The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 72

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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 72
Ilita Enbail expressed her gratitude to the guests, officially opening the Charity Party. A jester summoned from somewhere performed tricks, and orphans dressed in pretty clothes came out to sing. She mentioned that the auction would feature limited-edition dresses from various places, cosmetics, and historic jewels once owned by notable figures, urging everyone to look forward to it.
As the orchestra began playing, some guests even danced as if at a ball. The orphans who had sung moments before had already vanished from sight.
They looked quite thin. Were there no health concerns? Their complexions had seemed poor, as if they’d been dragged here against their will. Like they were frightened.
I recalled the children who had sung and sighed. The nobility watching them—as if they were mere spectacles—were praising Ilita Enbail beside them, calling her compassionate and kind-hearted.
Enbail’s Charity Party was entirely different from what I had imagined. Even the House of Siaz, despite being a poor fiefdom, had once held a charity event. What had that been like? I sipped the champagne in my hand, lost in thought.
For one, it hadn’t been held in such an elaborately decorated indoor space. It had been a warm spring day with sunshine pouring down. The air was filled with the scent of flowers, and the sound of children playing echoed from all around.
Flower crowns made by children from freshly bloomed blossoms. Jams and preserves made by the fiefdom’s people over the winter. Even wounded soldiers recovering there had contributed handcrafted wooden items.
There were no dazzling jewels or dresses, yet people bought and sold with joyful faces. Even knowing that all proceeds would be donated to the orphanage and elderly care facilities, people didn’t hesitate to offer what they had.
There were no events put on for show, no luxurious liquor, no dazzling pastries that captivated the eye. The delicious aroma of meat grilled outdoors. Simple beer brought from people’s own homes, pound cake with dried fruit, cookies baked with nuts—these were enough. The genuine laughter of those enjoying themselves, the sparkling eyes—these were the most beautiful decorations of all.
I leaned my back against the wall. There were those who sought me out hoping to exchange words with the owner of the Golden Rose, but once I rejected all invitations to dance or drink, no one approached me anymore.
After sending off Tila, who apologized for needing to step away for business matters, I willingly took on the role of decoration clinging to the wall. Observing the ballroom from a distance was so absurd that I nearly burst out laughing.
The people who had been desperate to form a connection with the owner of the Golden Rose immediately changed their attitude the moment I rejected all their proposals and attached myself to the wall.
The man who had invited me to dance clicked his tongue and, stepping away, muttered as if he were something special. The one whose conversation I’d refused lamented that the Golden Rose hadn’t found a proper owner. When someone who had praised my dress as elegant suddenly criticized it as improper, I couldn’t suppress a bitter smile as childhood memories surfaced.
‘People who dislike me will dislike me no matter what I do.’
Tila’s voice, suddenly recalled, made me suppress a sigh. If only I could have thought that way from the beginning. Perhaps I wouldn’t have become afraid of interacting with people. After all, I had learned early that I didn’t need to force those who disliked me to like me.
Such superficial words meant nothing. If only I had known that sooner. Then perhaps I wouldn’t have suffered over such meaningless remarks.
I sipped the drink in my hand. I had no desire to dance, and there was no one worth conversing with. I had honestly expected something from this “Charity Party,” but it was so different from what I knew. There was nothing to do but drink liquor I didn’t even enjoy.
An Attendant soon announced from the dais that the auction would begin. Having no interest in jewels or dresses, I decided to leave. A venue of this scale would surely have a rest room.
“Where is the rest room?”
I stopped a servant carrying a tray of champagne and asked. The Attendant kindly pointed out the rest room’s location with a smile. While I was at it, I also asked him to relay a message to Tila. The servant didn’t seem bothered and readily agreed to my request. He even took my empty glass with him.
I walked toward the rest room with a light step. Judging by the enthusiastic reactions when the items were introduced, everyone seemed intent on participating in the auction. I would have time to myself in peace. But when I entered the rest room, a shadow remained—and it belonged to someone I had hoped not to meet.
“My, who is this?”
Brown eyes gleamed as they turned toward me. I stared at her without answering. I had thought there was nothing left to unsettle me, yet facing her like this, I was wrong. My heart pounded in my chest, and I couldn’t find the words to speak.
“Ah, I should greet you properly, shouldn’t I?”
Delania rose from her seat with a slight smile, spreading her skirt. Tilting her head, she laughed softly.
“I greet the Duchess of Lilywood.”
Her words were courteous, but her actions were not. She had never intended to bow in the first place. I bit my lip quietly. Her chin was raised, and the gaze looking down at me was almost arrogant.
“How harsh. Won’t you return the greeting?”
Whether I answered or not, Delania sat back down at the table. I examined her carefully. Her auburn hair, adorned with jewels, glimmered bronze under the chandelier’s light, and her blue dress, made of fine fabric, was embroidered delicately with silver thread.
Last autumn, when she visited the Duke’s Mansion, she had worn a dress stolen from me, altered to her liking. What had happened in the meantime?
“The House of Siaz’s circumstances seem to have improved greatly,” I said quietly.
Delania’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but that was all. Unlike before, she didn’t raise her voice or act irritably.
“Thanks to you.”
Perhaps she couldn’t completely dismiss me, for Delania answered curtly, pouting her lips. Then she held up a teapot toward me.
“Would you like some tea?”
I quietly looked down at the tea table and sat down. Even if it was Delania, I wouldn’t cause a scene at the Enbail Estate, which had connections to the Dukedom.
After confirming that Delania was drinking the tea she had poured herself, I picked up my cup. The black tea in the cup she had filled was of good quality. The deep red color was clear and beautiful. Even the aroma was sweet. As I drank, Delania, who had been watching me quietly, laughed softly.
“You’re still the same, aren’t you?”
What did she mean by “still the same”? That I didn’t wear a flashy dress even coming to a place like this? Or that I feared crowds? I didn’t answer Delania’s remark. And Delania, too, seemed not to expect an answer.
“How long do you think you can keep this up?”
What did she want to hear? Delania’s brown eyes gleamed as she fixed her gaze upon me. I parted my lips, but no sound emerged.
“Looking at you makes me angry. You carry yourself as though you’re something special. Even now—look at you. The dresses and jewels on auction today are coveted by everyone, yet you stand here as if they’re worthless.”
“And what of you?”
By that logic, Delania’s very presence here made no sense. The Delania I knew was more covetous of such things than anyone.
Perhaps she lacked the funds to participate in the auction. I understood the financial circumstances of House of Siaz far better than Delania did. Merely calculating what she had acquired would equal an entire year’s living expenses for the Marquis Estate.
“I have no interest in things others have already used.”
My brows furrowed sharply. She had taken the dresses I cherished, even my own room—and now she claimed indifference.
“Aha, don’t make that face.”
Delania laughed loudly. My head throbbed inexplicably. I pressed my temples firmly. Even fine wine could bring discomfort, it seemed. Yet when I drank the wine Aster gave me, I hadn’t felt this way. My throat felt parched. I drained the remaining tea from my cup in one gulp.
“I never coveted what was yours—I simply despised you.”
Even without the name of House of Siaz, it was not difficult to cultivate connections with a young lady of the Marquis Family. She had chosen the day of my debut in High Society to humiliate me, and it was purely because she hated me. Why did she hate me? Because I was always loved.
Delania, who had been treated as a young lady of the Marquis Estate all her life, had to learn the truth from my birth: she was not truly a noblewoman. My father was the Marquis’s brother, not the Marquis himself. Delania was merely the daughter of a commoner.
In Delania’s eyes, which had always needed to be refined and beautiful, my life as a true young lady seemed far too easy. She envied it. Just to smile without doing anything—our young lady.
When I became a wicked child, she felt somewhat better. “Kind Delania,” “Delania who cherishes her sister.” But those praises did not last long. When Trace Siaz was cast out from the Marquis Estate, even making me a wicked child and a point of comparison became difficult.
So she seduced a young lady of the Marquis Family and made her an ally. It was not difficult. A few sweet words whispered, and she gained her trust. Then she ruined my first gathering in High Society. I knew better than anyone how fragile I was. She knew that if I were treated that way, I would never wish to appear before people again—and I understood it too.
But it was only then. I learned practical matters at Emel Siaz’s side, and I remained the young lady of whom the people of my Territory were proud. And I married a murderer and became the wife of Aster Veil Lilywood.
Delania’s gaze fixed upon the golden rose pinned to my chest. The “wife of Aster Veil Lilywood,” trusted by the Empress. Had I not been the beloved and esteemed young lady of House of Siaz, could I have ever reached that position?
“Beloved Miss Lauren.”
Delania murmured aloud. The dignified me swayed, my eyes growing hazy as I forced them toward her, and somehow the sight pleased Delania. She smiled. She did not know why the Crown Prince desired me, but it was convenient timing.
What would happen if the wife of Aster Veil Lilywood fell into the Crown Prince’s hands? Delania sincerely hoped I would become like her—no, worse than her.

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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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