The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 88

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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 88

At some point, he had withdrawn documents from the rectangular bag he’d brought and was now absorbed in reading them. He seemed utterly indifferent to me.
I felt like a sack of grain set aside and forgotten—or perhaps simply transparent air.
The realization brought unexpected relief to my heart.
I found myself humming softly as I retrieved a small book from my bag and began to read.
It was a peaceful afternoon.

Several hours later, I closed my book and spoke.
“Shall we head back now?”
“Of course.”
Calvin gathered the crisp papers and placed them into his bag with movements of pristine efficiency.
A grace distinct from either aristocratic elegance or military precision.
Calvin spoke to me, who was observing him as though studying some curious creature.
“I agreed to this meeting only because Mother pleaded with me to see you just once. After today, we shall not meet again.”
Was he offering reassurance with words he needn’t have spoken?
I nodded, thinking that despite his stern expression, he might be a thoughtful person after all.
“I hope that serves us both well. This has been a pleasant time. Safe travels.”
Calvin bowed with the same formality as our first meeting.
Afterward, neither House Rochenberg nor Evangeline reached out. I felt relieved.
‘Thank goodness. It seems Aunt wasn’t particularly disappointed either.’
For me, the meeting with Calvin was merely a trivial episode I would forget within a few years.
For a certain man in the Imperial Palace, however, it was anything but trivial.
Killian spoke with barely contained fury.
“Artia met with Calvin?”
Nocton swallowed hard and nodded.
“Yes, it appears the meeting was arranged through introductions from both families.”
Nocton found himself wondering whether it was truly appropriate to report such trivial details, no matter how deeply His Highness took an interest in the Duchess of Edenberg.
His concern evaporated the moment he met Killian’s gaze.
Those golden eyes blazed with an intensity as though he’d just received intelligence of high treason.
‘Had I not reported this, my head would have rolled.’
Nocton swallowed again, carefully gauging Killian’s mood.
Fortunately, Killian asked nothing further on the matter, yet an ominous atmosphere radiated from him with such intensity it was difficult to remain nearby.
It was painfully obvious toward whom that dark energy was directed.
‘Flee, Calvin!’
Nocton silently cried out to the young magistrate renowned for his justice, using the pretext of fetching documents as an excuse to slip quietly from the room.
If I remained there any longer, I felt I might suffocate and meet an untimely end in my youth.

* * *

News of a grand gathering being held at the House of Elysium set High Society ablaze with excitement.
The scale of the gathering was so immense that most of the nobility in the Convent received invitations.
Remarkably, an invitation arrived for Artia as well.
Artia stared intently at the invitation adorned with silk flowers and murmured to herself.
“She made it so obvious how much she dislikes me, so why send an invitation?”
Had she had a change of heart and now wished to befriend me? Or was she instead looking to provoke me openly?
Artia crunched on thin carrot sticks as she began to contemplate the intentions behind the invitation sent by the most beautiful woman in the Empire.

* * *

The doors of the Elysium Mansion opened and the gathering commenced. Those who entered the Banquet Hall could not help but gasp in admiration.
“I knew it would be grand, but so many guests have truly been invited.”
It was not merely the abundance of people.
The Banquet Hall was lavishly adorned with flowers and decorative ornaments, a hundred servants moved with disciplined precision in their neat attire, and the finest spirits and delicacies graced every table—everything was of the highest caliber.
“I heard Count Elysium’s business was struggling, but it seems that was merely a rumor.”
“Whether it’s a rumor or truth, I cannot say. There are whispers that he took out loans for this gathering.”
“You believe such absurd talk? It’s all fabricated by those jealous of the young and beautiful Count and Countess.”
The chatter of those who had been speaking behind their fans fell silent.
Frigia, the hostess of the gathering, and her husband, Count Elysium, had made their appearance.
The couple standing side by side resembled a scene from a masterpiece—elegant and beautiful beyond measure.
Particularly striking was Frigia’s bearing, adorned from head to toe in jewels intricately crafted into floral designs upon her white gown, a sight that inspired awe.
Marigold gazed in wonder and murmured.
“After seeing her for five years, one would think I’d grow indifferent, yet somehow she manages to astound me with her beauty each time….”
Dahlia beside her nodded in agreement.
‘She possesses an otherworldly beauty, as though she had stepped straight from the pages of a novel.’
Frigia approached the two of them with butterfly-light steps.
“I’m so glad you both came.”
Marigold shrugged her shoulders.
“You said we would.”
“I received your confirmations, but I was anxious. When we last met, I showed you such an unfavorable side of myself.”
It had been a month since the three of them last gathered—the day after Frigia had wept, insisting that Artia was not suitable for her.
“Because I care for you both so deeply, I felt a childish sense of hurt and ended up committing a grave offense.”
Frigia took hold of both Marigold’s and Dahlia’s hands as she continued.
“But you remain my dearest friends. I wish for us to continue our friendship. You will allow that, won’t you?”
With a beautiful face that brought joy to others without any effort, speaking such endearing words, there was simply no way to resist.
“Of course!”
Marigold answered readily, as though she had been waiting for the question. Dahlia nodded in agreement.
Frigia’s eyes softened with warmth as a radiant smile graced her face.
“Thank you.”
Marigold could no longer contain herself and pulled Frigia into a tight embrace.
Meanwhile, Dahlia recalled one of the female protagonists from a novel she had written—a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Frigia.
A woman of extraordinary beauty who had captivated no fewer than twelve men.
Other women who witnessed the three gathered together began to whisper among themselves.
“I heard their relationship had grown distant lately, but it doesn’t look that way at all. They still seem remarkably close.”
“So the Flower Ladies remain as strong as ever, then.”
Frigia’s lips curved upward as she heard the very words she had hoped to hear through the gathering.
It was then that Marigold posed a question.
“I heard you invited Tia to this gathering as well?”
Who was Tia?
Frigia tilted her head in confusion before realizing the name was a pet name for Artia, and her expression hardened. Yet she quickly composed herself and spoke gently.
“Yes, since the two of you care for her so deeply, I thought I should set aside my prejudices about the Duchess of Edenberg and try to grow closer to her.”
“That’s the right idea.”
Marigold’s face brightened with joy. Dahlia, too, nodded with a solemn expression.
Though wounded by their reactions, Frigia did not allow her smile to fade.
She had sent the invitation to Artia solely to ease Marigold and Dahlia’s hearts—she harbored no genuine desire to grow close to her.
If anything, her dislike had only deepened.
‘But I won’t show it openly anymore.’
Unlike before, many now spoke in Artia’s favor. There was nothing to gain by displaying such feelings.
Frigia resolved to get along with Artia well enough—at least in public.
Marigold spoke with eager anticipation in her voice.
“I do so wish to see the two beauties together. Why hasn’t Tia arrived yet?”
She likely won’t come.
Frigia answered silently within her mind.
Though Frigia had received confirmation that Artia would attend, she believed the woman would find countless excuses to decline.
‘Artia von Edenberg is a divorcée, after all.’
Today’s gathering was not a tea party attended solely by noblewomen, but a ball where partners were expected to attend together.
It was customary for couples to come as pairs, and those without spouses due to circumstances such as widowhood often did not attend at all.
It would appear unseemly.
Of course, some came with children or close relatives. But to Frigia’s knowledge, Artia had no relatives close enough to serve as a suitable partner.
It was well-known that the Elders of House Edenberg regarded the divorced Artia with shame.
‘And it would be even more difficult for her to come with a man unrelated by blood. Doing so would invite all manner of scandal and gossip.’
Yet Frigia’s assumptions proved wrong.
Artia had appeared.
Without a partner. Alone.

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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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