The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 29

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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 29

I’ll admit it falls short of being meticulously groomed.
But I dressed neatly without a single flaw.
That was enough.
“After all, they’re all coveting the Edenberg name and want to remarry me. My appearance shouldn’t matter much.”
“What are you talking about? They came because they want to marry you, so you should make your best effort! Aren’t you ashamed to show up like that?”
Artia answered Catherine with a refreshing tone as her face flushed crimson.
“Yes.”
“What?!”
The Maid came rushing in at just the right moment.
“Count William has arrived.”

I apologized to Catherine, who was burning with enthusiasm, but I wasn’t particularly eager about finding a new husband.
My real intention in meeting suitors was to use them as an excuse to avoid the Elders’ pressure about marriage.
‘If he’s not impressive, I’ll say goodbye right away. If he’s acceptable, I’ll suggest meeting a few more times.’
With a calm heart, I opened the Reception Room door, and my eyes widened.
The man sitting arrogantly on the sofa had wide-set eyes, a long philtrum, and protruding lips—he was a billion times removed from the handsome man I’d seen in his portrait.
It wasn’t something that could be dismissed as artistic embellishment.
‘Isn’t that basically fraud?’
To hide my shock, I took a sip of tea, and the man blurted something out.
“Duchess of Edenberg.”
“Yes, please speak.”
The man spoke with a serious expression.
“I am unmarried.”
“Ah, I see.”
Why was he suddenly going on about being a bachelor?
The man continued as if challenging me, tilting my head in confusion.
“Unlike you, I am a man of virtue. You must understand what a tremendous sacrifice it is for someone like me to marry a woman who has been married before.”
I smiled brightly at the pompous man.
‘Bachelor, rejected.’
I dealt with the man formally like a wind-up doll and sent him away.
After that, I met all sorts of men.
“I have one question. After marrying me, if there’s something you don’t like, will you divorce again?”
A man asking with piercing eyes as if interrogating me.
“I am a widower. I have four children. I hope you would be a good mother to them.”
A portly man displaying children’s portraits, his thick belly jiggling with each movement.
“Heh heh, she looks far younger than in the portrait.”
An elderly man who appeared to be at least thirty years Artia’s senior.
Artia was only twenty-three years old.
While not a striking beauty, her features were refined and harmonious, and above all, she bore the name Edenberg.
‘Yet simply because of one divorce, the caliber of potential husbands has plummeted to this level….’
Catherine approached Artia, who was massaging her throbbing temples.
“You’ve had enough meetings. Now choose a man you like from among them and arrange to meet him again. That’s how we make progress.”
“Mother, did any of the men seem acceptable to you?”
Catherine hesitated at the pointed question before answering.
“Stop scrutinizing everything. Focus on one thing: money.”
She continued.
“You’re no longer a virtuous maiden but a disgraced divorcée. This is not the time to be choosy about anything else.”

* * *

“Artia, I’ve made a new facial mask. Come, apply it at once. They say it gives your lips a lustrous sheen like freshly washed cherries?”
Artia fled the Edenberg Mansion with Bibi to escape Catherine, who held the fragrant mask.
‘Being a divorcée does have its perks.’
In the past, she had needed permission from her parents or husband every time she went out. Now, such restrictions no longer applied.
She had deliberately worn a bonnet with a wide brim.
While the sun was unusually fierce, she also wished to avoid running into acquaintances she only vaguely knew.
The brim effectively concealed half her face.
Several nobles she recognized passed by, yet none of them recognized Artia.
Thanks to this, she was able to visit the bookstore and purchase books without worry.
‘Indeed, book shopping is the best cure for stress~.’
Humming contentedly to herself as she walked down the street, a low voice reached her ears.
“Artia von Edenberg.”
“…?!”
How did he recognize me?
Turning in surprise, she found a man standing before her, shimmering more brilliantly than the sunlight itself.
It was Killian von Orpheus.
‘Ah…. My eyes, tainted these past days, are finally purified.’
Artia stared at him in a daze before snapping back to reality and lowering her head.
“I offer my respects to the blood of the almighty Orpheus.”
Though she had formed only the thinnest acquaintance with the Prince, she must not forget.
A mad prince.
Severe misogyny.
A dangerous individual requiring more caution than a wild beast.
A low voice sounded above Artia’s bowed head, which showed no signs of rising again.
“I heard you were busy meeting suitors, yet you seem quite at leisure.”
Artia lifted her head without realizing it.
“How did you know that?”
“The nobility were chattering excitedly about it. They said the Duchess of Edenberg has finally begun accepting visits from suitors.”
Was it a misunderstanding?
Artia sensed a flicker of displeasure in Killian von Orpheus’s golden eyes.
“You went through all that trouble to divorce, and now you’re already searching for a new husband.”
Why would the one who helped me with the divorce say such a thing?
It felt as though he were reproaching me.
After desperate deliberation, Artia arrived at her own conclusion and responded.
“Please don’t worry, Your Highness. It’s only because the family elders are pressing me—my heart isn’t impatient. I will choose very carefully. A husband who will suit Your Highness’s tastes far better than Lloyd did.”
“….”
Why did his expression grow even more menacing?
Artia swallowed hard, utterly bewildered.
Killian asked in a desolate voice.
“Does such a man exist?”
I wish he did.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if all the decent men in the entire Empire were already married or dead.”
Only then did Killian von Orpheus’s rigid expression soften slightly.
“The suitors must have been disappointing.”
“Extremely so.”
At her candid answer, Killian’s lips curved upward as if he’d never been displeased.
Artia found herself utterly unable to keep pace with his rapidly shifting emotions.
As she observed this unidentified creature before her, curiosity suddenly stirred within her.
Killian von Orpheus was regarded as the next Emperor. Moreover, he was counted among the most handsome men in the Empire.
For such a man to reach twenty-three without even a betrothal was extraordinary.
Even if he were the most severe misogynist imaginable.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Artia opened her mouth.
“Doesn’t His Majesty the Emperor urge you to marry?”
“He does, constantly.”
“Then how do you refuse him?”
No matter how fearless and mad Your Highness might be, it would be difficult to defy the Emperor standing at the pinnacle of power.
“I haven’t refused. I’ve met every woman the Empress Mother has brought.”
Killian spoke to a woman adorned elaborately from head to toe, wearing a radiant smile.
“Cut your hair short. Every time I see long hair, it reminds me of snakes, and I want to sever it all.”
“Don’t speak. When I hear that chirping voice like a bird, my nerves become frayed, and I want to cut out your tongue.”
“Don’t come near me. When I smell that heavy perfume, I feel nauseous, and I want to erase your very existence.”
Killian continued in a languid voice.
“Then the woman’s face would turn pale, and she’d flee in an instant. After this happened several times, the Empress Mother stopped arranging such meetings.”
Of course she did.
If I forced a woman to sit across from me, all it would do is deepen the rumors that I’m a madman who despises women with pathological intensity!
Killian von Orpheus appeared outwardly composed.
But within that calm exterior dwelt a lunatic whose depths of depravity remained unknowable.
Artia reached her conclusion swiftly.
The wisest course was to distance myself from someone so unhinged.
“Thank you for the valuable advice, Your Majesty. I shall put it to appropriate use with the suitors.”
“Do see that you do.”
Artia continued, gauging his reaction carefully.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I have a matter of considerable urgency and importance that requires my attention. Would you graciously permit me to take my leave?”

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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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