The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 4

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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 4
After scrutinizing the documents for some time, I pressed my forehead with the heel of my hand. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my eyes and alternated my gaze between Aster Veil Lilywood and Retti. A sharp glint flashed across my deeply furrowed eyes. Retti flinched in alarm and dropped the file folder.
“Who reviewed these documents?”
“Well, I did, initially….”
“And the Duke signed off on them personally?”
Retti’s blue eyes rolled toward Aster Veil Lilywood. The Duke, who had been lounging in a long chair with his legs stretched out while examining documents, finally lifted his gaze.
“What is it?”
“Did you verify this as well, Your Grace?”
Her form of address had reverted to “Your Grace.” Aster Veil Lilywood tilted his head quizzically, then rose with deliberate slowness and approached the desk. His languid movements resembled those of a sated predator.
But I had no mind to observe such things. I thrust the documents toward him. His eyes narrowed as he examined them carefully. His emerald gaze traced along the text before rolling toward me.
“I’m aware of the contents.”
“Between these two, which do you think is more urgent?”
I placed another document before his eyes. His gaze darkened as he reviewed it. Aster Veil Lilywood exhaled softly and gestured toward Retti with a cold glance. Flustered by that icy stare, Retti stumbled and struck his leg against the desk. Wincing, he rubbed his leg while accepting the documents from me.
“Ah….”
His blue eyes darted nervously between mine and Aster Veil Lilywood’s, as though gauging our reactions. This was an undeniable mistake. There was no excuse to be made. Retti bit his lip firmly and bowed his head deeply.
“I sincerely apologize.”
“How did this happen?”
“Well….”
The document I had presented was a petition from a merchant guild requesting tax reduction, claiming it was difficult to open a shop in the Dukedom. It was a place so renowned—even I, confined in the Siaz Barony, had heard of it—that it dealt almost exclusively in luxury goods. Nobles who enjoyed displaying their wealth frequented it regularly, so operating one or two additional shops should pose no hardship whatsoever.
I would not have minded if common folk with sufficient wealth had made such a request, but from what I understood, the Dukedom was not wealthy enough to afford such luxuries. The lord had abandoned his territory to reside in the Capital, making it impossible to properly care for his subjects. Of course, I also knew this was not Aster Veil Lilywood’s fault—it was the Emperor who refused to allow him to return to his domain.
Yet knowing this did not excuse such sloppy document processing. Resources that should have gone to the territory’s people had been diverted to these absurd individuals because of this paperwork. My lavender eyes fixed on Retti. I had thought him a good man, but surely….
“Retti, did you perhaps receive a bribe?”
“That’s absurd!”
Retti jumped to his feet. If that weren’t the case, there was no way such a document would have been approved. I tilted my head in confusion.
“No, you see….”
Retti stammered out excuses. The official who had brought the documents had wept so pitifully before him about his difficulties that he had hastily affixed his seal. I pressed my forehead once more.
“And this official was, I presume, a young and attractive woman.”
“Uh….”
Retti hung his head in shame. A transparent ploy. The Duke’s adjutant, who had spent years in the military, lacked immunity to feminine wiles—they had exploited this to rush the documents through without proper review. The shop in the Dukedom likely did not exist at all, or was being used for some other purpose. They knew the lord would never investigate.
“Retti, your salary is reduced by half for six months.”
Retti clutched his head and crouched down. At his long sigh, Aster Veil Lilywood irritably swept his hair back. His emerald eyes, deeply furrowed, suggested his mood was quite foul. But I had to speak my mind. Perhaps, contrary to rumor, his reluctance to execute people without cause had made me somewhat bolder.
“This is your fault, Your Grace. You’ve been signing off on documents Retti submits without even reviewing them, haven’t you?”
“That’s what an adjutant is for….”
“That’s not how it works.”
I could see how much work had been piling onto Retti. At my cool gaze and measured tone, Aster Veil Lilywood let out a sound of protest and took a step back. He glanced at Retti and sighed softly.
“Three months, thirty percent reduction. Since he’s not entirely without fault, I can’t compromise further.”
“That’s acceptable.”
That was not unreasonable. Retti, who had been sighing heavily, rose unsteadily and bowed deeply to me in gratitude. Though he offered his thanks, tears glistened at the corners of his eyes. I could not fathom why he would react so intensely when, as the Duke’s adjutant, his salary should be quite substantial. Retti excused himself to wash his face and left the office. As I watched his tall figure depart, I could not suppress my curiosity and asked Aster Veil Lilywood.
“Is his salary insufficient?”
“Who? Retti?”
Lauren nodded. Aster’s lips curved upward, and he let out a soft chuckle. The harshness that usually marked his eyes softened slightly. Such an expression from him—they must share quite a deep bond, having rolled through battlefields together.
“I pay the wages generously. Even Calvin said it’s more than competitive elsewhere.”
“But his eyes were filled with tears.”
“If you’re curious, ask him directly. There’s no reason he can’t tell you.”
Aster murmured leisurely. I wondered if he was gambling or something, but it didn’t seem to be that. Lauren nodded. If it wasn’t that, it was a relief. Still, a sigh escaped somehow. There was so much to do.
“I think it would be wise to send someone to the territory. We need to verify whether the shop actually exists and check if anything improper is happening.”
“Is that so?”
Aster, leaning against the desk, crossed his arms. He seemed lost in thought—perhaps deliberating whether it was the right move, or considering whom to send. Lauren tidied the scattered documents while stealing a glance at him. There was no need to stamp every document the aide brought up. Even if the aide submitted papers, one had to draw the line somewhere. This was common sense that any heir would have learned during their education.
I had heard he was the beloved only son of the Lilywood ducal house, yet his current demeanor suggested someone who had received no heir training whatsoever. Surely returning from the battlefield wouldn’t make him forget everything he’d learned before.
‘Still, he really does have an exceptional face.’
Lauren swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape unbidden and forcibly redirected her gaze away from him. A man whose slightly furrowed brow in contemplation and lips pressed at the corners became a work of art—she almost felt sorry for using him as a means to escape the Siaz household. Of course, he had been famous for his handsome features since childhood. But the gentle, beautiful boy who had returned from the battlefield after growing older was said to have become an untouchable killer. Who had spread such rumors?
The rumors that he had slaughtered his parents and more than half the household servants in a single night seemed absurd now—he appeared to be an ordinary young man who made jokes and laughed. Even when my words must have been unpleasant to hear, he had simply and quietly adjusted the level of punishment. Unless he had gone mad and run rampant, it seemed unlikely he would commit such an enormous act. Could it be aftereffects from the war? But the rumors of his murders had circulated before he returned from the battlefield.
Just as Lauren was about to continue her wandering thoughts, a knock sounded at the door. Startled from her idle musings, she lifted her head. Aster glanced at the desk clock and straightened his posture.
“The time has gotten away from us.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s call it a day.”
“Pardon?”
Aster, looking down at Lauren with her eyes wide, lowered his head, pressed his lips together, and his shoulders began to shake with laughter. What was so funny? I didn’t think I’d said anything that amusing.
“You seem so sharp in front of documents, but you really are an amusing person, aren’t you?”
He raised his hand and wiped away a single tear that had gathered at the corner of his eye. His green eyes gleamed for a moment. The brilliance held in that gaze was so dazzling that Lauren lost any will to argue back. Still, there was one thing she needed to clarify.
“It’s not ‘you,’ it’s my name.”
“Ah, right. Lauren.”
Despite her deliberately blunt tone, the laughter lingering in his response didn’t fade. Lauren—a name she’d heard countless times and grown accustomed to—sounded somehow different when spoken in his low voice. Lauren turned her head away and bit her lip slightly.
“Come.”
He extended his hand across the desk. Lauren stared at his hand for a moment before finally placing hers over his. His hand was large and warm. Just like the boy’s hand from long ago, preserved in memory, it remained unchanged.
* * *
Waiting for the two of them was Butler Calvin. The butler’s gray eyes widened when he saw Aster escorting Lauren, then curved into crescents. Calvin always wore a smile, though it typically carried a professional air, but in this moment, it was clear he was smiling with genuine warmth.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“It’s nothing, Your Grace.”
Calvin erased the smile that had filled his face and replied with practiced nonchalance. Aster still looked displeased but made no further comment. Calvin resumed his professional smile.
“Your guest is waiting in the Reception Room.”
A guest? Lauren tilted her head in confusion. Why would she need to meet a guest who had come to the ducal house? But upon stepping through the Reception Room doors, she could only accept the reason. The space, as if an entire dressmaking studio had been transplanted wholesale, bustled with people—far more staff than she had encountered in the duke’s household.
“Greetings, Your Grace the Duke. Thank you for summoning us.”
An elderly woman bowed respectfully to him. Aster, his face expressionless, merely nodded and seated himself in a long chair placed in the center of the room. A servant arranged a tea set on the table before him.
“It is an honor to meet you for the first time, Your Grace the Duchess. I am Jasmine Aloria of the Aloria Dressmaking Studio. You may call me Jasmine. I am honored to be entrusted with your wardrobe exclusively.”
The woman who introduced herself as Jasmine bowed deeply to her. Exclusively? Lauren involuntarily turned sharply to look at Aster beside her. He reclined against the back of the long chair, his legs crossed, sipping tea. He supposedly didn’t drink tea often, yet the way he held the saucer in his left hand and the teacup in his right was excessively elegant and natural.
“Aster, what is all this?”
“I mentioned it. The Emperor might summon you soon.”
“Ah.”
Lauren let out a small sound. Of course. The garments she had brought to the ducal house were nothing but shameful rags to wear before the Emperor. Besides, she had sold all her jewelry, so it was clear he intended to commission new clothes to uphold the dignity of the ducal house.
The Aloria Dressmaking Studio had prepared an array of garments—everyday wear, day dresses, and evening gowns. The elaborate gowns suitable for galas were luxuries, yet I could not bring myself to refuse them. I was no longer a baroness’s daughter exempt from such social obligations. Half by choice, half by compulsion, I offered Jasmine Aloria a smile, though my cheeks felt stiff and trembled slightly against my will.

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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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