The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 46

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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 46
“Looks like you’ve been skipping meals again.”
Aster Veil Lilywood arrived just as I finished my preparations. He was still dressed in his shirt and trousers, but his hair was neatly tied back with a wide navy ribbon that matched the color of my dress. Was it excessive to think that this alone softened his entire demeanor?
While I examined him carefully, Lise—her jet-black hair adorned with jewels—bowed respectfully to him and slipped from the room. Aster settled into a chair before the high table, draping one arm across its back as his gaze turned toward me. His deep green eyes gleamed softly, catching the faint light.
“If you tense up over every little thing, you won’t survive the Imperial Palace.”
“But it’s overwhelming. I haven’t even made my debut in society yet…”
First a ball, now a meal with the Emperor’s family. I’m supposed to dine face-to-face with the Empire’s supreme ruler. How could I possibly eat when my nerves are this frayed? I’d be grateful if I didn’t get indigestion.
I closed my mouth. But Aster seemed to understand what I couldn’t bring myself to say. He lowered his head and laughed—that same crooked smile he always wore, yet somehow it appeared softer this time. Was it just my imagination?
No, I knew better than anyone that it wasn’t. Aster pretends to be fierce and rough, but he’s actually kind. He always has been, for as long as I can remember.
“Just think of it as visiting a parent’s acquaintance you’re not particularly close to.”
But his next words left me speechless. I actually yelped in protest—what kind of advice was that? Think of the Emperor as a parent’s acquaintance? That made no sense whatsoever.
“It’s not entirely wrong. The former Marquis Siaz was someone who had the authority to meet with the Emperor in private.”
Aster chuckled. His words weren’t incorrect. Despite being a naturally gifted administrator, Emel Siaz’s position was so elevated that it seemed impossible for a low-ranking noble with a small fiefdom and no connections to have risen so high. Curious about the reason, I tilted my head. Aster smiled softly at my confusion.
I wouldn’t know, having never met the Emperor, but the Emperor was someone who cared about others’ perceptions. Elevating a low-ranking noble to a position where he could offer counsel was meant to make the Emperor appear benevolent. That the former Marquis Siaz proved far more capable than the Emperor anticipated was an unexpected bonus.
Thanks to that, Aster was able to receive proper recognition. Emel Siaz was Aster’s benefactor. That’s why he decided to accept me. As he recalled their first meeting, a bitter smile touched his lips. Those strong violet-tinged eyes that had looked directly at him—he should have treated her more kindly. If only he’d known she would come to fill his heart so completely.
“Aster?”
Since he’d been silent for a while, I called his name. He twisted his lips into a smile and said it was nothing. What was the point now?
If only he had rejected her.
Aster gazed quietly at the woman before him, her anxiety about the banquet returning. If he had rejected her, Lauren would have been sold off to remarry some elderly man she didn’t even know. His brows furrowed deeply.
He couldn’t dare claim that being at his side now, threatened by Abarid, was better than that. Yet the fact that she was here with him now brought Aster some small comfort. The mere thought of her dying somewhere he couldn’t reach made his chest ache with a dull, throbbing pain.
He’d never considered himself particularly imaginative. But somehow, the future Lauren might have walked seemed vividly clear before his eyes. Was this too a consequence of caring for her?
His lips twisted again. Pointless thoughts. That wasn’t why he’d come to find her. There was something far more important right now.
Aster rang the bell on the vanity before me. As if waiting for this signal, someone knocked at the door. He glanced at my face as if gauging my reaction, then answered the knock. Calvin Stewart appeared, pulling a wheeled cart.
“Leave it.”
Aster’s command was brief, his tone almost curt, yet Calvin’s smile never wavered. Grinning cheerfully, Calvin bowed to me and left the room.
We were alone again. With a twisted smile, Aster removed the cloche from the cart and retrieved a plate. Then he approached me with it. My eyes widened at the sight of the beautifully arranged finger foods on the plate.
“Sweets help ease tension, but these will be better for your health.”
Aster pulled up a chair beside the vanity where I sat. He smiled softly, then picked up one of the finger foods and offered it to me.
I looked down at my gloved hands. Even if I wanted to remove them, the intricately tied ribbons made it impossible. If I took it, my lace gloves would get dirty. Noticing my hesitation, he let out a soft chuckle.
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
Aster made a strange sound. Without thinking, I echoed it. The finger food in his hand slipped right into my open mouth. I jerked back in surprise, covering my lips with my fingertips. But the food was already inside.
“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
That was undeniably true. The zucchini, hollowed and cut into bite-sized pieces, was warm, and the thin ham draped over it was savory. A delicate salad of sweet corn, mildly sweet onion, and crisp bell pepper announced its presence softly above it all.
The seasoning was exquisite—truly delicious. But it wasn’t as if I had no hands. It would be easier to give me a fork, yet Aster was already picking up another piece with his own hand.
“I-I can do it myself!”
“With gloves and ribbons, it seems difficult to manage.”
“I could just retie them…”
“That’s troublesome.”
So just open your mouth obediently, Aster laughed, his eyes wide. The corners of his eyes creased beautifully. I’d never seen him smile like this before. My heart was racing. There was no helping it—Aster was a handsome man.
While my thoughts lingered, a plate appeared before Lauren. This time, it was finely diced tomato arranged atop a small piece of bread. “Go on,” Aster urged. Lauren’s lips parted almost involuntarily. Fragments of salmon interspersed among the tomato and cheese added depth to the flavor. There was barely any sweetness—which she preferred—but honestly, it was delicious.
“My makeup is washing off….”
“Your lips are easy enough to reapply. They look fine now, but a deeper red would suit you better.”
You lack color in your complexion.
Aster’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. Those dark irises—like poisonous nightshade blooming in shadow—fixed directly upon her. Lauren couldn’t meet that gaze and looked away. If their eyes met, she feared the heat rising in her cheeks would betray her.
Seeing her lips sealed shut, Aster let out a soft laugh and without hesitation reached for the next piece, then the next. He’d taken considerable care—not a single item he fed her repeated. She felt like a baby bird. Should she chirp in response? Lauren stifled an inward laugh at the thought.
Perhaps because her mind had wandered, their timing fell out of sync. The tip of Aster’s finger brushed against Lauren’s lips before withdrawing. For some reason, it was warm, and his fingertip was rough.
Startled by the coarse sensation, Lauren made a small sound. She nearly covered her mouth with her hand, but she held back—afraid he might laugh.
Heat flooded her cheeks. She couldn’t possibly look at what expression Aster wore. Lauren quickly averted her gaze, yet even in her evasion, she felt the weight of his eyes upon her.
The silence stretched on. As Lauren carefully examined the ribbon knot on her lace gloves, she couldn’t endure it any longer. When she lifted her eyes slightly to steal a glance at Aster, her periwinkle irises met his—a green so deep it seemed darker than usual. His expression had grown somewhat rigid.
“Ah, well….”
“Tell Lise to bring more food worth eating.”
Aster rose from his seat with the plate in hand. It was already empty. Lauren forgot her earlier evasion and watched his retreating figure leave the room. There was something uncharacteristically flustered about his departure.
* * *
Aster hurried back to his Office. Letti rose to greet him, but he waved him off dismissively and entered the Bedroom adjoining the Office, shutting the door with a sharp bang. Leaning against it, he covered his face with his hands. Then, slowly, he slid down to sit on the floor. The ears revealed beneath his tied hair were flushed crimson.
After taking a deep breath, he lowered his head to examine his own hands. It was the hand Lauren’s lips had just touched. A faint pink stain from the lip tint she’d applied clung to his index finger. Aster sighed and tugged at the ribbon end that had bound his hair. The blue ribbon came undone, and his golden hair cascaded down in beautiful waves.
There wasn’t much time left before heading to the Imperial Palace. Though he had less preparation time than Lauren, he still needed to ready himself. But he wanted nothing more than to hide away somewhere. He simply wanted to ensure she had enough to eat. Lauren couldn’t eat properly when anxious, after all. He was worried it might damage her health.
So he’d deliberately gone down to the Kitchen to instruct them to prepare food. Small, bite-sized snacks that even Lauren, who preferred sweetness, could eat without difficulty. He’d intentionally avoided overly sweet items, knowing too much sugar might harm her health. Yet Lauren had eaten everything delightfully.
He hadn’t intended from the start to feed her with his own hands. It wasn’t as though he were taming some unfamiliar creature—how could such a thought have occurred to him? No, it was decidedly impulsive. He’d been tense even before heading to the Imperial Palace, and watching her fuss over her gloves and makeup, he’d simply wanted to get her to eat something, anything.
Lauren was truly adorable. The way her periwinkle eyes widened at the first bite, their sparkle, the gradual easing of tension in her cheeks as her guard lowered—it was endearing. He’d wanted to gaze into those eyes from closer still. He’d wanted to caress those softly rounded cheeks.
But he couldn’t do that. Aster had struggled to appear unaffected, desperate to conceal his true feelings.
Yet all of that crumbled the moment his finger touched her lips. Her lips were surprisingly soft and delicate. He’d worried his rough fingertip might leave marks on them.
Aster pulled his hair back up and clenched the hand stained with her lip tint. Once he’d become aware of her, he could no longer feign composure. He wanted to kiss her rounded forehead, her soft-seeming cheeks, and those tender lips. He’d never felt this way before, and it terrified him—this inability to control his own impulses.
Was all of this simply because he loved her?
Aster bit his lip and smiled bitterly. If he hadn’t become entangled with her, Lauren wouldn’t have had to endure unwanted circumstances. He simply wished for her happiness. He wanted to give her a life like the one she’d lived before—one without worries, without tension, where she could do whatever she desired.
To achieve that, he couldn’t let Blaze discover this feeling, nor could he let her know. It was a sentiment that had no means of expression, and one that must never be expressed.

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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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