The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 161

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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 161

Killian spoke to Nocton von Alihas, who stood before him.
“Leave us.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nocton von Alihas departed the chamber with the eagerness of one who had been waiting for permission.
Only the brothers remained in the quiet room.
Killian’s gaze settled upon Arsen.
Arsen’s body was terribly frail.
The slightest chill would bring fever, and even brief exposure to sunlight would leave his skin inflamed and raw.
The smallest dietary indiscretion would twist his stomach and bring retching, and even minor wounds took an eternity to heal.
Killian, in a gesture that had become habit, placed his hand upon Arsen’s forehead.
Mercifully, there was no fever.
Killian exhaled softly in relief and asked, “What brings you all the way here?”
With his fragile constitution, leaving his chamber was an ordeal that Arsen could scarcely endure.
Thus, it was always Killian who sought him out.
The Empress had recoiled as though insects had invaded, but unlike in their childhood, she could not restrain Killian now that he wielded power. And yet…
Arsen blinked his hazy eyes and slowly parted his lips.
“You haven’t visited in so long.”
“…
Killian had not visited Arsen recently. His mind had been consumed entirely by Artia, leaving no room for anything else.
Arsen spoke in a voice so faint it was barely audible.
“Have you grown tired of me?”
Killian’s brow furrowed.
“What are you saying?”
“Or is it because of her?”
“…!”
“She clings to you so heavily. The aura of the woman you were with in the Gold Rose Garden—it’s all over you.”
Killian’s eyes widened as Arsen continued.
“The aura is layered so thickly that you haven’t met her just today. Yesterday, the day before, countless times.”
Arsen possessed magical power as well.
Though the Emperor had seen no reason to announce to the world that a sickly frame perpetually on death’s threshold harbored such ability.
Killian, knowing this truth, nodded without resistance.
“I’ve fallen in love with a woman.”
Killian’s low voice burned with fervent affection. Arsen stared at him intently before his eyes softened into a gentle curve.
Killian von Orpheus’s low voice was filled with passionate affection. Arsen stared at Killian von Orpheus for a moment, then gently curved his eyes.
As if there were no happier words to speak.
Then he said it.
“I’d like to meet her once. Can you arrange it?”
It was the first time Arsen had shown interest in another person.
Killian answered with curiosity.
“I’ll ask.”

* * *

When Artia heard Arsen’s words through Killian, she was taken aback.
“If it feels burdensome, you don’t have to meet him.”
Artia shook her head.
“Not at all. I’m just surprised that you told His Highness about me….”
I had thought we were in a secret relationship that I couldn’t tell anyone about.
Killian’s eyes narrowed as he read that thought.
Killian had never spoken to Artia about the future of their relationship.
But it wasn’t because he was avoiding the complexity of reality or anticipating a bleak future.
He was waiting, lest Artia feel even the slightest burden.
Killian met Artia’s eyes and spoke.
“I’m holding back the urge to tell the entire world right now that I’m dating Artia von Edenberg.”
“…!”
“If you’re willing, tell me whenever you’d like.”
At his confident words, Artia’s eyes widened before she burst into laughter.
It was a curious thing.
The longer I spent time with him, the more the anxiety I’d felt when we first began dating gradually faded away.
I came to believe that I could be happy with this man in any circumstance.
Artia spoke softly.
“I’d like to meet His Highness Arsen too.”
She added playfully.
“He’s the older brother my lover loves most, after all.”
A few days later, the meeting came to pass.
In Killian’s Chamber.
Killian, who had guided Artia to the room without anyone else knowing, spoke.
“I’ll bring my brother.”
The Empress absolutely forbade Arsen from meeting outsiders. So Killian had decided to bring Arsen here under the pretense of spending time together alone.
Artia, who had been informed of the circumstances beforehand, nodded.
After Killian left, only Artia remained in the room.
Her face flushed slightly.
‘So this is His Highness’s chamber.’
The space, twice as spacious as my own room and filled with the finest furnishings, was elegant and beautiful.
But why did it feel this way?
‘It looks so barren.’
I realized it belatedly.
There were no personal belongings at all—no beloved books, no cherished dolls.
Then a single golden rose resting on the round table caught my eye.
‘This is….’
A gentle voice reached Artia’s ears as her eyes widened.
“On the day the Duchess of Edenberg became Ethereal, His Highness received this from somewhere.”
When I turned my head, Nocton von Alihas was entering with a tray in hand.
“He once said flowers were useless and wouldn’t spare them a glance, yet he personally selected this vase and infuses it with mana every morning. Thanks to that, the flower remains perpetually fresh and vibrant.”
Artia’s face flushed as she learned the unexpected secret of the rose.
“I see.”
Nocton von Alihas smiled softly and began pouring tea into the cup before Artia.
His movements were more graceful than any noblewoman’s.
Artia, who had been staring intently at him, asked a question.
“How much does Lord Alihas know?”
A vague question received a vague answer.
“As much as His Highness permits me to know.”
Artia gazed at the fragrant tea filling the cup and asked more specifically than before.
“Did His Highness tell Lord Alihas about our relationship?”
“He’s not one for details, so he didn’t explain everything, but he did give me this order.”
“In any circumstance whatsoever, make Artia von Edenberg your highest priority.”
Artia’s face flushed red as she heard the second unexpected revelation after the Gold Rose Garden.
Embarrassed, I took a sip of tea before finally speaking.
“You don’t dislike me being with His Highness?”
This time, Nocton von Alihas’s eyes widened.
“Why would you ask such a thing?”
Artia answered honestly.
“I’m not a suitable match for His Highness.”
The imperial prince closest to becoming the next Emperor.
Having been married once and bearing the obligation to produce an heir for the Ducal House, Artia was not a fitting woman for him.
That’s why she believed that if their relationship became known, it would invite concern and criticism rather than congratulations.
Especially from Nocton von Alihas, who served Killian von Orpheus most closely.
But Nocton von Alihas laughed as if to say what nonsense.
“The Duchess of Edenberg seems to have forgotten, intoxicated by the sweetness of romance, just how terrible… exacting His Highness’s temperament truly is.”
“….”
“There’s a rumor that Prince Killian von Orpheus has a severe misogyny. But that rumor is distorted.”
Nocton von Alihas whispered as if revealing an enormous secret.
“His Highness doesn’t have misogyny—he has misanthropy.”
From birth, he received not a shred of affection from his biological father or mother.
The countless courtiers surrounding him wore smiling faces every single day, yet half of those expressions were nothing but masks.
There was no way such a person could develop into a healthy human being.
Killian von Orpheus despised people.
Nocton von Alihas continued speaking.
“When I was twelve years old and forcibly brought here to serve His Highness, I cannot begin to describe how terrified I was.”
Eyes so sharp and merciless that one could never mistake them for those of a mere child.
The young prince showed no mercy—any person who made even the slightest mistake would be punished and cast aside without hesitation.
As though the value of those around him existed solely for that purpose.
“I am no exception. The only reason I was able to serve His Highness for over a decade was because I possessed the necessary competence.”
Had Nocton von Alihas been deemed useless, he would have been dismissed on the spot. (Though truthfully, he had often thought that such a natural retirement would have been preferable.)
“Yet His Highness has changed.”
Nocton von Alihas knew the exact moment when this transformation began.
It was when the letter from Artia arrived, asking for his help.
He constantly inquired about Artia, desperate to be of assistance to her.
He stood beside her and smiled.
The instant I witnessed that sight, I…
“My entire body erupted in goosebumps. I genuinely suspected that another person had taken possession of His Highness’s body.”
It was as shocking as witnessing a black panther munching on a carrot, yet it was not unpleasant.
It was far more agreeable to behold than the expressionless face he wore on the battlefield as he cut down enemies, or the doll-like, vacant countenance he maintained while sitting in the Imperial Palace.
That appearance—more human, less terrifying.
Nocton von Alihas refilled Artia’s empty teacup and whispered as though sharing a secret.
“Therefore, I sincerely hope that His Highness and the Duchess of Edenberg will remain inseparable henceforth. Such is the desire of Nocton von Alihas.”
The moment those words left his lips, the door swung open and Killian von Orpheus and Arsen appeared.

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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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