The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 23

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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 23
Not good. That was how I assessed my own mental state. Without realizing it, my gaze continued to follow Lauren, and I found myself listening intently to her voice. I knew it shouldn’t be this way, but it wasn’t something I could control through sheer willpower.
The time I had cleared to study with Lauren had transformed into hours spent dancing together for the ball. Lauren had stepped away to prepare.
As I waited for the appointed hour with her, I ultimately decided not to go. There was someone who could take my place instead. Letti Torres, whom I had attended the Military Academy with, for instance.
“Letti, it seems you should….”
At my call, Letti looked up. When our eyes met—his blue gaze meeting mine—the words caught in my throat. I clamped my mouth shut. The image of Lauren dancing pressed close against Letti flooded my mind.
For some reason, a wave of resistance bloomed from deep within my chest. He would participate in the event with her, and no matter how much I told myself it was merely practice, I couldn’t trust myself to witness it. I swept my hair back and exhaled a long breath.
“Your Grace?”
“Never mind. What about the musician?”
“There is someone among the servants who can play the accordion. I have instructed them to be ready at the appointed time.”
“I see.”
Ah, that’s right. Thanks to the Previous Duchess’s love of the arts, there were servants capable of playing at least one instrument. It seemed they still remained because I had not changed the staff since that day.
Still, even after the Previous Duke passed, they continued to practice their instruments. Truly, what conscientious people they are.
I raised my hand and made a dry washing motion across my face. My chest felt suffocated. Irritation surged through me like a tidal wave.
When someone dies, the lives of others continue on. Of course they do. But I didn’t want to know. Not like this. If not for Lauren, I would never have learned any of it. I had wanted a life as still as stagnant water. It had been comfortable that way. Had it remained so, I would never have been thrown into such turmoil.
“Shouldn’t you be heading out soon, Your Grace?”
At Letti’s voice, I lifted my eyes and checked the time. He was right. Considerable time had already passed.
I rose from my seat with a long exhale. There was no room for hesitation. Letti approached and held out my jacket. I raised one eyebrow sharply. Yet despite my piercing gaze, Letti’s smile never wavered.
“The instructor taught us that the foundation of dance is showing respect to one’s partner, did he not?”
Had I learned such a thing? So much time had passed since I failed to even graduate. It was only natural that my memory was hazy. I furrowed my brow and looked down at the jacket in Letti’s hands.
Now that I thought about it, I had only begun dressing properly again because of Lauren. Because of the newspaper article, and because of the dinner with Delania Siaz. I bit the edge of my lip. I could never return to how things were before. The “murderer Aster Veil Lilywood” had been changed because of my wife.
I wished I had never changed at all. But now that it has come to this, there is nothing to be done. I exhaled lightly and accepted the jacket from Letti’s hands. The sluggish, reluctant way I threaded my arms through the sleeves resembled a child being forced to do something against their will.
“Have a pleasant evening.”
“What about you?”
“I have work piling up.”
Letti smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders. Lauren’s words about how Letti had too much work came to mind, and I regarded him quietly. His blue eyes, filled with unspoken questions, watched me intently.
Was he overextending himself? The capable adjutant who had stood by my side even at the Military Academy might be suffering under tasks outside his domain. He simply chose not to show it.
But there was nothing I could do about it immediately. I couldn’t find another aide to replace Letti. Lauren would be saddened if she knew. Yet I could do nothing for Letti. Of course, Letti understood that fact well enough. In the end, I said nothing and turned away.
“I’m going.”
“Yes, have a pleasant evening, Your Grace.”
Perhaps because I had closed my mouth, Letti simply smiled wryly and saw me off.
Thus the office door closed. I surveyed the corridor that had changed in the meantime. Sunlight poured through the corridor windows with the curtains thrown wide open. I squinted against the dazzling light.
When had warm light begun to fill this mansion that had been as cold and dark as a cave where a wounded beast sought refuge? When had the silence of my space begun to be filled with the songs of birds?
I exhaled a sigh—I had lost count of how many—and turned my steps toward where Lauren waited.
* * *
“Welcome, Your Grace.”
It was Calvin Stewart, the mansion’s butler, who greeted me. Behind him, an elderly servant bowed deeply. He was likely the one who would play the accordion today. I nodded in acknowledgment of his respectful greeting.
“Where is Lauren?”
“She awaits you inside.”
Hearing Calvin’s voice, I directed my steps toward the inner room. Lauren was there in a room flooded with sunlight. Her jet-black hair gleamed as it caught the light. For some reason, that brilliance was so dazzling I couldn’t look directly at her. I lowered my head slightly and averted my gaze from hers.
“Aster.”
Despite his attempt to avert his gaze, Lauren rose from her seat and approached him. Her hair was pinned up as neatly as always, but dressed in a gown rather than her usual attire, the neckline that had been concealed by her high-collared blouse was now fully exposed. In the slanting sunlight, even the fine downy hair on her pale skin shimmered.
“…Have you been waiting long?”
“No. I just arrived.”
Lauren, who had invaded his field of vision as he bowed his head, unable to bear looking at her, smiled brightly. Unable to even evade, Aster was forced to take in the glimmer of her lavender eyes. For some reason, his throat tightened, and he let out an awkward cough.
“Does it look strange?”
Lauren held the voluminous skirts and twirled, examining herself from all angles. She had never learned to dance, yet she seemed quite excited. The light summer dress with white flowers painted on a blue background swirled in a perfect circle. Aster’s lips curved upward.
“No, it suits you well.”
He hesitated briefly before answering honestly. Her transparent lavender eyes seemed to blend with the dress’s hue, taking on a slightly bluish tint—a color reminiscent of dawn itself.
Though his answer was brief, Lauren’s eyes crinkled with joy at his compliment. Yet unlike her, his brow furrowed slightly.
“Your Grace, madam. Shall we begin?”
Whether it had been a long time or merely an instant, I couldn’t say how long we had been gazing at each other. A knock sounded, followed by Calvin’s voice. Aster, who had been captivated by her gaze, forcibly tore his eyes away. His voice, barely drawn out to answer Calvin, trembled slightly at the end. How pathetic.
Behind Calvin, who appeared from beyond the door, a servant carrying an accordion followed. When Lauren asked the servant’s name, he introduced himself as Toby.
“Pleased to meet you, Toby. What instrument have you brought?”
“Yes, madam. This is called an accordion, and it has a most splendid tone.”
Toby, answering with a smiling face, demonstrated the accordion’s sound for Lauren. As he pumped air into the bellows and pressed the buttons, rich harmonies filled the space. Lauren’s eyes widened, her lips parting. As the accordion’s sound faded, she clapped her hands with a radiant face.
“That’s wonderful! Splendid, Toby!”
“You’re too kind.”
Toby broke into a broad smile and laughed heartily. Aster watched Lauren and Toby with an expressionless face. The two of them looked genuinely delighted. Lauren’s smile was truly beautiful, but the fact that her gaze was directed at someone other than him displeased me. And I was somewhat irritated that I had harbored such a thought.
“I’m sorry to trouble you when you must be busy. I’m counting on you, Toby.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Lauren praised Toby with a smile. She was kind to the servants as well, and she spoke to them with respect. That was why not only the Duke’s aide and the mansion’s butler, but even the maids and cooks adored the Duchess. In other noble estates, servants were subjected to curses and objects hurled at them—such conduct was commonplace. It was only natural that they cherished her gentleness and kindness.
She was also deeply concerned about the Duke’s mansion having fewer servants. Her reasoning was that excessive work would cause fatigue to accumulate beyond measure.
Aster recalled Garnet’s report. In the fiefdom led by the Previous Marquis Siaz, they had not given special treatment to the lord’s daughter. She had played freely with the village children and played hide-and-seek with the servants’ children in the mansion. Perhaps that was why the servants felt like family to her. Such a heart might be similar to his own. Though the reasons would be entirely different.
“Are you prepared, Lauren?”
“I’ve studied from books at least. And I’ve practiced a little on my own…”
Lauren lowered her brows. So she was a model student after all—it seemed she had done some preparation. I wondered if things would go as well as she hoped. Aster chuckled softly.
“Your Grace, shall the piece be a waltz?”
“Play it in a slower tempo, if you would.”
Toby answered Aster’s command with a laugh. For some reason, the irritation that had been creeping in melted away like snow. His golden hair, bound in a single knot, swayed with his movements. The two of them stood facing each other in the spacious clearing. As Aster extended his hand to begin the dance, Lauren took a small, deep breath.
“…Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
Lauren, who had stepped close, looked up at him and smiled with squinted eyes. At her honest response, a faint smile lingered on Aster’s lips. Lauren placed her hand on his shoulder, and Aster’s hand grasped her waist.
Aster, clasping Lauren’s hand, signaled Toby with a glance. The accordion’s harmonies began to play a three-beat waltz. Lauren’s lavender eyes, gazing straight up at him, trembled slightly. And so did her feet.
Lauren, who had been precariously following the slow tempo, stumbled. His hand held her firmly to keep her from falling. Because his hand became her support, her tension eased somewhat. The heartbeat that had been thundering in her ears gradually subsided. The accordion melody that had been so captivating before now began to reach her ears little by little.
And the moment she let her guard down, she stepped on Aster’s foot instead of following the step. Lauren’s ears, cheeks, and exposed neck flushed a deep crimson as she couldn’t even lift her head. How embarrassing. Stepping on his foot was hardly a serious matter. Moreover, the petite Lauren was quite light, so a slight pressure on his foot caused him no pain whatsoever.
“Listen to the music, Lauren. And follow my lead.”
Aster, bowing his head slightly, whispered into Lauren’s ear. His low voice caressing her name made her shoulders instinctively tense. Rolling her eyes to look up at him, she found Aster gazing at her with a gentle expression. His eyes sparkled like fresh leaves on a clear day from some distant past.

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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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