The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 153

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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 153

Once the merchants who dealt with Madame Tungguel witnessed her faltering, they no longer feared her.
In the livestock business, speed was everything.
Once cattle were slaughtered, they had to be sold without delay. Otherwise, they would spoil within days and have to be discarded as waste.
The losses mounted exponentially.
It was during this crisis that letters began arriving for Madame Tungguel.
The letters from those in the loan sharking business contained the following message:

「 Dear friend Madame Tungguel.
I’ve heard that things haven’t been going well for you lately.
So I’m writing to ask that you repay the money I lent you as quickly as possible.
And don’t forget to pay the interest we agreed upon.」

Madame Tungguel tore the letter to shreds.
“These so-called friends won’t help, yet they have the audacity to lecture me!”
Watching her, John’s expression grew sorrowful.
‘Miss, you must endure this….’
And the next day… John disappeared from the mansion.
Having emptied every last coin from the mansion’s safe.
“Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!”
Madame Tungguel screamed like a beast.

* * *

“Madame Tungguel’s businesses have all ground to a halt, creditors worried about her financial situation descend upon her daily demanding payment, and the servants have abandoned the mansion en masse, leaving it empty.”
Bibi continued.
“Among them, servants who harbored resentment toward their employer have left the walls of Madame Tungguel’s residence covered in curses, and some have even left excrement at her chamber door.”
Ugh.
Bibi continued speaking to Artia, who had covered her mouth, her stomach turning.
“Furthermore, those who were previously tormented by Madame Tungguel have come to throw stones at her, so she has ultimately abandoned the mansion and vanished from sight.”
“Good. With all that chaos, she’ll keep her head down and stay quiet for a while.”
Though Madame Tungguel’s collapse came faster than I expected, I wasn’t entirely satisfied.
I wanted her to pay a far harsher price.
But with the performance premiere looming, I couldn’t afford to focus on Madame Tungguel any further.
Instead, I spoke to Luka.
“I promise you. After the performance ends, I’ll bring her here and make her apologize to you sincerely.”
In truth, Luka didn’t care what happened to Madame Tungguel.
But the fact that Artia was paying attention to him filled him with such joy that he smiled and nodded eagerly.
And that day, Luka sang for the first time.
Though he occasionally faltered and stumbled as if gauging someone’s reaction, the sound of his voice harmonizing with the lyrics was beautiful.
The moment Luka finished singing and exhaled, attempting to meet Artia’s gaze, Lamb came rushing over and clung to him.
“This is exactly what I wanted, exactly this!”
Mikhail and Sandra also gave thumbs up, exclaiming “The youngest is amazing!”
Amid the enthusiastic atmosphere, Luka’s gaze was fixed solely on Artia.
Luka approached Artia while still carrying Lamb and asked.
“Master, did I do well?”
Artia, who had been lost in emotion until then, came to her senses and spoke.
“Yes! That was truly a beautiful song, Luka!”
At my words, Luka’s face flushed and he lowered his head slightly.
I naturally reached out and ruffled his red hair affectionately.
Luka smiled.
It was a smile so thrilling that even Lamb, dangling from Luka’s waist, was left breathless.

* * *

“The performance of ‘The Burning Heart of the Northern Grand Duke’ is drawing near—there’s hardly any time left.”
“The director and actors are among the finest talents in the entire Empire. I wonder what kind of stage Madame Edenberg will create with them?”
With each passing day, the nobility’s interest soared to fever pitch.
Acquiring tickets for opening night had become as rare as finding an ethereal treasure.
As a result, even nobles began setting aside their pride and making direct requests of Artia.
“Madame Edenberg, might I trouble you for two tickets?”
Some among them were close acquaintances of Artia, while others were strangers.
Yet Artia’s response remained consistent with everyone.
“I wish I could oblige, but given how many people have expressed interest, I fear granting favors to only a select few would invite unfavorable gossip—for both of us.”
Though the women were disappointed by Artia’s refusal, they accepted it gracefully upon realizing she treated everyone with equal fairness.
After another exhausting day, Artia collapsed onto her bed.
“Haaah….”
A peculiar sound escaped from her utterly exhausted body.
I still need to change clothes….
I need to bathe….
I haven’t even eaten dinner….

When Killian von Orpheus entered through the window, Artia lay sleeping on the bed still dressed in her day clothes.
It was hardly surprising anymore.
This had become routine of late.
Killian von Orpheus gazed at the scattered pile of documents beside her.
‘If every noble worked with such passion, the Empire would achieve unprecedented prosperity.’
As he entertained this thought, his golden eyes widened.
Something had been drawn on one corner of the paper covered in dense writing.
At first, he thought it was some sort of monster.
But the longer he looked, the more familiar it seemed.
Upturned eyes that gave an unpleasant impression, black-colored hair, and atop it all, triangular cat ears standing at attention.
‘Surely that’s not… me?’
Killian von Orpheus stared at Artia with an expression of utter disbelief.
She had drawn him in such a grotesque, hideous manner, yet slept with complete innocence.
“….”
Killian von Orpheus observed her quietly.
Delicate silver hair, a nose with an upturned tip.
Small, plump lips….
Suddenly, the memory of their kiss surfaced in his mind.
Though it had happened months ago, his body burned as though it were yesterday.
Clenching and unclenching his fists proved useless.
His gaze kept returning to her small lips.
He wanted to draw closer.
He wanted to touch them.
“Not some rutting beast.”
Killian von Orpheus, who had cursed at himself, shot to his feet.
Against my wishes, I had failed once again to watch Artia for long today.

When Artia opened her eyes, her head rested upon the pillow and she was covered by the blanket.
Still half-asleep, she blinked her eyes before noticing the paper placed at her bedside, which made her eyes widen.
Beside Artia’s crudely drawn portrait of Killian von Orpheus—rendered with the skill of a child—was a woman drawn with the meticulous precision of a court painter.
The woman, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Artia, had rabbit ears perched atop her head.
“Pfft!”
The side-by-side drawings were so endearing that Artia burst into laughter.

* * *

The day before the performance.
After the final rehearsal concluded, everyone, including Artia, applauded enthusiastically.
Lamb in particular made an odd sound—”Ooooh!”—and stretched both arms wide.
“Magnificent! Perfect! This production is bound to succeed….”
Artia silenced Lamb with the script she was holding.
“Stop. If you say things like that, I feel like everything will go wrong.”
But Lamb merely snorted.
“Nonsense. When the curtain rises on opening night, the entire world will weep and wail in chaos. They’ll grab the hem of my trousers and the edge of your skirt, praising us profusely for creating such a masterpiece.”
“I think so too, but….”
Artia caught herself and quickly composed her expression.
“There’s a saying that if you’re too arrogant, the goddess of fortune grows jealous. Let’s wrap up as quietly as possible today and prepare for tomorrow.”
At Artia’s words, everyone nodded obediently and returned home in silence.
Artia also returned home earlier than usual.
Feeling unable to digest properly, she finished a simple dinner.
After reviewing the performance one last time, she lay in bed.
Then she glanced toward the window.
It had been quite some time since I last saw Killian von Orpheus, having collapsed the moment I entered my room lately.
All I had were traces of his visits.
‘Perhaps he won’t come tonight.’
A sense of longing washed over me, though we had made no promise.
Troubled by this feeling, Artia shook her head.
‘I’ll see him tomorrow anyway.’
Artia had given Killian von Orpheus a ticket to the opening night as a gift.
“It’s one of ten tickets allocated to the production company director. There’s even talk that these tickets are more valuable than a one-carat diamond these days.”
Killian von Orpheus responded to her half-joking, half-serious remark.
“I heard even the Emperor struggles to obtain one.”
“Exactly. So you must come.”
Killian’s sharp eyes softened into a gentle curve.
“Of course I must go. It’s the performance that Killian von Orpheus is rumored to be utterly captivated by.”
At the thought of that image, my heart began to race.
Artia gripped the blanket tightly.
It was a stage I had prepared without rest for half a year.
I wanted to showcase it, to be recognized.
Most of all, by Killian von Orpheus.
‘So let me sleep now. That way I’ll perform well tomorrow.’
I thought, forcing my eyes shut.
Without so much as a knock, the door burst open and Bibi rushed into the room, crying out.
“My lady, there’s been a fire at the Performance Hall!”

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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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