The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 74

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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 74

‘I must be careful not to let our hands touch.’
Extreme misogyny—a term I was gradually forgetting—came to mind as I carefully arranged the cravat. Unexpectedly, a fresh scent of soap wafted from him as he drew close enough for me to feel his breath.
That was the day I first discovered that fragrance could make one’s heart flutter.
That day I first realized that a scent could make your heart flutter.

* * *

Every time Killian emerged in a new ensemble, Artia gazed at him as though enchanted.
Artia barely collected herself and thought, ‘I can simply sit and watch, but His Highness must find it exhausting to keep changing. He must truly love clothes.’
It was a misunderstanding on Artia’s part.
Killian despised such tedious tasks. He found even taking measurements so bothersome that Nocton von Alihas had taken to expertly measuring him and having clothes tailored accordingly.
Yet here he was, performing like a jester—all for Artia’s sake.
In those moments when her cherry-blossom-pink eyes held only him, he felt an exquisite thrill. His heart resonated with a sharp, sweet heat.
If he could keep her gaze fixed upon him, he felt he could endure this cursed charade for a lifetime.
“Your Highness, perhaps we should conclude. The Duchess of Edenberg may find this awkward.”
Had it not been for Nocton von Alihas’s words, he would have continued.
Killian knew the truth.
Artia’s willingness to coordinate with him stemmed not from kindness or goodwill, but merely from courtesy toward a prince.
For Killian, this time had flown by in an instant, but for Artia, it must have been an ordeal she wished would end as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, that gap between them felt unbearable.
Yet Killian did not know how to bridge it. All he could do was….
“Very well, let us stop here.”
He spoke words he did not wish to say, releasing Artia from this place.
He never imagined.
‘I wish I could have seen more. What a shame.’
That Artia harbored the very same thought.
He had no idea.
* * *
That Artia had the same thoughts as me.

* * *

I had walked down Diamond Street three times since then.
On my fourth outing, I finally encountered Marigold von Golders, one of the Flower Ladies.
However, unlike my plan, I couldn’t approach her naturally to greet her.
Marigold was locked in a tense confrontation with a girl who appeared to be around ten years old.
I recognized the girl’s identity at a glance—she bore no resemblance to Marigold whatsoever.
‘Cecilia von Golzers.’
She was the daughter of Count Golzess’s first wife—Marigold’s husband’s former spouse.
Marigold held out a dress adorned with a dainty ribbon toward Cecilia.
“This is a dress made by the most sought-after designer these days. Try it on, Cecilia.”
Yet despite her gentle tone, Cecilia’s face twisted in displeasure.
“I don’t like it.”
“Then what about this dress?”
“I don’t like it.”
“What about this dress…”
Cecilia suddenly shrieked.
“I said I don’t like it!”
At her piercing cry, everyone in the dress shop turned to look at Marigold and Cecilia.
Under the weight of their stares, Marigold’s face flushed red as she smiled awkwardly and spoke as if making excuses.
“Our daughter seems to be in a bad mood. Let’s choose the dress another time and head home for today.”
Yet Cecilia, thoroughly petulant, refused to comply so easily.
“I don’t want to go with you. Call Father. I’ll leave when Father comes.”
Marigold’s perpetual smile faltered as her brows furrowed.
“Your father is working. How could he come here?”
“He’ll come if I call him. So hurry up and call Father.”
Cecilia spoke stubbornly, crossing her arms. To anyone watching, she clearly had no intention of going home quietly.
Marigold regarded Cecilia with an exasperated expression, then let out a sigh.
She summoned a servant and issued some command. After a considerable wait, Count Golzess appeared in the dress shop.
Marigold, who had been at an impasse with Cecilia, greeted her husband with visible relief.
“Darling!”
Yet Count Golzess swept past Marigold and approached Cecilia.
“Cecilia.”
“Father!”
Cecilia rushed into Count Golzess’s embrace.
It was a poignant reunion between father and daughter, as though they hadn’t seen each other in ten years.
Standing a step away, Marigold watched the scene unfold with an expression of disbelief, then composed herself and approached the two.
“It seems our daughter missed her father.”
“The child is in this state, and you speak so carelessly?”
At Count Golzess’s harsh tone, Marigold flinched in alarm.
“This state, you say?”
“A gentle child who obeys adults becomes like this the moment she goes out with you. How exactly are you treating her?”
The smile vanished completely from Marigold’s face.
It was always like this.
Cecilia von Golzers behaved like an angel in front of her father, but the moment they were alone, she transformed into a demon. Yet despite never once losing her temper, the words that came back were always the same.
But to contradict her now would only inflame her husband’s anger further.
Her temperamental husband’s eyes would turn even more furious when it concerned his daughter.
In the end, Marigold suppressed the rising fury and spoke.
“It seems I haven’t understood Cecilia’s heart well enough. I’ll try harder.”
Nestled in her father’s arms, Cecilia von Golzers’ lips curved upward with malice.
Count Golzess, unable to see that expression, spoke with irritation in his voice.
“It’s been five years since you became Cecilia’s mother. I’d appreciate it if you could show results now instead of just effort.”
“Yes….”
Before Count Golzess’s heart could waver at Marigold’s dejected appearance, Cecilia von Golzers wrapped her arms around her father.
“Father, I’m hungry.”
“Now? Haven’t you already eaten?”
“I couldn’t eat much. Mother had the maids prepare only foods I don’t like….”
Cecilia von Golzers had eaten only meat, which had caused severe constipation, so Marigold had simply served vegetable dishes.
But Count Golzess had no intention of hearing Marigold’s explanation this time either.
He sighed deeply as though it were an old, familiar occurrence, then took Cecilia von Golzers’ hand.
“There’s a restaurant nearby that you like. Let’s go there.”
“Yes.”
Cecilia von Golzers smiled brightly and followed her father.
“I’ll come with you.”
Left alone, Marigold hurried after the two of them.
After all three had disappeared, Artia emerged from between the pillars, her expression startled as she murmured.
“So it’s true that she struggles with raising her daughter.”
Through meeting many women, Artia had come to learn much about high society that she had not known before, and among that information were stories about Marigold.
Her relationship with her daughter appeared far worse than what she had heard. Marigold tried her best to hide it, but it seemed everyone who mattered already knew.
“If I use this….”
Her pink eyes, which had been nothing but bright and cheerful, deepened as though color had been layered upon them.

* * *

Some time later, when Artia visited Diamond Street, she encountered Marigold and Cecilia von Golzers once more.
A scene nearly identical to the previous occasion unfolded before her eyes.
“This ruby-adorned hair ornament would look absolutely lovely on our daughter. Let me try it on you.”
Marigold approached Cecilia von Golzers with an awkward smile. Yet again, Cecilia von Golzers shook her head with a dismissive snort.
“I don’t want to.”
“Come now, just once—”
“I said I don’t want to!”
Cecilia von Golzers swung her small hand with all her might, striking Marigold’s hand and leaving a crimson mark before the ornament tumbled to the ground.
In that instant, silence hung between them.
Before Marigold could speak, clutching her wounded hand, Cecilia von Golzers burst into wails.
Watching from a distance, Artia’s expression turned bewildered.
‘There are no tears at all—only the sound of crying.’
It was a false cry, no matter who might witness it.
Yet despite this, the Maids from afar came rushing over and surrounded Cecilia von Golzers.
“Please don’t cry, Miss.”
The eldest among the Maids embraced Cecilia von Golzers and patted her soothingly.
She was a distant relative of the Golzess household and had been Cecilia von Golzers’s Nanny since her birth, serving Count Golzess as well.
Having been close to the late Countess Golzess, she harbored deep disapproval toward Marigold, the second wife.
“That’s why I said if she doesn’t want it, you should just leave her be. Why must you force her so?”
Under ordinary circumstances, Marigold would never have tolerated the Nanny or the Maids regarding her with such looks. But when Cecilia von Golzers was involved, Marigold became utterly powerless.
Once the Nanny and the Maids wove their narrative, Marigold transformed into the cruelest of stepmothers in the eyes of all.
It was far better to contain the matter swiftly than to watch Count Golzess rage like wildfire over some trivial incident.
The method remained always the same.
Apologize to Cecilia von Golzers.
Cecilia von Golzers would undoubtedly pretend not to hear, yet Marigold still had to demonstrate her efforts to comfort the weeping child.
It was the moment Marigold opened her mouth with a contorted expression.
“Countess Golzess, are you alright?!”
Marigold’s eyes widened.
The woman who appeared in a place where no one expected intervention was Artia.

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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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