Chapter 3 — Chapter 3

With a loud breath, I picked up the document again and tried not to miss a single line.

Lord Zarikh, the guardian of someone named Virilada, had sold the girl for ten thousand gold coins. This meant I now had a name and, for some reason, was still alive, while my husband was dead.

"Why did he die?" I asked into the void, but Sir, climbing onto the table, cautiously approached me and tapped the notebook.

"Open it?"

Trying to unlock it, I scratched myself. A drop of blood was immediately absorbed by it, and only then did it finally snap open. Sir quickly flipped through several pages and suddenly stopped.

"Thanks," I said, hesitantly stroking the glove.

"Increasing a vampire's lifespan can only be achieved by taking the life of a magically gifted person. Young girls with a small gift, preferably dark, are the best candidates," the text I read stated. It went on to describe a magical wedding ritual that was impossible to dissolve, and also detailed the first and last wedding night during which the victim's gift and life were taken.

"So, I still don't understand how my husband died."

The helpful Sir immediately started tapping on the second page, drawing attention to the last paragraph.

"There may be a side effect of the ritual. If the victim's gift turns out to be larger than expected (small before losing virginity, but erupting during it), then the one performing the ritual might die. Descendants of dark magicians and dark fairies pose a potential danger. A drop of their blood in the victim's veins is enough to destroy you, but it's impossible to detect. Upon release of magic, in the best case, you'll face complete burnout of your gift, and in the worst case, total death, regardless of your species."

"So, during our first wedding night, my husband was performing the ritual, and I killed him?" I tried to understand. If only I knew what that meant here. Though, since he was killing his wives without punishment, I guess I wasn't in danger either... Probably. "Sir, I need laws related to marriage and women's rights," I said to the gloves.

They didn't move, pointing at the ghost.

"One of the servants is a former lawyer. He was raised by the master specifically for legal needs," the spirit responded.

"Call him here."

He disappeared and reappeared through the opened door, followed by an unfamiliar lich.

"Lady," the dead man bowed deeply.

"Virilada," I decided to say my new name. "What happens to a woman who kills her husband during the release of a gift during a ritual on the first wedding night?"

"Nothing. Rituals on women are only permitted by masters in the temple of gods and only to save their lives. All dark rituals are forbidden."

"According to the documents, I'm the nineteenth. If it's forbidden, how did he do it?"

"We don't know, but it's quite possible that you're not from our world. All girls are registered in the marriage book at birth, and as they grow, the names of those wishing to marry them appear. Ladies of our world can have at least three husbands."

"So, I'm a full-fledged mistress and there are no suitors?"

"No, but there will be problems... A lady must be married."

"And if I don't want to marry? What if my new husband also wants to kill me?" I asked the lich.

"Now you're a resident of this world and officially a widow, so you're under the protection of the temple of all gods. They have a record with your name, so you're protected. As a widow carrying a child, you're granted a year's deferment."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes, Lady Virilada. However, usually the bride and groom are acquainted before the wedding, and the ceremony takes place after approval from all sides," the trembling lich involuntarily stepped back.

I realized my gift, which had killed my lovely husband and was now scaring the servants for some reason, was acting up again.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm down. Apparently, my powers awakened when I was nervous or angry. But how could I not be anxious? I still didn't understand where I was, but I found out I was pregnant, had killed my husband, and had to marry someone unknown within a year!

"Go," I dismissed the dead man.

Sir patted the second folder, but before starting on it, I drank another cup of tea.

"If I understand correctly, are these banknotes? Safe deposit boxes?" I asked my assistant, who nodded in agreement. "Given that my dear husband bought me for ten thousand, this is a trifle for him. It mentions sums with a huge number of zeros... Are the stones valuable too? I'm a wealthy widow, but... limited in my choices," I sighed, firmly closed the folder, and pushed it away.

"Was the elf paid for his stay in the house? Is he here voluntarily?"

Sir hurried and, climbing down from the table, disappeared somewhere. The door opened, and a skeleton entered the office.

"Lady Virilada, you called? I am the butler, Rili."

Sir reappeared beside me.

"Has the healer received his payment?"

"No. While you were unconscious, I took the liberty of making a contract with him. His stay needs to be paid in two weeks. You were unconscious for so long that I had to send a letter to Lord Aris's brother, your late husband."

"How do I pay for the elf's services?" I asked the butler.

Sir vanished again and then brought a contract for assistance and monitoring my pregnancy. The servant placed a box on the table, which I opened to find a massive signet ring on a cushion.

"This is now your family ring and also an artifact that confirms your right to the inheritance. By applying it to the healer’s signature, you will make the payment according to the amount specified in the document."

As the butler explained, I took out the ring, ran my finger over it, feeling it was dusty... I pulled a handkerchief from my sleeve, wiped the signet, and put it on my ring finger. The ring, which seemed massive, instantly shrank to the perfect size.

I looked at the handkerchief left in my palm.

"Did this ring belong to my husband?"

It wasn't dust; it was ashes.

I tossed the handkerchief away in disgust. Suddenly feeling sick, I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and tried to suppress the nausea.