The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 43

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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 43
The dining room door swung open. Aster Veil Lilywood’s hair was still damp—his claim about washing up hadn’t been a lie. Lauren’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’ll catch a cold if you don’t dry it properly.”
Aster Veil Lilywood twisted his lips but offered no response. Yet he didn’t seem displeased as he settled into the seat across from her. The moment he sat, food arrived exactly as Lauren had instructed beforehand. Despite his rank as a Duke—among the Empire’s top three most powerful positions—the meal before them was remarkably modest, no different from what the other household staff consumed.
Aster Veil Lilywood gazed quietly at the small bread basket in the center of the table, the soup and salad before each of them, and the fish with bones carefully roasted. He still felt no appetite. Yet the familiar nausea didn’t rise either.
“You didn’t eat breakfast properly either. Come on, eat.”
Lauren tore off her portion of bread and spread butter on it, her eyes narrowing as if she’d scold him if he merely picked at his food. Suppressing the urge to sigh, Aster Veil Lilywood searched the table for coffee.
“Coffee is forbidden until you finish eating.”
Lauren spoke without even looking at him. Caught red-handed, Aster Veil Lilywood let out an involuntary laugh. But she was right. There was no coffee before her either. She’d clearly given this considerable thought—all to get him to eat something.
If she wanted it that badly. Aster Veil Lilywood grasped the silver-gleaming cutlery. The metal was cool and weighty, like a sword. Of course, being dining utensils, they were far smaller and lighter than the blade he usually wielded. Yet they felt heavy—perhaps because of the weight of burden he carried.
Taking a shallow breath, he brought the soup to his lips. It wasn’t overly rich, with the subtle, buttery aroma and mushroom notes. Under normal circumstances, this would have made him recoil. How strange. For the first time in ages, he felt hunger. His stomach hadn’t signaled its emptiness as usual, yet simply by her presence—by Lauren’s smile alone—he’d recovered a sense of taste he thought he’d lost entirely.
The vegetables and their dressing were fragrant; the flour-crusted fish yielded with each bite. When had he last felt such sensations? When he’d forced food down merely to survive, it always tasted like paper. Aster Veil Lilywood moved his cutlery methodically. Suddenly aware of a gaze, he looked up to find Lauren watching him with a gentle smile.
“Everyone will be happy about this.”
At the end of her smile, Lauren added one more thing. Aster Veil Lilywood couldn’t find words to respond. So he merely furrowed his brow. Yet Lauren’s smile never faded.
“…Why?”
After moving his hands in silence for some time, Aster Veil Lilywood finally set down his utensils and spoke. He’d thought about it, but he couldn’t understand why everyone would be happy. Or why Lauren smiled like that.
“Well, you don’t eat properly or sleep well, Aster.”
Lauren tilted her head curiously. Her violet eyes sparkled. For some reason, meeting that gaze felt difficult, so Aster Veil Lilywood lowered his eyes to his plate. Not having eaten regularly made even finishing the plate a challenge. But what did that matter?
“I know you’re a strong person, but I still worry. Not just me—everyone does.”
Worry. Aster Veil Lilywood squeezed his eyes shut at that word. Worry was born from affection. At least, that’s what he believed. The affection and concern he’d seen in his parents’ eyes each time they welcomed him home from the Military Academy.
After his parents passed, Aster Veil Lilywood had never wished for concern again. He couldn’t. The household staff hadn’t changed since that day. They were all people who’d lost family to his twin brother, Blaze Lilywood.
It couldn’t be easy to serve such a master, yet they spoke of worry? That was something that could only be directed toward someone you loved. But why did everyone say they worried about him? Worrying about someone was exhausting and draining in itself.
Aster Veil Lilywood bit his lip hard. Lauren was excessively kind. That’s why she couldn’t leave him alone. Using the word “worry” to make him reflect on himself and maintain his daily life. He couldn’t stop his lips from twisting. Everyone worried about him? That couldn’t be right.
He couldn’t affirm Lauren’s words, nor could he deny them. He didn’t know how to respond, yet his mouth wouldn’t open. Aster Veil Lilywood simply stared at the plate before him.
* * *
One shouldn’t do unfamiliar things. Aster Veil Lilywood rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled softly. Garnet, who’d come to meet him, tilted his head and looked at him curiously. Light brown hair peeked through the hood, swaying gently. It’s nothing, Aster Veil Lilywood twisted his lips into a smile.
To be honest, he was exhausted. Insomnia was an old companion, so it wasn’t surprising, but there was something more. The afternoon schedule with Lauren. The tedious business of taking measurements that barely changed, trying on samples, selecting fabrics and decorations.
Yet it had been somewhat enjoyable. Watching Lauren try on clothes or selecting things for her use had been more pleasant than expected. Given her undeniably beautiful appearance, that was natural. Even if Aster Veil Lilywood knew little about women’s clothing, he possessed an aesthetic sense comparable to anyone else’s.
He’d usually insisted on subdued colors, so he hadn’t noticed, but he was startled at how well the vibrant shades Jasmine Aloria brought suited her. When she turned to him in the colors Jasmine Aloria recommended and asked his opinion, he thought his heart would stop.
Lauren was that kind of person. Someone for whom brightness suited her well, whose smile was dazzling.
Recalling her smiling face, Aster Veil Lilywood’s eyes narrowed. She was fundamentally different from him. He, who knew nothing of doing things properly, thrust into a Duke’s position he’d never sought. He couldn’t even smile properly. Aster Veil Lilywood swallowed the laugh threatening to escape. What mattered now wasn’t this.
Garnet led him to an Inn a short distance from the Duke’s Mansion—neither lavish nor shabby. If you were to build ordinariness into a structure, it would feel exactly like this. Perfect for hiding someone. Aster Veil Lilywood twisted one corner of his mouth and followed Garnet. The plump Innkeeper, who’d been dozing at the dark bar counter, recognized Garnet in his hood.
“Out and about so late, are we?”
Instead of answering, Garnet flicked a gold coin from his fingertip. The Innkeeper exclaimed and leaned forward, fumbling to catch it. Then, winking at them with one eye and grinning, he settled back into his chair behind the counter, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes as if he’d never opened them. Such transparent behavior.
“Still, he’s trustworthy.”
Garnet whispered softly. If that’s what he said, then so it was. Aster Veil Lilywood nodded quietly and followed him again. Garnet stopped before a door on the third floor and knocked rapidly twice, once, then three times. The tension eased slightly from Aster Veil Lilywood’s rigid expression. That simple cipher was the very first thing he’d taught Garnet.
The next moment, a sound emerged from the room, which had been silent as if empty. Sky-blue eyes peered cautiously through the door crack. When Garnet lowered his hood to reveal his face, the owner of those sky-blue eyes opened the door with relief. Of course, the moment he saw Aster Veil Lilywood following behind Garnet, he flinched and stepped back.
This person was important to his plan, so he had no intention of frightening him unnecessarily. Deliberately removing his hood, Aster Veil Lilywood walked briskly to a distant armchair and sat. It wasn’t as comfortable as the one in his office, but the cushion was surprisingly intact for something worn. As he settled into the distant seat, some of the tension eased from the blue-eyed man’s shoulders.
“I am Aster Veil Lilywood.”
“I-I’m Hale, s-son of Trace Siaz.”
Aster remained seated as he spoke his name curtly. The hunched man bowed at the waist, his words faltering as he introduced himself. With his distorted features, he did not append the title of baron to his father’s name.
Hale Siaz. Aster recalled that name from Garnet’s report. Trace Siaz had wanted to place him in the Royal Knights, but the man described in that report had not possessed the qualities of a true knight. Quiet, fond of books, with a gentle disposition—Aster had thought he might suit the role of a librarian. Yet the Hale Siaz standing before him now differed somewhat from what Aster had imagined.
Facing the notorious “murderer” Aster Veil Lilywood, though his shoulders shrank and his words stumbled, his azure eyes did not shy away. Though he was said to be Delania Siaz’s brother, those eyes resembled Lauren far more than Delania. They were transparent, unwavering eyes. I did not dislike someone with such eyes. Aster’s lips curved slightly upward.
The decision to recruit him—a man who had remained in his fiefdom unable to come to the Capital for “certain reasons”—had come at Garnet’s request. Garnet was not a child who made such requests lightly, so Aster found himself curious about what aspect of this man had moved him. Standing before Hale Siaz now, Aster began to understand Garnet’s sentiment. Those eyes, gazing upon him with such directness, would have shaken even Garnet, whose nature was to doubt all people.
“You must have had a difficult journey from afar.”
“Ah, no, sir. The k-knight helped me greatly….”
At Aster’s indifferent praise, Hale’s azure eyes widened and he smiled broadly. It was an unguarded smile. So this man knew how to smile like that. Perhaps it was mere fancy, but the more he looked, the more he resembled Lauren. If his temperament were similar as well, that would be fortunate. Then conversation might flow quite naturally between them. Lauren was someone with clear convictions about right and wrong, after all.
How should I broach the subject? Aster regarded Hale intently. Of course, I had already conveyed my wishes in the letter beforehand. The fact that Hale had come to this meeting meant he was willing to take my hand, yet there remained a measure of unease. Regardless of an individual’s character, exposing the failings of their family was a difficult matter. All the more so when dealing with someone one did not know well.
I could not predict what reaction the man before me—the one who had received the letter—would show. There was no way to know without testing the waters directly. Since Garnet had taken the care to bring him here, I had no choice but to trust in Garnet’s judgment.

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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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