The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 150

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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 150

Luka stood before me with an excited expression, oblivious to the conversation between the other two.
I asked him.
“How are the rehearsals going?”
Luka started to answer with his usual cheerful tone, but his shoulders drooped as his expression grew dejected.
“Not well… I still can’t sing.”
“The fact that you’re continuing without giving up is already remarkable. You’re doing well, Luka.”
At my encouragement, Luka’s spirits lifted immediately and he broke into a bright smile.
But it was short-lived.
When I spoke with the others and prepared to leave, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes, I have somewhere I need to be today.”
Don’t go. Please stay here.
Luka barely restrained what he wanted to say and spoke instead.
“Please be careful on your way.”
He looked so dejected that I could almost see a drooping tail as a phantom image.
I found Luka’s expression both endearing and pitiful.
Since I couldn’t abandon my scheduled plans, I ruffled Luka’s red hair as I spoke.
“I’ll be back soon. Keep working hard.”
After I left, Mikhail and Sandra approached the downcast Luka.
The two clicked their tongues sympathetically and embraced him.
“Don’t cry, little one.”
“We’ll keep you company until the master returns.”
Luka sniffled in their arms.

* * *

Artia’s destination was the Montecro Mansion.
After acquiring the building, she had initiated extensive renovations to transform the grand estate into a performance hall.
The meticulous work had proceeded without a hitch, and she owed it all to this man.
“Welcome, Director!”
Jack.
The Empire’s finest architect—he had constructed everything from the Imperial Palace to every major building the nation undertook.
Countless people sought out his exceptional talent.
Normally, one had to wait years just to commission his work, yet this time he had come to find Artia first.
“His Highness Killian mentioned it to me. That you’re creating a performance hall to showcase the performance he so eagerly anticipates. I, Jack, am honored to lend my hands to such a glorious endeavor!”
Artia promptly drew up a contract with him.
Jack pointed toward the building under construction, his voice ringing out with pride.
“Once the work is complete, His Highness the Prince will surely be astounded. That the once-ominous Montecro Mansion has been transformed into such a magnificent and beautiful performance hall!”
His rough-hewn face flushed as he added eagerly.
“You’ll offer me some praise too, won’t you?”
Indeed, Jack was one of Killian’s most devoted admirers!
“Of course.”
At Artia’s response, Jack’s nostrils flared with barely contained joy at the mere thought.
Watching him, Artia felt a small pang of conscience.
She had nodded to encourage Jack, but truthfully, she harbored no such sentiment.
Killian excelled at coercion, but praise was entirely beyond his repertoire.
‘Once the performance hall is complete, I should ask him to say something kind to Jack.’
With that thought, Artia stepped inside the building alongside Bibi.
Though construction remained unfinished and the space was still chaotic, the grand stage was more than sufficient to envision the performance.
Lights that sparkled like stars, beautiful performers radiating intense energy beneath their glow.
‘Hundreds of spectators watching the performance will be utterly immersed in the world they create.’
So much so that returning to reality would feel unbearable.
“I wish the performance day would come soon—eek!”
Artia turned her head with an eager expression, then let out a small cry.
Killian stood where Bibi should have been.
Artia asked in startled surprise.
“Your Highness, what are you doing here?”
“I was curious about how the construction was progressing.”
Had Jack heard that, he would have shouted, “That you take such interest in the building I’m creating is an infinite honor!”
But Artia could not accept Killian’s words at face value.
‘Every time I come here, His Highness appears at precisely the right moment.’
She had dismissed it as coincidence the first or second time, but after the third occurrence, her perspective shifted.
Killian had timed his arrival to match hers.
She had no idea how he managed such a feat.
‘Does he miss me that much? Though I must admit, seeing His Highness is always welcome.’
Killian spoke to Artia, whose cheeks had flushed slightly.
“Does the attention from all these people bother you?”
Only then did Artia notice the workers watching them from their tasks.
Artia had always felt uncomfortable even exchanging greetings with Killian von Orpheus in front of others.
She worried about unfounded rumors spreading.
But now it was different.
“The rumor that Your Highness is absolutely captivated by ‘The Northern Grand Duke’s Burning Heart’ has spread everywhere.”
Because of this, when people saw Killian with Artia, they didn’t focus on the relationship between the two of them. Instead, they marveled at how the imperial prince was so deeply interested in the performance, just as they’d heard.
Artia asked.
“The rumor doesn’t bother you?”
“Not at all.”
It was what Killian von Orpheus had wanted from the beginning.
“It’s somewhat annoying, though. The nobility keeps sending me novels as gifts. Some of them approach me with shy smiles, claiming they also enjoy that novel and trying to strike up conversations.”
Imagining Killian von Orpheus sitting across from stern noblemen discussing the Northern Grand Duke’s passionate love, Artia burst into laughter.
Killian stared at her for a moment, then murmured.
“You’re adorable.”
“…?!”
Startled by his sudden words, Artia stopped laughing abruptly.
But unlike her wide eyes, Killian von Orpheus’s expression remained perfectly composed.
‘Did I mishear him?’
Though uncertain, I didn’t have the courage to ask him if he’d just called me adorable.
‘Calm down. It’s not like he said anything extraordinary. I even called the fluffy clouds in the sky adorable earlier today, after all.’
Artia clutched her wildly pounding chest and spoke to escape the moment.
“In just two weeks, the performance Your Highness has been so eagerly anticipating will finally premiere.”
Killian von Orpheus responded to her words with ease.
“My expectations are quite high. You’ve prepared a flawless performance, haven’t you?”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
The actors’ performances, the costumes, the music, the performance hall itself—we’d done our absolute best, leaving no room for improvement.
Watching Artia’s eyes shine with passion, Killian von Orpheus asked.
“Then has the fear of failure finally disappeared?”
“…!”
Those were my innermost thoughts that I’d only confessed to him once. I never imagined he would remember.
After a moment, Artia closed her eyes gently.
“Yes.”
In the early stages of the venture, only the results mattered. I was anxious and afraid, thinking I had to succeed no matter what.
But….
“Working with so many people, I discovered a joy I’d never known before.”
The pleasure of coordinating opinions, persuading others, sometimes even arguing, and creating something together.
The thrill of presenting a work we’d created with all our effort to the world.
It was a different kind of accomplishment from what I’d felt when I became Ethereal.
“Even if the results aren’t favorable, I won’t regret it. This time has been invaluable to me.”
Artia’s pink eyes blazed with fierce passion.
No one would ever believe she was the woman who, mere weeks ago, had been confined to her room.
Killian von Orpheus felt certain of it.
‘Artia will soar to even greater heights from this moment forward.’
The world believed Killian von Orpheus possessed everything.
Yet from birth, he had been shackled by the chains of his imperial title.
Those chains were far too sturdy and heavy—he had never moved freely, not even a single step.
It was often inconvenient, but never truly burdensome.
Not until he drew close to Artia.
The deeper his feelings for her grew, the heavier those chains became.
He felt a creeping dread that he could no longer follow her as she soared toward distant horizons.
“Your Highness?”
Artia’s voice pulled him back to awareness, and only then did Killian von Orpheus realize he was holding her fingertips.
She did not pull her hand away. She did not ask why.
She simply stood there, her cheeks flushed crimson.
“Killian!”
Only when Jack came rushing toward him with a thunderous cry—as if the very building he’d constructed might crumble—did Killian von Orpheus release her hand.
Artia’s expression was so forlorn, so regretful, that he felt a pang of sympathy for her bewilderment.

* * *

Artia returned to the Edenberg Mansion only after nightfall, her duties finally complete.
Yet the moment she arrived, she received an unexpected report.
“Luka is missing?”

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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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