My Ex-Husband Came Back Crazy - Chapter 58

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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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Episode 58
Chapter 6. Lull (5)
It had been a long time since she’d ventured out on official business.
Inside the carriage, Celia waved an elegant letter back and forth before glancing down at the Auction Catalog spread across her lap.
“Anything catching your eye?”
“Not yet.”
After a stretch of silence, Lucius, seated across from her, spoke up.
“But you said you were busy. Is it all right for you to attend something like this?”
“I have time enough for an outing like this.”
“It’s not really a couples’ event, though, is it?”
“So, you don’t want to be here?”
…….
He didn’t say he disliked it.
Celia let her gaze linger on him a moment longer before returning her attention to the catalog.
The curtains swayed gently with each jostle of the carriage. Celia usually enjoyed watching the landscape slip past the window, but today she hadn’t glanced outside once.
Whether she realized it or not, Lucius had already noticed the fact.
“I’m joking. The truth is, I wanted to bid on something myself.”
“What is it?”
At her show of interest, Lucius leaned forward, his characteristic gentle smile settling naturally into place.
“Do you remember that necklace you wanted before?”
A necklace?
Ah—Celia’s eyes widened at once.
“The one that sold before you could buy it?”
He seemed to be referring to the necklace she’d failed to purchase on the day she’d gone out to Belmont Street.
“You mean it’s being auctioned today?”
Lucius’s eyes grew wider still in affirmation. Now that interest had kindled, Celia flipped past the pages of ordinary trinkets in the catalog.
When she reached the jewelry section, there it was—the very necklace she’d coveted.
“The young noblewoman who owned it got married and left the country recently. It’s one of the items she sold off when she went.”
“Mm.”
Celia sank back into her seat, letting out a long, thoughtful hum.
The necklace she’d wanted was a golden piece with a large amber gemstone set into it.
“I thought I’d try to buy it today.”
True to his station as the heir of a house whose wealth was virtually unmatched, Lucius spoke of acquiring the coveted necklace as casually as one might discuss the weather.
Celia raised the catalog, lifting it to just below her eyes.
“Well, if you’re going to spend the money anyway, buy the brooch next to it for me too.”
“Which one?”
They began a conversation about what else might be worth purchasing, passing a single book between them. When he shifted from his seat across from her to sit beside her, it proved to be a fortunate addition.
With each sway of the carriage, their legs and shoulders brushed together, separating again just as quickly.
At last, the carriage came to a halt.
The Auction House was still quiet. Only a handful of carriages lined the entrance, and inside, servants stood with leisurely expressions, waiting for guests.
When Lucius stepped down from the carriage, he naturally extended his hand inward.
***
“Surely today’s star of the auction must be the Blue Laurel Sapphire Necklace, wouldn’t you say?”
At the remark, the young noblewomen who had gathered nodded eagerly in agreement.
The woman who had spoken gestured toward the center of the display with her half-folded fan.
“That color is really quite rare no matter how you look at it.”
“And the cut is remarkably bold. A necklace of that quality could make or break a woman’s appearance.”
In the display space prepared before the auction proper, the items up for bid were arranged neatly within glass cases.
The gems gleamed with their own light, and silver tableware, clocks, a cane with an ivory handle, and a document case engraved with the emblem of a house long extinct were all laid out within.
Yet it was abundantly clear which item drew the eyes of the crowd most intently.
The longing gazes of the women all turned in one direction. The sapphire necklace they coveted seemed to swallow light itself, deep as the sea.
“Do you think the Marquis’s wife will covet this one as well?”
“Frankly, once Celia sets her sights on something, it’s as good as settled.”
There was a mixture of regret and resignation in all their faces. The moment Celia wanted something, it already had an owner.
Just then, one young noblewoman leaned forward slightly.
Her expression differed from the others. Her face lit with curiosity rather than disappointment, and cradling her cheek in her hand, she whispered softly.
“Is it really so difficult to outbid Celia once she’s set her heart on something? If it were simply a matter of money, surely the merchant families would have the means to match her offers.”
She was the third daughter of a minor provincial noble, newly presented at court because of her wedding.
The wives turned toward her with sympathetic eyes.
“Young lady, it’s best not to provoke her temper at all.”
“That’s right. Why would anyone wish to displease someone blessed with the favor of both House of Brickwell and House of Windmere?”
“There are far more people hoping to win her favor by gifting her beautiful things like that necklace than there are who covet it for themselves.”
Besides, lately rumors had spread far and wide that the husband and wife, who had been at such odds, had reconciled.
So much so that elderly nobles, saying they wouldn’t believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes, had already abandoned their seats and come flooding into the Capital.
In the midst of all this, it was clear what the Emperor, who had personally engineered their marriage arrangement, would think.
‘That discord with the Windmere heir was the only flaw in Celia’s perfection. If the rumors are true and they’ve reconciled, then she truly has everything now.’
When the man in question was Lucius Windmere, who had once drawn tears from countless young noblewomen with news of his marriage, wouldn’t she feel as though she possessed the entire world?
“That’s true. And besides… there’s that rumor as well, isn’t there?”
“That Celia is really… could it be true?”
She pricked up her ears.
“Goodness, what rumor is that?”
Larita, who had only recently come to the Capital, had heard rumors later than others. Just as the women exchanged glances and were about to lower their voices, it happened.
“The thing is, Celia—”
The heads of those huddled together turned in unison toward one direction.
The entrance to the hall. Crossing through the still-sparse crowd, the topic of their conversation—the “Marquis of Windmere and his wife”—made their entrance.
“Oh!”
“My, how early… you’ve arrived.”
Everyone reacted in their own fashion to their appearance.
Some unconsciously lowered their fans, while others took a drink as though moistening a dry throat.
Only after they’d watched the couple ascend the spiral staircase with rapt attention did everyone finally collect themselves.
Lucius escorted Celia with subtle pressure at her elbow, his face bearing an air of ease and a gentle smile.
Only after they’d left did the tension finally drain away in sighs scattered throughout the room.
“Phew…….”
“That gave me a start.”
And so she realized, a bit late.
‘But what exactly is this rumor about Celia I’ve been missing?!’
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she discovered what that rumor was, seeing it with her own eyes.
***
It was just before the bell rang to commence the auction.
Celia stood among the noblewomen, surrounded by perfume and quiet laughter, formal pleasantries.
It was the familiar landscape of social convention that she found tedious, but today there was something different about it.
There was an unusual liveliness to their expressions, as though they were all anticipating something.
‘Why are they all being more insufferable than usual today?’
The eyes that turned toward her as they spoke gleamed with particular brightness.
“The Marquis came along today as well, I see.”
“I’d heard he’s been so terribly busy lately. Perhaps he didn’t want to leave his wife unattended after all.”
At that moment, some distance away, Lucius broke off his conversation with other gentlemen and glanced up.
When his eyes accidentally met those of the group, he nodded gracefully in acknowledgment. His gaze swept across the assembled company before finally settling on Celia. His eyes curved into crescents with pleasure, and Celia lifted her hand slightly in response.
Satisfied, Lucius’s mouth relaxed into a subtle smile, and he turned back to his conversation.
A small gasp escaped the noblewomen who witnessed this exchange.
“If a husband doesn’t attend to his wife, who will?”
“Hehe, quite right. So, does your husband ever give you cause for complaint?”
Why had the entire thread of conversation shifted to Lucius?
The woman who’d spoken wore a meaningful smile, while those beside her nodded along in agreement, exchanging brief glances.
“A neglectful husband is worthless in times like these.”
“Should any difficulty arise, you need only say the word. My lady.”
……?
Rarely failing to read the true intentions of those around her, Celia tilted her head slightly in puzzlement.

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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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