The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 41

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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 41
Morning arrived, and unusually, Aster appeared at the breakfast table. Yet his hands remained untouched by the food arranged on his plate. Perhaps he recognized that drinking so early was inadvisable, for coffee sat before him instead. Lauren cast a sidelong glance at his face. Dark shadows pooled beneath his eyes—the kind that didn’t accumulate in mere days. Something troubled him, surely.
She’d heard that coffee possessed stimulating properties. But in his current state, sleep would serve him far better than caffeine. Lauren tilted her head thoughtfully.
It was rare for her to share a meal seated across from Aster. In the handful of memories she could count on one hand, she’d never actually seen him eat.
Coffee by day, wine by evening—these substituted for meals. Food would be placed before him, certainly, but he rarely touched it, and it would be cleared away nearly untouched. Yet somehow, between these sparse moments of nourishment and rest, his handsome features never deteriorated. Lauren studied his deeply shadowed face carefully.
“…Why?”
His hand, reaching for the coffee, stilled. Her gaze had been rather obvious. Lauren quickly lowered her eyes to her plate. She should have simply pretended not to notice, but words tumbled from her lips unbidden. It was better to speak one’s mind. After all, she wasn’t at the Marquis Siaz Estate anymore—a place where no one listened to her words.
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest a little?”
Yet she still feared his response. What if he reproached her for speaking nonsense? Lauren kept her head down, absently poking at the food on her plate. Aster remained silent for a long moment. She stole a glance at him across the table, studying his complexion. His deep green eyes looked directly at her, but mercifully, he showed no displeasure. So it was alright, then.
“You look terribly exhausted, Aster. You don’t have any appointments today, do you?”
“No, I do.”
Aster twisted his lips and murmured. There had been nothing scheduled until last evening. At Lauren’s puzzled expression, Aster gestured to Calvin standing at the doorway. Calvin withdrew a white envelope from his breast pocket and set it beside Lauren. The seal impressed upon it was unmistakable, even to one as unfamiliar with high society as she.
“Open it.”
Aster spoke to Lauren, who stared blankly at the envelope. Breakfast was forgotten. With furrowed brows, Lauren opened the envelope from the Imperial Palace. Her violet eyes traced the words written on the card.
“Why this? The date is still far off…”
“They plan to visit from Aloria this afternoon to assist with preparations, madam.”
Ah. At Calvin’s added remark, Lauren nodded in understanding. She had procured several dresses for herself, but Aster’s formal wear remained woefully sparse. The sudden schedule change made sense. But this afternoon, she noted. Lauren’s gaze drifted to the large clock hanging on the wall.
“Still, you should get some rest. There’s time before afternoon.”
Aster remained silent, but he set down the coffee cup he’d been gripping as though it were a lifeline. Lauren watched him carefully. She worried she might be overstepping, yet he had listened to her.
His green eyes lingered over the cup of dark liquid. He was clearly exhausted. When sleep-deprived, one lost all appetite anyway. Lauren rose from her seat and approached Aster, extending her hand to him.
“No, I…”
He murmured softly, his gaze following her hand slowly upward until it met her eyes. Toward those deep green eyes, Lauren offered a gentle smile. He had been an excellent student, progressing rapidly, and now he managed his duties as lord without difficulty. In truth, once he’d begun to grasp the mindset of a lord, her assistance had become nearly unnecessary.
Still, if she could be of help, she wished to be. She could work while he rested. Jasmine Aloria would arrive in barely half a day. Aster’s complexion wouldn’t improve that much in such time, but rest was nonetheless essential for him. After regarding her for a moment, Aster took her hand and rose. Lauren gripped his hand firmly, as though he might slip away.
“Where is Aster’s bedroom?”
Lauren asked, turning toward Calvin, who was smiling rather broadly. A troubled light flickered across his face. There was nothing for him to be troubled about. After all, Lauren and Aster were husband and wife; sharing the location of a bedroom was hardly unprecedented.
“…There isn’t a separate one.”
A quiet voice came from behind her. Lauren turned instinctively. Aster stood with lowered gaze, holding her hand docilely. His appearance was unlike his usual self, and upon closer inspection, his eyes were already half-surrendered to sleep.
“Then normally…?”
Aster, wearing a twisted smile, offered no answer. Lauren’s eyes widened as she turned her gaze to Calvin. The troubled glimmer in his gray eyes deepened.
“He merely rests briefly in the Office. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen him this fatigued.”
Lauren pressed her lips together. That long sofa—his designated seat—apparently served as his bed of sorts. Aster was tall, and the sofa seemed quite small by comparison. It must be terribly uncomfortable. Proper sleep would be far better, even briefly. But there was no help for it now. Laying him on the Office sofa was the best option available.
Lauren held Aster’s hand and moved toward the Office. He followed quietly behind her. Lauren saw no need to speak either.
Somehow, a memory from childhood surfaced. Of course, now she was the one leading, but she felt a small pang that this memory belonged to her alone. If Aster remembered too, he could have told her he was grateful back then. Well, their married life would continue for years to come; perhaps he could tell her someday. What mattered now wasn’t conversation—it was getting Aster to sleep.
The Office was empty; Letti hadn’t yet arrived. Lauren settled Aster onto the long sofa. Her earlier assessment remained unchanged—the furniture was too small for him to lie comfortably—but with no separate bedroom available, there was no choice.
Aster seemed unaware of her thoughts. Despite her insistence that he rest, his hand reached toward the documents on the low table. Lauren snatched the stack of papers from his grasp.
“You need to sleep.”
“But the work…”
“I’ll handle it.”
Aster looked up at her resolute eyes. They gleamed violet. He didn’t particularly wish to shirk his duties, but Lauren’s eyes, holding those documents, were rather intimidating. Aster lowered his head and twisted his lips. He could trust Lauren more than anyone. He wasn’t sure when that had become true, but it was.
“Lie down.”
Lauren’s voice is firm. She’s right. What he needs most right now is sleep. It had been quite a while since he’d gone without rest to this degree. Pushing through with alcohol or coffee had its limits. Ordinarily, he might have managed an hour or two of shuteye, but lately even that had become difficult. There was too much to think about, and ever since meeting Blaze last time, the moment he closed his eyes, nightmares came flooding in.
“Quickly.”
Urged by her stern insistence, Aster Veil Lilywood lay down on the long chair. Though it was called a long chair, it was too small to accommodate his full frame, forcing him to fold his legs. The office, flooded with sunlight, was far too bright for proper rest. Aster placed his forearm across his eyes.
“You’re being good.”
Perhaps because his sight was blocked, her laughter reached him with even greater clarity. Good? He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d heard that word. For some reason, tears threatened to spill. Aster clenched his teeth and twisted his lips upward.
“…Lauren.”
After hesitating for a long moment, Aster called her name. His voice trembled, he realized. He could only hope it sounded natural to her ears. She seemed to be reviewing documents at the desk, her voice reaching him from a distance.
“This might sound strange.”
He was being strange today. There were far too many things unlike him. It’s all because he’s exhausted. Lauren sighed inwardly. When people grow tired, they can’t think straight. Rest is the only cure. She’d experienced that herself once.
It was when she’d first begun learning work from her father. Thrilled by the fact that she could accomplish something, and that it suited her talents well enough to earn her parents’ praise, she’d gone without sleep for days. When her father realized her condition was deteriorating, he’d forcibly dragged her to bed.
Back then, she’d thought that taking even a moment’s rest would spell disaster. But after sleeping deeply and waking, she’d discovered the documents she’d worked on were a complete mess. Her father had sat her down and scolded her—saying nothing more than that efficiency plummets when you don’t rest—but after seeing the ruined documents with her own eyes, Lauren had been unable to say anything in response.
So it would be the same for Aster. Lauren waited for his next words.
“…Could you hold my hand for a bit?”
It was similar to something she’d once asked of him. Without thinking, Lauren’s gaze turned toward him. Aster lay on the long chair with his legs folded, his arm raised across his eyes as if shielding himself from the light. His lips were trembling slightly.
He’d said he wasn’t sleeping properly. Perhaps there was another reason for it. Lauren recalled a soldier she’d met once. He’d said he couldn’t sleep because the scenes of the battlefield unfolded before his eyes the moment he dozed off. A war hero. Aster had also survived the horrors of that war. Perhaps similar visions haunted his dreams, keeping him awake like that soldier.
“No, I’m sorry. That was strange of me to say….”
Aster’s voice was drowned out by the sound of Lauren closing the curtains. To his heightened ears, that sound seemed unbearably sharp. Aster pressed his lips firmly together. Then he slowly began to rise from the chair.
“Why are you getting up?”
Lauren pushed a large stool between the long chair and the table, then sat upon it. A stack of documents lay on the low table in front of the chair. Aster looked at her uncertainly. Her clear, pale violet eyes gazed directly at him.
“Sleep.”
She extended her left hand.
“I need my right hand to review the documents….”
Aster nodded and grasped her left hand with his own left hand. Then he lay back down on the long chair, covering his eyes with his right arm. It had been an impulsive, foolish request, yet it felt as though she’d accepted it. Something deep within his chest tingled pleasantly. He thought he should compose his expression, but he couldn’t manage it. His lips kept curving upward, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
To his heightened ears came the sound of Lauren turning the pages of documents. The quiet, darkened office was filled with the whisper of paper sliding past. Even the scratch of the slightly worn fountain pen she always used against the paper sounded pleasant somehow. Aster closed his eyes. The crimson pools that usually flooded his mind the moment darkness fell were nowhere to be found.
For the first time in a long while, it seemed he might sleep deeply and without dreams.

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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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