The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 55

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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 55
The Head Maid who had left with the glass bottle returned carrying a large teapot. Unlike the delicate, fine porcelain teapot that sat on the table, this one was made of thick, substantial glass. As I observed the chrysanthemums blooming anew within the glass vessel, I thought to myself that the Empress’s love of tea was no mere rumor.
“As expected of the Head Maid. You’ve grasped what I failed to consider.”
The Empress smiled with delight upon seeing the golden flower petals dancing within the pale yellow tea. Had I brewed it in the prepared teapot, this beautiful sight would have remained hidden. At the Empress’s smile, even the stern-faced Head Maid’s lips curved into a faint grin. Before the Head Maid, the Empress displayed her genuine joy without reservation. And the Head Maid took pride in having drawn forth that expression. Though I was meeting her for the first time, the Head Maid seemed quite loyal indeed.
“This is excellent tea. Both the fragrance and flavor are superb.”
“The Duchess made it herself.”
This time, the Head Maid’s eyes widened. I lowered my head and smiled. She had seemed particular, so I was relieved it pleased her. The Head Maid appeared to be quite trusted, and I could not overlook the influence her words might carry with the Empress.
“I am grateful above all that Your Majesty is pleased.”
An Empress of this Empire could surely possess all the finest things in the world. Therefore, I had calculated that an ordinary gift would fail to capture her interest. Yet I could not arrive empty-handed. When Aster Veil Lilywood brought the bouquet, I had been deliberating at length over what gift would be appropriate. Upon seeing the cosmos flowers mixed among the chrysanthemums he carried, I knew that was it. The society she had learned and experienced was a place where people yearned to tear each other apart, so I believed she would be delighted by something crafted with sincere effort and care.
And my judgment proved correct. Watching the golden flower petals dance within the transparent glass teapot, the Empress laughed with genuine delight. It was almost absurd how much I had calculated and deliberated in selecting this gift. Yet it was no lie that I had poured my sincerity into it. I swallowed my apologies toward the Empress along with the tea.
“It is said that chrysanthemum tea relieves headaches and dispels fatigue. I hope this cup might bring Your Majesty some rest.”
“My, what a pure heart you possess!”
The Empress let out a moved exclamation. I bowed slightly to her in greeting. Then I suddenly felt a gaze upon me and lifted my eyes. A pair of eyes identical to the chrysanthemums floating within the tea was watching me. The Imperial Princess, who had been blinking her round eyes at me, now lowered her gaze with a faint smile. Perhaps she had something she wished to say. Aster Veil Lilywood had mentioned it—the Imperial Princess seemed different from ordinary children. Recalling his words, I tilted my head to one side in puzzlement.
* * *
Abarid Bestes was in quite a good mood. Delania Siaz, with whom he had recently become intimate, was a woman of considerable beauty with coquetry ingrained in her very being, and she knew well how to please a man. Though it was somewhat risky that she was unmarried, he reasoned that as merely a baron’s daughter, she would understand her place. With such skillful flattery, he might well gain considerable wealth and power—provided she harbored no delusional fantasies about marriage to the Crown Prince.
Abarid Bestes retrieved a bottle of liquor from the cabinet. Today he intended to clear his schedule entirely and indulge in drink. By evening, one of his two mistresses would warm his bed. Perhaps he would embrace the new woman again. New experiences were superior to the familiar in many respects.
Because he was thinking of Delania Siaz, another person who resembled her naturally came to mind. Abarid Bestes set down the wine glass he was about to drink from and clicked his tongue. She was truly a woman who captured one’s attention. The mere fact of the resemblance was enough for him to embrace Delania Siaz with satisfaction.
His initial proposal to Lauren Lilywood to become his mistress had been because she was the wife of Aster Veil Lilywood. That she possessed far greater beauty than he had anticipated far exceeded his expectations.
If one were to call his lifestyle dissolute, then dissolute it had been. Though not a matter of pride, he could boast of having embraced every beauty in the world. Yet even to his eyes, Lauren Lilywood was beautiful. Serene and unassuming, yet shimmering with radiance. It was a new beauty he had never before witnessed.
Perhaps had she readily taken his hand, his interest would have waned. Had she displayed coquetry before him, he might have dismissed her as expected. But Lauren continued to refuse him. What had begun as an insult to Aster Veil Lilywood had somehow become an obsession he could not abandon. When was the last time he had desired someone so intensely?
As he sipped his drink, his mood gradually eased. To obtain a beauty, there must be struggle. When Abarid Bestes pulled one corner of his lips, the door opened. An uninvited guest had arrived without permission. Though his mood had not been poor, irritation surged within him. The guards should have stopped him at the Crown Prince’s Palace gates, yet he could not fathom how the intruder had entered. This ignorance only fueled his anger. Abarid Bestes hurled his wine glass at the uninvited guest. The glass should have shattered against the shoulder or head, but it broke before even reaching the intruder. Deep wrinkles etched themselves between Abarid Bestes’s brows.
“What!”
The wine glass shattered beside him, and the Crown Prince cried out loudly, but the tall shadow that appeared beyond the doorway did not shrink as his attendants would have. Rather, he merely gazed down with blue eyes that seemed unfocused. The intruder did not bow to the Crown Prince. At this disrespectful response, Abarid Bestes’s brows furrowed. This man was no attendant. And he was not one of Abarid Bestes’s servants either. The sound of Abarid Bestes clicking his tongue echoed through the room. Those who guarded the Crown Prince’s Palace were skilled in their own right. Yet that someone could bypass them entirely and appear in his private chambers was something Abarid Bestes could not have imagined.
“Who are you and what do you want?”
An assassin, perhaps. By his own reckoning, Abarid Bestes’s conduct was not virtuous. Was this man sent by the family of his nominal fiancée? Or by some mistress’s husband? The tall man bowed respectfully in response to Abarid Bestes’s cautious tone. Fortunately, he did not appear to be an assassin.
“My master has instructed me to deliver a message to Your Highness.”
The tall man withdrew a letter envelope from his breast and placed it upon the table. Then he stepped back. Abarid Bestes took it in hand and examined it carefully. Upon the rather thick envelope was a seal bearing a bouquet of lilies. The seal, beautiful to the point of irritation, was one Abarid Bestes knew well. He studied the Messenger who had brought the letter bearing the seal he disliked. The man’s gaze remained unaffected, his downcast blue eyes devoid of focus.
Abarid Bestes, his eyes narrowed, stared at the uninvited guest for a long while before picking up the letter envelope with his fingertips as though touching something filthy. His golden eyes followed the meticulously written characters with visible anger. As he read through the thick letter, he let out a hollow laugh.
“You expect me to believe this?”
The man showed no reaction to Abarid Bestes’s savage tone. The letter referred to the man as a puppet. Well, that description certainly suited him. Abarid Bestes withdrew his gaze from the man and reclined deeply in his chair.
The man’s master, as he was called, claimed to be Aster Veil Lilywood’s older brother. A twin brother, no less. The presumed heir who was expected to become Duke. If that were true, then the Previous Duke Lilywood was quite remarkable indeed. It was common for the cursed younger twin to be killed at birth, yet he had hidden and secretly raised him, even passing on the title. It was not difficult to understand why the older brother harbored resentment.
When I wondered why such information was being revealed to me, Blaze Lilywood, Aster Veil Lilywood’s older brother, was asking for my assistance in reclaiming his ducal position. Knowing of my interest in Lauren Lilywood, he intended to use her as a hostage. Though confined to the Estate, it seemed he still had eyes and ears.
If I joined hands with Blaze Lilywood, I could eliminate Aster Veil Lilywood. That fact alone pleased me, but somehow I felt uncomfortable being moved according to Blaze Lilywood’s designs. My own desire for Lauren Lilywood was being read so transparently. How could I seize the initiative? For now, this exchange of opinions by letter must cease. It felt as though I were receiving orders entirely.
“I shall need to give this some thought.”
Abarid Bestes deliberately spoke thus while twirling the wine glass in his hand, his gaze fixed upon the golden liquid shimmering within it, treating Blaze Lilywood’s letter with deliberate indifference. I had expected the man to bristle at the insult to his master, yet the man before me remained serene. Indeed, was this what it meant to be a puppet?
“Tell him to await my contact.”
The blue-eyed puppet blinked slowly, then withdrew something from his breast and placed it before him. Abarid Bestes narrowed his eyes and examined it carefully. He wondered if it was a round jewel made of jade, but it flickered with a faint light. As though asking for an explanation, Abarid Bestes gestured to the puppet.
“It is a communication artifact. My master instructed me to deliver it to Your Highness.”
A communication artifact. Yet another unexpected thing had emerged. Abarid Bestes exhaled sharply. It was a name he had only seen in records from the age of magic, ages long past. So he was a mage, performing all manner of strange arts. Abarid Bestes twisted his lips. If this man truly possessed magic from the age of magic itself, he could become more powerful than anyone else in this world.
Abarid Bestes’s father, the Emperor, had always disapproved of him. This had continued since childhood. He constantly compared Abarid Bestes to Aster Veil Lilywood, pointing out his shortcomings and criticizing him. Surely there had been things he did well, yet praise was remarkably scarce in his memory. A sudden thought crossed Abarid Bestes’s mind. Perhaps the Previous Duke Lilywood and his own father were similar in nature. Like calls to like, as they say.
“I’ll give it some thought. You’re dismissed.”
Abarid Bestes gazed down at the jewel emanating a faint glow, murmuring to himself. Should he take Blaze Lilywood’s hand, or should he refuse? He would need to deliberate carefully on which path to choose. The doll-like man, showing no inclination to demand an immediate answer, bowed respectfully and slipped from the room. Alone in the empty chamber, Abarid Bestes tilted his glass to his lips. Perhaps he would accept Blaze Lilywood’s proposal after all.

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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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