The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 47

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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 47
Aster Veil Lilywood and I arrived at the Imperial Family’s Living Palace. My heart wouldn’t stop racing, and I pressed down on my chest repeatedly. Father worked as an administrator at the Imperial Palace, but I had never set foot in this place before.
I was the daughter of a baron in name only—a small fiefdom in the Southern Region, far from the Capital. A noblewoman without power or influence, I had lived a life completely removed from politics. Yet here I was, about to dine with the Imperial Family. A sigh escaped me before I could stop it.
Aster Veil Lilywood tilted his head to one side as he offered me his hand. I smiled at him, insisting it was nothing. Then I took his hand and descended from the carriage.
The sensation of his rough fingertips against my lips moments ago came rushing back. Coarse and unyielding hands. Heat rose to my cheeks again, just as it had before.
Lise had freshly applied rouge to my lips, but I wondered if it had already been rubbed away. For a moment, I nearly brought my lace-gloved hand to my mouth. No—that wouldn’t do. If the rouge stained the lace, it would be nearly impossible to remove. Even for the wealthy Ducal House, lace was an expensive fabric.
Perhaps because I kept thinking about what had just happened, my gaze naturally drifted toward Aster Veil Lilywood. My violet eyes rolled sideways to observe the man beside me. Despite what had occurred, he escorted me without hesitation.
Only I seemed bothered by it. Aster Veil Lilywood cherished those close to him. His shielding me from the Crown Prince’s gaze was simply because I stood within his circle of protection. Just as he had worried over me when I fell ill after drinking the liquor Abarid Bestes had offered.
Had it been Letti Torres or Garnet in my place at this table, Aster Veil Lilywood would have reacted exactly the same way.
My heated thoughts cooled somewhat. Only then did I notice something—the Crown Prince’s gaze was fixed not on me, but on Aster Veil Lilywood.
The ball suddenly came to mind. Ah, Aster Veil Lilywood had struggled to endure such looks before. I suddenly realized it should be I who stood before him, not the other way around. I should protect him from behind, not be protected. Abarid Bestes’s malice was directed at Aster Veil Lilywood, not at me. Yet Aster Veil Lilywood didn’t move. And he didn’t avoid Abarid Bestes’s gaze.
I pulled at Aster Veil Lilywood’s arm. I wanted to tell him he didn’t need to stand before me. I would rather have hidden him behind me. Because Abarid Bestes’s malice was aimed at Aster Veil Lilywood, not at me. But Aster Veil Lilywood remained motionless. And he didn’t avoid Abarid Bestes’s stare.
“Thank you for coming despite such short notice.”
The Emperor’s gentle voice reached us just before sparks could fly between Aster Veil Lilywood and Abarid Bestes. Both the Crown Prince and I lowered our gazes from Abarid Bestes to look at the Emperor. Porto Bestes, the Emperor of the Empire, bore a striking resemblance to his son in his drooping golden eyes and smiling lips, yet his expression was far gentler.

“You must be hungry. Please, be seated.”
The aging Emperor smiled at us both. Aster Veil Lilywood and I bowed respectfully before taking our seats only after the Imperial Family had been seated. The Emperor and Empress sat at the head of the table, while the Crown Prince and Imperial Princess sat across from us.
I felt uncomfortable stares, but I tried to ignore them. When the Emperor raised his hand and signaled the Attendant, food began to arrive.
The first dish placed before us was a deep red jelly on a small silver spoon. A delicate mint leaf on top created a beautiful contrast that delighted the eye.
I carefully brought it to my lips. The jelly was a low-alcohol strawberry liqueur set into a solid form. Even the mint leaf on top evoked the fruit that was its base. The fragrance was so exquisite and sweet that even I, who didn’t enjoy alcohol, widened my eyes. Yet it dissolved on my tongue far too quickly.
I wanted another, but I knew I shouldn’t. When I set down my spoon, a fresh one was placed before me—exactly as it had been before. It was Aster Veil Lilywood’s doing.
He casually took my spoon and set it before himself. I glanced at him sideways. His green eyes remained fixed indifferently on the Emperor, who was speaking about something, but his lips were relaxed. Aster Veil Lilywood had noticed that I wanted more of the jelly.
I felt a little embarrassed, but there was no reason to refuse his kindness. I popped the spoon into my mouth. The sweetness I tasted again was almost transcendent. As I savored the fading sweetness, I felt Aster Veil Lilywood’s shoulders shake beside me.
Fine, laugh if you must. Either way, I was in good spirits. Perhaps it was because even with such a faint alcohol content, liqueur was still liqueur.
The next plate was set on the table. I rarely encountered courses like this. At the Duke’s Mansion, I simply ate whatever was placed before me. Could I manage to behave properly according to etiquette?
I sighed softly at the sight of a tomato hollowed out and filled with finely chopped vegetables. Then I felt an odd stare and looked up.
It was the Crown Prince sitting across from me, staring intently. Despite dining with the Emperor, he lounged in his chair at an angle, regarding me with a peculiar expression.
His gaze made me uncomfortable. The good mood Aster Veil Lilywood’s consideration had given me evaporated. Normally, I would have averted my eyes and lowered my head, but irritation welled up inside me. I straightened my posture and glared back at him, as if to ask what he was looking at. The bored Crown Prince narrowed his golden eyes and twisted his lips into a smile. His smile resembled Aster Veil Lilywood’s, but the feeling behind it was entirely different.
Noticing my agitation, Aster Veil Lilywood reached out his hand. His large, warm hand gently patted the back of mine, as if to calm my mind.
I took a deep breath. I mustn’t forget—this was the Imperial Palace, and those seated with me were the Imperial Family. And one of them was desperate to get his hands on Aster Veil Lilywood. I shouldn’t give him any excuse to cause trouble. I forced myself to look away from the Crown Prince.
Plates continued to arrive and be cleared. Clear, cold soup; bread so white and soft I’d never tasted anything like it before; delicate fish with a subtly tangy sauce; meat so tender it seemed to melt on my tongue. Even the beverages served between courses were of the highest quality befitting the Imperial Palace. Yet I couldn’t simply enjoy the meal.
The atmosphere remained somewhat stiff and unrelieved. Only the Emperor spoke throughout. The Empress, with her delicate and gentle appearance, occasionally laughed softly or nodded along with his words, while the Crown Prince maintained a slouched posture and a discontented expression. And the fourteen-year-old Imperial Princess, who had nearly married Aster Veil Lilywood, kept her head down and silently brought food to her mouth.
Her platinum blonde hair, beautifully braided and arranged, and her golden eyes, which I caught glimpses of, were identical to her brother’s. Yet her pale complexion was like that of someone who had never seen proper light. Just as she had at the ball, where her presence was barely felt, she didn’t raise her head, and no one at the table paid her any attention.
And everyone seemed accustomed to it. The way they treated her was like regarding a ghost—an attitude paired with learned helplessness. I felt pity for the Imperial Princess.
What had I been thinking at fourteen? What kind of life had I been living? I reflected quietly. At school, I laughed and chattered with friends. At home, I received my parents’ abundant love. Those were happy days. But the Imperial Princess before me didn’t seem happy at all. Nor did she seem to be loved.
I had heard that the Imperial Princess didn’t refuse the Emperor’s command to marry.
Had she, like me, wanted to escape? Or had she not even dared to consider refusing? I didn’t think her age suited Aster Veil Lilywood, but I felt a bitter pang. Suddenly, I wanted to know what the Imperial Princess was thinking. Had she, like me, thought of Aster Veil Lilywood as a means of escape? Did she see him—the man who would marry her by the Emperor’s command—as someone like those she couldn’t even call family? What thoughts occupied her now? What feelings brought her to this table?
Anxious, I hadn’t finished the plate before me. Yet the Imperial Princess methodically chewed and swallowed her small pieces of food. She, at least, hadn’t run away. The thought occurred to me that despite her youth, the Imperial Princess might be stronger than I was. Unnoticed by anyone, she was quiet. Yet her heart surely wasn’t quiet. I wanted to speak with the Imperial Princess. Even if she didn’t wish to.
“So, how did the two of you meet?”
The Emperor asked with a smile. I hurriedly wiped my lips and smiled brightly. I was about to answer as if being interviewed by newspaper reporters, when Aster Veil Lilywood’s hand touched my back. And his voice followed.
“Do you recall the Southern bandit subjugation that I, in my incompetence, failed to participate in, Your Majesty?”
“Ah, yes. There was such an affair.”
The Emperor furrowed his brow for a moment, searching his memory, before nodding. Lauren recalled how he had pressed his shoulder as though in pain, and she bit her lip. Though the wound may have healed, the memory of standing alone and battling that agony would not easily fade—no matter how many years passed.
And the person who had issued that command was none other than the Emperor now listening to Aster’s account with such fascination. The territorial people who had risen up because life was unbearable were nothing more to him than bandits to be subjugated—no more, no less.
Somehow, it was disappointing. Her father, who had cared for the territorial people more than anyone, had served beneath such a man. It must have been terribly difficult work—the life of caring for the Empire’s people at the bottom, unrecognized by anyone.
“So you are Emel’s daughter? How lovely you are.”
Lauren straightened her posture and bowed her head toward the Emperor. Aster had said he was an unfamiliar friend of her father. Remembering those words, she could not quite suppress a smile. Seeing Lauren’s barely-there smile, the Emperor laughed heartily.
“I cannot fathom why one so beautiful has not entered society. Had I known earlier that my friend Emel had a daughter like you, I would have arranged a match with the Crown Prince. How reassuring it would have been if my friend’s daughter became my daughter-in-law, and another dear friend’s son, the Duke, became my son-in-law!”
But the Emperor’s next words froze Lauren’s smile. Her violet eyes, still curved in a smile, shifted rigidly toward the Crown Prince seated across from her. Abarid’s radiant face was filled with a bitter smile.
The very thought was sickening. Lauren’s violet eyes trembled uncontrollably. How fortunate it was that she had stubbornly refused to enter society. Perhaps her father had supported her precisely for this reason.
“You are late, Your Majesty.”
The thought of marrying the Crown Prince, intoxicated by wine and women, made her stomach turn and her breath catch. As the room began to spin before her eyes, Aster’s hand wrapped around her shoulder. The reassurance of his large, warm hand allowed Lauren to finally exhale.
“Lauren is already my wife, Your Majesty.”
Aster smiled gently toward the Emperor. How unfortunate, the Emperor laughed heartily.

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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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