I Thought It Was the Monster Duke's Fake Sedative - Chapter 78

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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 78
Luciana rubbed her temples gingerly, as though her head might split apart, and spoke up.
“It is… rather mature, I suppose.”
Though not quite the kind of maturity I had in mind.
Her confusion dissolved the moment Sophi answered.
“Isn’t it? The designers put their hearts and souls into it! They said they’d always wanted to experience designing an outfit for a moment like this!”
“A moment like… what?”
“Meeting your ex-boyfriend—or rather, your estranged husband—and wanting to look absolutely stunning when you do!”
Not like that bewildered doctor on the airplane who’d heard “Is there a doctor on board?” and actually had to stand up.
The tremor in Sophi’s voice, which Luciana had taken for nervousness, was actually quivering with excitement.
Only then did Luciana grasp what had happened.
‘So the situation got lost in translation.’
Her request for a mature dress had been…
‘…reinterpreted as “Make something so breathtakingly elegant yet alluring, so pure yet seductive, that he falls all over himself wanting to make up with me.”‘
But she couldn’t change dresses now.
Not only had the designers’ efforts been considerable, but apparently the entire banquet hall’s decoration had been coordinated to match this dress’s colors and tone.
“It suits you wonderfully, my lady. The Duke will truly be speechless!”
“If he doesn’t fall head over heels at the sight of you, we’ll accept defeat!”
“You two…”
Luciana looked at her maids with something close to pity.
‘They’re far too invested in me.’
It was touching that they cared so much, but she felt like she’d become the protagonist of one of those doting-caretaker stories where the heroine just passively receives everyone’s attention.
‘Or maybe they’re just chasing their dopamine hit with this romantic drama.’
Luciana turned back to the mirror, feeling rather uneasy.
The dress itself was certainly exquisite.
Somehow, the designers had managed once again to strike an impossible balance—refined yet bold, innocent yet sensual, elegant yet daring.
It was the sort of gown that belonged at a banquet without being meek about it; rather, it announced itself with quiet confidence and artistic audacity.
The problem was that she felt out of place in it, and Edward might misunderstand her intent.
“…Oh.”
Tepe’s late arrival and single utterance only amplified that anxiety.
“My instincts were correct. You do have the talent for this sort of thing.”
“What talent are you always going on about?”
“I was merely wondering if you’d be interested in acquiring a riding crop in the near future…”
“Can you say things like that to the Duke?”
“Of course. I’ll hold my tongue now.”
“Go on ahead!”
Luciana suppressed an inward groan and moved forward.
Though the guests hadn’t yet arrived, the mistress of the house had to be ready to receive them.
The maids chattered their encouragement all the way.
“My lady, be strong! If he doesn’t fall for you after this, he’s not human!”
“Well, the Duke isn’t human anyway. He’s a Half-Dragon.”
“Oh, right.”
Luciana heard their exchange and let out a wry smile, adjusting her dress once more.
Still, their chatter was oddly reassuring—it did ease some of the tension.
‘Just act as naturally as possible.’
She murmured this to herself like an incantation as she took her place in the Waiting Room of the Banquet Hall.
The next moment, she sensed a brilliant, almost sacred aura emanating from across the way.
Drawn like a moth to its glow, she turned her head without thinking.
“…”
“…”
Edward, who had dressed himself with deliberate care for the occasion, took a step toward Luciana before freezing mid-stride.
Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.
Edward was as breathtakingly handsome as ever.
His golden hair swept back to expose his flawless face, with a few deliberately loose strands tumbling across his forehead that caught the light like spun gold and seemed to enchant all who beheld them.
He wore a new formal uniform tailored just for this banquet.
Though neither had planned it, the two of them seemed to complement each other’s attire in some extraordinary way.
‘…I shouldn’t dwell on such things.’
Remembering her resolve to act naturally, Luciana forced herself to look away.
Yet Edward continued his approach, drawing slowly toward her side.
A delicate tension shimmered between them in the air.
“Then we shall step aside for a moment.”
The attendants, reading the mood between the two, bowed their heads as they spoke.
“Huh? What?”
Luciana was naturally bewildered.
They were suddenly leaving the two of them alone?
‘Surely they’re not trying to force a reconciliation before the banquet…’
But that suspicion vanished at the attendant’s next words.
“Madam, truly I apologize, but the Duke must receive Purification from his True Mate before the banquet.”
“Ah.”
The attendants, seeming genuinely troubled, bowed deeply while beads of cold sweat rolled down their foreheads.
‘…I see.’
Luciana accepted this calmly, observing their distress.
It had been several weeks since she’d told Tepe that Purification wouldn’t be needed for a while.
Because she’d found no opportunity for reconciliation, the coldness between them had stretched far longer than anticipated.
Time had passed, and Edward too had ended his seclusion, busying himself with demon hunts.
The effects of the rather intimate Purifications they’d shared so thoroughly were finally beginning to fade.
If he attended the banquet without Purification…
‘It would become rather problematic.’
If Edward’s body began to glow in front of outsiders without receiving Purification, it would be a disaster.
‘From what I hear, this Synchronization Rate… it becomes unstable if Purification is neglected too long.’
She had no time to complain about the unreasonable original setting.
Worse still, if the Corruption accumulated in his body went into Rampage, that would be far more catastrophic.
Divine Beast Rampage was, quite literally, an unspeakable calamity.
The moment the attendants cast anxious glances in her direction.
Luciana nodded calmly.
“I understand.”
……
“You may go now.”
The attendants, releasing a sigh of relief at her words, shot them one last worried look before closing the door, leaving the two alone.
Thud.
At the sound of the door closing firmly, Luciana flinched without meaning to.
Purification was a sensitive matter; no one would enter the Waiting Room for some time.
It had been a long while since she’d been left alone in a closed space with him like this.
‘Strange. Why am I so tense?’
While Luciana swallowed nervously and fidgeted with the hem of her Dress, Edward remained silent.
Judging by the way his eyes bore down on her, he seemed to have something he wanted to say.
Catching a glimpse of that gaze, Luciana found herself oddly hopeful.
‘…Perhaps this is an opportunity.’
The surroundings were quiet, and no signs of anyone approaching reached her.
This felt precisely like the kind of moment designed to nudge them toward having a calm conversation.
If it came to this, there was nothing wrong with airing things out and ending this cold war.
Even as she thought this, Luciana swallowed and stared ahead rather than speak to Edward first.
She could have been the one to break the ice and open the door to dialogue…
‘But I wasn’t the one at fault.’
When she’d been a reader consuming the book, she’d lived with the refrain: “Just talk already! Resolve it through dialogue!”
If she were still a reader now, she’d be screaming in frustration, demanding they reconcile and give her the satisfaction.
But now that she was the one actually living it…
‘…it just hurts.’
Honestly, being the first to speak in this situation felt like a blow to her pride.
It would have been different had they only recently met.
She would have simply fawned over him and pretended nothing was wrong, regardless of how he treated her.
But why was it different now?
She truly didn’t want to do that anymore.
And if there was any misunderstanding to clear or explanation to offer, she felt it should come from Edward, not herself.
After all, it was Edward who had spoken harshly, saying he had no expectations.
When she’d asked if he truly saw her as an equal, he’d failed to give her a proper answer.
So if there was any misunderstanding, Edward should acknowledge it and offer his explanation.
……
Edward merely sent his gaze toward her, showing no sign of opening his mouth.
As if the words she’d spoken were hardly harsh at all.
Luciana’s thoughts tangled into knots of their own accord.
‘…I really was the lowest of the low.’
So much so that I couldn’t even receive an apology of that caliber.
It was just as a vague melancholy settled over her that she let out a long sigh.
“…….”
“…….”
The side of his face began to feel unbearably hot.

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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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