The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 137

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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 137

Ordinary men held no appeal for her whatsoever.
She kept only the most exquisite beauties by her side—men who shone brighter than jewels themselves.
“Become my pet.”
Few could refuse her offer.
She would dangle sums of money that most could never earn in a lifetime of labor, and those who still refused faced her terrifying threats.
She would not rest until she possessed whoever caught her fancy, by whatever means necessary.
Mikhail spoke up.
“The problem is that she’s an animal abuser. She doesn’t just pet them because they’re pretty—she curses at them constantly and beats them, or so I’ve heard.”
Sandra, standing nearby, added her own account.
“She sits on people instead of chairs, demands they lick her feet when they’re dirty, and makes them do all manner of degrading things.”
The one saving grace was that she tired of her pets quickly.
She would cast them out before three months had passed.
“But this current one has lasted well over a year without any sign of being discarded. That’s why rumors have spread like wildfire among the handsome men at the Convent—that Madam Tungguel has become utterly infatuated with this particular dog.”

Back at home, recalling Mikhail’s words, I furrowed my brow.
The way she referred to Shine bothered me far more than Madam Tungguel’s eccentricities.
“Even so, calling a person a dog is simply too much.”
“I’m not a dog—I’m a cat.”
“Mother!”
I looked up in surprise.
Killian von Orpheus stood by the window.
“It’s been a while since you’ve visited, Your Highness.”
Rather than returning the greeting, Killian posed a different question.
“Have you taken an interest in some dog?”
An interest in a dog? How does he come up with such peculiar things to say?
I shook my head.
“It’s a person, not a dog.”
For a moment, something unsettling flickered in Killian’s golden eyes.
But he was skilled at concealing that light before me.
Unaware of anything amiss, I recounted to him the story of Madam Tungguel that Mikhail had shared.
Noticing Killian’s expression grow colder than before, I lowered my brow.
“It’s certainly unpleasant to hear about. I was shocked myself. There are all sorts of people in this world, but treating another person as a pet…”
“So. Was this dog handsome?”
At the sudden question, I found myself nodding before I could stop myself, then let out a small gasp, my brow furrowing.
I was ashamed that I hadn’t even denied it when he referred to a person as a dog.
Yet the expression on Killian’s face as he asked the question was utterly shameless.
Killian let out a small sigh as if something displeased him, then swept his black hair back with one hand.
When he closed his eyes with their delicately upturned corners and opened them again, his golden irises gleamed brilliantly.
Standing beneath the pale moonlight, he asked.
“More than me?”
“…!”
Even Mikhail, recognized as the Empire’s most handsome actor, would have laughed it off as a shameless joke if he’d said such a thing.
But now I couldn’t laugh at all.
Because his face was far too….
‘I can’t breathe.’
My entire body froze as if broken, making it difficult to even draw breath.
Killian von Orpheus approached me, who stood there biting my lip.
He spoke against my ear in a low, growling tone.
“Artia von Edenberg, don’t you dare praise another man’s appearance in front of me.”
I tried to interpret his words with a snow-white face.
Was his pride in his own beauty so high that hearing someone else was handsome displeased him?
Like the stepmother who envied Snow White.
But Your Highness possesses such overwhelming beauty that you make even handsome men look ordinary. I didn’t think you needed to harbor such petty emotions….
Killian spoke to me as I spiraled into nonsensical thoughts, my mind completely scattered.
“Answer.”
His whispered, low voice pierced through my ear and pricked my heart sharply.
I nodded without even attempting to resist.
Like a rabbit caught by a black panther.

* * *

Finding a Kudran whose name I didn’t know would be difficult, but learning about Madame Tungguel was easy.
I confirmed that Shine worked at her estate, so now I could visit and meet him at any moment.
But I couldn’t bring myself to do so readily.
‘From what I’ve heard, Madame Tungguel doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. If I just showed up unannounced, Shine might end up in a difficult position.’
It seemed better to meet Shine without Madame Tungguel’s knowledge.
But how could I manage that?
As I pondered with a serious expression, Bibi entered the room.
“My lady, a letter has arrived for Madame Tungguel.”
What kind of development was this?
I accepted the envelope Bibi handed me with the expression of someone who’d just taken an unexpected punch.
The paper, coated with a fragrance so strong it made my nose ache, bore these words.

「 My dear Duchess Artia.
My child told me that you’ve taken quite an interest in this little one.
The child is so charming that many have coveted her, but I’ve dismissed them all without exception.
However, I would very much like to have a conversation with the renowned Duchess Artia.
Please visit my beautiful Rose Mansion at your earliest convenience. 」

After hearing such ominous words, I had prepared myself not to be surprised even if the letter contained curses, but it was far more ordinary than expected.
‘The phrase “my child” is rather unsettling, though.’
I wasn’t particularly bothered by how presumptuous it was for a commoner to write to a noblewoman in such a manner.
After all, I had been wondering how to visit Madame Tungguel’s Estate, and now the opportunity had presented itself naturally.
Artia readily accepted her invitation.

A few days later, I pinned my hair up and applied makeup more heavily than usual.
‘Madame Tungguel is no ordinary woman.’
I had no idea what kind of conversation awaited me today, but I sensed that appearing weak or unprepared would serve me no purpose whatsoever.
True to the rumors, Madame Tungguel’s Estate was magnificent in both scale and decoration.
In particular, the brilliant crimson roses blooming profusely throughout the sprawling garden were so grand they bordered on the terrifying.
“Welcome, Duchess Artia. I shall escort you to my mistress.”
The butler who came to greet me was a strikingly handsome man.
Before the reception room where I arrived following him, two delicate-featured servants stood waiting.
They bowed with exaggerated courtesy, as though escorting a queen herself, and opened the door.
‘How embarrassing.’
I felt my cheeks flush slightly as I stepped into the chamber.
Inside the room, which was filled with an overwhelmingly rich rose fragrance, stood a woman and a man.
Madam Tinguere and Shine.
Madame Tungguel, reclining against the long sofa, had a portly frame and a face that conveyed considerable age.
What stood out most prominently was her hair, piled so high it seemed to touch the ceiling.
‘A wig designed to make hair appear fuller—I’ve never seen one quite this tall before….’
Thinking she was indeed as unconventional as the rumors suggested, I observed Shine standing beside her.
Unlike when he had come to meet me in plain attire, he was now dressed in ornate clothing like a doll, wearing a painted smile.
Madame Tungguel’s red dog.
As I recalled that dreadful epithet, my brow furrowed.
Madame Tungguel’s shrill voice rang out.
“Thank you for coming to see me, Duchess Artia. The truth is, I injured my leg recently and find it difficult to stand. I do hope you’ll understand, given your kind and compassionate nature.”
With those words, Madame Tungguel tilted her head while remaining reclined against the sofa.
Insolently. Was she mocking me now?
Madame Tungguel had imagined the young duchess’s face contorting in anger, but Artia simply nodded with a serene expression.
“Of course.”
I, seated on the sofa across from Madame Tungguel, opened my mouth.
“What is the reason you’ve summoned me here?”
Madame Tungguel spoke as though she had been waiting for this moment.
“You met our boy a few days ago, didn’t you?”
Shine, having just returned from meeting Artia, had reported every detail of their conversation to Madame Tungguel.
It wasn’t an action taken with any particular intent.
He needed her permission to leave the estate, and upon his return, he was obligated to account for what had transpired.
All the more so when the person involved was a woman.
Madame Tungguel’s eyes darkened as she listened to the account while receiving a massage from another servant.
“That Edenberg woman asked you to become an actor?”
“It was more of a suggestion than a demand. Since I declined, there’s no need for you to concern yourself with——”
Before Shine could finish speaking, Madame Tungguel struck the cheek of the servant massaging her.
She frequently raised her hand against the servants, but never toward Shine.
She despised the thought of marring that perfect face and body with a single blemish.
“How can I not be concerned! That noble is scheming to take you away from me!”

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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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