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Chapter 71 [part 1]

< — Duchess Vivian — > (2)

TN: I scheduled a blank post and it went up. Wasn't trolling or anything of the like. This chapter shall be 2 parts~ I suppose we can say it evens out the shortness of the side-story

Lucia first gave her greetings to the host of the party, the Countess of Jordan.

"Thank you for the invitation, Countess."

"Thank you for coming. It is really an honor to meet the Duchess. Your beauty puts the rumors to shame."

The Countess of Jordan was showing an extremely cautious attitude. From the Duchess, she could feel an aura that was somewhat difficult to approach. It was not the feeling of a young lady who was not yet 20 years old like the Countess had expected.

Lucia responded with a smile. Today as well, Antoine had worked hard from early in the morning. According to Antoine, today's focus was 'elegance' and 'dignity'. As it was her first engagement in social activities as the Duchess and as the one with the highest status, Antoine insisted that she should put pressure on the talkative women.

[Facial expressions are important. You should all kneel before me! That kind of expression.]

Lucia didn't know much she had laughed as she practiced her expression according to Antoine's demand. The color of her garments and makeup were ivory and gold. As Antoine had said, the Lucia in the mirror looked haughty and aloof. It was flashy but the image of heavy gold emphasized the dignified gracefulness.

The tea party took place in the yard which could be assessed from going into the mansion and leaving through the back. To set up the venue, posts were set on the field and a wide awning was placed on them to block the sunlight. It was a fairly large venue and a well-kept garden could be seen at one glance.

In a case like today's, where the number of people were too high to be seated in one place, people would be sat at different tables. There were usually several tables that could seat 5-6 people and the organizer would move from table to table at regular intervals, to talk with the attendees.

Peculiarly, the Countess of Jordan placed a large table that could seat ten people in the middle and the rest of the tables could seat five. The seat of the Duchess was on the table meant for 10 people. Except for the Duchess and the Countess of Jordan, the owners of the other eight seats negotiated under-the-table to be able to seat there today.

The maids busily moved from table to table. The women at tables began to simply introduce themselves to one another. The party venue with dozens of people soon went into a flurry of activity with the voices of people.

"I am Sofia Alvin. The Count of Alvin is my husband."

Lucia's eyes shook slightly. It wasn't just because Sofia was his past woman. Although she was a little surprised when she discovered Sofia, she kept her composure. Lucia was surprised for different reason.

'Alvin? She got married to the Count of Alvin?'

In her dream, Sofia was a Marchioness(Marquis' wife). And the noble house of Count Alvin was where Lucia had worked as a maid. While she had worked there, the madam of the House was not Sofia.

'It's…different.'

The future had changed.

'Yes. Perhaps it is only natural. I changed my future. The him now would have been unmarried. But I married him. At this time, I would have been in the detached palace.'

Because Lucia married him, her future had stepped in an unpredictable direction. And his future was also the same. It was very possible to influence the future of a person who was even a little bit involved with the two of them.

Lucia had unexpectedly met the Sofia who had now become the Countess of Alvin but her heart did not fluctuate at all. Sofia was a past woman of her husband and he had ended it with her before their marriage. Moreover, hadn't she witnessed the scene of Sofia getting cut off so coldly? There was no reason for her to worry.

However, this situation was not natural. There was no one named Sofia on the list of attendees sent by the Countess of Jordan, much less listed as the Countess of Alvin. The list of attendees usually changed frequently. Even if one couldn't argue about that, there was no way a well-known socialite like the Countess of Jordan would not know the rumors about the past of Sofia and the Duke of Taran.

They were intentionally arranged to seat at the same table. Women's seating arrangement was a sensitive issue. It there was a woman that one didn't see eye-to-eye with, one would not attend the party at all. If people on bad terms sat at the same table, it was a great disaster.

So, in a world like the capital's high society where human relationships were complex, parties could not be open to anyone. One had to have an understanding on the relationships between people.

Lucia turned to look at the Countess of Jordan when Sofia introduced herself. The Countess flinched when their eyes met and averted her gaze. Lucia smiled a slightly cold smile. It was a typical high societal approach to induce a situation and see a person's reactions in order to grasp their personality.

Lucia would not have noticed if she did not know the habitual practice of the high society or know about Sofia. This was a ritual ceremony for the first appearance of the Duchess on the social stage. If Lucia had openly expressed displeasure, showed a sensitive reaction, or ignorantly acted friendly with Sofia, she would have become an great spectacle for the noblewomen that were here today.

They could not be held responsible if she understood the situation too late and was uncomfortable later on. That was the rule. Lucia recalled the time when she first made her debut in high society as the Countess of Matin. At the time, she received a series of embarrassing questions and suffered a loss of face as she was unable to answer.

'Compared to the questions, this ritual is cuter.'

She hadn't even known that her seating placement was a test. Even though others were laughing at her from behind, she was the only one that didn't know. After a considerable amount of time passed, the case itself would fade over so one wouldn't even know about the case forever.

It was difficult for a novice making their first debut in society to notice subtle problems such as seating arrangement. It was likely that the Countess of Jordan had thought that Lucia would not notice. Since Lucia had sent her a meaningful look, she would be sweating inside.

Lucia did not know much about this issue just from her experience as the Countess of Matin. This was because she didn't have any experience of personally throwing a party. It was something that she learnt later on while working as a maid and watching her madam have a headache over the seating arrangements as she hosted several parties.

Lucia took her place today, believing in the public reception of the Countess of Jordan. Even when Lucia received a letter asking for her understanding about the tea party's sudden increase in scale, she had sent back word that it was fine. In her own way, Lucia had shown goodwill to the Countess of Jordan. However, the Countess did not take Lucia's hand.

'Is it that one weighed between the Count of Alvin and the Duke of Taran and chose the Count of Alvin?'

Lucia had heard that the Countess of Jordan hated disturbances. Rather than saying that one deliberately induced the situation, one had just accepted the request of the Countess of Alvin. Even if a problem arose, responsibility would be left to the Countess of Alvin. After all, the Countess had only accepted the request of an attendee. And all was fine as long as she maintained that she was ignorant of the rumor. There were many ways for the Countess to save herself.

The Duke of Taran's political power was close but had not yet fully come to power. The Count of Alvin was an acknowledged economic giant. Money was more stable than power. It was a matter of one's own choices. There was no grudge. However in the future, the Countess of Jordan would never become a friend.

Lucia wondered what Sofia's intention was to attend a party that was originally unscheduled and to request a seat at the same table.

'Is she curious about the woman that is married to her old flame?'

Regardless, this was not wise. If Lucia were harbor a huge grudge over this incident, it would be harmful to the Countess of Alvin. The social matters of women were a problem for women but reality did not necessarily conform to the norm. Mixing up the lines between public and private affairs was a very commonplace error.

"Countess of Alvin is as pretty as ever. I have often heard rumors praising Countess' beauty. I have heard other rumors as well but I believe you all understand what I mean without saying it."

Lucia mixed in the common pleasantries that praised one's appearance and conveyed that she already knew about the rumors and she did not care. There was no one among the seated noblewomen that did not understand the meaning of her words. Everyone briefly displayed strange expressions and little bursts of laughter could be heard here and there.

"You flatter me."

Sofia's voice trembled slightly as she replied.

Chapter 71 [part 2]< — Duchess Vivian — > (2)

In order to survive in the bloody social world that was no different from the wild, it was necessary to have a discerning gaze and grasp the trends. The minds of the noblewomen quickly leaned towards the Duchess.

The Duchess who had begun social activities for the first time was not a princess that knew nothing about the world, nor was she a hollow container called a Duchess.

Without raising her voice and without changing her expression, she easily brushed off the past woman of her husband. It was not the composure of the 19 year old young lady who hadn't been married for long. There had been a common curiosity in the minds of all the women who had attended the party today.

'Let's see how beautiful she is.'

But now, there were almost no women who cared about that. The Duchess was not as beautiful as the rumors depicted but one couldn't say she was ugly. If she turned out to be barely beautiful, they would have said, 'psh, as expected of a rumor' and laughed it off but the reception of the Duchess' beauty varied from person to person. Some were indecisive while some thought it matched the rumors. Either ways, their impression was favorable.

Not all women could have the latest standard of beauty which was a glamorous body and luxurious features. Ordinary women envied beauty and couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. But the appearance and atmosphere of the Duchess made them think, 'what if I try doing it this way?'. The dresses with different styles from the current fashion suddenly seemed elegant.

The women seated at the same table as Lucia were people with a line of connections in high society. They had considerable influence but it was not lopsided and their influences were about the same. It was very important to them how good their connection was. They were very skillful and naturally transformed into followers of the Duchess.

The atmosphere was harmonious. The noblewomen diligently chattered away, providing a topic of conversation for the Duchess and continued to make the Duchess the center of the conversation.

Lucia only had to listen to their conversations and give an appropriate answer to their questions. With just that alone, Lucia was the center of the table. It felt like she had become a queen. As she entertained her position, Lucia made sure to stay away from becoming too drunk on the atmosphere.

If one got carried away by the atmosphere in high society, one could disgrace themselves. Lucia had seen people compromise themselves in that way several times. It was very clear from the outside but if one had narrow sight, one couldn't see it.

If Lucia was of high repute in the social circle and made a mistake, the people would overlook it but she had only just begun. It was better to be careful and even more careful.

"I heard a rumor from somewhere. Apparently, His Grace the Duke purchased all the jewelry on display at a jeweler's for the Duchess."

"Ah. I heard that as well. It was Sepia Jewelry."

"Is the necklace Duchess is wearing also from Sepia Jewelry?"

Lucia nodded slightly and gave a smile. The women interpreted that as a positive answer that the Duke had swept the display of jewelry clean. Lucia's necklace was evidence in of itself. The women who were somewhat doubtful of the rumor whispered amongst themselves saying, 'wow, it's really true.'

"And earlier, I saw His Grace the Duke escort the Duchess all the way here."

"I also saw that."

"Oh my. Really?"

The woman who had witnessed the scene nodded and the woman who had discovered a new fact showed amazement and regret that she was not there to witness the rare sight.

What is all this about? Lucia was puzzled when she was met with the gazes of the noblewomen that was filled with curiosity. She didn't know that this would become the focus of attention.

At the time, when he said that he would see her off, she had thought he didn't have to go that far but she didn't go out of her way to refuse. He said he would casually escort her there and because Jerome didn't say anything, she assumed it wouldn't matter too much. She reasoned that it was similar to the case where men escorted women to balls.

The noblewomen were more amazed at the point that the man was the Duke of Taran rather than the fact that a man escorted her.

"He was quite worried because I was going to my first tea party. He pays a lot of attention to things that are ordinarily meticulous." (Lucia)(1)

The noblewomen responded dramatically to Lucia's simple reply.

"How affectionate."

"How romantic."

Chattering came from all over the place. The women who had personally seen the scene earlier did not think that the Duke escorting was the Duchess was simple. Like Queen Beth, they realized that the 'beauty of the century' part of the rumor was not important and 'the Duke was smitten' part was the core.

At the table, Sofia was isolated and alone by herself. There was no one who gave Sofia a glance as she sat down with her mouth shut. Sofia looked at the women who were trying to squeeze in a word in order to catch the Duchess' eye.

Not long ago, Sofia was the woman that was sucked up to. They flatteringly called her Countess, Countess but in an instant, they changed their attitude. Even though Sofia knew well that it was the way the high society worked, it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

It was not the betrayal of the noblewomen that annoyed Sofia. She had replayed the scene from earlier more than a dozen times in her head. The Duke of Taran looked at the Duchess with a warm and affectionate gaze as he kissed her cheek and held her hand. Their skinship was natural. A devastating sense of misery and defeat took hold of Sofia.

'He…has never looked at me with such eyes.'

The Duke of Taran did not attend most parties unless it was necessary. Sofia had only attended parties as his partner a couple of times. They always met in the bedroom and when she woke up in the morning, he was never there. When she asked for a gift, it would quickly land in her hands but it was always through a messenger. He had never given it himself. His expression was always cold and he seldom truly smiled. However, Sofia liked his dazzling cold red eyes looking at her. She also liked his blunt and cold appearance. She liked everything.

He was a man that could look at a woman with such a passionate gaze. He was a man that could give a woman such a warm smile. The Duchess was not as beautiful as the rumors said but she was brimming with confidence as a woman who was loved.

Compared to the confident Duchess, Sofia felt very pathetic. Her heart hurt like it was being squeezed. As the subject of the Duke escorting the Duchess became the topic of conversation and the women fussed dramatically, something suddenly rose up from deep within Sofia. The ill desire to see the Duchess' composed expression get shaken.

"He is a more affectionate person than he is known for. When we met a while ago, he was just as before."

The moment Sofia opened her mouth, the atmosphere froze. The noblewomen could not open their mouth in the cold atmosphere so they lowered their voices and whispered irritatedly amongst themselves.

"What is up with her?"

"Tell me about it. Even when one is quiet, one gets attacked."

Lucia's gaze froze over. Sofia's intention to humiliate her by sitting at the same table was shameful but Lucia tried to let it pass. She tried to understand it as the lingering regret of a harshly dumped woman. The scene of Sofia being cruelly rejected by him had planted a seed of compassion in Lucia's mind. However, Sofia was crossing the line.

No matter how generous the society was to an affair, it did not approve of putting it out in public. Even if the whole world knew, one had to shut their mouth. For the nobility, face was a serious matter and it was as valuable as their life. The act of mentioning a private affair in front of the spouse concerned was a foolish action that had no excuse.

"I know my husband's schedule but seeing as he is extremely busy with official duties, I do not know when he could have had the time."

Lucia did not believe Sofia words. She had faith in him and looking at it objectively, he had no time to. The noblewomen looked at Sofia, their gazes saying, 'it seems to be a lie…' and Sofia's face burned in response.

"We met when I went into the palace." (Sofia)

"Then, it is not 'meeting' but 'greeting'. Be careful with your choice of words, Countess." (Lucia)

Sofia flushed intensely. She opened her mouth as though to say something but eventually kept her mouth shut and lowered her head. Seeing this, the noblewomen clicked their tongues. Nobles hated wretchedness and messiness. As a noble, Sofia's attitude was very dirty and messy.

"Ah, come to think of it, last time…"

When someone began to talk, the mood became relaxed again. Sofia was left sitting alone and biting her lips. Before, the noblewomen were occupied with focusing on the new main character so they did not pay any attention to Sofia but now their gazes were critical of Sofia.

There were quite a lot of women who could only seethe inwardly about their husband's women problems. Men having an affair was more common than women. Even if they acted composed on the outside, they were displeased on the inside. Sofia's attitude of mentioning an old relationship was unpleasant to the eye.

"Countess of Jordan. You have stayed here for too long. You have to fulfil your duty as the host." (Lucia)

The Countess of Jordan had not realized that she had stayed at Lucia's table from the beginning of the tea party till now. When Lucia pointed it out, her face reddened and she stood up. The Countess of Jordan had an uneasy expression throughout. Some noblewomen looked at the Countess of Jordan with gazes saturated with accusation. It was the women who had been hurt before by the Countess of Jordan who pretended to be a good person but only cared for her benefits.

It was drawing to the end of the tea party. At appropriate intervals, maids served tea and snacks, a total of three times. And when the last snack was served, it was a sign that the tea party was over.

After Lucia tasted the last cake, she placed her fork down and stood up. As though it were a signal, people began to stand up all over the place. Rather than discussing among themselves, the other tables kept looking at Lucia's table with interest and envy.

"Next time, you have to come to my tea party, Duchess."

"When do you plan to have another activity?"

The women flocked around Lucia.

"Duchess."

One voice conspicuously interrupted them. Lucia turned towards the voice. It was Sofia.

"It was an honor to meet you today. I hope I have the chance to meet you again next time." (Sofia)

"I'm not sure. Would it not be better for us to part and not see each other?" (Lucia)

A couple of the noblewomen giggled. Sofia clutched her bag tighter. She pulled out a handkerchief from her bag and held it out to Lucia. It was a silk handkerchief that men usually carried.

"When we met last time, His Grace the Duke gave me this as comfort for my tears. I was looking for an opportunity to return it but I do not know when we will meet again so I would like for Duchess to convey my gratitude along with it."

The noblewomen nervously alternated glances between the Duchess and the Countess. At some point, it had gotten really quiet.

Lucia knew as soon as she saw the handkerchief.

'She is lying.'

Hugo was not a gentleman that would give a handkerchief to a crying woman because they had a relationship in the past for a while. If he was such a man, he would not have been able to shake the woman off by threatening to kill her on the day of the victory party.

Was it arrogance? Or was it spite? Lucia couldn't tell what was in Sofia's mind but she felt that the woman was truly foolish. And at the same time, it occurred to her that Sofia did not know him that well. Oddly, it was a good feeling.

Lucia took the handkerchief and carelessly looked it over then she locked eyes with Sofia and let it drop to the floor. Lucia spoke coolly as she watched Sofia's eyes widen slightly.

"Countess. You are looking down on me with your lies. This is not an item of his."

Sofia's eyes quivered intensely.

"A wife will naturally know about her husband's handkerchief. Isn't that right, everyone?" (Lucia)

For the nobility, servants were entirely responsibility for waiting on them. One did not start taking care of their husband's clothes or handkerchiefs because one became a wife. So, of course, the noblewomen did not know what kind of handkerchief their husbands carried. Nevertheless, the noblewomen hid their momentary embarrassment and began to reply in succession.

"Of course. Naturally."

"That is a matter of course. How could one not know their husban's handkerchief?"

Lucia also did not know what kind of handkerchief he went around with. But she was sure that the handkerchief Sofia had, was not his.

"Countess' actions have crossed the line that I can tolerate. I will not simply overlook this incident today."

Sofia turned white. She finally realized the stupidity of her actions. She was blinded by jealousy and envy and was not in her right senses. The faces of her family: her husband, her parents and her brothers, came to mind.

Even if her husband, the Count of Alvin, could not be dealt with easily, her father, the Baron of Lawrence was powerless. If the Duke were to step on him, he could only crumble like an ant. Her husband would protect her but he would not protect her family at the risk of damage.

"Du-Duchess. Please forgive me. I was foolish…"

Sofia quickly sank to her knees. Lucia's eyes were cold as she looked at Sofia below. Sofia's shoulders heaved as she sobbed but Lucia was unable to feel any emotion. It was repulsive conduct to make a mess all over the place and try to fix it with tears. The fact that Sofia tried to publically disgrace her was not the problem. Lucia had experience being disgraced many times in her dream so she was past the stage of getting hurt.

However, Sofia tried to break her trust in her husband. The trust that the two of them had to resolve between themselves, a third person tried to ruin it. Lucia could not forgive that.

"Go home and pull yourself together. I hope I do not see you in the social circle for the time being. Think for yourself as to what extent is 'for the time being'. Think about it very carefully."

Lucia indifferently turned around and left the party venue. Some of the noblewomen remained, clicking their tongue as they watched Sofia who was still crying on the floor but the majority of them rushed to follow after the Duchess.

Chapter 72 [part 1]< — Duchess Vivian — > (3)

"Gong. You see, my adjutant and I made a bet."

'Here we go again.' Hugo thought. Once in a while, Kwiz went on about nonsense.

"It was a bet as to whether or not Gong carries a handkerchief."

Hugo listened silently with an attitude that was close to disregard but Kwiz was unyielding.

"Knights do not usually carry their handkerchiefs around. But, I mean, Gong is in a grey area. So, I picked that Gong does not carry it around while my adjutant picked that Gong does carry it around."

"What is being bet?"

"If I lose, I will no longer use a phrase that I often use."

Kwiz had a nasty tongue. It was a fact that all his close aides knew. Because Kwiz was ascending the throne and becoming the lord of the country, the adjutant wanted him to fix his manner of speaking so he wouldn't lose face. Until now, no matter what his adjutant said, Kwiz ignored it but as the frequency of nagging increased, it became quite annoying. Then Kwiz got a good idea.

[Make a bet with me. We'll bet one word at a time.]

Rule 1: The content of the bet will be done according to what comes to the mind at that particular moment. Kwiz and the adjutant could take turns in suggesting the content of the bet.

Rule 2: If the adjutant won, Kwiz could not use the inappropriate expression that was being bet afterwards.

Rule 3: In the event of Rule 2 violation, the bet would be deemed as a loss.

Rule 4: If Kwiz won, he could recover an expression that he had been banned from using.

After making a very useless and specific set of rules, Kwiz began the betting game. It was an endless path of repetitions but with the thought that at least something was being done, the adjutant accepted it.

So far, they had made one bet and Kwiz had lost. As a result, Kwiz was blocked from using the expression, 'fuck'.

The Duke of Taran's handkerchief was the second bet. For this bet, the expression 'dead old man' that Kwiz used to refer to the late King was chosen. If Kwiz lost his time, he would have to solemnly refer to the dead old man as the 'late king'.

"So Gong. Tell me. Do you carry a handkerchief around?" (Kwiz)

Hugo alternated glances between Kwiz who had a twinkling gaze like he was facing the problem of a lifetime, and the adjutant whose expression was full of pleas.

Was such a relaxed atmosphere really okay? Hugo was feeling doubtful. For a very short moment, he wondered if he had made a good choice in holding hands with the king.

"I do."

Kwiz was shocked and the adjutant silently cheered. With one word, Hugo dropped one in heaven and the other in hell but his expression was indifferent.

"No way! There's no way Gong carries around that kind of thing!"

If the bet had been a little while back, the winner of the bet would have been Kwiz. Hugo didn't used to carry around a handkerchief. If the need for one ever came up, he could just order someone to clean it up. But it had been quite a while since hebegan to carry a handkerchief.

"I won't lie for such things." (Hugo)

"How can this be."

Kwiz lamented in regret. His scheme of recovering the lost expression 'fuck' by winning this bet was fruitless, rather now, he had to refer to that damned old man as the 'late king'.

"Alright then, show me. Right now." (Kwiz)

Hugo furrowed his brows slightly but eventually, he gave a small sigh and withdrew his handkerchief from his bosom then he placed it onto the table.

Kwiz's eyes widened when he saw the snow-white handkerchief and he picked it up. Its rough texture was cotton and it had a flower embroidered at the corner. Noblemen usually carried dark silk handkerchiefs.

"…Gong. Your taste is quite unique?"

Cotton handkerchiefs were normally used by children. But Hugo did not shrink in the slightest. On the contrary, he look dignified.

"A handkerchief is for wiping dirt. There is nothing as good at performing its intended function like a cotton handkerchief."

'Is he teaching me the function of a handkerchief?' Kwiz wondered as he mulled over Hugo's words and intention. Kwiz figured out the subtle meaning behind the cotton handkerchief and looked at the handkerchief with new eyes. Moreover, since the Duke appeared so dignified, the handkerchief did not seem that bad the more one looked at it.

The handkerchief was nice to the touch, its white color was spotless and the flower at the corner had its own charm. The embroidered flowers was not sewn elaborately so Kwiz had a hunch. From what he could tell, it didn't seem like the work of an expert but an embroidery of the Duchess. The thought that it was made by his younger sister whose face he hadn't yet seen made him want to have it.

"Hmm. After listening to Gong, it does seem that way. Then, give me this."

"…Pardon?"

Hugo could not snatch it away from the King who had put it in his pocket.

Wasn't it just a handkerchief ?

Of course, to Hugo, it was not just a handkerchief. He didn't carry it around to use but as a kind of charm.

One day, his wife cut out pieces of white cotton and began to make handkerchiefs herself. She would either make time or use her spare time to embroider the corner of the handkerchief. Like that, when she made a bunch, she would sent it to Damian every few months.

A white cotton handkerchief with a flower embroidered at the corner.

Anyone could tell it was an item for a child. But Hugo wanted to have it.

Because it was embarrassing to suddenly say that he wanted to have cotton handkerchief with an embroidered flower, he helped himself to some. It would have been better if he declared it confidently. But because he had done it in an impulse of a moment, he was unable say anything even more. The few handkerchiefs that Hugo took were stored deep in his office drawer.

After some time, she changed the embroidery to Damian's name, stating that flowers were not suitable for boys. No matter how much Hugo liked her handmade articles, he did not want to carry around a handkerchief that had the boy's name.

The handkerchiefs with flower embroidery were limited first edition items that could not be obtained presently. Only a few existed but one was just snatched away.

Hugo's mood instantly plummeted. Today, of all days, he certainly did not want to see the king's shameless face.

Chapter 72 [part 2]< — Duchess Vivian — > (3)

Lucia felt deeply exhausted as soon as she got home. Once she entered the house, her tension quickly evaporated. Even if she had experienced it in her dream, in this lifetime, it was her first activity and first stage.

Having to maintaining her expression while being under people's scrutiny required considerable effort. In addition, perhaps because Sophia had gotten on her nerves, her body felt exhausted as if she had done hard labor. She took an early dinner and retired to bed early.

Today, Hugo returned home past dinner time but it was not that late. When he saw that she hadn't come to greet him, he searched for her with his eyes. Without being asked, Jerome gave an answer.

"Milady retired to bed early. She seemed to be tired from the outing today."

When Hugo frowned, Jerome added.

"Milady made no mention of being troubled. She said there was no need for a doctor and that the tea party was pleasant."

Hugo quickly went up to her bedroom. He entered the bedroom and sat on the bed, looking at her quietly sleeping figure. After a while, he reached out to smoothen her disheveled hair that was sprawled out on the pillow.

"…Hugh? Are you back?"

Her eyes flickered and opened. As she was half-asleep, her voice sounded indistinct and muddled.

"I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep."

The sound of his low reverberating voice was nice. Lucia smiled and as if stretching, she lifted up her arms to reach for him. Hugo smiled and lowered his body. Her slender arms wrapped around his neck. Hugo placed hand on her back to support her. He could feel her warm temperature coming from beneath her thin nightwear. He wrapped one arm around her waist, lifting her up and taking her into his embrace. Her fragrant scent tickled his nose. Hugo felt his heart squeeze with wicked thoughts and closed his eyes.

"Do you feel ill somewhere?" (Hugo)

"No. I was just a little tired. I think I was tensed up because I was meeting a lot of people after a long time."

"How was the tea party?"

"It was like a tea party."

Hugo pulled her away from him and met her eyes.

"That's it?"

"Apart from that, what else is there? I am the Duchess. They were all being careful of my mood."

Lucia had no intention of telling him about the incident with Sofia. Sofia's actions were completely because of her lingering attachment and obsession. It is not his fault. He had already closed that chapter before their marriage. Although the way he broke it off wasn't sweet, did it make sense to be tender when it came to the separation between a man and woman? It was better to cut it off completely rather than give room for doubts.

Since she had given Sofia a warning, she planned to wait and see. If Sofia stayed quiet, Lucia planned to leave it at that but if the woman showed herself on the social stage, she would not overlooked it.

Lucia was the Duchess. If she ordered it, it would be a walk in the park to make her followers, who were dying to get into her good graces, to act. There would be no need for Lucia to get her hands dirty. As long as she gave them a glance, it was a simple thing for them to humiliate Sofia and make sure she couldn't show her face in the social circles again.

The world of the high society did not respect, nor did it tolerate, forgiveness and generosity. One would be ridiculed as a fool who could not even protect their own authority. No matter how high one's position was, if you showed weakness of the mind, there was an overflowing amount of people that would sponge off you with sparkling eyes. Even if being vicious would hurt one's prestige, one should not let everything pass over nicely. Lucia did not want to dominate the social circles but she had no intention of looking like an easy target to anyone.

"That's good to hear. Nothing much happened?"

"Yes. What of you? How was today?"

Hugo was depressed for a moment when he remembered his handkerchief that was taken.

"It was the same as always."

"But, do you know how many questions I received over you escorting me today? I didn't know it's not supposed to be done."

Hugo's eyebrows jumped.

"Who says it's not?"

"Nobody does it. That's practically the same thing."

"If I do it then it's done from now on."

Lucia looked at him with the side of her eyes. There he goes again. In any case, his unreasonableness and pride could not be stopped.

"I don't want to next time. I don't want to become a spectacle."

"…Why are you so concerned about other people's gazes?"

"You are just overly unconcerned."

When he remained silent and just watched her, Lucia's eyes widened slightly. He suddenly tightened his hold on her and covered her lips with his. He bit her tender lips lightly and wove his tongue into her mouth. Feeling his soft tongue moving around in her mouth, her fingers began throbbed. Lucia tightened her arms around his neck and loosely clenched her fists. The kiss was sweet without any fierceness.

Hugo pulled away from her lips and kissed the side of her mouth. Then he lay her back down on the bed.

"Go to bed. Your eyes are full of sleep. I'll go and get some work done overnight."

"Is there a lot of work?"

"Instead of lying next to you and spending a sleepless night, I am going to get some work done."

"…you. Do you only think of that every day?"

"Of course."

Lucia looked at him in disbelief then burst into laughter.

* * *

Hugo looked through the list of participants for the tea party that Lucia had attended today. Fabian inwardly grumbled at having to come into the ducal residence late at night with documents but on the outside, his expression was earnest.

Even though Fabian sometimes held his ground against the Duke, he had never forgotten that fundamentally, the Duke was a scary person. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Fabian would never do or say anything that would offend the Duke.

Hugo had light-heartedly asked Fabian to bring the list of today's attendees. In the future, she would attend parties more often and it was impossible for him to individually check who attended every time. He was going to look through it this time because today was her first gathering.

As Hugo took a rough look over the list of participants, his eyes twitched slightly.

'Fuck.'

A word that Kwiz often used automatically popped up in his head. The 'Countess of Alvin' was very boldly printed on the list. Hugo hoped that he had misread so he checked it over a few more times but there was no doubt. Hugo suddenly began to sweat.

"This tea party. Find out exactly what happened during this party." (Hugo)

Work has increased again. 'Hu-hu' Fabian lamented inwardly.

"When do you want it?" (Fabian)

"As soon as possible."

Hugo's voice was dark.

At times like this, one must unconditionally crawl. Fabian answered in a reliable manner.

"Understood. I will focus all manpower on it and take care of it."

A few days later, Hugo received a report. A portion of maids that waited on the party attendees were bought off and the situation at the time was recreated as much as possible. Some of it was the pretty useless prattle of women and the amount was fairly thick but Hugo read through it with patience. When he finished reading everything, his sentiment was simple:

'I'm in trouble.'

Chapter 73 [part 1] < — Duchess Vivian — > (4)

His wife handled it well but she had almost gotten humiliated at her first social stage. Because of her husband's past woman.

'Why didn't she tell me?'

She had the right to blame him and get angry at him. However, she didn't mention it on the day it happened and even until now, she hadn't mentioned it. That was even scarier. It was impossible to know if her mind had already turned away from him and he was not even worth questioning. Hugo didn't understand why the situation kept turning terrible.

Still, he thought that his effort these days had made her slightly more yielding. Her attitude toward him was intimate and she smiled more. Because her boisterous and incessantly joyful appearance was beautiful to see, his mood lately was elated, like he was stepping on clouds.

However, at the thought of her becoming an ice witch again, his mood immediately plummeted. He was struck with sense of shame and groaned.

'It was really just a momentary greeting in the palace.'

Hugo felt wronged. He was always in the strong position. He had never actually felt the mortified feeling of the weak. Even as a child mercenary slave, he hid his resentment and sharpened his knife at the back, so he didn't know what it meant to feel wronged and stifled inside. She was teaching him a variety of emotions.

'I won't even greet next time. I'll just act like I don't know anything.'

When he read the part where she reproachfully said, 'I know what my husband's handkerchief is,' his chest felt prickly. He wondered if his wife had already known that he took the Damian's handkerchief and just pretended not to know. It was an awkward thought but that sort of thing didn't matter.

Hugo had thick skin. There was no problem if a father took a little bit of his son's thing. The extent to which he could justify himself was very far-reaching.

What Hugo was worried about was whether or not she was disappointed in him. When he thought of their passionate nights these past few days, he was struck with hope.

She might not be angry. He hadn't felt any particular sense of distance. Maybe she regarded the incident at the tea party as a trivial matter and forgot about it. But she was a cruel woman who kept her heart shut to him but allowed him to spend passionate nights with her.

Hugo's melancholy gradually changed into anger. In this entire situation, there was definitely a ringleader. His anger towards them was ignited and gradually flared up.

'Count Jordan. Count Alvin.'

Hugo tapped his fingers on the table.

What had these men done wrong? Such rational thoughts did not cross the current Hugo's mind.

He was mulling over how to punish them. Right now, Hugo had no justification to the touch the Count of Jordan. So, he decided to put it aside for now. He would never forget it. It was simply recorded on his waiting list.

Hugo did not do things like intentionally making up an incident that never happened in order to punish another. In his own way, he found that sort of means cowardly.

However, once he found something that he could pick on, he bit down tenaciously. In the eyes of others, there was no difference between the two methods but Hugo didn't care about what other people thought. To him, he only had to be unashamed to himself.

Moving onto the Count of Alvin, he was a more difficult target. Although Hugo could crush him if he made up his mind, the Count had sprinkled money all over the place. If he was attacked rashly, there were many people that would rise to his defense. Getting rid of those people in addition would make the issue too big and Kwiz would not really like it.

A good idea flashed into Hugo mind.

'I can just move him far away.'

If he couldn't get rid of it, he couldn't just keep it out of his sight. Hugo heard that the Count of Alvin had tried to enter the tea distribution business several times but failed. He would use that as bait and open a channel in the capital for some business reason. When a person is no longer in one's sight, interest in them would also goes away. Sofia would naturally be forgotten.

Among the high-end businesses unofficially owned by the Taran family, there was a huge high-end business that only circulated tea on a large scale. Because a majority of its customers were nobles from other countries, it was active in other countries.

Once the Count of Alvin took the bait, he would not only be away from the capital, he would be away from Xenon for a considerable amount of time. In this sense, Hugo would be giving the Count of Alvin a business opportunity. It was not a punishment but a reward.

Hugo didn't really like this fact but this method was cleaner than making the issue bigger. It was a good thing that the Count of Alvin had excellent business ability so it would only benefit his high-end business.

When Hugo was done thinking about how to handle the issue, his busy brain began to think of what would happen next but he stopped himself. Just because he planned to deal with them didn't mean that the past did not happen.

'Should I ask her about it?'

If he asked, what would she say? If she said she didn't care about his past women, it would make him feel sour in a way. If she said that she was unhappy and didn't trust him anymore, that was even worse.

In the past, Hugo never had to hold in words that he wanted to say but recently, he had had to worry about his words and keep them to himself. It piled and piled up and he was about to have an pent-up disorder.

While he was caught between a rock and a hard place, a good while passed and soon, ten days had gone by since the tea party took place. In the meantime, Lucia had attended more tea parties. This time, they were really small scale tea parties with an attendance of about ten people.

* * *

Today, Lucia was in a good mood because she had gotten a letter from Damian. During their evening walk, she had chattered in length about what Damian had been up to in the Academy. Although Hugo was already informed of everything in separate report, he acted interested and listened to her, currying to her mood. It was all to grab this particular chance.

"Vivian. I heard a rumor."

Hugo sat on the bed and carefully asked Lucia who was sitting in front of the mirror on the dresser. Rumors of the incident at the tea party was now widely known throughout the social circle. The fact that afterwards, the Countess of Alvin had locked herself up at home added to the credibility of the rumor. Hugo did not say that he had investigated and simply spoke as though he had heard it from the rumor.

"Mm. Yes. There was such a thing."

Lucia replied like it was nothing. It was as if Hugo's worry all this time was for naught.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"How can I tell you every trivial thing that happens in the social circle? It's a women's issue."

"…Was it a trivial thing?"

He felt sour indeed.

"It was a trivial thing because I believed in you."

Hugo's sinking mood instantly revived.

"Since you know anyways, I will go ahead and ask. Can you tell me who your past women are?"

Hugo broke out in cold sweat.

"That…why?"

"Because I need to know who they are to take appropriate measures. I am not trying to find fault with you. Just as I said, it is necessary for me to know who they are."

"…"

"Okay?"

"…Alright. I'll tell Jerome."

Hugo felt complicated. It wasn't the worst outcome but it wasn't a situation he was pleased with. She was so clean to the extent that it was heartless and her emotions did not leak out at all.

In the past, Hugo wished that women would be like her. However, his wife, whom he wished and pleaded would not be like that, was rigid without any gaps. He was the one who was pathetic and struggling to get a piece of his wife's heart. No matter how much he climbed, he couldn't see the end of the wall that surrounded her.

Hugo stood up and hugged Lucia from behind. He buried his head in her small shoulder.

"Vivian. I know nothing about this. I have never met that women in private."

Believe me. Don't be hurt by it. Don't close your heart to me. Numerous entreaties swirled around in his head.

"I know. I trust you."

A short word of trust. Hugo didn't realize that a simple phrase would make him feel so relieved and reassured. The sense of relief instantly made his restless heart feel at ease. Would receiving trust from another person make his heart feel so complicated? No. It was because the trust was from his woman, not from any other person.

"…Really?" (Hugo)

"Of course. You promised me."

"So…it isn't that you didn't tell me because you were angry but because you trusted me so you didn't care?"

"Exactly."

Hugo hugged her tighter, enjoying the feeling of her warmth in his arms. His heart warmed up. This feeling that sometimes felt hopeless and other times, somehow smarting but sweet. This feeling was happiness.

If he didn't know about it then that was that but now, he couldn't let go of this sweetness that he had already experienced. He was afraid that he would lose what he had gotten a hold of for the first time since his brother died.

Chapter 73 [part 2]< — Duchess Vivian — > (4)

TN: Make sure you're reading at rubymaybetranslations.com

The day of the coronation ceremony was bright. Following tradition, the coronation ceremony proceeded according to a very solemn customary practice and its participants were strictly restricted in an enclosed area. When the morning coronation ceremony was over, there was a big party to be held for three consecutive days, today included.

For today in particular, which was the first day, a light celebration party would be held from noon till dusk then from dusk till dawn, an excitement-filled ball would be held. The other two days were scheduled to have only a ball in the evening.

It was the first party to be held by the new owner of the country so the scale was enormous and the number of participants was also enormous. The number of delegations and aristocrats that came from other countries was nothing to sneeze at. When compared to the victory party that was held last year, the scale was about the same but the nobles participating in today's event were qualitatively superior.

The nobles that were absent at the victory party because they disliked the squandering atmosphere would all be present for at least today's party.

From early in the morning, Lucia's mind was in a mess as she made her preparations. She had gone to a few tea parties in the meantime but from the looks of it, her state of mind had been light because the setting was light as well.

However, today was the first official party since the previous king's death and this event was going to be Lucia's official social debut. She could not help but become nervous. Antoine, who was almost an exclusive designer now, punctually brought her assistants early in the morning and dressed Lucia from head to toe.

For today's event, Antoine designed a brand new dress with her heart and soul. The image Antoine was going for today was elegance and sensuality.

"Perfection. Duchess is really beautiful day after day."

The dress was a pink tinged, pearl-gray dress with exquisitely sewn vibrant pearly pink beads. The neckline was wide so the shoulders were slightly revealed and the collarbone was conspicuous. The sleeve was narrow so it clung to the arm and as it went down the sleeve, it had folds that gave it a flair.

The base of the dress itself was double layered with lace but about 1/3 of the upper arm was made up of only lace so the skin beneath the lace could be seen. Overall, it was still a modest style. But, the twist was at the back.

The back of the dress was cut to boldly reveal half of the back. The shoulder blades were exposed and the shallow valley of the spine was conspicuous. The unblemished white skin at the back gave off a peculiar feeling. The back waist of the dress was raised to emphasize the rich folds of the hem. The thin waist was brought to the fore, giving the body an overall curvy silhouette.

Antoine looked with satisfaction at the result she had made with her hands. She felt the impulse to raise her hand to her lips and laugh 'ohohoho', like a witch in a child's fairy tale book. It was worthwhile to design for the Duchess in that the designs always turned out as one imagined. The Duchess was the perfect muse that stimulated Antoine's creativity.

Lucia was also satisfied. Antoine's skill was improving day by day. The fact that she could make it give off a different atmosphere every time without any awkwardness was amazing. The design was alluring but not overly flashy and its somewhat innocent side was charming.

"Would you like to take a little walk? Please check if there is any inconvenience."

Lucia took a few steps around. The feeling of the soft fabric clinging to her upper body was nice. The gorgeous lace shook flutteringly every time she moved. The numerous small diamonds embedded in the lace twinkled and shined. It was an expensive dress made with enormous material costs. Antoine had received a blank check from the Duke of Taran for the production of the coronation dress. Her artistic soul exploded.

"There is no inconvenience. The dress is very comfortable and beautiful."

"I am glad you like it. You bring out the beauty of my work perfectly. It really suits you."

Antoine's flattery was filled with sincerity and Lucia smiled faintly. Even Lucia could see that there was nothing bad to say about herself today.

"Milady. It looks like Master will be a little late."

A maid quickly came in and reported.

"Mm. So? Madame. Would you like some refreshments? I didn't feel good about just sending away a hard worker and opportunely, there is some time on our hands. If you aren't busy."

"I will gladly accept. Thank you for having me."

After the Duchess left the tea party, there was a flood of orders to Antoine's boutique. The commissions for 'Antoine's boutique' were accepted but all direct commissions were rejected. There would not be enough time to focus only on the Duchess.

Even though the main designer was not taking charge, the orders were still overflowing. Antoine was laughing all the way to the bank. She had earned well before but now, it seemed to be pouring out a river of gold.

While Lucia and Antoine were enjoying their tea time and whiling away time, Hugo was just entering the mansion. As soon as the coronation ended, he came back to the mansion to escort her.

Hugo was slightly upset. Because he was held back by people, he arrived later than the time they had scheduled for pick up. The person who became King was someone else so why were there so many dregs trying to hang onto him?

"Milady is waiting inside."

At Jerome's report, Hugo immediately went into the receiving room. Hugo saw her sitting there and as he watched her rise from the couch, he forgot to speak. He paused for a moment and fixed his eyes on her. Very slowly, His eyes swept over her, from top to bottom, unhurriedly examining her.

Beautiful. No. It couldn't be expressed with a single word. His critical gaze lightly brushed past Antoine. The woman didn't have to do her best to this extent.

'Damn it. This means I have to show this to other people."

When he thought of other men seeing her, he was filled with so much regret. There was no one that didn't know the preciousness of life to dare to come onto a woman that was accompanied by her husband but, he was worried about the future where she would occasionally have to go to a ball by herself.

When they were in the north, it was good. In those days, at least he didn't have to worry about tiger-like bastards. If he could, he wanted to forget the party, quit everything, grab her and take her to the bedroom.

She is mine.

His intense possessive desire treacherously overflowed. He was afraid she would run away if she saw the darkness in his eyes so he hid it with a soft smile.

"You look beautiful."

Lucia's expression flushed slightly and she gave a sweet smile.

"You look amazing too."

He was dressed in a black tuxedo and looked absolutely splendid. Compared to women who wore colorful dresses like a peacock, men usually wore similar black tuxedos but the look that was brought alive differed according to body shape.

With his tall stature, broad shoulders and nimble body, the simple black tuxedo had transformed into the most attractive clothing in the word. Knowing his firm and rich muscles that was hidden beneath the suit, Lucia felt his attire was much more risqué.

Antoine watched the ducal couple with sparking eyes. The Duke couldn't keep his eyes off his wife and his eyes were filled with tender affection. In the aristocratic world where marriage of convenience was rampant, it was hard to see a married couple that was filled with affection like this.

"Madame Antoine has worked hard."

When the Duke of Taran's gaze fell on her, Antoine bowed her waist.

"You've done a great job. Is there still more left to do?"

"No, Your Grace. Preparation is complete."

Hugo escorted Lucia and climbed onto the carriage. Antoine and her assistants as well as the employees of the Ducal Household came out to see the ducal couple off. Each and every one of them were watching the ducal couple with joyful eyes. Meanwhile, Antoine was making new calculations in her head.

There is one concept that vanishes when it comes to a man that has fallen for a woman. It was precisely the financial sense.

Antoine firmly believed that the affection for the woman was in proportion to the money. In any case, the Duke of Taran seemed ready to spend any amount of money for his wife. Antoine's eyes shone in determination to get all that money in her skirt.

Chapter 74 [part 1]< — Meeting People — > (1)

The three day ball that would start from the evening of today, was to be held in the spacious hall of the Outer palace but the celebration party was to be held in the Inner Palace.

Their carriage arrived at the Royal Palace and slowed down as they entered into the Inner Palace. In the Inner Palace, carriages were restricted from moving over a certain speed.

Because of the slow speed, there was almost no shaking inside of the carriage. Hugo straightened up, leaned towards her, pressed against the wall of the carriage and began to kiss her. Since a while ago, he had been holding back what he wanted to do so he was irked.

At the sudden deep kiss, Lucia's face immediately flushed crimson. When their lips separated, she looked into his eyes and saw they were filled with excitement. She noticed the pink smears on his lips and her face grew hot.

"Your lips are stained with makeup."

Hugo rubbed his lips with his hand to check and saw that it was smeared with pink lipstick.

"If you wipe it with your hand, it will spread."

Lucia pulled her handkerchief out from her purse and wiped his lips.

"Mine is spread too, isn't it?" (Lucia)

"I'll clean it for you." (Hugo)

Lucia held out her handkerchief to him. Hugo didn't even consider taking it and just kissed her again. He wove his tongue into her mouth, kissing her deeply then he followed it with a few light kisses on her lips. He watched her face grow bright red then he whispered to her with amusement:

"Your lips are all clean. What of mine?"

Lucia finally realized his meaning of 'cleaning' and hit his shoulder. While glaring at his smiling face, she wiped off the little traces on his lips with her handkerchief.

"It was perfectly placed makeup…" (Lucia)

"You don't need it. In the future, don't put it on your lips."

"…Why?"

"Just in case it stains you."

"Then, don't kiss me!"

"Why can't I?"

When he sourly retorted, Lucia was speechless.

"The flower of makeup is the lipstick. It's like the finishing touch."

"Even without doing that, you're pretty."

He wanted to swallow her red and moist lips every time he saw them. He wanted to suck on her delicate lips, nibble them, and torment her soft tongue. He wanted to swallow her saliva and see her breathless with reddening eyes. Why did he have to hold it in? He had no intention of doing so nor did he want to.

Seeing his lips approaching again, Lucia blocked him with her hands. She looked at his unhappy expression and expressed her strong refusal.

"This is neither the time nor place. Please. We are on our way to an important event."

Hugo obediently pulled back and leaned against the carriage. He didn't know how an important event and a kiss were related but the fact that it was an important event was true. Not because it was the celebration of the King's accession but because it was her debut stage.

The slowly moving carriage came to a stop. The door was opened from outside. Hugo rose and went out of the carriage first then he extended his hand back inside. Lucia took a deep breath then she rose as well. There was a fairly high gap between the carriage and the ground but there were simple stairs to ease that gap.

Lucia took his hand then carefully walked down the stairs and came down from the carriage.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little bit."

Hugo kissed her fingertips.

"People with higher status than you can be counted on one hand. It is others that have to be nervous in front of you."

"Okay."

Lucia smiled sweetly at him. Hugo returned her smile then he shifted his gaze and began to walk forward. Lucia stepped forward as well, looking ahead.

As soon as they entered the hall, Lucia felt dozens and hundreds of gazes fly towards her and stay on her. Unconsciously, she squeezed his hand tighter. His big hand gave her support. She was not alone. He was by her side. Her small anxiety disappeared. After a few moments of silence, the crowd stirred and gradually grew louder.

Lucia followed his lead, walking straight ahead and not looking at anything around. As she swiftly walked by, nothing was able to enter her eyes. When he stopped, Lucia also stopped. When he bent his back and lowered his head, Lucia also followed and bent her waist.

"You may rise. I finally get to meet the famous Duchess."

'Ah…'

It was not until Lucia lifted her head that she realized who she was greeting. A man who was draped in formal attire and had a golden crown on his head.

He was the one who was enthroned today, the King of Xenon, Hesse the 9th. Lucia's half-brother, Kwiz. Beside him was Beth who also doned the crown of the Queen.

"In private, you are this King's sister. Isn't that so?"

"I am beyond honored." (Lucia)

The king who acted friendly and spoke to her was unfamiliar. Lucia's half-brother in the dream had sent one documented order and married her off to the Count of Matin. Lucia had no grudge against the king. However, the not so innocent interest of the King was not welcome. The King's point of interest was not in her as his sister but in her as the Duchess.

If this had been in the dream, Lucia would have probably been thrilled. After all, at this time in the dream, she was lonely and exhausted. However, in this lifetime, Lucia had a reliable husband at her side. She had no need to crave for her brother's affection.

"You can call this King 'elder brother'."

"How could I dare. Please withdraw your exorbitant request, Your Majesty." (Lucia)

Her attitude, as she slightly lowered her waist with a smile and replied, was not humility for form's sake. It was a firm and roundabout rejection.

Kwiz gazed at Lucia and gave a fake laugh. This couple was equally hard to deal with. They say that she lived quietly and invisibly inside a detached palace?

Kwiz had observed countless groups of people and from what his sharp eyes could tell, she was not a foolish princess. Her eyes were filled with intelligence. It was very rare for Kwiz to meet someone that he wanted to sit down and have a talk with. His sister that he met for the first time today gave him that exact feeling.

'And here I thought that dead old man only left behind a son.' (Kwiz)

Even when Kwiz was praising Lucia, he did not forget to give himself a pat on the back.

Hugo had sharply raised his guard but ended up having to swallow his laughter at her shrewd response. She was pretty, kind, clever, confident. Hugo had an endless line of rhetoric to decorate his wife.

'Oho.'

Kwiz looked at the Duke of Taran who was watching his wife with a melting gaze and felt a tingling at the back of his head. He wanted to share his astonishment with someone. His eyes slightly met the Queen's and she gave him a meaningful smile then she averted her gaze. The Queen already knew! For some reason, he felt vexed.

"This is Gong's order, isn't it?" (Kwiz)

"What might you mean?" (Hugo)

"Isn't that why my sister is so cold to this King on our first meeting?"

"I mean, one should have done one's role as an older brother."

Lucia was a little surprised as she watched the two of them exchange casual words. The relationship between him and the King was much more open than she thought.

Beth laughed as she watched the Duchess look at her husband with pride in her eyes. Her deliriously happy expression as she watched her husband was cute and adorable. Beth felt like she could see why the Duke of Taran fell for the Duchess.

Translator's Corner:

This King: Kwiz does not refer to himself as 'this king'. He uses an old fashioned title(짐) used by emperors in Goryeo and it refers to himself in third person therefore 'this king' is the closest thing to it.

Gong: (general description) A type of honorific. It is a title(공) given to a noble personage in a high position. It is usually a term of respect/honorific for a Duke. In this novel, it seems to apply to Marquis as well.

Chapter 74 [part 2]< — Meeting People — > (1)

Men gathered with men and women gathered with women. No one carelessly approached where the King and the Duke of Taran were discussing serious matters with foreign delegations.

Lucia was together with the Queen and other high-ranking noblewomen. She stood beside the Queen and other people stood around them. Presently, Lucia was almost at the same level as the Queen.

Lucia happened to be the only attending wife among the wives of the Duke and Marquis(Gong) Families that belonged to the royal party. The Duke of Ramis' Duchess had already passed away, Marchioness Philip was absent due to mourning her mother-in-law and Marchioness DeKhan was absent for health reasons.

'Marchioness DeKhan will soon pass away.' (Lucia)

In her dream, Sofia had married the bereaved Marquis of DeKhan. Lucia didn't know who would become the wife of Marquis Dekhan in this lifetime.

As she appropriately replied to the women chattering around her, Lucia occasionally searched for her husband with her eyes.

'My husband.'

That dashing man was her husband. Of all the people in the venue, he was by far the best. His imposing presence did not fade even when he was with the King. Even in her dream, his presence was obviously overwhelming.

As Lucia took continuous sips of her cocktail, her mood grew lighter. She couldn't tell if it was because of tipsiness or because she was drunk on the atmosphere.

She laughed with the group at silly jokes, spoke at appropriate times and sometimes, glanced in his direction. The fun of peeking at him was quite interesting. A considerable amount of women kept glancing at him. She wanted to brag to them that he was her man.

On one hand, she was proud but on the other hand, she was annoyed. She wanted to say something childish like 'don't look at him, he'll wear out'.

'Ah. That woman has big breasts.'

The outfits of the capital's noblewomen were definitely more daring than the northern's noblewomen. A dress that openly revealed the cleavage was so common that people had become numb to it. It wasn't even thought of as risque. One could often catch the sight of a beauty with thin waist and big breasts.

Lucia's eyes kept going towards women's chests. She acted like she wasn't looking but she kept looking. All the women she saw in her dream had big breasts. And it was plain as day that Hugo liked busty women.

'What do you have to eat to get it that big?'

Lucia wanted to ask. And she took a glance at her outfit. The dress itself was quite gorgeous, but the style was gentle. Even though the back was exposed, it couldn't be seen from the front so it didn't appear risque.

Lucia had no complaint about the dress. It suited her well. But she was a bit envious of the self-confident women who confidently showed off their body.

Lucia turned her head again and payed attention to the women's conversation. Even if she wasn't focused on them, she had to show that she was listening to a certain degree.

Hugo let the boring talks flow out through one ear and from time to time, he was monitoring her. As he watched her take in a few glasses of cocktail, he was worried that she would get drunk. And the moment she turned around, his face fell and his insides went up in flames.

'What. Is. That.'

Her immaculate back was clearly visible. Because all this time, he had been watching her frin the front, he had been unable to look over the dress carefully. Who would have thought that the back would be like that? He was content with Antoine's dresses because they were different from the usual dresses that revealed the cleavage. But he didn't know that he would be stabbed in the back like this.

'I'll fire her.'

Hugo ground his teeth. The designer had to be changed. He had given her so much money but did that woman actually cut out the back to save on material cost?!

Steam rose from his head. He wanted to shout for all the men in the hall to fix their eyes to the floor. He barely managed to regain his composure and called over a servant.

"Get me a shawl. One that can cover a noble lady's shoulders."

Although it was an unexpected request, the servant obeyed and ran off to look for a shawl that would cover a noble lady's shoulders, from who knows where.

'Delicious.'

The cocktail was to Lucia's taste. She picked up a new glass again.

"Oh my…"

The people around her suddenly exclaimed. Lucia began to turn her head and felt a soft shawl cover her shoulders. Then an arm reached out and took the glass of cocktail in her hand.

"I think you've drank enough, my wife."

A little while ago, he was some distance away but at some point, he had gotten behind her. Lucia was taken aback and stared at him blankly. He took her empty hand and placed a glass of orange juice in it.

Lucia protested with her eyes. As if flaunting to her, he gulped down the cocktail he took from her in one swoop. As Lucia watched his moving Adam's apple, the thought rose in her mind that she wanted to kiss him there and she was startled at her thought.

'I must be drunk.'

Just like he said, she seemed to have really had too much to drink.

"This is…"

Lucia fiddled with the shawl. It was a blue shawl didn't suit her pink dress at all.

"It seems cold so hold onto that." (Hugo)

Today's weather was closer to warm than cold. Lucia wanted to ask why but there were people around so she silently adjusted the shawl. Hugo stepped back to confirm that the half of her back was now covered and was pleased.

"Did you go looking for your wife because you couldn't wait?"

Kwiz spoke cheerfully and approached them. Kwiz had been watching the Duke of Taran who couldn't take his eyes off the Duchess. Even though Kwiz had witnessed it, he couldn't believe it. A group of people came along, following Kwiz.

The women naturally went to their respective husbands and the group became a group of married couples. The people who wanted to be in this group stood around them, forming a wider circle.

The men lost interest in their current topic and the women who were engaging in small, nonsensical talk went quiet. The men began to discuss mostly about politics and foreign affairs. Lucia was not very interested in this kind of talk. They were talking about a distant country.

Lucia endured her boredom and glanced at him. He was not that involved in the conversation but somehow, when people wanted to hear his opinion and he opened his mouth, they all focused on him.

When someone in the group brought up a subject, there would be some debate on the subject. His wait-and-see manner had no intention of butting in, and the heat of the atmosphere only rose to the point where no deterrent was needed. Even so, it was quite dull to Lucia.

Maybe the alcohol was getting to her because she was getting a little hot. She wanted to take off the shawl so she tapped the back of his hand lightly. When his gaze moved to her, she gestured to take off the shawl. He frowned slightly and shook his head.

'But it's hot.'

Why couldn't she take it off? She felt sullen but when she saw a busty woman pass by, her playfulness soared. She tapped the back of his hand again and signalled with her eyes that she wanted to say something.

He lowered himself and whispered in her ear.

"What?"

Lucia brought her head to his ear and whispered to him.

"You like busty beauties, right?"

Hugo took a good look at her then spoke in her ear again.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"Men are all like that."

"Don't listen to those women who say nonsense all the time."

Hugo thought she had heard something strange from the noblewomen.

'Get rid of that confidence that I'm not one of the women speaking nonsense.' (1)

Lucia pursed her lips slightly. Even though she didn't enjoy gossiping, it was secretly quite fun. As long as it wasn't slandering another, it was an enjoyable pastime when there was nothing to talk about and time would pass by without notice. When a noblewoman with the gift of eloquence laid it on the crowd and the laughing and chatting began, a few hours could easily pass by.

"I heard that all the women you have been with are busty beauties."

Lucia hadn't really heard that. There was no one around her with a liver big enough to drive a wedge between them. She had gotten information about his past women from Jerome and among those women, there was no one in particular that bothered her. Most of them were women that couldn't even come close to her as the Duchess.

Lucia did not care about his real past women. Rather, his future lovers that she saw in the dream was more vivid in her memory so she cared more about them. It might be because she was envious of the beauty and confidence of the women that accompanied the Duke of Taran. Even the Duchess she saw in her dream was not a beauty, but her breasts were big.

Lucia was slightly intoxicated so her mood was a bit higher than usual. She got a little annoyed and was able to do something bold like teasing him.

His red eyes shook intensely. Lucia was rather surprised and widened her eyes. He was flustered. The man who seemed like he would be calm even if the sky collapsed was shaken. Lucia found that amazing and interesting. She pulled on his arm making him lower his body then she whispered in his ear again.

"Don't tell me it's really true?"

The sight of him stunned made her chuckle a little. And she could see a variety of complicated emotions whirling around in his eyes. It seemed like he was angry but he was showing bewilderment and disbelief which was rare and precious.

'Oh my goodness. How cute.'

The big man was adorable. He was showing this expression to her alone. Her heart was tickled and she couldn't help but laugh.

Hugo's eyes narrowed as he watched his fearless wife who dared to tease him. He lowered his head to her ear and gently bit her ear. She looked at him with surprise and her face gradually grew red-hot. Hugo was satisfied with her reaction and calmly lifted his head again.

'T…T…This crazy–. He seriously…'

Lucia stared at his unconcerned shameless face with disbelief.

'How could you do that here!'

Lucia turned away and swallowed her scream.

The people around had very strange expressions and alternated glances between the ducal couple. It was rare for the nobility who strove for expression control to reveal explicit emotions in a public venue. But they were all showing very excited expressions. Lucia did not think beforehand that her act of exchanging whispers with him would attract people's attention. She had been slightly excited because of the alcohol.

Lucia was embarrassed and her face felt like it was on fire. She had to first escape from here. Lucia tried to get away quickly but his hand was faster as he caught her waist and pulled her in.

"Where are you going, my wife?"

He placed his lips close to her ears and spoke huskily. Lucia struggled to get out of his arms.

"It is rude to ask that of a lady. Please let me go."

The corner of his lips raised in a smile.

'No! Don't do it!'

For some reason, Lucia felt a bad foreboding and cried out inwardly but his lips had already descended on her lips before pulled away. There were gasps from here and there, something could be heard falling to the ground and the sound of something cracking in succession could be heard. (2)

Lucia didn't have the courage to look around and as soon as he loosened his hold on her waist, she rooted her eyes to the floor and ran away. Indeed, it was apparent to any who saw that she was running away.

Translator's Corner:

I wanted to translate this as: "How are you confident that I'm not one of the women speaking nonsense?" but I felt like that was slightly pushing it. But this should help explain the sentence better if you didn't understand it.

This is likely the sound of glass falling to the ground and breaking. I thought it was the sound of hearts cracking .

Belonged to the royal party: Royalists basically. These families support the crown aka Kwiz. These people have been mentioned briefly in Chapter 58[part 1].

Marchioness: This should be quite obvious but the wife of a Marquis is a Marchioness.

Title ranking so far: Duke > Marquis > Count > Baron. Therefore: Duchess > Marchioness > Countess > Baroness.

Risque: sexually suggestive, indecent… google it.

Chapter 75 [part 1]< — Meeting People — > (2)

With the Duke of Taran as the center, the radius of people around him strangely fell silent like it was in a different world. Only the Duke who caused this situation was perfectly calm. Even his movement as he placed his empty glass on a passing servant's tray and picked up a new glass was very natural. He was norm a brazen person. He didn't know the meaning of shyness or embarrassment. The only time he cared about a person's gaze and thoughts was when it came to his wife.

"…Your relationship with the Duchess seems good."

Kwiz broke the silence. He couldn't contain himself and opened his mouth. At first, it was intriguing but because he was just watching, they actually showed off their romance at his celebration party. His eyes were irritated.

"Newlyweds, aren't they?" (Kwiz)

Everyone nodded their head then they felt a sense of incongruity. Hadn't it been a year and a half since the ducal couple got married? It was a vague period to confidently call them newlyweds.

Kwiz then asked the question they all had in mind.

"How long is the newlywed period?"

"Until a baby is born."

Oho, indeed. Those nodding their head realized one beat late that the definition of 'newly-wed period' was not important. The problem was that even if the he had married yesterday, the action they had just witnessed was done by none other than the Duke of Taran.

People's gazes had already begun to be drawn to the ducal couple from when they were exchanging affectionate whispers. Even those that were debating grew silent and trained their eyes on them. Whatever the two of them were talking about, they were happy and didn't seem to care who saw.

The warmth in the Duke's eyes as he gazed at his wife was surprising, and his affectionate loving expression was simply jaw slacking.

"…Gong, you seem to have fallen in love." (Kwiz)

As expected of His Majesty. Everyone inwardly clapped for Kwiz who boldly and bluntly said what they were unable to say.

Hugo looked at Kwiz expressionlessly. He had no intention of falling for the King's eloquence and providing a clue for the rumors.

"I didn't know that Your Majesty knew that word."

When the Duke of Taran changed the subject, the surrounding people looked regretful. Especially the women. It was regrettable because they would have been able to make a topic that could be gossiped about for three days and nights. Although sometimes there were groundless rumors, there were no rumors that dropped from the cloud. There had to be at least one word of credibility for it to be 'fleshed out'. All the rumors that hit the social circle were made that way.

"Hm? How does Gong see this King? This king is a romanticist."

Many people broke out in merry laughter.

Hugo chuckled. The throne was a position gained by stepping on the blood and lives of many. The owner of that seat saying such a thing was a very humorous. Kwiz killed his brothers to keep his position. Even if they were his half-brothers, he had no hesitation in cutting down his flesh and blood. This decisiveness played a role in why Hugo chose to support Kwiz.

"Speaking of which, Gong. Consider telling us little of the inside story. I'm not the only one interested in Gong's love story."

It was a remark that could devalue the dignity of the King but that was Kwiz's strange charm. Even when he moderately tossed authority to the side and joked around, he did not lose his dignity. He was good at walking on a tightrope without going over the edge. Which was likely why there were a lot of young nobles that supported Kwiz.

"No, thank you. One word will turn into a hundred words." (Hugo)

"Gong doesn't care about rumors, no?"

The memory of her asking if he liked busty beauties rose up in Hugo's mind. All this while, he had been diligently collecting rumors in case a bad rumor rose up about her, or in case she heard a ridiculous rumor about him and misunderstood. But it would seem that just that wasn't enough. He didn't care about trashy rumors but he felt the need to crack down more aggressively.

* * *

Lucia fled to the break room. It hadn't been long since the party started so there weren't many people in the spacious break room.

"Bring me a glass of water."

Lucia sent the attending maid by her side on an errand and took time to catch her breath. She covered her burning face with her hands.

'I have to rest till the tipsiness subsides.'

She was not that drunk but without realizing it, her mood had gotten excited. And a mistake can happen when she was like this. But soon, Lucia's expression darkened. Didn't she already make a huge mistake? It was mistake in of itself to induce his mischievousness.

'Even while knowing he doesn't care about people's gazes…'

She shouldn't have given him a reason. No matter what she said, he didn't change so she should have been careful.

Lucia drank the water that the maid brought back and when took off her shawl, cool air hit her shoulders and her back.

'Don't tell me…because of my back?'

Lucia toyed with the shawl and was lost in thought. She had been wondering why he suddenly gave her a shawl and didn't want her to take it off but now, she felt like she knew the answer and couldn't help but laugh.

'Was he always such a conservative man?'

She had heard that there were men who disliked the exposure of his wife or lover, but she did not know that he was one of them. Seeing as he went through the trouble of getting a shawl, he seemed to really not like it. By the looks of it, Antoine would be incriminated.

'Oh well. Since it's come to this, I'll use this chance to make a deal with Antoine.'

Antoine had sent a receipt with an enormous price after her first visit but the charge for this coronation dress was considerably cheaper. Lucia had gone through purchasing a dress at the time of the victory party so she knew that the price should have been several times higher than the current price. No matter how you looked at it, it was strange.

Lucia kept silent because a debut dress was absolutely necessary for her but she planned on finding out what was happening sooner or later.

"Duchess. I'm sorry to interrupt your rest. May I trouble you for a moment?"

The break room was an area that wasn't restricted by decorum. Even if the Queen came in, the resting women did not have to rise and give their greetings. The goal was to allow quiet rest therefore even if one were to have a discussion, speaking loudly was rude.

Lucia was not tired so the disturbed rest didn't really bother her. She looked at the woman who greeted her.

"Have a sit, Lady Alvin."

"Ah, you remember me. I'm glad."

Today, the Count of Alvin brought his unmarried younger sister as his partner instead of his wife, Sofia. Ever since that day, Sofia had secluded herself at home. Even if today was the coronation party, if Sofia had come out, Lucia would have taken it as a disregard of her warning. It was fortunate that Sofia wasn't foolish to the extent of not understanding the meaning of her words.

"My brother wanted me to apologize to Duchess for my sister-in-law's mistake. He sincerely requested for me to talk to you if he did not get the chance in person. She made a really big mistake. Please, I ask for your indulgence. I don't dare to ask for your forgiveness. I only plead that you release your anger."

"I have already forgotten about this matter. There is no need for Lady Alvin to apologize. I will accept Sir. Alvin's apology."

"Thank you very much for your generous words."

Lady Alvin smiled bitterly. If the Duchess had really forgiven her, she would have said, 'When you meet the Countess, tell her we should have a talk sometime', in order to make a promise for the future and lift the order of confinement.

This forgiveness was perfunctory. It was a mistake to think that because the Duchess was young, if she was humored and gently appeased, she would quickly soften. Lady Alvin said her farewell and stood up.

Lucia indifferently watched as Lady Alvin went to a corner of the break room and began talking to some woman. She couldn't hear what they were talking about so she lost interest and turned away. Lucia suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the woman again.

'That woman…'

Dark brown hair, cat-like eyes, slightly upturned lips and a mole under the eye. The woman was matching the description that Norman gave her. She was similar to the noblewoman that went to find Norman in order to look into Lucia.

Lucia asked the maid to find out who the woman was. The maid came back soon with information gotten from the older handmaids. As usual, she(the maid) was a tactful child.

"She is called the Countess of Falcon." (Maid)

"…Good work."

Lucia had never seen Anita in her dream. She had heard rumors that the woman had unexpectedly married three times but the Countess of Falcon did not really show herself in the social circle. If she had not overheard his conversation with Sofia, she would not have known that the Countess of Falcon was his secret mistress.

'Why did she investigate me secretly?'

It was not clear if the woman was aiming for her or was aiming to use her to get to him. It was possible that, like Sofia, it was done because of personal feelings but it was also possible that there was some underlying motive behind it.

If there was really a purpose, the woman would definitely approach her. If the woman approached her for whatsoever reason, Lucia planned on telling him.