The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 54

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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 54
My eyes widened. The person waiting for me in front of the carriage was none other than Letti Torres. As the adjutant to Aster Veil Lilywood, he should have been working with Aster in the Office. Upon seeing me, Letti broke into a grin.
“I’ve been assigned to escort you today, madam.”
“Shouldn’t you be helping Aster?”
My gaze drifted toward the second floor where the Office was located. Just moments ago, when I’d excused myself to leave, there hadn’t been a word about this. A shadow of concern settled over my eyes. Letti’s hand suddenly extended before me.
“It’s the Duke’s orders.”
With that disarming smile, I found myself at a loss for words. If Aster had issued the command directly, Letti had no choice but to obey. He wouldn’t have ordered Letti to guard me without reason.
He must think I’m in danger. I could understand Aster’s concern. There were people in the Imperial Palace whom neither Aster nor I viewed favorably—especially certain individuals. As I gazed down at Letti’s extended hand, I placed my own over his. Despite his cheerful demeanor, his hand felt oddly cold.
“I’m counting on you, Letti.”
“I’ll do my best, madam.”
His blue eyes crinkled with warmth. I took his hand and climbed into the carriage. Aster could have done this himself. I wished he were coming with me instead of sending someone in his stead. He could have at least seen me off. For some reason, I felt like pouting. I let out a small, quiet laugh. It seemed Aster had grown more at ease. Here I was, thinking about sulking, when he’d already done something remarkable by assigning his right hand to accompany me.
Once I’d settled into my seat inside the carriage, Letti sat across from me. He then rapped his knuckles against the carriage ceiling—thump. At that signal, the Coachman urged the horses forward. The sound of hooves striking the ground was brisk and rhythmic. I hoped that nothing troublesome would happen at our destination. I exhaled softly.
“Nervous?”
Letti asked with a cheerful smile. My sigh must have been louder than I thought. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t nervous, but I didn’t want to admit it openly. I let out an awkward laugh.
“Don’t worry too much. The Imperial Palace is just a place where people live, after all.”
“Only you, Aster, and Letti could say something like that.”
At my sigh-laden response, Letti crossed his arms and leaned back against the carriage seat with a laugh. Perhaps because he frequently visited the Imperial Palace alongside Aster, he spoke with such boldness. Yet he wasn’t unaware of why I was tense. He seemed to be searching for an amusing story to ease my nerves. After a moment’s thought, Letti grinned and opened his mouth.
“By the way, you know my disciplinary period ended, right?”
My eyes widened. Now that he mentioned it, that had already happened. He chuckled, noting that it was I who had saved his salary from being halved for six months.
“Since the previous matter was resolved well, my salary was increased this time.”
In truth, he’d negotiated a raise after agreeing to escort me, but there was no need to mention that. Besides, he’d even extracted hush money from Aster. Such things were only possible because his superior was a childhood friend. Aster had always been weak to old bonds.
“My, how wonderful.”
“Yes. Thanks to that, I can increase my younger sister’s allowance too.”
“Letti, you have a younger sister?”
Perfect. She showed interest. I’d heard Lauren was an only child, so I knew she’d be curious about siblings. Her tilted head and sparkling eyes confirmed it.
“She’s quite a bit younger than me. She looks just like me—very pretty.”
At his shameless boasting, I burst into laughter.
“You don’t believe me. But it’s true.”
Letti added that they shared the same hair and eye color. My gaze shifted to him. Though Letti was tall with masculine, sharp features, imagining his younger sister wasn’t difficult when I considered his affectionate eye smile and warm personality. In my mind’s eye, I pictured a cute girl with red hair and blue eyes.
“Being the youngest, she received plenty of affection. She’s talented at singing, so the previous Duchess sent her to the Academy.”
“Ah, so when you went to the Academy during your vacation…”
“That’s right. Since it’s a boarding school, it’s hard to see her face otherwise.”
Still, letters arrived occasionally. Letti puffed his chest with pride, mentioning her grades were quite good. I’d also heard from a teacher at the school in Siaz Territory that the Eastern Arts Academy, while open to commoners, had an extremely rigorous curriculum. Maintaining good grades at such a school would be difficult. I understood his pride.
“She’s in her final year now. She’s thrilled about her graduation performance next year. Normally she’d come home during break, but this time she won’t. I suppose she doesn’t even want to see her older brother.”
“I’ve heard the Academy’s graduation performances are of exceptional quality. And it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, isn’t it? She probably wants to give it her all.”
A hint of disappointment crossed Letti’s face. I offered him a comforting smile. Though the words felt like empty platitudes anyone might offer, I couldn’t find a better way to express it. Yet it seemed to provide some solace, as the disappointment faded from his lips and a smile returned.
Letti was honest with his emotions. When happy, he laughed; when disappointed, he expressed it openly. We shared nothing in common, yet watching him made me think of Aster. That half-smile, almost like a sneer. It was his only expression. Was he incapable of being honest with his emotions? When he was younger, he had such a beautiful smile.
Without realizing it, I’d let my thoughts drift to him again—and right in front of another person, no less. This wouldn’t do. I lifted my eyes and turned my attention to Letti across from me. And as the carriage rolled onward, I listened earnestly to his stories about his younger sister.

* * *
The Empress Palace differed markedly from the Glass Palace where the ball had been held, and from the grand, ornate Imperial Palace where the banquet had taken place. The low-slung building possessed an understated elegance, its surroundings adorned with beautiful flowers and trees. Bathed in sunlight, the Empress Palace exuded warmth and intimacy. Even I, who knew little of architectural history or construction methods, could discern this truth with absolute certainty.
I followed the Attendant who had come to greet me through the doors of the Empress Palace. Magnificent ceiling frescoes and murals were framed by late-blooming hydrangeas, creating an atmosphere both grand and delicate. I found myself consciously restraining the urge to gawk. The rigorous Imperial Court etiquette I had learned could not be allowed to prove useless. I worried whether the courtiers might find me provincial.
“The escort cannot proceed any further.”
Before a gilded door fitted with glass panes that revealed the interior beyond, the Attendant stopped Letti Torres. His pale eyes, slightly furrowed in displeasure, rolled toward me. Aster Veil Lilywood’s orders had been explicit: do not leave her side. Yet I nodded to him. I could not afford to displease the Empress over such a trivial matter.
“Then I shall wait here, madam.”
When I responded thus, there was nothing more he could do. Letti Torres placed his right hand over his heart and bowed deeply. The door to the Indoor Garden opened smoothly. The Attendant left Letti Torres in place and guided me inward. Brilliant light poured forth from within. Seized by an inexplicable unease, I glanced back once. Letti Torres stood watching, his smile seeming to offer encouragement and support. Bolstered by his silent approval, I stepped forward into the radiance.
The door closed behind me. My vision, which had been forced to narrow against the overwhelming brightness, gradually adjusted. An Indoor Garden indeed. Sunlight streamed through the rounded glass ceiling that enclosed the entire space. Though autumn reigned beyond these walls, the room overflowed with flowers of vibrant summer hues and their heady fragrances. The space was so warm and beautiful it might as well have been a greenhouse.
In the center of this garden, a tea table had been arranged. My eyes were immediately drawn to its elaborate presentation, which rivaled the flowers themselves in splendor. At the center of the high table sat a small, brilliant red bloom, and the prepared teapot and cups were fashioned from white porcelain adorned with red flowers to match.
Three chairs had been positioned around the round table. Since the Empress was the one who had expressed a desire to take tea privately together, one seat must be hers. But whose was the other?
As I pondered this, the door on the opposite side of the Indoor Garden opened. The Empress and Imperial Princess I had met at the banquet appeared, accompanied by their attendants. I spread my skirts and bowed deeply before them both.
“Lift your head.”
At the banquet, I had merely echoed the Emperor’s words, so I had not noticed—but her voice was far softer and more affectionate than I had expected. I raised my head at the Empress’s command. Yet being told to lift my head did not mean I should gaze directly at the Empress. Following the Imperial Court etiquette Jasmine Aloria had taught me, I kept my eyes lowered and waited for the Empress’s greeting.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Duchess. I do hope today’s meeting will be a pleasant one.”
“Thank you for the invitation.”
I bowed once more, then withdrew from my handbag a large glass bottle. It contained dried safflowers arranged beautifully, and others preserved in honey. The gift had been inspired by the chrysanthemums Aster Veil Lilywood had brought when I had invited him previously.
That evening, I had ventured into the garden myself and gathered safflower blossoms one by one. Despite the servants’ protests that such work was beneath a lady, I had carefully trimmed and dried each bloom with my own hands. I could not be certain whether the Empress would be pleased, but I had done my utmost.
“It is a modest gift, but I have prepared it with great care.”
The Empress’s emerald eyes widened at the sight of the golden blossoms. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled with genuine delight. She carefully took the bottle and entrusted it to her Head Maid.
“So you knew of my fondness for tea. How truly thoughtful. Head Maid, let us use this for today’s tea.”
The Head Maid bowed deeply and led the attendants from the garden. To be honest, I had not known what the Empress particularly favored, but I was relieved it had worked out. The Empress is second to none in power throughout the Empire. There is no harm in making a favorable impression.
The tea I had made from the safflowers possessed both an exquisite aroma and taste. I smiled toward the Empress and Imperial Princess. It was a work I could take pride in myself. Moreover, it was customary at tea gatherings to use a received gift, which made the moment all the more gratifying.
The Empress invited me to be seated, and the three of us took our places. While we awaited the tea the Head Maid would bring, we engaged in pleasant conversation. When I proudly mentioned that I had dried the flowers myself, the Empress and Imperial Princess began to examine the remaining small bottle with careful attention. Though herb-infused teas have become fashionable among noblewomen, they are people who regard manual labor with shame. Surely, there could be no one else who would undertake even such a small task with her own hands.
Yet neither the Empress nor the Imperial Princess displayed any expression of contempt for menial work, nor any sense of shame that a noblewoman had labored with her own hands. I found myself growing eager to see what reaction my tea would elicit from them both.

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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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