The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 123

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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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In Search of the Duke’s Husband – Episode 123

Had I been even a second late, I would have plummeted from the window.
Yet the young Killian, unaware of how perilous the situation truly was, pouted his lips.
“I can’t let the transformation wear off yet….”
I had intended only to slip in for a moment, catch a glimpse of Arsen in secret, and leave.
But in this form, there was no way I could squeeze through the small window.
‘What do I do? I’ll be in terrible trouble if I’m discovered.’
Yet my hesitation was brief. I rose to my feet with determination.
Even if I faced punishment, I would accomplish what I came here to do.
The chamber was as spacious as my own, filled with countless objects.
Toys, books, dolls, flowers…. And among them, a child lay upon a grand bed.
Arsen von Orpheus—the master of this chamber and my older brother.
I took a step forward, drawing closer to the bed.
The night was moonless and dark, with not a single lamp lit, yet my night vision—far superior to that of ordinary humans—allowed me to see Arsen clearly.
He was nothing like I had imagined.
Hair as white as snow, like an old man from a fairy tale; a face drained of all color. His features were beautiful as a doll’s, yet so devoid of vitality that I could scarcely perceive it.
Like a corpse.
Chills ran down my spine.
I had never seen a dead body before. Yet I felt an instinctive sense of wrongness emanating from Arsen.
It was a sensation that living creatures perceive instinctively.
The moment I unconsciously stepped backward, Arsen’s eyes snapped open.
Golden irises.
Yet they were utterly unlike my own eyes, which shone brilliantly as if brimming with molten gold.
These eyes held no light at all—they felt hollow and vacant.
Arsen opened his mouth, his gaze capturing mine.
“Killian?”
“…!”
A voice so faint it would have been inaudible had it not been the quiet hour before dawn. Yet to me, that sound came through with perfect clarity.
My expression shifted in an instant to that of a wary cat, sharp and guarded.
“How do you know who I am?”
Arsen offered a faint smile.
“Of course I know. You’re my younger brother….”
Younger brother.
The unfamiliar yet strangely pleasant words caused my expression to soften immediately.
My face flushed slightly as I spoke.
“I know your name too, big brother. Arsen.”
At those words, Arsen’s smile deepened.
Life flickered across a face that had seemed lifeless.
Was it because they shared the same parents, or because they had been born from the same womb?
The two of them conversed with a familiarity that made it hard to believe they were meeting for the first time in four years.
Killian von Orpheus learned much about Arsen.
Arsen’s legs had never moved properly since infancy, so he could not walk.
Sunlight caused his entire skin to burn with such agony that he could not venture beyond his chamber.
Killian von Orpheus, who had been unable to exchange emotions with others since birth, did not know how to empathize with another’s feelings.
But that day, for the first time, his heart ached because of someone else.
Killian von Orpheus spoke to Arsen.
“I can use magic.”
It was a secret he had never told anyone.
Killian von Orpheus continued, speaking to Arsen, whose eyes had widened in surprise.
“I’ll study hard and heal you, big brother.”
“….”
“Let’s go play outside the castle together.”
Hours later, after his magic returned and he safely reached his chamber, Killian von Orpheus fell asleep with a thrilled heart.
He dreamed that night.
On a sun-drenched day, in a forest thick with verdant trees, Arsen and I ran with all our might.
I’m faster. No, I’m faster.
As we bickered and ran, we spotted a massive rhinoceros beetle soaring through the air with a whirring sound, and we forgot all about racing, chasing after it instead.
Our faces glistened with beads of sweat on our foreheads, smiling brightly.
It was the second wish that had ever taken root in young Killian von Orpheus’s heart.
After that, whenever I had a chance, I would transform into a baby bird and visit Arsen’s chamber.
We would talk, read books together, and sometimes play with toys.
Both Arsen and I had always been alone, so these moments were utterly precious.
But secrets never last long.
The Empress suddenly entered Arsen’s chamber.
Killian von Orpheus, who had been playing with a toy horse with Arsen on the bed, opened his eyes wide.
“M-Mother….”
Before Killian von Orpheus could even stammer an excuse, the Empress’s hand came down across his small cheek.
Crack!
The Empress glared down at Killian von Orpheus, who had tumbled beneath the bed from the merciless force, and screamed.
“How dare you enter here!”
The Empress had always been cold toward Killian von Orpheus, but this was the first time she had resorted to violence.
Shocked into silence, Killian von Orpheus felt the Empress seize his thin arm.
“Mother…!”
Arsen protested, but it was useless.
The Empress dragged Killian von Orpheus across the floor and cast him out of the chamber.
The Empress shrieked, glaring at Killian von Orpheus, whose expression suggested he might weep without even drawing breath.
“Never show your face before Arsen again!”
One more time, and I’ll kill you.
Her furious eyes conveyed the message with crystalline clarity.
After that, Killian von Orpheus could not seek out Arsen.
The Empress kept vigil at Arsen’s side even through the night.
Without time to dwell on resentment toward Mother or sorrow at not seeing his brother, Killian von Orpheus threw himself into effort.
‘I’ll hone my magical power stronger and heal my brother.’
Then my brother won’t suffer anymore, and Mother won’t hate me either, will she?
But that plan crumbled to ruin.
The dream of leaving the castle with a healed Arsen never came to pass.
Not even now.

“Your Highness.”
At the crystalline voice, I turned to find Artia gazing up at me with wide, luminous eyes.
“Is there something you wish for so desperately that you must ponder it so seriously?”
Artia murmured, “I have so many things I want…” and I replied to her.
“There is. Something I wish for.”
“What is it?”
“If I tell you, will you grant it?”
“If it’s something I’m capable of doing.”
“….”
Her rose-tinted eyes sparkled with anticipation rather than burden, as though eager to hear what I would say.
I was astounded.
‘Artia von Edenberg, do you realize how terrifying what you’ve just said truly is?’
I want to hold your hand.
To intertwine my fingers between your slender, pale ones, so we never part.
I want to embrace you. So tightly I fear you might shatter.
I want to press my lips to yours. Like that time you don’t remember.
No—more insistent, more tender than that.
‘But I can never speak such words.’
In that moment, you would no longer see me as a friend.
I could not bear to shatter this miraculous bond between us. Not for anything.
So I suppressed the desires that flooded my mind and opened my lips.
“Continue to exist at my side.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Breathe, speak, and smile for me.”
“….”
Artia did not know what expression to wear.
To Artia, who dreamed of nothing more than a vast study lined with beloved books, my wish was far too cryptic.
Even amid my bewilderment, a corner of my heart tingled with delight.
‘So you’re saying you want to keep being close to me?’
Truly, he had such an unusual way of expressing himself.
Artia smiled softly, hoping no one could hear the thundering of her heart as it began to race.
“I’d like that.”
She did not know it.
That until now, Killian von Orpheus had received what he desired from no one but her.

* * *

Evangeline came to find Artia and spoke.
“The younger ones who used to growl whenever your name came up have gone silent as if it were a lie. Even the members of the Cadet Branch Family shower you with praise whenever they meet you.”
Artia laughed brightly.
“All my effort has paid off.”
“Earning people’s favor isn’t something effort alone can achieve. You have considerable skill.”
Indeed, she was material worthy of becoming an Ethereal.
Evangeline regarded Artia with an expression of pride.
“Since you seem to have grown quite close to the family members, let’s move to the next stage.”
Thud!
Dozens of ledgers stacked upon the desk.
Evangeline pointed to the pile of ledgers and spoke.
“These are the ledgers documenting the real estate owned by House of Edenberg, the enterprises it operates, and its other assets. One could say they represent the true power of Edenberg.”
“….”
“If you wish to hold power, you must be able to understand and manage all of this.”
Artia stared intently at the pile of ledgers. At her expression, Evangeline smiled faintly.
“Why do you make such a face? Are you frightened now, of all times?”
“…No, I’m simply overwhelmed with emotion.”
Artia ran her fingers across the pile of ledgers as she continued.
“I never thought I would ever see these in my lifetime.”

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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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