The Murderous Duke's Domestic Affairs - Chapter 74

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 74
My breath caught in my throat. Unable to escape, blood gushed from the jagged wound, and I pressed against it in a futile attempt at stanching the flow, yet even that refused to obey my will. I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Garnet was utterly lost.
“So you’re the knight of that murderer? You’re far more pathetic than I expected.”
A burly man with a sword resting across his shoulders sneered at Garnet. Damn it. Garnet bit down on lips drained of all color.
I didn’t want to hear that voice.
My crimson eyes blazed as I glared at the swordsmen advancing toward me. These bastards had never intended to fight fairly from the start. If this had been one-on-one, I wouldn’t have taken these wounds. I ground my teeth.
When I first heard about the sparring match in the Waiting Room, I never anticipated a situation like this. The person now sneering at me had worn a gentle smile at first.
What had he said? That since the nobles wouldn’t emerge until the party ended, the knights might as well build camaraderie through some sparring.
Yes, it had started as sparring. I hadn’t wanted to participate and had abstained, though the others seemed to be enjoying themselves. When I rose to my feet watching a carriage depart, one of them mentioned wanting to cross blades with the knight of Lilywood, who had earned the title of battlefield conqueror.
These were people who would have never exchanged words with me otherwise. Lilywood was famous and had many enemies, and as the Duke’s subordinate handling intelligence, I knew this well. But why had I thought that way? I squeezed my dimming eyes shut, then opened them.
This is all because of her. I clenched my teeth. Lauren. The gentle lady of House Lilywood. Because she was kind and considerate even to servants. Because she offered me tea and gave me cookies. Because those who drank tea with her seemed to enjoy themselves like a cherished memory from long ago.
So I yearned for what I shouldn’t have yearned for. I wanted what I shouldn’t have wanted. I thought perhaps it was acceptable to feel a little joy. I thought perhaps I too could have one or two people like that.
I shouldn’t have thought such things. I shouldn’t have let my guard down. I shouldn’t have believed I could dissolve into that warm, gentle atmosphere.
I shouldn’t have allowed my sharp senses to dull, shouldn’t have let my heart relax.
This carelessness is my own fault. I bit the edge of my lip. I couldn’t have imagined that having no comrade to lean my back against would be this difficult.
I didn’t know where or how I’d been wounded, but my left arm had lost all strength. If this continued, I might actually have to retire. A pain both familiar and utterly unbearable enveloped me.
I’d never considered retirement even from battlefield injuries. I hadn’t yet repaid the Duke’s kindness. The cackling laughter pressed in like an auditory hallucination. My lips twisted. That savage smile, as if facing the murderer of the battlefield, made the laughing knights flinch and retreat.
These knights—they’d seemed to be sparring with practice swords at first, but when had they switched to real blades? Knights in different uniforms surrounded me. Individually, none matched my skill, but surrounded like this, the situation was different. At this point, I’d feel better dragging one or two of them down with me. My grip on the sword tightened.
“Let’s see how much longer he can act superior in that state! Attack!”
One of them raised his voice as if giving an order. The knights moved as if they’d belonged to the same unit from the start. Tsk. I clicked my tongue. The encirclement was tighter than I’d anticipated.
With sharp eyes surveying my surroundings, I evaded and repelled the rushing blades. Was there a way to break through? The clash of swords rang sharply in my ears. A blade I failed to fully dodge left another scar on my body.
I didn’t simply endure. Given my position as the Countess’s invited knight, I couldn’t swing my sword as I would on a battlefield, but my blade, still sharp, aimed for wrists and elbows. Brief screams and the sound of dropped swords filled the Training Ground, though I heard none of it.
“Stop.”
A low voice rang out then. It was a short syllable that shouldn’t have been heard in the chaotic Training Ground, yet that voice instantly resonated through the space. The weighty tone carried an immense presence that no one could ignore.
The blade that had been ruthlessly flying toward Garnet froze. At that familiar voice, even my sword, aimed at yet another enemy, turned to ice. As I caught my breath and raised my gaze, the shadow of a man reflected in my crimson eyes. It was someone who shouldn’t have been here.
“It seems the Charity Party had a meaning I wasn’t aware of.”
Why was he here? Garnet thought blankly. The fact that my mind wasn’t working properly suggested I’d lost quite a bit of blood.
Even through my dimming vision, I could see his lion-like golden hair gleaming sharply in the pale winter sunlight. His deeply settled green eyes were fierce.
His voice was as cold as the midwinter wind filling the Training Ground, yet I felt genuine relief. As tension drained from me, my legs wavered. Someone caught me as I nearly fell. Crimson hair entered my vision. Worried blue eyes looked down at me with concern.
* * *
Aster’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was sharp enough to pierce the ears of everyone present. Some held their breath; others swallowed hard. His casual tone carried neither hostility nor anger, yet the weight behind his words was undeniably heavy. Everyone here was well aware of his epithet—war hero and murderer.
In this moment, no one knew what might happen.
Like poison ivy growing in shadow, his settled green eyes quietly surveyed the surroundings. His gaze seemed almost languid, yet a savage smile played at the corners of his mouth. It was remarkably similar to the expression that had appeared on Garnet’s face moments before.
“Letti, take Garnet to the carriage.”
An aide should remain at his master’s side. But Aster showed no intention of withdrawing his command. After a brief exchange of glances, Letti offered a wry smile and hoisted the unconscious young knight onto his shoulder, then departed.
“Elliot Enbail. How am I supposed to accept this?”
Aster turned to face the man standing behind him, his eyes leaving his wounded knight’s retreating form. The man with pale green hair flinched in surprise, his shoulders tensing. His timid gray eyes wavered aimlessly behind his spectacles.
“Should I interpret this as hostility toward Lilywood?”
“No, no, that’s not it!”
Elliot cried out urgently. Though Lilywood’s momentum had waned, it was still a Duchy—moreover, the house of a war hero who had stood at the forefront of endless conflict. To oppose Lilywood? No matter how prestigious House Raielos was as the lady’s family, a mere Countess’s house couldn’t contend with them. And besides….
Elliot clamped down on his trembling lips.
Sensing his disturbance, Aster Veil Lilywood strode forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. He wore only a coat over a single shirt—attire far too light for the season—and his bare hands, devoid of gloves, were frigid. Despite Elliot’s heavy formal robes, Aster’s touch felt as though he were gripping ice itself.
“My wife has gone missing here?”
Aster growled in a whisper, his teeth grinding audibly. Elliot squeezed his eyes shut. If fault lay anywhere, it was in his own nod of agreement when his wife had suddenly proposed hosting this Charity Party.
But what else could he have done? His wife, Ilita Enbail, was not merely the Countess Enbail—she was the daughter of House Raielos and the Crown Prince’s mistress. She was someone who could do whatever she pleased, regardless of his consent or objection.
“This isn’t even funny.”
Was it a hollow laugh, or was he suppressing his rage? The murderer’s grip on his shoulder tightened. Would he draw his blade now? If fortune favored him, perhaps he’d escape with merely a beating—as the Crown Prince had done when he’d knelt begging for his wife’s return. Elliot swallowed dryly, bracing himself for the inevitable pain.
Yet contrary to his fears, nothing happened. Aster released his shoulder and walked away in silence, his retreating figure cold and composed. So he did love his wife, then? But that couldn’t be doubted—the fact that he’d rushed here the moment Tila Flagwind spoke was proof enough.
Among the Empire’s nobility, many openly kept mistresses. It wasn’t even illegal, after all. Even the Crown Prince maintained one, so what right did any nobleman have to abstain? The Emperor, who cherished and doted upon the Empress, kept no concubines, but such matters were hardly a concern for nobles who bent the law to suit their appetites.
Of course, Elliot himself kept no mistress, though that had nothing to do with the nonsense everyone spouted about love.
At parties like this, when someone disappeared, they were typically either in a private room arranged by the host, or had slipped outside together. Elliot had initially assumed the same. Even the closest of couples were a different matter when it came to keeping a mistress. But Aster Veil Lilywood had scoffed at his protests.
As though he believed Lauren Lilywood could never love anyone but him.
Elliot had to admit—he was in awe. And envious. How could one possess such unwavering conviction? Did such faith arise naturally when two people loved each other deeply?
The “murderer” Aster Veil Lilywood had come all this way upon hearing a single word—that his wife could not be found. Unlike his usual manner, he hadn’t stormed into the Ballroom causing a scene. Instead, he’d quietly summoned Elliot. For the sake of his beloved wife’s honor.
“Enbail, cooperate.”
Though overshadowed by his wife’s status and her family’s influence, Elliot was himself a significant figure in the Imperial Palace. Of course, he was nothing compared to a war hero. Aster’s tone was so imperious it bordered on contempt, yet it suited him perfectly—so much so that Elliot couldn’t even conceive of refusing. Besides, now that the Duchess had vanished, cooperation was the only option available to him.
Elliot swallowed his sigh and followed in Aster’s wake.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————