The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 40

—————

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

—————

Chapter 40
A knock sounded at the door, and I lifted my gaze. At this hour, only Calvin Stewart, Garnet, or Letti Torres would think to knock. Letti Torres had gained some leisure time after being with Lauren and was leaving on schedule, while Garnet was on standby until his external appointments began. So the one knocking now was likely Calvin Stewart.
And true to my expectation, the one who entered after opening the door was Calvin Stewart, the Estate’s butler, impeccably composed despite the late hour.
“It would be wise to cease drinking, sir.”
Calvin Stewart’s eyes narrowed as he observed the glass in my hand, still half-full of liquor. At his reproachful tone, I couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.
Calvin Stewart had long disapproved of how I neglected proper meals, couldn’t sleep, and spent my time with alcohol. Even if everything else changed, his nagging would remain unchanged. When I mentioned this, Calvin Stewart’s gray eyes crinkled as he smiled wryly.
“I had no idea you found my nagging so bothersome, sir.”
“It’s a compliment.”
I smiled quietly and set down the glass. My faint smile felt heavy. As the brother of Blaze Lilywood, who had slaughtered my family, I had every right to hate and resent him. Yet Calvin Stewart—indeed, all the servants of this Estate—had remained unwavering in their loyalty and affection toward me. That “unchanging” devotion weighed heavily upon me, and yet it was precious beyond measure.
My green gaze followed Calvin Stewart as he prepared tea. This older servant, who had cherished me in my childhood despite the age difference, with those gentle gray eyes—he had lost a beloved younger sibling to Blaze Lilywood’s hand, and yet he still stood by my side.
It wasn’t only Calvin Stewart. Jasmine Aloria had lost her son. Letti Torres and Leonora had lost their parents just as I had. Lise had suffered grave injuries that threatened her life. Anna, who had hidden in a small closet thanks to the family’s quick thinking and thus escaped harm, had been rendered speechless by the shock. Among all the remaining servants of the Estate, there was not a single one who had not lost someone dear that day.
I wished that they would suffer no further harm or anguish. That was why I maintained the Estate as it had been, even mimicking Blaze Lilywood in an ill-fitting manner. Since Blaze had sought to destroy everything I cherished, I endeavored not to create anything more precious. After returning from the Battlefield, I severed all external activities. At the Imperial Ball, when I was reluctantly summoned by the Emperor, I deliberately caused a scene to ensure I would not be called again.
Of course, the Emperor paid no attention to such behavior on my part.
Seated on the long chair as always, my gaze drifted toward a delicate envelope resting alone at the corner of the table. Now that I thought of it, I hadn’t confirmed the letter that had arrived from the Imperial Palace. Since it was addressed to the Lilywood Ducal Couple, I had wanted to open it together with Lauren.
But after she had captivated my attention entirely with the toast she brought, and then we reviewed documents from the Territory together, I had completely forgotten about that letter. Well, letters from the Imperial Palace had always been nothing more than tiresome harassment to me anyway.
I could check it in the morning. For now, there was something far more important—the news Calvin Stewart had brought.
“How did it go?”
“A reply has arrived.”
Calvin Stewart, smiling gently, withdrew a letter envelope from his breast pocket and placed it on the table. The deep navy envelope, which suited the darkness settled within the Office, somehow put my mind at ease. Unlike the brilliant, luminous white envelope that had come from the Imperial Palace.
“I had no idea you harbored such thoughts, sir.”
“Don’t tell Lauren.”
“You have a surprisingly romantic side.”
“That’s not it.”
My brow furrowed deeply, yet the gentle smile never left Calvin Stewart’s face. Just as I was about to say something more, I let out a small sigh and closed my mouth. Calvin Stewart knew me far too well.
And the same was true for me. Romantic, he said—that wasn’t it at all. But I was certain that no matter what I said, Calvin Stewart wouldn’t listen. So I simply reached for the envelope on the table without another word.
The dull navy envelope was cheap. The seal, which would normally bear a family or personal crest, was blank. I exhaled lightly and carefully broke the seal with deliberate fingers. From within the envelope emerged low-grade paper, improperly bleached and mixed with coarse fibers. I withdrew it and unfolded the letter, which had been creased in half.
【I arrived safely thanks to you. I will see you tomorrow night at the place you mentioned.】
After confirming the brief message written in gray ink, I set down the card. Calvin Stewart returned it to the envelope and brought a candle to it. The motion of watching the yellow flames burn briefly before casting the empty envelope into the fireplace was smooth and practiced. Only after the paper had burned away completely did I speak.
“What of Garnet?”
“He says he will provide escort as planned until she returns to the Territory.”
I nodded and leaned back against the chair. I would have to check the letter from the Imperial Palace first, though I had intended to confirm it together with Lauren. If this truly was a summons, then Garnet’s schedule, which I had arranged to escort Lauren, would become crucial.
My hands moved more roughly as I opened the fine envelope from the Imperial Palace than they had when opening the cheap navy one. I had received letters bearing the Imperial seal often enough to be weary of them. The importance was fundamentally different.
“What does it say?”
What emerged from the envelope was a small card. Calvin Stewart, waiting as I read it through a couple of times, asked. I twisted my lips and handed the card to Calvin Stewart. It was an invitation to a family dinner at the Imperial Palace, inviting the Lilywood Ducal Couple.
“So he intends to meet the lady after all.”
“It would seem so.”
The sound of my tongue clicking echoed quietly through the Office. Calvin Stewart stood silently, but his eyes held the same light as mine. He, the butler of the Duke’s Mansion, knew well what had befallen the Duchess of Lilywood at the Imperial Ball. He also knew that it was because of that incident that I had asked Garnet to escort Lauren.
“This has become troublesome.”
“I did not expect him to summon you so hastily in this manner.”
I let out a hollow laugh and swept back my hair. At the last Imperial Ball, the Emperor had said something similar. When I said I would present myself with Lauren, who could not be left alone on the Terrace, he said he would call for us separately. This dinner invitation appears to be that summons—and for this coming weekend, no less.
“You seem quite curious about Lauren.”
I let out a scoff. The Emperor appeared genuinely displeased that I had conducted the marriage in secret. Then again, that was the Emperor I had come to know. He carried himself as though everything lay beneath his feet, yet he remained acutely aware of how others perceived me.
In truth, the Emperor was weak to sentiment and easily swayed. During the last Imperial Ball when I had a private audience with him, he had thrown something akin to a tantrum because I had not married the Imperial Princess. I swallowed a sigh internally. Had I not been the master of the throne and Father’s close friend, I would have returned to my Territory long ago. Though with Blaze around, that was impossible regardless.
I clicked my tongue openly. Even knowing that Abarid Bestes was targeting Lauren, I lacked the resolve to walk into the Imperial Palace of my own volition. But it was an imperial decree. Regardless of my will, an imperial decree moved me. It had to. And this time would be no different.
“This will create more work. I apologize to Letti.”
“Are you considering assigning him to guard the lady?”
I nodded. I had intended to request Lauren’s protection detail from Garnet, who moved freely without fixed assignments, but that was impossible now. Garnet was already engaged in a mission that could not be conducted in parallel with guarding Lauren. In the end, Letti was the only one I could ask.
Letti was far more than merely an aide. In childhood, I had met him as the son of the Estate’s steward couple and as a companion. He had remained at my side even at the Military Academy. Through the harshness of the Battlefield, we had stood together. No matter how much the Ducal House sponsored my younger brother, Letti was someone to whom I owed far too much to bind him with such things alone.
I wished to let him live without burden if possible, yet I was too incompetent to grant him that. I had to acknowledge that I needed Letti’s help immediately. After the war ended, Letti became my aide. Together, we had floundered through an endless sea of documents that suited neither of our temperaments.
“Letti will be upset.”
“He’ll have to manage.”
I twisted my lips. I knew better than anyone that Letti would not be upset to that degree. The Duke’s Mansion operated solely on goodwill toward him. I knew that better than anyone. No matter how much I compensated him with money, there were limits to such things. I could only remain grateful to Letti and Calvin for not abandoning me.
“I hope nothing goes wrong.”
Calvin murmured softly. I, who had been staring intently at the cards laid upon the table, slowly nodded. If it was an Imperial family dinner, the Emperor and Empress would attend, along with Abarid Bestes and that little one. My head throbbed, and I reached for my glass again. I hoped nothing would go wrong. That was what I desired more than anything.
“Contact Jasmine Aloria and have her bring a dress.”
“And formal attire for yourself, sir.”
At Calvin’s cheekiness, I let out a hollow laugh. A ‘murderer’ required far too many things to become human. Strangely enough.
“The lady will be pleased.”
“What are you talking about?”
The eyes of Aster Veil Lilywood narrowed as he regarded the Butler spouting incomprehensible nonsense. Yet Calvin simply ignored his gaze and chuckled good-naturedly.
The master he served was someone who desired to be loved more than anyone. Beneath the fierce eyes of a man who had returned from war under the name of hero lay a tender, gentle child who had never truly grown—one who yearned to be loved. Calvin wished to protect that child. In place of his own younger brother, whom he had failed to protect that day.
There was only one person who could give love unreservedly to a child who desired it yet feared it, uncertain what to do. Calvin hoped that person was the lady of this Duke’s Mansion—Lauren Lilywood. The one who could face Aster directly, someone whom everyone else feared to even meet eyes with. The one who could scold him without hesitation and rebuke him, yet regard him with a gentle smile and soft gaze. Calvin hoped that was Lauren. And he hoped the reverse was equally true.
When Lauren had suffered long from the effects of poison, Aster had turned pale and become utterly helpless. The capable Butler of the Estate had witnessed it and understood. There was no one but Lauren who could teach love anew to one who had abandoned both loving and being loved.
Perhaps it was merely Calvin’s fleeting wish. Yet he did not wish to abandon it. He believed that Letti and Jasmine Aloria harbored similar sentiments.
“Then I shall arrange an appointment with Aloria for tomorrow afternoon.”
I closed my mouth and nodded. Calvin bowed deeply and withdrew. Beyond the closing door, the figure of the young man, lost in thought with a glass in hand, slowly faded from view.

—————

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

—————