The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 140

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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 140

Two days, three days, a week—and still it continued.
Luka possessed considerable patience, but even his was beginning to fray.
He ventured to speak carefully to the maid who brought his meals.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
The maid spoke to Luka with casual politeness. At first, his shoulders had tensed each time he heard it, but now he had grown accustomed to it.
Luka hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage and spoke.
“I would like to see Artia.”
He clenched his teeth, bracing himself for the possibility that such an audacious request from a Kudran might earn him a slap across the face.
Yet instead of striking him, the maid simply nodded as though she had been waiting for this very moment.
“Follow me.”

* * *

Artia greeted Luka as though she had been expecting him.
“Welcome.”
Artia quickly added to her greeting.
“From now on, no kneeling before me. Greet me normally.”
At her words, Luka bowed deeply from the waist—so respectfully that his head nearly touched the ground.
Artia lowered her brows in exasperation.
Fortunately, unlike when they first met, Luka did not avert his gaze downward.
Artia posed her question to Luka, whose eyes met hers.
“How have you been?”
After so long apart, Artia remained as inquisitive as ever.
Luka hesitated before answering haltingly.
“The room is clean, the meals are delicious. The clothes smell wonderful. And the maid has been very kind.”
“Of course. My household staff are quite skilled.”
At those words, the cheeks of the maid who had brought Luka here puffed out with pride.
Artia continued.
“And that is the standard of living for those who work in the Edenberg Estate.”
“…!”
“Your room may not be a private chamber like this one, but you receive the same clothing and meals. Moreover, the wages are more generous than elsewhere. That is why my staff’s satisfaction is exceptionally high, is it not?”
At Artia’s glance, the maid who had brought Luka nodded, her face radiating unmistakable pride.
Turning her attention back to Luka, Artia spoke.
“Did that help you find an answer about your future?”
Only then did Luka recall what Artia had said when she brought him here.
She had told him to think carefully about whether to stay with Madame Tungguel or come with her.
Luka had assumed she’d merely thrown out those words carelessly to bring him to this place.
‘But she was serious….’
In that instant, his face flushed crimson as if it might burst.
The shame of entertaining such sordid thoughts alone was overwhelming.
Artia watched the flustered Luka in silence.
Now Luka could see it clearly.
‘My lady is waiting for my answer.’
This unfamiliar consideration felt more burdensome than joyful.
Unable to fathom what to say, I bit my lip when the door swung open.
Bibi entered the room and reported to Artia.
“Mistress, Madame Tungguel has arrived.”
Artia’s brows furrowed.
‘Of all the timing….’
Artia turned her gaze toward Luka.
Seeing his handsome face grow rigid, she spoke in a reassuring tone.
“Luka, coming here was not your choice. I brought you by force.”
“…!”
“So don’t be afraid. I’ll handle Tungguel.”
Her quiet voice carried an unmistakable strength.
Luka found himself staring intently at Artia without realizing it.
“But I need you to be clear on one thing. Will you go to her, or will you stay by my side?”
In mere days, the situation had reversed entirely.
It was as though Luka belonged to Artia, and Tungguel had come to claim him from her.
Luka’s violet eyes filled with confusion.
“I….”

* * *

Madame Tungguel sat in the Reception Room, her leg bouncing with agitation.
The Maid from the Estate stood nearby, but she couldn’t have cared less whether she was being observed.
She simply couldn’t calm herself.
‘Why is she taking so long?!’
It had already been twenty minutes.
For someone as impatient as her, it felt like an eternity, yet she had no intention of leaving.
She was that desperate.
‘Surely she doesn’t plan to make me wait all day?’
Anxiety crept over her.
She knew that noblewomen often enjoyed making people wait.
‘Damned aristocratic wretch.’
She was mentally cursing up a storm when the door opened and Artia appeared.
The moment she saw that pale, hollow face, a string of profanities nearly burst from her lips.
“You thieving bitch!”
Madame Tungguel lunged at Artia, ready to throttle that slender white neck.
…She would have, if Artia weren’t the Duchess of Edenberg.
Having abandoned her malicious fantasy, Madame Tungguel forced a spiteful smile.
“My greetings to the Duchess of Edenberg.”
Artia laughed.
“It’s been a while. Since you’ve come all this way, I suppose that injured leg of yours has healed.”
That shameless, fake-innocent face was absolutely infuriating.
Madame Tungguel barely contained her seething rage and got straight to the point.
“You’ve had quite the time entertaining my child, haven’t you? I’ve given you ample opportunity, so now return Luka to me.”
“I don’t want to.”
“…!”
Madame Tungguel’s eyebrows shot up.
She had let Luka go so readily that day because she was caught off guard by Artia’s unexpected behavior.
Artia appeared vacant and scatterbrained, but her true nature was utterly vile.
She needed to handle this carefully.
So today, Madame Tungguel had come prepared with her own strategy.
“It seems you’ve grown quite fond of Luka. He is indeed a rare and charming child. But he is someone I treasure dearly.”
Madame Tungguel raised her hand.
At that signal, one of the four servants standing behind her stepped forward before Artia.
He was a beautiful man with a face as pale as snow and hair the color of gold.
“So I’ve carefully selected and brought him along. Surely this would be a fair exchange?”
Artia didn’t even glance at the servant as she spoke.
“No.”
Madame Tungguel’s sagging cheeks trembled.
“Duchess of Edenberg, I have truly made every effort to treat you with sincerity. But no matter how hard I try, you act on your own whims, so there’s nothing I can do.”
Nothing had changed in just a few days.
Artia remained the Duchess, while Madame Tungguel was merely a commoner.
But that very fact gave her a weapon she could wield.
“I have many friends, you see. Among them are those who operate media companies.”
The nobility considered it a vulgar profession to peddle rumors and information openly.
That’s why all media company operators were commoners.
Among them were those who harbored resentment toward the nobility.
Especially when the target wasn’t some untouchable magnate they wouldn’t dare cross, but rather a Duchess without a husband—such a figure was far too tempting a morsel to resist.
“The Duchess of Edenberg, who stirred the world with her divorce, appears to have grown lonely without her husband and has stolen away a male slave cherished by a commoner.”
“….”
“Wouldn’t someone bearing the name Ethereal find such an article rather shameful?”
Madame Tungguel’s eyes gleamed with fierce confidence.
Artia felt a surge of admiration within.
‘So she didn’t come here after grinding away for a week for nothing. She brought a weapon to use against me.’
It was an effective method.
No matter how willfully a noblewoman behaved, she would fear articles circulating throughout the world painting her as dissolute. But….
Artia’s lips curved into a crooked smile.
“Try it.”
“…?!”
Artia continued, addressing Madame Tungguel, whose eyes had widened in shock.
“Though I suggest you consider what price you’ll pay for your actions.”
“…!”
“You said you have many friends in the media, yes? I have many too, friend. If you touch me, you’ll face the wrath of countless noblewomen throughout the Convent.”
Madame Tungguel’s true feelings burst forth at this unexpected response.
“Since when do noblewomen have friends with each other!”
Artia laughed softly.
“You hold strange prejudices about the nobility. Then go ahead and leak your story to the media as planned—you’ll soon discover whether my words are truth or fiction.”
A childish provocation.
Yet it could not be ignored.
Because Artia’s pink eyes gleamed with a menace that transcended mere arrogance.
Artia spoke to Madame Tungguel, whose teeth were now clenched.
“Oh, and I’d suggest you, the journalist who writes the article, and the media company owner all prepare yourselves for a pleasant stay in prison. The moment the article appears, I’ll sue all of you for defamation against the nobility.”
Defaming a noble’s honor was as grave a crime as direct assault.
Knowing this, Madame Tungguel’s face flushed crimson.
“So you truly intend to fight me.”
“Of course not. What adult fights with a child?”

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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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