The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 143

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

In Search of the Duke’s Husband – Episode 143

“Besides, I thought it would be difficult to learn the script since you can’t read, but it wasn’t like that at all. You memorize every line perfectly after I read it just once.”
Lamb shouted with an excited face.
“You have the makings of a great actor!”
Artia, standing beside him, laughed while looking at Luka with pride.
“That’s amazing, Luka.”
“…!”
Until now, all the praise Luka had received was about his appearance.
“You truly have a face like a sculpture. And your body—how is it so perfect? Your muscles are as firm and well-trained as a thoroughbred horse.”
Women would say such things while touching Luka’s body.
Though he had laughed it off each time, Luka had never truly enjoyed it. It felt uncomfortable and unpleasant.
But now it was entirely different.
Praise for his acting ability made his heart soar.
“Thank you so much!”
Sandra laughed brightly as she watched Luka bow respectfully.
“Our youngest is so adorable.”
Mikhail also nodded with a stern expression.
“It’s refreshing to have someone like that around after dealing with such dull people.”
“Dull people? Exclude me from that list. I’m the most vibrant woman in this entire Empire.”
“Vibrant? More like sour.”
“Northern Grand Duke, do you have a death wish?”
As the two bickered behind him, Artia asked a question.
“Luka, you said you’d never acted before. How are you so good at it? Were you perhaps interested in acting?”
Someone from Kudran who had been struggling just to survive wouldn’t have had such leisure.
But he had watched performances many times before.
“Madame Tungguel took me along to watch performances several times.”
Though it had been exhausting to attend to her every need throughout the performances to ensure she felt no discomfort, watching the actors perform had been genuinely enjoyable.
“Back then, I never imagined I would ever stand on a stage myself. It’s truly amazing.”
Watching Luka’s childlike expression, Artia felt a pang in her heart.
Artia could guess why Luka could memorize lines after hearing them just once.
Demanding women would have grown angry if he didn’t understand their words immediately, and to avoid punishment, Luka must have developed the ability to memorize entire conversations word for word.
She had often seen maids like that.
‘Despite his size, he’s only eighteen years old….’
The more she observed him, the more her heart ached.
‘While he’s here, I’ll treat him well. I’ll feed him delicious food and teach him to read.’
As I steeled my resolve regarding Luka, Bibi approached and whispered to me.
“My lady, Prince Killian von Orpheus has arrived. However, he wishes to visit the Practice Room rather than the Reception Room.”
My eyes widened.
Even after Nabi’s identity had been revealed, Killian von Orpheus had continued to visit my chambers in the dead of night.
To come in broad daylight, and in such a crowded place no less, was virtually unheard of.
‘What could this possibly mean?’
I nodded in bewilderment.
Then, moments later, something extraordinary unfolded.
Dozens of Imperial Palace servants came pouring in.
With the precision of well-drilled soldiers, they swiftly positioned a long table in the center of the Practice Room, then arranged an appetizing spread of delicacies upon it.
In an instant, the humble practice hall transformed into a magnificent party venue.
Into this magically altered space stepped a beautiful man with raven-black hair and golden eyes.
At that moment, Lamb let out a strange, piercing cry and bowed his head deeply.
“I, I humbly pay my respects to the esteemed bloodline of the Almighty House of Orpheus!”
At those words, everyone in the Practice Room’s eyes went wide. Some even gasped audibly.
Despite their shock, people hurriedly lowered their heads.
Lamb nearly threw himself to the ground before remembering my earlier instruction that kneeling was forbidden here, so instead he bowed so deeply his forehead nearly touched the floor.
While everyone else was flustered, I alone remained composed, lifting the hem of my skirt.
“I humbly pay my respects to the esteemed bloodline of the Almighty House of Orpheus.”
At the sight of me bowing, Killian von Orpheus’s brow twitched ever so slightly.
It had been so long since she had greeted him with such formal courtesy, and the sensation was strangely displeasing.
Fortunately, before his mood could sour further, I straightened immediately.
In a voice so soft that someone standing just a pace away could barely hear, I asked him.
“Your Highness, what on earth is all this?”
Killian von Orpheus answered with shameless audacity.
“I was thinking about what I could do to help you, so I arranged this.”
“Arranged what?”
“A gathering for harmony. When you work with many people, such occasions become necessary from time to time.”
Harmony.
At a word so utterly incongruous with him, Nocton von Alihas’s expression behind Killian von Orpheus darkened considerably.
On battlefields, in the Imperial Palace, Killian von Orpheus had commanded thousands of subordinates.
When numbers grew, noise and conflict inevitably followed.
Yet in any place where he held dominion, such discord never materialized.
Because Killian von Orpheus watched over them with those golden eyes burning with sinister intensity.
The members of an organization led by such a formidable leader maintained unshakeable bonds without needing parties or festivities.
Unaware of this truth, I accepted his words at face value.
“I’ve been so focused on preparing the performance that I haven’t had time to attend to that aspect.”
But my gratitude was short-lived once I realized how many people now filled the Practice Room.
The fact that a prince would visit personally and arrange a party seemed deeply suspicious by any measure.
‘What if people begin to question the nature of my relationship with His Highness?’
Just as Artia knitted her brows together, Nocton von Alihas stepped forward.
Nocton delivered what Killian von Orpheus had coerced him—no, commanded him—to say, his voice ringing with authority.
“His Highness Killian von Orpheus holds great expectations for this performance. He calls it a groundbreaking work capable of transforming the Empire’s rigid performance culture. This evening’s feast was prepared with that very intention in mind.”
Nocton continued.
“It is meant to encourage those who labor to create magnificent works, so please enjoy the evening at your leisure.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I am currently spouting complete nonsense.
Though my thoughts ran thus, my outward demeanor remained impeccably courteous.
No one except Artia suspected that this handsome young nobleman’s words were anything but the truth.
Lamb, in particular, burst into tears.
“To think His Highness takes such keen interest in my work—it is truly an honor. Sob, sob….”
For the record, Killian von Orpheus had always sat through Lamb’s performances at the Imperial Palace with an expression of utter boredom.
It was a fact Lamb need never know.
‘His Highness, the art-loving prince!’
The performers gazed upon Killian von Orpheus as though divinity itself had descended.
A halo seemed to shimmer behind his beautiful face.
Killian von Orpheus spoke with an air of supreme arrogance.
“Enjoy the gathering.”
A resounding “Yes, Your Highness!” echoed through the hall.
Performers, by nature, were creatures brimming with energy.
They did not hesitate or show deference before the prince, instead throwing themselves upon the food with abandon.
Mikhail, having taken a bite of the sandwich filled with ham and vegetables, was struck with profound astonishment. It was worlds apart from any sandwich he had ever tasted.
“Delicious!”
Sandra too nodded enthusiastically, her cheeks bulging.
“Truly! This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten!”
“But why is all the food orange?”
“Now that you mention it, everything tastes like carrots.”
The two of them laughed with cheeks puffed out like hamsters.
“If it tastes good, that’s all that matters.”
While everyone else indulged in the food, Lamb surrendered himself to the wine.
He had left the Imperial Arts Troupe of his own volition.
There was nothing else he missed about it—nothing except this one thing: the wine produced within the Imperial Palace.
Since it could only be savored at gatherings held within the palace, he had wept countless times wondering when he might taste it again. Yet here the opportunity had come so swiftly.
“This color! This aroma! This flavor! Behold the masterpiece born of royal essence and pure, refined spirits!”
Life returned to his perpetually pallid face, which always seemed on the verge of collapse.
From her seat on the second floor, Artia watched this spectacle with quiet amusement, then turned her head to the side.
She smiled brilliantly at Killian von Orpheus, who sat across from her.
“Everyone seems absolutely delighted. Thank you for taking care of everything.”
Her expression was breathtakingly lovely.
Killian von Orpheus lost himself for a moment before collecting himself and speaking.
“We’re friends, after all.”
She wielded words so bitter they tasted like poison, yet she scattered them about with practiced ease.
Killian von Orpheus mocked me silently in his mind, then gestured to Nocton von Alihas.
Nocton von Alihas retrieved the plate with swift efficiency.

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