The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 27

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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 27

In the end, Killian von Orpheus consumed three strips of jerky in succession: beef, chicken, and duck.
The salty, chewy texture of the meat was not unpleasant.
It was only my mood that had soured.
Artia, oblivious to my feelings, clapped her hands together with an expression of genuine delight.
“You eat meat so well. Next time, I’ll prepare something even more delicious for you.”
Stop.
I barely restrained the words threatening to spill from my lips.
What made it worse was that this was far from over.
Artia withdrew a long stick from the basket.
At the end of the string attached to the stick dangled a soft pink feather.
“You listened to my story, so I wanted to make you happy too.”
Artia waved the pink feather with a bright laugh.
“Try to catch it, Nabi.”
“….”
Are you in your right mind, Artia von Edenberg? You want me to chase after a pink feather like some common plaything?
This ends here. I have no intention of indulging in this woman’s absurd games any further.
Whoosh—
Watching the black cat swat at the pink feather with its front paw, Artia let out an exclamation.
“Wow!”
The black cat, appearing utterly indifferent, barely moved its paw without even looking, yet caught the pink feather with effortless precision.
It was a movement bordering on the miraculous.
Artia spoke with unbridled excitement in her voice.
“That’s amazing. How can you be so fast? I couldn’t even see the movement.”
“….”
That expression.
Had her pink eyes not sparkled as though witnessing the most wondrous thing in the world, I would never have resorted to such behavior.
But now I had truly reached my limit.
‘If I continue, I might actually start enjoying this.’
That possibility terrified me most of all.
Conveniently timed, a knock sounded at the door, followed by the Maid’s voice.
“Mistress, it’s Bibi.”
The black cat rose to its feet without hesitation.
Artia looked disappointed, though her expression was brighter than before.
She held the thought that she would see Nabi again.
Artia let out a delighted laugh.
“Today was truly wonderful. Next time, I’ll prepare even more snacks and toys for you.”
No, there won’t be a next time.
One day of humiliation is more than enough for me.
“So let’s meet again, Nabi.”
The setting sun cast its light across Artia’s face.
In the cascading sunlight, her silver hair and pink eyes sparkled brilliantly.
That sight was so….
Killian von Orpheus stared at Artia before opening his mouth.
“Meow.”
I’d let out another one of those adorable sounds. Damn it.

2. The Worst Suitor

Artia opened her eyes to the brilliant sunlight pouring through the windows.
It was rather late to be waking, but that made it all the better.
‘Sleeping in is one of a noblewoman’s privileges, after all. I should indulge myself fully.’
I stretched my arms out wide and yawned.
The moment Artia stirred, Bibi appeared as if by magic with washing water.
After wiping my face with a towel dampened in warm water, my morning preparations began in earnest.
From brushing my hair to changing clothes, Bibi assisted with such careful, tender touches that I felt like a newborn bear cub.
Once my preparations were complete, breakfast commenced immediately.
Beside a salad of carrots, beans, celery, tomatoes, and blueberries sat a golden-roasted chicken breast.
Originally, I was a terribly picky eater who consumed only vegetables, but recently I’d begun eating meat daily.
Artia eyed the chicken and spoke.
“Bibi, you need to eat meat to build muscle, right?”
“Yes.”
Bibi nodded and flexed her forearm, the muscles rippling beneath her maid’s uniform.
Seeing those prominent muscles bulging above her sleeves, Artia placed a small piece of meat in her mouth and grimaced.
‘It tastes awful.’
Watching Artia’s expression turn as if she were swallowing poison, Bibi spoke.
“You’ve just gained one gram of muscle.”
Bolstered by those words, Artia ate another piece of meat.
After finishing her meal, I picked up the stone weights Bibi had prepared, one in each hand.
My arms, thin as parchment, had so little strength that even lifting and lowering the stones once proved exhausting.
What encouraged me each time was Bibi’s voice.
“You’ve just gained two grams of muscle.”
“Hnngh!”
Artia let out a small cry as I lifted the stone weights.
Exercise was grueling, but the satisfaction afterward was immense.
After that, I received reports from Maid Susan and the butler about the mansion’s affairs, then contentedly munched on carrot sticks while reading my favorite book.
It was a wonderfully peaceful daily routine.
If not for ‘that’.
“Today’s correspondence, madam.”
The silver tray in Bibi’s hands was piled high with letters.
All of them were from the nobility.
“I used to be treated like air, but now I’ve become the most sought-after person in high society.”
The reason was undoubtedly the divorce.
The nobility’s attention had fixated on the duchess who broke decades of taboo to divorce.
Some were simply curious about Artia’s divorce story, but many harbored far more calculated intentions.
“He wants to have a serious discussion about marriage with me?”
I didn’t even recognize the man’s face written in the letter.
He probably didn’t know mine either.
Yet the letter was filled with tedious descriptions of what benefits would come from marrying him.
“As expected, marriage to the nobility is nothing but a business transaction.”
I exhaled a weary sigh.
I had no desire to attend social gatherings and parade my personal affairs for attention, nor did I wish to find a man willing to purchase the vacant Dukedom of Edenberg at the highest price.
I simply wanted to savor the freedom and peace I had barely obtained.
‘Stop bothering people and disappear.’
I wanted to send that reply, but it would cause an uproar.
Since I didn’t want to quarrel with innocent parties, I composed my response as courteously as possible.

「 I require rest as the wounds of divorce have not yet healed. 」

I was mechanically writing a reply with an utterly blank expression when my eyes widened.
It was because of the name written on an unopened envelope.
Catherine von Edenberg.
“My former mother-in-law….”

Artia was ten years old when her biological mother passed away.
Benedict brought a woman into the household less than a year after his wife’s death.
She was young, radiant, and beautiful—Catherine von Edenberg.
Catherine lacked the tenderness to care meticulously for a stepdaughter with no blood relation to her. Yet she neither abused nor tormented her like the wicked stepmothers of fairy tales.
Young Artia had wanted to grow close to Catherine.
At an age when she still needed a mother’s touch, all the more so.
“But we never truly became close.”
As time passed, Catherine remained childless. Benedict grew disappointed, and the marriage grew rapidly cold.
In the wake of that estrangement, Catherine became distant from Artia as well, and after Benedict’s funeral, she left the mansion entirely.
“And now she comes… I have a terrible feeling she’s not here because she missed me.”

* * *

A few days later, Catherine arrived at the mansion.
With only fourteen years separating them, she remained far too young and beautiful to be called a mother.
The moment Catherine, adorned elaborately from head to toe, laid eyes on Artia, her voice dripped with exasperation.
“Good heavens, what on earth are you doing?!”
Beneath the relentless sun, Artia stood in loose trousers of the sort worn by male servants, hefting heavy stones in both hands.
Catherine clicked her tongue and continued.
“You’re no great beauty, and you lack charm—the only assets you have to show for yourself are skin as white as porcelain and a frame as delicate as spun glass. And you’re ruining it!”
After three years apart, and this was all she had to say.
‘She hasn’t changed at all.’
Artia set down the stones with a bitter smile, then bowed with practiced grace.
“Welcome home, Mother.”
Catherine’s feline eyes widened.
“I couldn’t believe the rumors of your divorce, but now I see it’s true. You’ve changed—the girl who used to cower at the sight of me and mumble words no one could hear is gone.”
“People change, after all.”
“Good. At least now you can look people in the eye and hold a proper conversation, rather than muttering things no one can hear.”
Catherine thrust a bundle of papers toward Artia.
“What is this?”
“I’ve selected the most eligible men from among those who wish to marry you.”
Only then did Artia understand why Catherine had come all this way.
“You’ve come to arrange my remarriage?”
“Yes.”

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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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