The Military Doctor Excels at Being a Contracted Duchess - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 26】

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When they arrived at the manor, Angelm was waiting.

As soon as Damian saw his twin, he jumped down and ran over with a worried expression.

“Dimi!”

Angelm in pajamas looked quite cute like this.

Just like a nine-year-old boy should.

“Thank you for finding Dami. He gets scared when there’s thunder.”

The maids came to take away the mud-covered Damian, and Angelm conveyed his thanks instead.

Finding a missing child should be the duty of the household’s adults, yet he seemed to draw a line as if it were someone else’s business.

‘Angelm won’t be easy.’

Ebel, who had decided to approach Damian first, also went to wash up.

Mud and fallen leaves – she was quite a sight to behold.

“Oh my, your feet are all scratched up. What should we do…!”

With Elroy’s alarmed reaction as the last thing she saw, Ebel fell asleep right there in the warm bathtub.

Drip.

Drip.

How many ripples did the water droplets falling from her hair tips create on the surface?

The door opened quietly, and a black-haired man appeared.

He silently signaled the maid to be quiet, then gestured for her to leave.

Moving silently was easier than breathing for him, so Ebel didn’t wake at all while Victor wrapped her in a towel and lifted her up.

“Mmm…”

“You worked hard.”

Victor whispered softly as he looked at the cold Ebel.

She was light – too light, even.

It was questionable whether she ate anything at all.

“Yawn, Vic…tor…”

“Yes. I’m here.”

Ebel, who had been mumbling something in her sleep, fell back asleep.

Victor watched her, unable to emerge from her dreams, then brought a new towel to squeeze the moisture from her long hair.

Though his touch was clumsy from never having attended to anyone before, it wasn’t rough, so Ebel still didn’t wake.

“Sweet dreams. Thank you.”

His presence here today was a secret.

Ebel would be terribly embarrassed if she knew.

But the maid didn’t have enough strength to lift and move Ebel, so it couldn’t be helped.

She had been caught in the rain, and staying in cold water for too long would surely give her a cold.

Swallowing the excuses for watching sleeping Ebel, he rubbed his face once and left the bedroom.

Without leaving even a trace of footsteps.

* * *

“The water’s been staying warm lately. Though it’ll probably turn cold again soon.”

In one space of the massive Bayern manor. The twins’ bedroom.

After washing up nicely and changing into pajamas, Damian and Angelm lay close together on one bed.

Though there were naturally two beds, the two children had liked sleeping together like this since they were young.

Angelm looked at Damian and whispered softly.

“Don’t be fooled. We only have each other. Got it?”

“Mm…”

“That woman isn’t our mother. Our mother passed away.”

The rain had stopped at some point, and moonlight spread hazily between the dark clouds. Angelm held his twin tightly in the faint light.

“We only have each other…”

* * *

After the commotion in the dark forest, there was a slight change in the manor.

Finding piggyback rides fun, Damian began pestering Victor for rides whenever he saw him, spreading his arms wide.

This caused some problems during meals, but they eventually agreed that he would get a piggyback ride after finishing all his food.

“Oh dear, what should we do… getting hurt like this.”

Today was the day to choose a wedding dress, and Mrs. Eberstain couldn’t hold back her tears when she saw Ebel.

Her cheeks, neck, and hands were covered in scratches.

“It’ll heal before the wedding, so no problem. The child was excited and scratched me a bit.”

“Still… on a lady’s body…”

“It’s fine.”

After reassuring the lady, Ebel looked around at the boxes filling the entire drawing room. The maids bustled about taking out fabrics.

Silk, organza, lace, fine muslin, and even tulle.

The colors were varied too, from pure white to ivory and cream. With slight variations, there was even silk that shimmered silver.

“How about using silk satin as the base, layering pure white organza over it, and decorating with light pink pearls? With coral-colored ribbons.”

“I like it.”

Natural pearls, pink ones at that, covering the entire skirt. It was truly luxurious. The wedding dress alone would probably cost at least 400 million kart.

“Since you like orange jasmine, shall we use that for decorating the venue and the bouquet too?”

“Yes.”

Mrs. Eberstain was an excellent party planner. With just occasional nods, half the wedding preparations were done.

Moreover, the lady was skilled with her hands and could do fittings, so she even altered the dress she’d brought to fit Ebel’s body to see which design would suit her.

“Try on this veil too – it’s one I wore. Let’s see which length looks most elegant on you.”

At the lady’s pleased recommendation, Ebel had no choice but to pick the shortest one. Though even that was long… the one matching the skirt train’s length felt a bit burdensome.

“Oh my, how pretty. How lovely. His Grace the Grand Duke should see you like this.”

That’s when it happened.

A small hand suddenly popped out from beyond the half-open drawing room door. Then Victor appeared, carrying Damian on his back.

“Ah.”

That was Victor’s first word upon discovering Ebel in her wedding dress.

A brief exclamation.

Just as Ebel, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, was about to remove her veil, Damian scurried over and hid behind her.

Specifically, under the veil.

“Damian really likes you.”

“I guess hiding together in Damian’s secret place last time was effective. He hasn’t completely opened his heart yet, but this is something.”

Both thought their tone was dry and matter-of-fact, but Mrs. Eberstain watching them thought differently.

“My goodness, His Grace carrying a child! This is the first time I’ve seen such a sight. What happened… are you perhaps practicing being a father?”

“No.”

“No.”

Both denied simultaneously at the lady’s fuss.

But the lady seemed to already be imagining whatever she wanted to think.

Just as Mrs. Eberstain was about to say something more.

The sound of a carriage came from outside. What followed was Genevieve’s piercing voice.

“Come quickly! Was the journey difficult?”

At the suspiciously welcoming voice, everyone naturally moved toward the window.

What stepped down from the carriage was a young woman in a light pink dress.

* * *

“She’s my guest.”

Even if it was a guest not discussed with the head of the family, turning them away would damage the family’s reputation. After having the guest escorted to the drawing room first, Victor summoned Genevieve.

“You said you needed more sponsorship money for the charity exhibition. Since you said I couldn’t spend more, what could powerless me do? I had to bring in sponsorship from outside.”

However, Genevieve was shameless.

Looking at her nails as if asking what she’d done wrong, she was in a rather defiant state.

“Miss Cecily donated 600 million kart to this exhibition. The condition was just one thing. An invitation to the Bayern estate. We’ve already received the money and she’s already come, so there’s nothing we can do, right?”

Victor tapped the ebony desk with an expressionless face.

She had planned not to hold any social gatherings until Ebel was perfectly prepared. But Cecily Bettel had come here.

‘It doesn’t seem like she did this on purpose….’

Cecily Bettel.

She was the daughter of the Railroad Family and currently had the highest reputation in the Capital’s social circles.

As industrialization accelerated, the imperial family began laying railroads across all state-owned territories, and Cecily’s father was the central figure in that enterprise.

He might not have a title, but being the Railroad King made that irrelevant.

For the past five years, what held power in social circles wasn’t bloodline but capital.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be strange for Cecily Bettel to participate in the Bayern-sponsored Exhibition.

Genevieve also seemed to have brought her because she needed money.

However, the reason this was so irritating was… because she could roughly guess ‘why’ Cecily Bettel had ‘bothered’ to come all the way here.

“Next time, you must get Ebel’s permission first before inviting guests.”

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