The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 59

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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 59
Lauren closed the book with a soft sigh. Time seemed to drag deliberately, refusing to flow properly. Only half the morning had passed. The book that would normally have flown through her fingers made no progress today. Was it because Aster Veil Lilywood had stepped away? My heart felt unsettled.
A teacup appeared before her. From the teapot, a deep reddish-brown liquid filled the cup, releasing wisps of steam carrying the warm aroma of cinnamon. Though the fireplace crackled brightly, casting dancing light across the room, it couldn’t entirely banish the chill. A warm cup of tea to warm the body was naturally welcome. When I lifted my head, Lise smiled warmly at me and took her usual seat across from me. Anna was already seated beside her.
“Having trouble concentrating?”
“Yes. I think I need a break.”
“Those days happen to everyone.”
Anna laughed brightly, holding the teacup in both hands. She had been worried that Lauren wasn’t resting enough. Lauren let out a dry laugh in response.
It had been quite some time since I began enjoying tea seated across from Lise and Anna, who attended to me. The two who had initially been scandalized at the thought of taking tea with their mistress had now grown entirely comfortable with it. Pleased by this realization, I smiled quietly to myself.
As a noblewoman who must govern people—and a duchess wielding power second only to the imperial family—such conduct might seem unbecoming. Yet I wished to do this. Because nobles and commoners were all the same people. That I was born into even a lower noble house, that I became a duchess through Aster Veil Lilywood’s favor—all of it was mere fortune. I had lived too many years as Emel Siaz’s daughter to enjoy fine tea and pastries alone.
Sweet delicacies and a warm cup of tea. As I gazed quietly at the table, I lifted my eyes toward Garnet, who stood guarding the doorway. His expressionless, rigid face was so cold I could scarcely remember how gently he had smiled before Aster Veil Lilywood.
“Come join us for tea, Garnet.”
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
It bothered me to see him standing alone while we all took tea together, so I had invited him, but he refused with the sharpness of a blade. I picked up my teacup with an awkward smile. When I worked alongside Aster Veil Lilywood, I drank coffee, but during rest, I still preferred tea. I had no desire to drink expensive coffee even during leisure time. Though coffee brought vitality to my daily routine, tea suited my preference for sweet things better.
The taste of apple—sweet and tart—bloomed across my tongue. It was a tea with a subtle sweetness that even Aster Veil Lilywood, who didn’t particularly enjoy sweets, would appreciate. It paired beautifully with cookies glazed with apple jam. I wondered what expression he would make if I offered him some. Would he squint in reluctance yet still eat a bite? Despite his fierce appearance, he was truly a gentle person at heart, so he wouldn’t refuse something I deliberately offered.
“Oh, madam. Pat was hoping you might take a look at the garden.”
“Pat?”
“Winter is coming soon. I think he’s planning to redesign the garden.”
I recalled the face of the gardener with his thick, unkempt beard. When we first met, I was startled by his rough appearance, but after exchanging a few words, I quickly realized his fearsome look was only skin-deep. He was actually a gentle and rather shy person. When he came to me at a loss over the stray kittens that had begun living in the garden, I nearly burst out laughing. The way he wrung his hat in his hands, hesitating—he was very much like someone whose appearance alone seemed fierce.
Actually, it wasn’t only Pat. Everyone in the Duke’s Mansion was like that. Though their first impressions were cold and seemed guarded, they all possessed deep affection. Just like the master of this estate.
Oh no, I had begun thinking of someone not present again. I raised my teacup to hide my face. Merely thinking of him made my eyes grow soft. Yet I didn’t wish for this feeling to be discovered. I knew better than anyone that I mustn’t covet him.
A newspaper reporter, Delania Siaz. And the Crown Prince, who shot hostility with such directness. If not for me, Aster Veil Lilywood wouldn’t have needed to face such troublesome matters. I had already caused him far too much inconvenience. I was here as a capable administrator, meant to be of help to him, yet now it seemed I had only created unpleasant situations rather than being useful.
‘I’m disqualified.’
By now, Letti Torres could organize documents easily and neatly, and Aster Veil Lilywood had grown accustomed to thinking as a lord. He had asked me to be his teacher, but there was nothing left for me to teach him. The reason for my presence at his side had half disappeared.
If I had known this would happen, if I had known my feelings for him would grow this much, I would have been content as merely an administrator rather than a duchess. With someone like him—fierce in appearance but tender-hearted—he would surely have arranged an administrative position for me if he heard my circumstances.
The reason such thoughts kept arising was surely because the weight of being a duchess was far heavier than I had imagined. As I half-listened to Lise and Anna’s laughter, my gaze drifted beyond the large window. The heavily overcast sky seemed to mirror my own heart.
* * *
At Anna’s insistence that I would wilt away staying indoors all day, I decided to venture into the garden. And in doing so, I also met Pat, the gardener. Discussing with him the transplanting of bulbs from flowers that had brightened the garden through autumn and his desire to plant winter flora proved quite enjoyable.
Camellias, daffodils, begonias, and cyclamen. Winter-blooming flowers were limited in variety, yet they displayed such vivid colors as to make one forget the barren season. I listed the names of flowers I knew and decided to plant colorful daffodils. I wanted to feel freshness even during winter.
Pat, who had been deliberating over flower varieties, beamed with joy across his thickly bearded face. His smile lifted my spirits as well. I found myself grateful to Anna for suggesting I venture into the garden.
But it didn’t last long. As I completed my circuit of the garden and was about to return to the mansion, I heard raised voices from the direction of the main gate. Few people found their way here despite the rumors of a “murderer’s” estate. I frowned and headed toward the main gate. And immediately regretted the decision.
“Lauren!”
The one who called my name was Trace Siaz, the current Marquis Siaz and my uncle. Even beneath the heavily overcast sky, his brown eyes gleamed distinctly. Without thinking, I took a step backward.
“…Madam.”
Calvin Stewart looked at me with an awkward expression. When Delania Siaz had visited the mansion, I had said I didn’t wish to face the Siaz Marquis Family. So it seemed he had been blocking Trace Siaz’s entry.
I bit my lip tightly. Why had my uncle come here? And of all times, when Aster Veil Lilywood was away. Yet part of me felt relief. I needed to tell him clearly that I didn’t wish to see him anymore, that he shouldn’t come. I couldn’t trouble Aster Veil Lilywood any further.
“Please show our guest inside, Calvin.”
At my coldly settled voice, Calvin’s brow furrowed. His gray eyes filled with irritation. But he soon bowed to me and turned his gaze to Trace Siaz. At his guidance, Trace Siaz smiled, lifting the corners of his lips, and entered the mansion.
Standing in the mansion’s lobby, I took a shallow breath and asked Lise to prepare tea. The mere thought of sitting across from him and sharing tea made my head throb and my stomach churn. Yet I couldn’t flee, nor should I. This was the Lilywood Duke’s Mansion, and I was the Lilywood Duchess.
“Will you be alright?”
Anna, who had remained at my side, asked carefully. I turned my stiffened neck to meet Anna’s eyes. Seeing the worry brimming in her dark eyes, I forced my lips into a smile. I’m fine, I whispered, my voice trembling softly.
Lauren moved with measured steps. The place Calvin had brought Trace to was the Small Reception Room. Her violet eyes fixed upon the large door. She drew a deep breath and straightened her posture. She refused to appear diminished.
At Lauren’s glance, Anna opened the door. Beyond it, Lise was setting a teacup upon the table. And Trace Siaz stood there, his gaze piercing through her hands. Lauren’s brow furrowed as she positioned herself before Trace Siaz. His brown eyes swept over her from head to toe, scrutinizing every inch.
Lise bowed respectfully to them both and withdrew from the room. Yet even after Lauren had taken her seat, Trace remained silent for a considerable time. What on earth had compelled him to come all this way?
“The Duke’s Mansion certainly employs only beautiful maids.”
These were the first words Trace uttered. Lauren’s brow furrowed unmistakably. So that unsettling gaze had been directed at Lise—did he harbor improper intentions toward her? And here she had thought him a man whose only virtue lay in his fidelity to his wife and attentiveness to his family. She felt an urge to pour scalding tea upon him.
“No, no, Lauren.”
Seeing her thoughts written plainly across her face, Trace waved his hand in protest. His gesture was rather frantic. Lauren pressed her lips together firmly. She would hear him out. Surely it would be nothing but nonsense.
“I merely….”
Trace lowered his head, pulling at his lips and offering an awkward smile. It was the same expression Delania Siaz had worn in childhood when she tattled on Lauren for things she had never done—that look of exasperation, as if wondering what to do with such a foolish child. Lauren’s fists clenched upon her lap. The unpleasant memory of her helplessness crept forward, reaching toward her with grasping fingers.
“Lauren, I do not wish to speak of such matters, but would it not be wise to dismiss such girls?”
The absurdity of his words left Lauren without even the desire to respond. What had Lise done to warrant dismissal? Lise was a capable servant who had served long in the Duke’s Mansion. But it was not merely Lise. The Mansion suffered from a shortage of servants. Each one was indispensable; without their competence, the Estate could not function properly.
Yet he dared suggest dismissal? By what authority did he presume to meddle in the Mansion’s affairs? This could not be allowed to pass. Angry, Lauren opened her mouth to speak, but Trace was quicker.
“I am your Uncle, after all. I worry about you, Lauren.”

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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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