Abandoned Empress's Survival Manual Beside the Male Lead - Chapter 71

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 71
“……?”
“Welcome, Duke Baetan, Duchess Baetan!”
“What a handsome pair you both are.”
The nobles crowded around Duke Baetan and his wife, offering an endless stream of greetings.
Duke Baetan received them with nothing more than a perfunctory smile, standing beside the Duchess as she too exchanged pleasantries.
Their laughter held the same measured temperature. Their joined hands touched only in form.
The Duchess smiled gracefully, accepting their words—but the moment Duke Baetan turned away, her expression shifted. Her lips remained curved, yet her eyes turned glacial.
Deon Baetan felt it too.
Since Ayu had arrived in the territory, their marriage had been deteriorating by the day.
“Oh my.”
The Duchess, sitting near the dais, caught sight of Lorelthiana and let out a formal laugh.
“Why, isn’t that the Holy Maiden’s own sister? I must be mistaken, but she seems a hundred times more beautiful than the Holy Maiden herself.”
“…….”
“Though I suppose the Grand Duchess wouldn’t covet a mere duchess’s position, would she?”
Deon Baetan clenched his jaw and issued a low warning.
“Lower your voice.”
“Why? Are you afraid the Holy Maiden will hear?”
“I find women like you insufferable. Drunk on nothing but aristocratic arrogance—”
“Your Holy Maiden wouldn’t have spared you a glance if you weren’t of high birth.”
Deon Baetan recognized the barb in his wife’s words but offered no rebuttal.
He would not deny that Lorelthiana was beautiful. But that was where it ended. Ayu was incomparable. She brimmed with vitality and warmth.
Anyone would choose a living, breathing spring over the most exquisitely carved statue.
Lorelthiana was nothing more than that to him. And then—
“Why are you staring at the Grand Duchess of Gonet like a man possessed?”
His wife’s mocking voice cut through him.
“Have you taken a fancy to the Grand Duchess now?”
“……What?”
“My father is present here. Perhaps you might exercise some restraint?”
Deon Baetan bristled with suppressed fury.
“That’s quite enough!”
He barely restrained the urge to cast this woman aside. Her wild behavior only deepened his longing for Ayu.
Ayu was surely somewhere in this grand hall, receiving the devoted attentions of the priestesses…….
He could not accompany her in public, and neither could he openly seek her out.
As Deon silently yearned for Ayu, the Duchess let out a cold, bitter laugh.
“How amusing. Perhaps you should moderate your own conduct?”
“I said that’s enough!”
He had merely found Lorelthiana strange!
Could a person’s bearing truly shift so drastically, as easily as changing garments?
“At least let your jealousy blind you to some modicum of reason……!”
“Hmph.”
The scornful Duchess abruptly turned toward Lorelthiana and called out loudly.
“Grand Duchess of Gonet! Are you not curious about your sister’s welfare?”
Deon Baetan, caught off guard, quickly seized her wrist and clenched his teeth.
“What are you doing?”
“What? I merely wished to pay my respects to the Holy Maiden’s elder sister. Is that wrong?”
“You……!”
Deon Baetan grabbed his wife roughly.
The Duchess, in her high heels, stumbled. Just before she fell, someone caught her arm and steadied her with ease.
“I, thank you…….”
That someone passed her by without acknowledging her gratitude. Deon Baetan’s eyes widened as he recognized the familiar silhouette.
“Grand Duke of Gonet?”
It was Sherkan.
He did not turn back, but Deon Baetan immediately blocked his path.
“Grand Duke of Gonet! How dare you lay hands on another man’s wife!”
The gathering erupted in whispers. Those standing nearby hid their mouths behind fans, exchanging meaningful glances.
Sherkan glanced at Deon Baetan, then answered coldly.
“Keep your wife out of my way, then. And perhaps attend to your own wife instead of eyeing other women?”
“Sherkan, Grand Duke of Gonet……!”
Deon Baetan’s face flushed crimson and purple.
But Sherkan walked past without a glance.
At that indifferent figure retreating and the Grand Duke of Gonet’s loaded words, the nearby nobles murmured amongst themselves.
* * *
Ayu, watching all of this unfold, felt as though her heart was being torn apart.
‘My wife?’
How could he say such a thing so openly in front of everyone? Even if he hadn’t recognized her yet, it wasn’t right. Tears began to blur her vision.
When will I ever be strong enough to push that woman aside and stand proudly beside Baetan?
How much longer must I sneak around to see him in secret?
“Holy Maiden…?”
The gentlemen conversing nearby looked at her with concern. Ayu forced a bright smile, as if nothing were wrong.
But that word—”my wife”—refused to leave her mind.
As tears threatened to spill, Ayu excused herself from the gentlemen and began moving toward Lorelthiana. The Priestess attending her called softly from behind.
“Holy Maiden?”
“I’m just going to see my sister for a moment. There’s no one here from the Northern Kingdom, and I’m feeling rather lonely. She’ll comfort me.”
But Ayu had only taken a few steps before she stopped short.
……
Sherkan had suddenly wrapped his arms around Lorelthiana.
* * *
Have you ever had a massive man suddenly loom before you?
Your vision darkens in an instant.
A deep blue Court Robe filled your sight, and at the same moment, your entire body felt constricted as though bound in chains.
A faint scent of metal and earth—utterly out of place in a ballroom—brushed against her nostrils.
“Sherkan?”
“Mm.”
His voice rumbled low from somewhere above her head.
“When did you arrive?”
“Just got here.”
I felt my breath quicken slightly. The whole time I spoke, Sherkan was holding me far too tightly.
I pushed against him, but he didn’t budge. In the end, I had no choice but to open my mouth again.
“Let go. People are watching.”
A low sigh came from above my head. Sherkan released me slowly, his reluctance plain as day.
“What does it matter.”
I laughed despite myself.
Aside from his occasional bursts of rage, this man could actually seem a little endearing.
It was probably because of those devastatingly handsome features, wasn’t it?
When someone is that beautiful, you somehow stop noticing their psychological flaws.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say they rob you of your wits entirely.
“Now that I think about it, have you grown taller again?”
“Mm.”
Sherkan looked down at me and added, “But my wife seems to be getting smaller.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Seriously.”
“Talk sense. How does someone’s height shrink?”
“You’re so small though.”
“Me? You’re saying I’m small?”
“Mm.”
‘Has he lost his mind?’
If there was one thing Lorelthiana had going for her over Ayu, it was her strikingly perfect appearance.
The thick, luxurious hair and translucent skin unique to Larund bloodline, along with her long limbs and exquisite proportions—these were aspects that even the followers who despised the Holy Maiden couldn’t bring themselves to criticize.
‘Though I suppose a simpler life would feel incomparably better than this kind of beauty anyway.’
Sherkan was terribly handsome in appearance as well, but his interior seemed utterly rotted through.
For some reason, I felt a kinship with him and reached up to stroke his hair.
He seized my wrist immediately, his face plainly bewildered.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m saying you’ve had a hard time of it.”
“Ha……”
Sherkan let out a hollow laugh. Meanwhile, the dance was drawing toward its close. The men and women spinning about with bright laughter were dazzling, like summer roses in bloom.
“Sherkan.”
“Mm.”

“I danced the first piece with His Imperial Majesty.”
I straightened my shoulders proudly, and Sherkan’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“So you want me to be jealous?”
“Yes.”
I smiled mischievously and extended my hand.
“So I’ll give you the honor of dancing this next one with me. How’s that?”
“Truly boundless honor. I could offer all of Gonet and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
“I’ll just take half, then.”
Sherkan shook his head lightly, looking exasperated.
But I couldn’t help noticing the faint glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
I found myself wishing this young Grand Duke would rest more.
Wielding a sword as naturally as breathing, fighting for his life, hardly sleeping at all.
I knew better than anyone how exhausting a life of constant struggle could be.
So wouldn’t it be nice if, at least sometimes, he could dance without worry in a place as comfortable and beautiful as this?
‘His mind would stay healthier that way.’
Soon the dance ended, and I walked onto the floor with Sherkan.
Unlike before, when he’d watched with the expressionless indifference of someone looking down on the whole world, he now asked me to dance with perfect courtesy.
I bowed my head slightly and took his hand.
Sherkan danced better than I expected. The original work’s description came back to me—he was skilled at anything involving physical movement.
Even now, before he’d reached his full height, his gaze rested on me; later, how far would I have to crane my neck?
Would Sherkan still dance with me then?
No.
‘Don’t think about a future so distant.’
There were already so many pressing problems at hand.
And I did care for Sherkan.
I genuinely cared for this boy.
Since he was doing his best to look after me, I should do my best to fulfill my role as well.
What comes later will sort itself out somehow.
“Why are you smiling?”
Sherkan asked suddenly.
“Am I dancing strangely?”
“What?”
It was precisely when we spun and separated for a moment. When I came back into his arms, I suppressed my smile and answered.
“I don’t know? I think you’re dancing quite well.”
“But why do you keep smiling?”
“I’m a worldly person, so I’m happy to be in such a splendid place. Especially with my husband.”
“You know what.”
Sherkan sent me out once more, then pulled me back and continued.
“If I hadn’t proposed, you would have married another man by now.”
“I already had, didn’t I? I was an Abandoned Concubine.”
Sherkan faltered for a moment, then growled softly.
“That wasn’t a marriage, and you said so yourself.”
“Right. I was just joking.”
Finding it amusing to be glared at by him, I burst out laughing. He grabbed my waist and lifted me suddenly in mock anger, making me gasp.
I gripped his shoulders, eyes wide. Only then did Sherkan look satisfied. When I landed safely on the floor, I pretended to be upset.
“You startled me!”
“That’s the penalty for tormenting your husband.”
“I swear…”
After five more turns, the dance ended.
Hearing the wave of applause, I left the floor on Sherkan’s arm, my face flushed with excitement.
“Your Grace.”
Baron Gabin, who had been waiting quietly, looked brighter than usual when he saw Sherkan. Sherkan gave a slight nod in return and asked me.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Yes. I’ll have any champagne.”
After saying that, I looked around with a smiling face.
‘Ayu?’
She was approaching me. The moment our eyes met, her olive eyes blazed with determination.
It was a bad sign.
When Ayu wore that expression, it meant someone had deeply offended her.
Just then, Sherkan’s voice cut through to my ear.
“You’re being a real nuisance, you know that?”
“……?”
Was he talking to Ayu just now?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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