly:

«I usually didn’t come to his bedroom, but because of his situation I went to check how he was feeling. From that day on, Derrick’s health began to deteriorate.»

The duke was ill to such an extent that it was impossible to believe – a week ago he was firmly on his feet and did not feel any ailments. The priest’s solemn voice echoed in her ears, talking about the curse. Remembering those terrible days and the strange sensations, Judith cringed.

«But Derrick met with a huge number of people that day. How can I figure out who it was?» Judith understood that it could be anyone – any resident of the mansion or herself.

«The curse doesn’t just happen because of an encounter,» Derrick said. «As I said earlier, we need some kind of contact.»

«Contact?»

«Exactly. I do not know which one, but if it is a curse that leads to death, then it definitely had to happen in a place where other people’s views would not be able to reach them.»

The room was mired in silence as Judith stared into her husband’s red eyes and tried to remember at least some more details. And it was not as easy as expected.

Because of the huge number of cases and troubles, all the memories seemed to have evaporated. But even the slightest detail could help and completely change the vision of the situation, so Judith had to clearly reconstruct what had happened. And of all the people she knew, there was one who accompanied her husband everywhere. In other words, she knew exactly where Derrick could go and who he met with.

This is Sir Horton.

«We need to meet him,» Judith said to herself.

***

The man looked extremely strict. Judith pushed a piece of paper at him. It was a document containing Derrick’s movements that day. Horton didn’t seem surprised, as he had seen a similar scene in the past.

«Nothing unusual?»

Horton, as before, carefully studied the entire document and nodded, indicating that everything was fine. But Judith wasn’t going to give up so easily. She pointed to the last official place, saying:

«Did Derrick meet Sylvia after that?»

Sir Horton, although he reported on the Duke’s daily routine, never mentioned a mistress. Hearing such a direct question, the man tensed, but Judith, sighing, added:

«I want you to be honest. This is important.»

«Yes.» Horton replied.

Judith thought about something else: «Has he met anyone other than Sylvia?»

«No. Only her,» Sir Horton hesitated, telling the whole truth like this, because he knew that the relationship between the Duke and the Duchess had completely changed and was no longer as bad as before. And he was too worried that the couple would quarrel again after his answers – a lord should not interfere in the personal life of his superiors.

Judith didn’t think about it at all, just looked at the papers seriously, studied them. Taking up a pen, she wrote the name of Derrick’s mistress at the bottom-Sylvia. But the list did not end there, Judith added the names of the Emperor and her brother. One of them is Hannibal.