The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 160

—————
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 160

“My lady.”
“Hmm?”
Artia looked up from her conversation with the others.
Mikhail and Sandra, who had been giggling while watching Lamb, widened their eyes at the sight.
‘Surely the youngest isn’t about to drunkenly confess to the director, is he?!’
The two of them gasped and covered their mouths, yet made no move to stop him.
They couldn’t possibly give up such an entertaining spectacle.
Luka, meeting Artia’s gaze, opened his mouth.
“I love you.”
A sudden confession!
Mikhail and Sandra covered each other’s mouths and trembled with barely suppressed laughter.
Lamb, who had regained his composure by then, wore the same expression as the other two.
The noisy tavern fell into sudden silence.
Under everyone’s gaze, Artia’s eyes widened. Then she gently closed them with a smile.
“I love you too, Luka.”
“…!”
Even in his drunken stupor, Luka could understand.
My lady truly does not see me as a man.
His chest ached as though it might tear apart.
The moment tears welled up in Luka’s eyes, Mikhail and Sandra, who had rushed over, grabbed both his arms and hurried him outside.
“The youngest seems quite drunk.”
“He needs some fresh air.”
The moment they stepped outside, Luka burst into tears like a child.
“Sob!”
Had his devoted fanclub witnessed this, they would have hunted down whoever made him cry with such heartbreak, ready to bury the culprit in the ground.
Mikhail patted Luka’s back and spoke.
“Luka, first love is rarely meant to be. Even someone like me experienced that. So don’t let it wound you too deeply.”
Sandra offered her own encouragement.
“Don’t give up just yet. You’ll become an even more magnificent man than you are now. Then the director will see you differently.”
Lamb, who had followed them, spoke with the stern expression he showed during rehearsals.
“One must experience a variety of emotions to express them richly on stage. Today’s feelings will nourish your craft.”
Mikhail interjected.
“Yet someone like you has never experienced romance yourself?”
Sandra struck Mikhail’s shoulder.
“You didn’t choose not to—you couldn’t.”
“Both of you, shut it.”
Beneath the comfort offered by the three of them, Luka wept openly.

* * *

Artia left the tavern earlier than the others.
Watching her return, the staff members reflected.
‘Despite being busy every day, she always arrives home at the same hour. I suppose even our mistress values leaving work on time.’
But that assumption could not have been further from the truth.
The reason Artia had rushed back was because of Killian von Orpheus.
Moments after Artia reached her chamber, Killian von Orpheus appeared as though he had been waiting.
Standing by the window, Artia suddenly pulled him into her embrace.
Though they had met at the performance hall hours earlier, the presence of others had forced her to suppress her feelings entirely.
Now, at last, Artia could reveal her true heart without restraint.
“I missed you.”
At her words, Killian von Orpheus’s sharp eyes curved like a crescent moon.
“I did too.”
Killian von Orpheus lowered his head and pressed his lips to her pale cheek.
A soft kiss.
Artia returned the gesture, kissing his cheek in turn.
Another kiss, then another.
Though their relationship had merely shifted from friendship to romance, her love seemed to have broken free from some invisible seal, growing boundless.
‘I’m amazed I managed to hide this all this time.’
Nestled in Killian von Orpheus’s arms, Artia chattered away about everything that had happened that day.
Killian von Orpheus listened, punctuating her words with kisses to her cheek instead of speaking.
Then he glanced at the clock and spoke.
“It’s midnight.”
Since becoming lovers with Killian von Orpheus, they had spent consecutive nights together.
Killian von Orpheus remained unaffected, but Artia did not.
Her frail constitution meant she had to push through each day looking as though she might collapse at any moment.
Witnessing this, Killian von Orpheus established a rule.
“When it reaches midnight, I’ll leave.”
Your Highness, are you Cinderella or something?
she had protested, puffing out her cheeks—a sight that weakened his resolve—yet he exercised iron discipline and adhered to the rule he had set for himself.
Artia clutched his arm and pouted.
“It feels like we’ve only just met. Did you cast some kind of spell on me?”
To her half-joking remark, Killian von Orpheus replied.
“If I possessed such power, I would have stopped time itself.”
“….”
How thrilling it was to hear those arrogant words tumble from his lips.
My heart thundered in my chest.
I was grateful I no longer had to hide this sound, but then the present situation suddenly came to mind.
Because “The Northern Grand Duke’s Burning Heart” had become such a sensation, it had passed more quietly than expected, but the world now knew that Killian von Orpheus could wield magic.
Killian, sensing my worry, spoke.
“Don’t concern yourself. Nothing has truly changed except that the voices calling for Killian von Orpheus to become Emperor have grown louder.”
His golden eyes, as he spoke, were heavy with a profound weight.
I stared into those eyes and asked carefully.
“Your Highness, do you perhaps not wish to become Emperor?”
Killian’s eyes widened slightly.
For him, becoming Emperor was as inevitable as his daily studies—something he simply had to do.
He had never once in his life considered whether he wanted to become Emperor or not.
After furrowing his brow for a long moment, Killian finally spoke.
“I take pride in being of the Imperial Family. I harbor ambitions to make this Empire stronger and more prosperous. But when I envision myself as Emperor…”
Killian placed a hand over his chest.
“It feels as though a boulder is crushing my heart.”
There was no joy in it whatsoever.
The throne had always belonged to Arsen.
Before the Empress prevented them from meeting, the young Killian had visited Arsen’s chamber and shared many conversations with his brother.
“When you become Emperor, I’ll become a Grand Duke.”
“A Grand Duke?”
“Yes, the Grand Duke of House Orpheus. Doesn’t that sound magnificent?”
“Yes, it sounds incredibly magnificent!”
“The Grand Duke is the most powerful among the nobility. I’ll discipline all the nobles who don’t listen to you. So don’t worry, and just lead the nation well.”
Arsen blinked his pale eyes and spoke in an uncertain voice.
“But I’m so weak I can barely leave this room. Can I really do it?”
“Of course you can. You’re intelligent because you read so many books. My tutor said that if someone has a sharp mind, they can become a great Emperor.”
Arsen heard only that he would die every day.
No one—not even the Empress—held any expectations for him.
That is why his younger brother’s faith felt as precious as treasure.
Arsen smiled brightly.
“Thank you, Killian.”
Recalling that moment, Killian spoke.
“What I wish for is for my brother to recover and ascend to the throne.”
His golden eyes were so innocent and sorrowful, like a child’s, that my chest ached.
‘The world will never know.’
That the man called a madman possessed such tenderness and warmth.
I took Killian’s hand.
“His Highness Arsen has proven himself strong by enduring so many illnesses until now. He will only grow healthier from this point forward.”
Words as unrealistic as saying a person could fly through the sky.
Yet because the heart contained within it was genuine, Killian von Orpheus’s lips curved upward.
As if I had been comforted.

* * *

Killian von Orpheus had barely exchanged greetings with Artia before returning to the Imperial Palace.
With each passing day, parting grew more difficult.
I longed to hold her small, delicate frame in my arms, to breathe in her subtle fragrance, to hear her voice.
‘We only parted moments ago, yet I already miss her….’
Killian von Orpheus entered the bedchamber with a bewildered expression, and his eyes widened.
Arsen sat in a wooden wheelchair in the vast room.
“Brother, how did you….”
Arsen offered a faint smile.
“I asked Nocton von Alihas to let me in.”
Nocton von Alihas, standing beside Arsen, wore an awkward smile as he gauged Killian von Orpheus’s reaction.
Nocton von Alihas never allowed anyone into his master’s chamber without permission—not even the Emperor himself.
But Arsen was different.
Killian von Orpheus prioritized Arsen above all else.
Knowing his master’s heart, Nocton von Alihas could not turn Arsen away. Instead, he remained at Arsen’s side throughout.
He claimed it was a pretext to attend to Arsen, but his true purpose was to ensure nothing suspicious occurred in Killian von Orpheus’s chamber.
Whether Arsen knew this or not, he laughed innocently.
“Thank you for waiting with me for Killian von Orpheus, Nocton von Alihas.”
A pang.
Nocton von Alihas felt a twinge of conscience and lowered his head.
“I beg your pardon.”

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