The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 18

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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 18

Lloyd bit his nails while spewing vulgar curses befitting a commoner.
My heart tore itself to shreds as I sent away the beloved fledgling I cherished, watching her disappear into the distance.
I had even sent lavish gifts to the nobility with whom I had maintained cordial relations.
Yet instead of improving, the situation only deteriorated further.
Being ostracized by the nobility was not the only problem.
“If these vile rumors about me continue to spread, the Emperor himself may very well approve the divorce….”
Then the Dukedom of Edenberg would no longer be mine.
“How did I even acquire this? I cannot let it be taken from me like this….”
Lloyd’s face contorted as he bit his lip.
‘What do I do? How can I resolve this situation?’
Moments later, the image of a woman with silver hair and rose-tinted eyes surfaced in his mind.
Only then did he awaken to a truth he had long forgotten.
‘The one who made me the Duke of Edenberg was always you, Artia.’
Lloyd’s eyes gleamed with sudden intensity.
Like one who discovers hope amid despair.

* * *

Creak.
I opened my eyes at the sound of the door opening.
It was late at night when everyone slept.
Neither the Maid who brought meals nor Elma who visited me in secret came at this hour.
‘Who…?’
My eyes widened.
Beneath the bright moonlight, Lloyd stood before me.
Dressed in a white tuxedo, he held a profusion of blooming pink hydrangeas.
Just as he had on the day he proposed to me three years ago.
‘Has the situation deteriorated so badly that he’s lost his mind?’
Contrary to my caustic thoughts, Lloyd spoke with a sorrowful expression.
“Once I became Duke of Edenberg, people who once ignored me began to bow their heads. I suppose I lost myself for a moment, intoxicated by respect and attention I’d never received before. I shouldn’t have wounded you like that. You are the most important thing to me…”
Lloyd approached me and fell to his knees.
“Forgive me, Artia.”
Transparent tears glistened in Lloyd’s blue eyes as he gazed up at me.
He seemed like an entirely different person from the one who had confined me to this room and treated me violently not long ago.
I knew this version of him.
It was Lloyd before our marriage.
Lloyd von Rainer, who had whispered that he loved me.
“I love you, Artia.”
When Lloyd handed me the pink hydrangeas and spoke those words, I laughed.
Forgetting my fear of people and my shame before men, I smiled as brightly as sunlight.
Did he remember that moment?
Lloyd gazed at me with hopeful eyes.
‘But what can I do about this… Such words are nothing but tedious to me.’
I spoke with an expressionless face.
“Lloyd, don’t apologize to me. Don’t speak of love either. There’s no need. I no longer desire anything from you.”
“…!”
“Ah, actually, there is one thing I desire.”
“What is it!”
I spoke toward Lloyd, who had cried out urgently.
“Send a letter to the Imperial Court stating that you also wish for a divorce. If we both request it with one mind, perhaps His Majesty the Emperor will readily approve…”
I couldn’t continue speaking.
Lloyd had seized me, rendering me immobile.
“I should have done this sooner…”
The moment I met those serpentine eyes, my entire body erupted in goosebumps.
“Let go.”
“No.”
“If you don’t release me this instant, I’ll kill you!”
Lloyd flinched momentarily at my murderous cry, then began to chuckle.
“Don’t pretend to dislike me now. You’ve always wanted to be with me.”
On the night of their wedding, Artia greeted Lloyd in her finest attire.
Though her entire body trembled with fear, the thrill of being with the man she loved burned far brighter.
Yet when Lloyd spoke, his expression was one of distress.
“I can’t do this…”
Artia recalled words the Maid had spoken while preparing for the wedding.
“After the ceremony, you need only obey your husband and entrust everything to him. But if your husband takes no action, there are two possible reasons: either he lacks vigor, or your charm is utterly lacking.”
The Maid had looked down at Artia with cold eyes as she spoke.
“You must ensure you are not the latter.”
Lloyd possessed a physique that was unmistakably robust and healthy.
Then the reason must be…
Artia’s face drained of all color in an instant.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I’m not enough…”
Lloyd patted the trembling Artia gently.
He did not tell her it was not her fault.
That night, Artia wept until dawn.
She was so ashamed of her own inadequacy.
Yet because Benedict, Artia’s father, was deeply invested in the couple producing an heir, they were forced to share the same chamber every night.
But they merely lay side by side in one bed—nothing more passed between them.
While Lloyd snored and slept soundly, Artia could not rest for even a moment.
She remained captive to the shame seared into her on that first night.
The awkward cohabitation ended only after Benedict, the Duke, passed away.
From that day forward, Lloyd no longer visited Artia’s chamber.
Left alone, Artia felt only desolation.
She missed him terribly.
Then one day, Lloyd appeared reeking of alcohol.
As Artia smiled shyly at the sight of her husband after so long, Lloyd whispered to her.
“Do you know, Artia? Every woman looks like a woman to me except you.”
“…!”
As if to prove his shocking words, Lloyd spent every day with Lirika.
Artia’s heart felt as though it would tear apart.
She envied Lirika for being his ‘woman’.
She despised herself for being unable to be a ‘woman’ to him.
Now Lloyd, who had inflicted such shame upon her, finally spoke.
“I’ll say this now, but you never looked so unattractive that I didn’t want to touch you.”
“…”
“But I wanted to make a fool of that old man who treated me like a breeding stallion, saying he’d pass the Dukedom to his daughter’s child.”
“…”
“After he died, there was even less reason to be with you. I didn’t want to hand over the Dukedom of Edenberg I’d finally obtained to a child. But now I’ve decided to change my mind.”
Lloyd whispered into Artia’s ear.
“Let’s have a child.”
“…!”
“You and everyone else speak of divorce so casually because we have no children. But once a child exists, everything changes entirely.”
The bond of blood is an unbreakable tie.
“A child will be the powerful reason that makes it absolutely impossible for us to divorce.”
As Lloyd approached, spouting such inhumane words without shame, Artia felt an unbearable murderous intent surge within her.
“Get away!”
Yet her body betrayed her will, proving far too fragile.
Even as she summoned every ounce of strength to struggle, Lloyd remained unmoved.
There was only one thing Artia could do in such a situation.
“Help me!”
A desperate cry tore from her delicate frame with all the force she could muster.
Even Lloyd, consumed with excitement, froze in shock at the sound. But then he began to laugh.
“Don’t waste your breath. I sent all the servants away before entering this room. No one will come, no matter how pitifully you scream….”
Crack!
In an instant, a tremendous impact echoed through the chamber, and Lloyd crumpled to the floor.
And behind him stood a figure.
It was Bibi.

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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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