The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 62

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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 62
“Welcome back.”
Aster Veil Lilywood arrived at the Estate in what could hardly be called the middle of the night—it was closer to dawn. The Imperial Capital was vast. Even at the outskirts, it had taken hours of hard riding to reach this point. He gave Calvin a cursory nod in response to the Butler’s courteous greeting and began unfastening the buttons of his gloves.
“Nothing happened while I was away?”
“Nothing of concern occurred, sir.”
Aster Veil Lilywood nodded slightly. Before leaving the Estate, he had instructed Calvin to be cautious, warning that Blaze Lilywood might cause trouble. He hadn’t wanted Lauren to find out about it. So nothing had happened. Somewhat reassured, he opened his mouth again.
“What about Lauren?”
“She retired early this evening.”
For reasons he couldn’t explain, he found himself asking after Lauren’s well-being. She’d mentioned spending the day at leisure, so she must have gone to bed early. For some reason, that fact pleased him. But immediately, he found his own behavior absurd. Aster Veil Lilywood suppressed a laugh that nearly escaped.
“I see.”
Calvin took the gloves Aster Veil Lilywood handed over and let out an awkward chuckle. Aster Veil Lilywood’s deeply furrowed face and settled green eyes turned toward his faithful Butler. His movements as he began to remove his coat came to a halt. Calvin removed the coat from his shoulders and held it in his hands.
“…Marquis Siaz came by.”
“What?”
Aster Veil Lilywood questioned what he’d heard. Lauren feared meeting people from the Siaz family. She’d said she wouldn’t see them if they came calling, so Calvin would have certainly turned him away.
But he felt a sudden unease. It was because he remembered Lauren at the Imperial Ball, intoxicated by alcohol and medicine, facing Trace Siaz. He tried to suppress the anxiety. Yet Calvin’s rigid expression didn’t soften.
“The lady received the Marquis in private audience.”
Aster Veil Lilywood bit his lip hard. Of all times, when he was away. Lauren must have had a difficult day. He shouldn’t have left. He couldn’t have anticipated that Trace would visit. Perhaps no one could have. But he blamed himself anyway. Even if not today, he could have gone on a Knight Order inspection any time. Aster Veil Lilywood ran his hand roughly through his hair.
“How did Lauren seem?”
“Composed, sir.”
He swallowed a sigh without realizing it. Of course she did. Lauren was someone who didn’t wish to show her weaknesses before others. Especially not before those she considered enemies. If he asked what had happened, she would answer, but not willingly.
“What about Garnet?”
“He’s waiting. Shall I call him?”
Instead of answering, he nodded. Calvin bowed respectfully, took his clothes, and left the Office. And as if waiting for the summons, Garnet entered. Despite the hour being close to dawn, his crimson eyes shone with clarity.
“You called for me, sir?”
Aster Veil Lilywood acknowledged him with a glance and sat on the long chair. He gestured for Garnet to sit as well. Settled green eyes and jewel-like crimson eyes met for a long moment. After staring at the unwavering red eyes for some time, Aster Veil Lilywood leaned back against the chair.
“I heard Lauren had a visitor.”
“Marquis Trace Siaz came by.”
“I heard they met in private.”
“I remained at her side.”
Aster Veil Lilywood nodded slowly. Yes, that’s what he’d thought. Garnet was the kind of person who faithfully carried out his duties no matter what anyone said. The fact that Garnet had protected her, whatever had happened, eased the sharp edge that had crept into his heart.
“What happened?”
Sitting upright with proper posture, Garnet calmly relayed what had come from Trace Siaz’s mouth. His voice was calm, without irritation or anger. Rather, it was Aster Veil Lilywood who grew agitated with each word of the account.
This makes no sense. Aster Veil Lilywood clenched his fists with all his might. Coming to his already-married niece to suggest she become the Crown Prince’s mistress. Of course, there were people who would gladly accept such a proposal, but Lauren was not one of them. The fact that someone who had only recently learned this—a close relative—didn’t know it at all was utterly ridiculous.
“He threw a teacup at the lady.”
He nearly missed Garnet’s words. Aster Veil Lilywood lifted his eyes from his hands and turned them toward Garnet. For a moment, he doubted his ears.
“He threw a, what?”
“A teacup, sir.”
Aster Veil Lilywood let out a bitter laugh. How outrageous. Unlike Aster Veil Lilywood, whose anger rose to his very scalp and left him speechless, Garnet remained perfectly composed. Aster Veil Lilywood spat out curses and ran his hand savagely through his hair.
He wanted nothing more than to storm into the Capital residence where Trace Siaz was staying. He needed to calm down. He needed to be rational, but his heart pounded as if it would burst from his chest.
“I stopped him, but when the cup shattered, the fragments…”
Garnet began his explanation in a low voice, but Aster Veil Lilywood eventually rose from his seat. Even as Garnet called out to him in bewilderment, he didn’t turn back. With quick strides, he left the Office. The door closed with a heavy thud, and Garnet simply stood there in silence, watching it shut.
* * *
Aster Veil Lilywood glared at the door before him. He had rushed here in a panic upon hearing that Trace Siaz had thrown a teacup at Lauren. What was he doing? Even he couldn’t understand his own heart.
At first, anger had surged through him. How dare anyone lay a hand on that small woman. Lauren had always tensed and trembled whenever she saw anyone from the House of Siaz. And in the end, she had suffered. Yet she still stood her ground. She must have done so today as well.
Trace Siaz was a man weak to power. As the son of a marquis who had become a commoner before being forced back into nobility, it was clear he craved authority and bent easily to it. Such a man wouldn’t have thrown a teacup at Lauren the moment they met. And Garnet had said the same thing.
Yet in the end, Trace had wielded violence against Lauren. Delania Siaz had struck her cheek, and Trace had attempted to lay hands on her at the Imperial Ball. And today, he had even thrown a teacup. How natural these actions had become. Hadn’t Lauren already grown accustomed to their violence?
And yet that small woman—Lauren—had stood against them. With her back straight and her large, round, pale violet eyes shining brightly. She had never yielded to them.
Aster pressed his forehead against Lauren’s door and took a deep breath. Lauren was a strong person. Unlike himself, who had been contemplating storming the House of Siaz like a true “murderer” and seizing their lives in his hands.
Each time this happened, he despised himself. He had thought he was different from Blaze Lilywood, that he needed to become a different person. But there were moments when even restraining these surging impulses became unbearable. And each time, Aster wanted to destroy himself.
Should he go back? Aster lifted his head and glared at the door. But he had come all this way. Should he just take a quick look? When he had encountered Trace at the Imperial Ball, Lauren had suffered greatly. Of course, that was due to the medicine, so it shouldn’t happen this time, but still—Aster honestly felt a little worried about Lauren.
Just to confirm she’s sleeping peacefully. With that resolve, he quietly pushed open the door. Though they were called husband and wife, they had only held hands. He had embraced her briefly at the Imperial Ball to protect her, but that was all. Yet he was her husband. That much was certain.
This wasn’t the first time he had entered this room. On the day Lauren had encountered Delania, the day she had been struck, and on the night of the Imperial Ball, he had returned to this room holding her. So seeing her asleep wasn’t new either. It was fine. There was no need to hold his breath like this.
Aster tried to rationalize his actions. He couldn’t even explain why. He simply wanted to see her. He wanted to see her peaceful sleeping face, to hear her steady breathing. Lauren was a wonderful person. His feelings for her had only grown, already far surpassing mere affection. It was an emotion he couldn’t let anyone discover. And it was something even he couldn’t help.
An unpleasant sound came from the hinges, which were clearly well-maintained. What if Lauren woke up in surprise? He hastily squeezed his body through the half-open door. Afraid someone might see, he quietly closed it behind him. The door that had been more grating than anything in the world when opening was now silent as it closed. Aster pressed his chest lightly. Even his heart, beating unexpectedly fast, seemed loud.
When had he fallen for her like this? He couldn’t understand why his steps toward her bedroom felt so slow. The small living room seemed as vast as the entire mansion combined. Yet this blind emotion, unfamiliar even to Aster himself, was immense enough to engulf and sweep through the entire estate. Hoping that emotion would muffle his footsteps, Aster moved slowly forward.
The seemingly endless living room did have an end, and before long he stood before Lauren’s bedroom door. His hand, which had been about to knock, was already gripping the handle. He had already entered this room. He was only going to look at her sleeping face for a moment before leaving—why would he knock? Biting his lip and twisting the other, Aster carefully opened the door. Fortunately, the hinges didn’t cry out loudly as they had before.
Aster’s green eyes, already fully adjusted to the darkness, rolled about. The room was quiet. Her soft breathing barely reached his ears, seeping in and fading away. His gaze swept slowly from one corner of the room to the other, and only after a long moment did it finally settle on the bed where Lauren lay.
He had only meant to confirm she was asleep, so leaving now would be fine, but a desire he had never indulged before reared its head. Just to see if she’s sleeping comfortably. Without realizing it, Aster clenched his fists and then released them, moving closer to the bed. Though he had seen her sleeping face more than once or twice, tension filled him from his toes upward.
Aster’s deep green eyes held a faint warmth as he gazed at the woman in the bed. Her sleeping face, bundled under the blanket, was familiar to him. Soon his expression twisted. Her face, flushed red with fever—something he had thought he didn’t want to face again—was painfully familiar to him. Far too familiar.
Biting his lip firmly, Aster slowly brought his fingertips close to her cheek. Before even touching her, he could feel her heat clearly on his fingertips. Her bangs, damp with sweat, clung to her forehead. Was something wrong with her health? When he had held her, she had been far too light. The memory made him clench his fists. Small, thin, prone to falling ill like this. And yet Lauren was a strong person.
She had said she disliked him. She had said she didn’t want to see him. But Lauren had stood against Trace of her own accord. Without retreating, without yielding to violence, with confidence.
He reached out to her again. His hand touched her feverish cheek. Perhaps because his lower body temperature felt pleasant against her fever, Lauren leaned into Aster’s hand. Somehow, it seemed like she was being childish.
Aster sat down heavily on her bed. And with his empty hand, he gripped Lauren’s hand firmly. It was small and slender, full of heat. His fingers brushed away the bangs clinging to her forehead. Whether it was his imagination or because he wished it, her feverish face seemed to relax a little.

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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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