The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 62

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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 62

‘I never meant to frighten her.’
I simply wanted to see her eyes.
Though curiosity still lingered, I had no desire to torment a girl so small merely to satisfy it.
Killian passed by Artia without another word, and never approached the young girl again.
Months later, transformed into the shape of a black cat, Killian discovered Artia crouching alone in a corner of the Imperial Palace.
The reactions of those who encountered him in this form differed starkly from when he had worn his princely visage.
They either adored him or ignored him. Either way, no one found him threatening.
Perhaps Artia von Edenberg would be no different.
This time, I might finally glimpse the color of her eyes.
“….”
The black cat moved slowly forward, drawing near to Artia’s side.
Hearing the soft padding of paws, Artia lifted her head.
The moment Killian beheld those eyes he had so longed to see, his heart plummeted.
They were nothing like his brother’s—those pale, hollow eyes.
Her eyes shimmered like crushed cherry blossoms, vivid and luminous… beautiful.
Seized by an unfamiliar emotion he had never known before, the black cat furrowed his brow.

* * *

Killian von Orpheus opened his eyes.
The girl was still before him.
‘No, she’s grown, hasn’t she?’
Her once-round face had grown delicate, and the silver hair that had reached her shoulders now cascaded down to her waist, considerably longer.
Most of all, her body….
The moment he glimpsed the soft swell of her breasts through the sheer negligee, Killian von Orpheus’s senses snapped into sharp focus.
“…!”
He bolted upright, and only then did the situation become clear.
Hours earlier, Killian von Orpheus had fallen asleep in the form of a cat.
“Sleep somewhere soft, Nabi.”
Artia had carefully cradled the limp black cat and laid him upon her bed, then settled beside him with a contented smile.
That much had been manageable. But the problem was that the spell had worn off midway through the night.
A cat sleeping alongside a woman could be dismissed as endearing, but a twenty-three-year-old man sharing her bed was an entirely different matter.
It was far more perilous than lying beside a ravenous lion.
Fortunately, Artia, lost in deep slumber, seemed utterly oblivious to this catastrophic turn of events.
‘I must leave at once.’
…Yet despite his resolve, his body refused to obey.
He could not tear his gaze away from Artia.
The disheveled silver hair, the delicate pink lips parted ever so slightly, releasing soft breaths.
The graceful curves of her body revealed through the thin negligee.
She was no longer the small, eight-year-old child he had known—she had blossomed into a mature woman, ripe as an autumn apple.
“….”
He could not breathe.
His mouth had gone dry.
His heart thundered in his chest.
Heat flooded through his entire body.
Entranced as he gazed upon Artia, the moment she stirred with a soft murmur and shifted her body, Killian von Orpheus transformed into a cat and bolted through the window into the night.
As though fleeing from something he should never have witnessed.

* * *

When Artia opened her eyes that morning, she found the space beside her empty and murmured softly.
“Nabi has left.”
I wish she could have stayed longer. How disappointing.
“I hope we can sleep together again next time.”
Artia began her day with a small prayer.
Though she was no longer entangled with Shylock von Rushian, her daily life remained far from peaceful.
Word had spread that her marriage to Simon was not proceeding, and suitors began sending marriage proposals once more.
Watching the bundle of letters in Bibi’s hands, Artia spoke.
“The weather’s turning cold—these would make perfect kindling for the fire.”
Anyone else would have been shocked at how she disposed of the suitors’ letters, but Bibi unhesitatingly tossed them all into the fireplace.
Bibi was prepared to follow any command from her mistress, even if it meant making the suitors who sent those letters disappear without a trace.
At least the letters were easy to handle. The real problem was the suitors who showed up uninvited and unannounced.
“Open the door, Duchess of Edenberg. I wish to share tea and conversation with you.”
Bibi, who had gone outside, relayed Artia’s response.
“My mistress has nothing to discuss with you.”
“How can that be? After sending such a letter!”
Bibi handed Artia the letter the man had presented.
Upon reading it, Artia was utterly astounded.
“What is this?”
The letter was from Artia’s uncle, and its contents were roughly as follows.

「The House of Edenberg has you in mind as a suitable match for Artia.
However, the girl is quite shy by nature, so it is difficult to arrange an opportunity.
Should you take the initiative to court her directly, we expect favorable results.」

‘So that’s why these suitors have been barging in so brazenly, as though they’d been invited.’
Artia’s pink eyes gleamed sharply as she crumpled the letter envelope in her hand.
She had wanted desperately to avoid meeting her uncles. They were less than strangers to her—they shared no familial bond whatsoever.
But now that they had made their move, she could no longer remain silent.
It was time to meet them.

* * *

Artia arrived at an elegant mansion, her dress impeccably tailored.
She walked forward with confidence and opened the grand doors.
Creak.
In the exquisitely appointed chamber sat a row of men who looked equally aristocratic.
These men, all bearing eyes tinged with crimson, were the Elders of House of Edenberg, brothers of Benedict—the Duke from two generations prior—and Artia’s uncles.
Yet their gazes held not a trace of warmth for their niece.
Facing those terrible eyes fixed upon me, I lifted the hem of my skirt in greeting.
“It has been a long time. My greetings to you all.”
But instead of a reply, a cold voice cut through the air.
“How dare you tarnish the family name and offer such pleasantries?”
Crank von Edenberg—Benedict’s eldest brother.
“A noblewoman divorcing without shame? Everyone speaks of nothing else. I can scarcely hold my head high for the embarrassment.”
Derek von Edenberg—Benedict’s second brother.
“If you were to cause such a scandal, the least you could do is remarry quickly. Why do you reject every suitor?”
Ian von Edenberg—Benedict’s third brother.
In perfect unison, they attacked their young niece, leaving her standing in the center of the chamber like a criminal.
Had I made a mistake, the old Artia would have wept and apologized profusely.
But the Artia standing here now regarded the three men with perfect composure.
‘They all bear Father’s gaunt face, those narrow eyes, that hooked nose. The very picture of a typical aristocratic villain.’
Thank goodness I inherited Mother’s features.
I exhaled in relief and opened my mouth.
“You were all quite upset that you couldn’t sell me to House of Rushian, weren’t you?”
At my words, the three men’s faces twisted simultaneously.
“Sell? Your divorce has made your tongue vulgar.”
“W-we were only concerned for the family! Don’t you understand how catastrophic it is that the Duke’s seat remains vacant?”
“We’ll find you a suitable husband, so remarry at once!”
They resembled three enraged hyenas surrounding a small rabbit, snarling.
They were desperate to erase the family’s disgrace by any means necessary.
Yet Artia remained unmoved as she answered.
“I came here to discuss that very matter.”
At least they haven’t completely lost their minds.
Toward the three men who released sighs of relief, I continued.
“However, the person I wish to speak with is not you, uncles.”
“What?!”
I walked toward the curtain drawn at the far end of the chamber and spoke.
“I request a private audience, Aunt.”
The eyes of the woman seated beyond the curtain—Evangeline von Gloster—gleamed crimson.

* * *

Evangeline von Gloster.
She was the eldest daughter of Artia’s grandfather—in other words, Benedict’s and the current Elders’ older sister.

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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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