The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 68

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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 68
Lauren gestured to Garnet, who handed over the bundle she’d entrusted to him. The Head Maid obtained the Empress’s permission and unwrapped it, revealing two beautifully crafted cardigans in lovely colors. After examining them carefully, the Head Maid’s lips curved into a faint smile. She then presented them to the Empress and the Imperial Princess.
The Empress donned the cardigan without hesitation. To be frank, had Lauren been wearing it, the cardigan would have clashed with the elaborate gowns the two of them wore. Whether the Empress knew or didn’t know that her outfit differed from Lauren’s, she meticulously inspected the specially made garment—running her fingers over the fabric, tying the ribbons, turning this way and that—before giving a quiet nod of approval. “Lovely,” she murmured.
“All presentations are complete. Does anyone else wish to say something?”
It was the Empress speaking, but the Countess seated across from Lauren was not looking at the Empress—she was glaring at Lauren. Lauren fought the urge to flinch at that hostile, childish gaze. Strangely enough, she found herself unafraid of it.
Her younger self might have crumbled and fled, but not now. Perhaps it was because of Aster Veil Lilywood’s voice telling her, “You are a strong person.” Lauren Siaz, who longed to become strong, could become sufficiently strong with just one word from Aster Veil Lilywood. She lowered her gaze and lightly tapped the nameplate in front of her—the one reading “Duchess Lilywood”—with her fingertip, as though it were Aster’s furrowed brow itself.
“Then we shall now proceed to the judging. In the meantime, please enjoy refreshments and conversation.”
The Empress spoke in a gentle voice and disappeared into the Separate Room with the Head Maid, the Imperial Princess, and several elderly noblewomen. Soft sighs echoed throughout the Exhibition Hall. It seemed Lauren was not the only one feeling tense.
The judging. The most important part remained. Jasmine Aloria had said so—this gathering was not merely a social occasion but a place where the year’s major business ventures were decided. So the product receiving the highest award would become a key item of Imperial business. Of course, there were prizes, but the honor was so significant that everyone coveted it. Still, one couldn’t very well covet the highest award for something as simple as a cardigan.
Attendants moved about refilling empty teacups. Lauren lifted hers. The beautifully colored black tea had a gentle fragrance. As she savored it, a harsh scraping sound cut through the air. She glanced up instinctively and saw the Countess rising from her seat.
How long had they been locked in that gaze? The Countess, who had been glaring at her with eyes that seemed to spark with fury, turned sharply and made her way to another table. Following her path, Lauren saw she was heading toward a group of people muttering about commoners. Lauren exhaled softly. She wasn’t newly conscious of others’ gazes, but hostility was different. Receiving it, she realized, was more exhausting than she’d thought.
As she gazed quietly at the teacup held in both hands, someone tapped the table lightly a few times. She’d thought she would sit alone at this table sipping tea, but someone had sought her out. Before Lauren stood the Young Baroness from the Coastal Estate who had shown interest in the cardigan earlier.
“Would it be all right if I sat in this empty seat?”
The Young Baroness wore a modest appearance, her striking crimson hair braided and pinned up, yet her deep blue eyes, sparkling like stars, resembled the deep and beautiful night sea she’d only read about in books. Hostility was tiring, but goodwill was different. Lauren smiled at her.
“Of course, Baroness Flagwind.”
“Oh, you know who I am?”
“Of course I do.”
As Lauren offered her the adjacent seat, Baroness Flagwind smiled brightly and sat down. Lauren discreetly let out a breath of relief. As Jasmine Aloria had said, all those hours spent memorizing the nobility registry had paid off.
“Thank you for your help earlier.”
“Help? I’m not sure what you mean.”
An Attendant approached and set a teacup before Baroness Flagwind. She picked it up without continuing her thought. For a brief moment, silence settled between them. But unlike the silence with the Countess, it was not uncomfortable.
“…The Duchess…”
Lauren’s eyes lifted at the Young Baroness’s voice. She wore a smile, though it didn’t seem to come from genuine joy. What was she trying to say? Lauren waited quietly for her next words.
“You truly are remarkable.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“A cardigan—that’s not something one could present with ordinary thinking.”
Baroness Flagwind laughed weakly. What had she presented? A lovely bag with delicate patterns sewn together with fine thread.
“My Territory has a specialty in sweaters, but I never thought to present that.”
Do you perhaps understand why?
At the Young Baroness’s question, Lauren’s brows furrowed faintly. The cardigan had the justification of being military garb that protected the Empire, but sweaters were different. They were the true clothing of common folk who fished in the sea. Had Baroness Flagwind presented one, she would have faced contempt and disdain of an entirely different magnitude than what Lauren had heard. Because unlike Lauren, who was the “Duchess of Lilywood,” the Baroness was merely a person of a powerless “baronial house,” a minor noble ruling only a small Territory. Lauren pressed her lips together slightly.
“My mother was also a Young Baroness.”
“I know—she was the Young Baroness Siaz. She was a wonderful woman.”
Baroness Flagwind’s eyes crinkled as she recalled receiving much help regarding territorial matters when she first took her seat as a Young Baroness. Ah, that feeling again. Lauren pressed her hand to her chest. She’d thought only she remembered, but her parents were remembered by so many. She found herself newly grateful for that fact.
“Oh, but that’s not why I came over. Duchess, this may be sudden, but would it be possible to learn how to make cardigans?”
This seemed to be her real purpose. Lauren tilted her head curiously to one side. A noblewoman learning to make cardigans? Direct handiwork was typically considered beneath them. Yet Baroness Flagwind didn’t seem to be that sort of person. Her deep blue eyes sparkled with interest.
“This is just between us, but I often knit sweaters myself.”
“You do so personally?”
“Yes. Just as your Grandmother does.”
Her laughter was clear, but Lauren couldn’t bring herself to laugh in return. The truth was, that story had been embellished with a lie. Her Grandmother had indeed loved Lauren, but she had never knitted sweaters for her. Her Grandmother too had been a noblewoman who regarded such work as beneath her.
Her laughter was clear, but Lauren couldn’t smile back. In fact, she had added some lies to that story. It was true that Lauren’s Grandmother loved her, but she had never knitted her a sweater. Her Grandmother was also a noblewoman who looked down on work.
However, unaware of such facts, the Young Baroness confided softly to me. Her husband was a commoner who had gone to sea himself, and she used to knit sweaters for him directly. Her father had taken him as a son-in-law after he earned considerable wealth from maritime work, allowing him to inherit the baronial title. I wondered if she should be sharing such a story, but she laughed, saying it wasn’t a secret.
“I faced quite a bit of ostracism, you see.”
The Young Baroness’s smile, which had been gentle throughout, turned cold.
“A noblewoman who took a commoner as a son-in-law—how ridiculous that must seem. And since our territory has the sea, the sun is quite strong, so the flawless white skin that nobles value so highly was ruined. I even have freckles.”
Though hidden by makeup today, she mentioned the freckles matter-of-factly. As someone who had never set foot in high society, I wasn’t familiar with such concerns, but I could understand. These people, who regarded idleness as a virtue, would certainly think that way.
“The Countess seemed quite angry.”
I recalled the woman who had been sitting before her. Those pale green eyes glaring at me had been terrifying. The Baroness Flagwind must have noticed it from a distance.
“She takes great pride in being from an old noble lineage.”
The Young Baroness shook her head. The Countess’s maiden name was Reilos—she had been the daughter of one of the few remaining prestigious marquis families in the Empire. Ah, I made a small sound. No wonder those glaring eyes seemed familiar.
Long ago, when I first entered the children’s social circles, it was the marquis family’s daughter who stood beside Delania Siaz and branded me a thief and a liar. That family was Reilos.
“Moreover, she must feel quite bitter. I’ve heard she was quite fond of Aster Veil Lilywood. Well, after he left for the battlefield, she married the count’s son and became a countess.”
The Young Baroness chuckled as she spoke of old rumors. True enough. The Aster of those days must have been impossible not to love. That beautiful boy had been kind and gentle even to a country baroness from a remote village.
“I suppose she thought that as a marquis’s daughter, she was destined to become a duchess, not anyone else.”
The Young Baroness smiled with a touch of malice. Despite her seemingly gentle appearance, her tongue was sharp. Yet I didn’t feel the need to distance myself from her. The high society stories she shared were helpful, and we were of similar age with shared experiences of ostracism. And above all, she didn’t regard work as beneath her.
One could tell that simply from listening to her speak. She wasn’t ashamed of her commoner-born husband, knitted sweaters herself, and had even gathered the ladies of her territory to teach them knitting techniques and compiled a book on traditional family patterns. I widened my eyes at how serious her work actually was.
“I’d love to receive a copy of that book, if possible. Though I have absolutely no talent for knitting.”
“Of course! I’ll have it sent to the Duke’s Mansion!”
I smiled gratefully at the Young Baroness, whose eyes had widened with delight. If I’d had a friend like this long ago, what would it have been like? I wasn’t sure, but it surely would have been quite enjoyable. Perhaps I might have even looked forward to entering high society and making friends. Though Siaz Territory and Flagwind were quite far apart, we could have maintained our friendship through letters.
“Oh, and you mentioned making cardigans? My maid knows far more about that than I do, so would it be alright if I had her explain it to you later?”
The Baroness Flagwind laughed, saying she wouldn’t refuse. She hadn’t expected anyone to be so receptive. Though I was wearing this cardigan over my dress right now, it wasn’t really suited for a noblewoman to wear. But it seemed different in the eyes of the Young Baroness, who directly managed her territory’s affairs.
“Just looking at it, it seems so comfortable. And as I mentioned earlier, sweaters often have family crests knitted into them.”
They serve to prove a sailor’s affiliation and provide identity verification. Moreover, some carry meanings of safety, safe return, and protection, functioning as talismans as well—hearing this, I, who knew little of knitting, could only nod in understanding. The Young Baroness said she wanted to incorporate the sweater patterns with the cardigan’s design. Indeed, that would make the plain cardigan much more vibrant.
“Sweaters are one of our territory’s sources of income. If I incorporate cardigans into that, we could see significant profits. Of course, I’m willing to pay a portion of the sales revenue as you’ve instructed.”
Oh, I’d never thought of that. I blinked. Indeed, there was a vast difference between someone who only knew how to read administrative documents and someone with practical experience.

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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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