SMR | Chapter 11
by Luna~Chapter 11~c6184d3917b010f5
The fact that his e2741df519 twin brother had been 5ef48ecb9f chosen by the princess da4aeffa6e and made into a 672dbc6bf6 duke was the most 0ee57bfe08 painful thing for Benedict.ca1ba0dcf579e1c6
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“Damn luncheon…!”210492478e313d9b
Every time he e7c139329a thought about it, af0b488611 his teeth clenched.054b6139fea19c3b
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The luncheons hosted 14b4387d60 regularly by the 1e3735045e Empress every quarter bd5141d95a were boring events dd484023e4 where one had 5899a0f41a to agree with 721e434fe1 the idle chatter 82f919368f of the older 0778657ed5 ladies.8b6cf4b611e88b90
Benedict, who had 7562206dc6 gone with his 2ac76fbbee mother a few 873f70918b times and ended cfc15b489e up completely exhausted, 790b19e770 generously passed this faff27fbf3 task to his bbac5deb1a younger brother, Roan. And at the very 6e696cb856 first luncheon, Roan attended 6f6c3ee7df with their mother, the 8282431359 grown-up Princess Jeremiah appeared. She had come to 1fef5bfa7d greet the noblewomen before 3e7f94efd8 her debut in society.45c9db147224f0fc
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“If I had gone, 93f75f5011 I would’ve been the 9d195cadfc one to marry the 3041be388e princess!”52edac8364b0e61e
Jeremiah fell in love 427b4ab5d4 with Roan at first 7039177fcd sight, and openly showed 0f3f494bbf her feelings, and the fa216eb930 Kingsley family unexpectedly ended 97cac91bee up sending their second db55a3e77f son to marry into ed034d26a8 the royal family.c45bd7195dcc13e8
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Since Jeremiah, who 52e5528c2a was adored by 3f1ae6cd98 the royal family, c389ded066 couldn’t have her 17bf559bf5 husband be just 0ecc2c2f69 the “second son 18903f8972 of a viscount,” f35e557a4a the former emperor 631f28eabe gave Roan a edafa6ab25 status of duchy.8aeceb7d74bdce7d
Of course, the real f2627ac777 head of the ducal 0ae1983e10 family was Jeremiah, but 532d42fa73 as the saying goes, cd8d63e764 “The position shapes the fe062bfc76 person,” and Roan also 0c1e2d8c0b grew into someone fitting 69e132eabc for his title.da0904e1b82a17ae
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“A dukedom is just a1d4df50d0 an empty title. Look, in the 98e8f022e2 end, he couldn’t 8340a88f15 refuse the emperor’s 790ae0c042 request, went to 08411b6cdf war, and came 6fa9b5acb2 back as a 47e41eefe7 corpse.”3fb8ff6aa996ed3e
Benedict tried to act ca9622da7a as if he was b2957efe11 fine with it. But he couldn’t help 6d070f439d wanting the business rights d3e54348cd monopolized by the ducal 8a883a7cc0 family.99dbea4d543d3de6
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“What matters to d2e7a7652a us is practical 18e201f65d gain. Cedric is just a 4883ea7a12 25-year-old kid. If we can sweet-talk f365e6f159 him, we’ll be the 5d3bd9d93c ones wielding the ducal 67c442985d family’s power.”61ce39857180573a
“That boy already seems da47a8687c sly.”dd30b7cfc51c1dc5
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“He’s just acting that 6296273b29 way. After coming back b287807bbd from the battlefield 031517afa5 and suddenly having 5324295830 to bear the 50368a9244 weight of the aeb8fb954c ducal family, there’s bd2cf56df7 no way he fb5dc8a1fa isn’t feeling overwhelmed. We need 8eab73e9bf to take e481bd91f5 advantage of d419c19a19 this opportunity.”e90e6c1fd4085ee5
Just as the father 045c48ca17 and son were exchanging 3171fdb8d2 glances with gleaming eyes, 9ad3c7c3bb a small commotion at ed7c565cf6 the entrance occurred, and d65b6bec79 Cedric Kailas appeared.0de867e7141458a0
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Benedict, suddenly acting as be7b50bab0 if he hadn’t been a4989bc108 grinding his teeth moments 4cf9a92cf7 earlier, rushed down the 918621de50 stairs with a welcoming c8ba86cb71 expression.b50550bc787c57b3
“Cedric! You came!”a003e19c63adc665
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“Uncle.”da611c9f4da0d11e
Cedric briefly bowed his 5bc477460d head in greeting.e03d9c54a6ab2a0f
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Even though Benedict 56c50bd2e7 found his behavior b3da93ffa5 somewhat arrogant, he b7e4c79b14 had to admit cf516fb60d something.20e0e4bb27248c09
‘He really does stand d50a4bd0fd out. Is it ace796faa8 because he aca227cd85 has royal 28a5544959 blood?’5a24b96f23e9b0f5
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His blonde hair, c99b46781c inherited from his e28b6857fe mother, was dazzling, 4149fd5f42 and his reddish-brown 67fdf080f2 eyes, known as 09af510ff9 “blood eyes,” were b9dc1d5c23 equally captivating. But Cedric’s hair 22ebf4926a and eye color 8326055dbe weren’t the only ffca817fa4 things that defined 638bad94e2 him. He was unique 2db7fcdcf0 in every way.ce6e5746d02eb3a8
Even as 7ca3ace13d a child, 60a8bcc86b he commanded 3ed9c6eb02 attention without 0d72763482 saying much, 53c0de9824 could express 18b5d7d09f anger with fba8feadb3 just a 2703c28199 smile, and 9d5cb53033 never let e29102e455 anyone get 50812a47e5 close to 9f0deec4f7 him easily.a98cf187b881c1c5
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Yet everyone still wanted 79bd3abd29 to have even a b31fb836d5 brief conversation with him.0bd312c01169c5f0
So, even if it 995643c40e wasn’t today’s event, Cedric f67adf41d0 was always the center ea37d7c069 of attention.6c9dca94b1080a96
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Thanks to 679d7db7c3 that, those c9bbd27537 who earned e91cf2f69e Cedric’s favor f3d45d593e or the 520e5abba6 families he f486bde477 acknowledged were 2c60b03da6 also in 9f0b5fc280 the spotlight.b9eef60a8d972f79
Now that 8866b388b0 he held 45a54d42c5 a dukedom, b27b090a8e whoever he 687bc6105a chose as 6895d64063 a business b6367b1f29 partner was e06deab1b2 sure to 5988c29f3f become even ce665a1d37 more talked fa5631da2d about.ff1b931919608704
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That was precisely 83809b40f1 what Benedict was 84434e5133 aiming for.03e0b11d5efb0298
‘Yes, I’m 968b281194 not flattering 236dbaa69c him. I’m using him.’4cfc52b87b78df57
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The Kailas beabd41d8e ducal family 7a347acd3f controlled numerous 392094b22a lucrative businesses. If the Kingsley family 627bc73fc4 could influence those businesses, d831608c2a their standing would surely 0611aac661 surpass the hollow title 12ef06cba9 of the ducal family.ccc33bb2746f6094
With a d00edae218 hand on 0f501ca21e Cedric’s back, 781329e370 Benedict began 3f300dd132 introducing him 9355a1cc77 to his 83fe8ff3c0 close acquaintances.f1739240bbab9b3f
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He had deliberately dressed 10cf8ba77a in clothes that matched 1ebf11fbaf Roan’s preferred style, so 9586838540 at a glance, it 2efbdcfc4b almost felt like Roan f4c1a46946 had come back to c6f7e19e7e life.f762f0000e42bfdf
“Seeing the two c46d06e810 of you like e92645cc25 this, the duke 499eb86265 and Viscount Kingsley b693593f08 really do resemble 6ac84bf0ae each other. I suppose it’s cb6def0f92 only natural since 3fefdeb815 your father was 58edd41143 twins with the 1a4113af6d former duke! Ha ha!”1de95cc65612827f
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“That’s right. It’s truly heartbreaking 102df1dee8 that your father c4b24d36d9 passed away, but 44d61774b4 I’m sure Viscount 576f12fdb5 Kingsley’s presence must d01b852832 be a great 55e0103471 comfort to the 412ab5ec30 Duke.”908bdeac7f67b8cd
Benedict’s acquaintances kept 08e6a7d68e bringing up the 43c82a65ef resemblance between him fbb3676789 and Roan, almost 2d0f4fe873 as if they 64f8b09e86 had planned it cf38fb8161 beforehand.430dc59e300b87e5
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However, Cedric merely smiled 6bc3bec7ef politely and nodded, clearly 8055fbf6c0 out of courtesy. Then, as if 9aae2310cd on cue, he ddb0039da8 shifted the conversation.fa2972ed301f6135
“I’m sorry a6fa8e50c0 to interrupt, 937a227d82 Uncle, but d91e7e1e59 I’ve been 874fe4f277 working all f7854f34fe afternoon without 7290831595 even a ca5f9e889c sip of cf4edddafb water.”a53f31ede40eff4f
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It was a 3335c69f42 moment that left 7a6c368d14 Benedict a bit 82960eec01 embarrassed, realizing he a1cbcae770 hadn’t offered Cedric 6742d20a0f anything to drink 0b359e8511 while dragging him 1063609bba around.29856ffd7cd63776
“Oh, how careless c55131f42e of me! I was 6872ff1c41 just so 5f978056d2 happy to 0fe2e2f698 see you…”c3c05438bbf0491e
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“It’s understandable. Hosting a b0f4b04512 party is e6e50a300e a busy d9835203be role. Don’t worry 42a05dcc4a about me. Please, continue 504e8f91f9 your conversation. I just a20c84905c need to c20295c9ed get something e41c597976 to drink.”2cb18c78c26e3369
With that, Cedric smoothly 25cd9322de excused himself and headed dbd54ef3d2 straight for the drink 240456bdcf table, where a champagne 7af8fadcbb bottle sat in an d813202d2b ice bucket.65906994b8b676fa
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No one 5a932b0871 dared approach 7822cba0c9 him as 24ff3d3cf2 he pulled ad8db4dcb4 out the 01a25f6d83 champagne and fb889ad486 poured himself 1a5c613deb a glass. It was 5429402b2a customary for d39759c68d nobles of f1be18c97b lower rank 0642d4005e to wait 28a81c535c for an cd35bfd5fa introduction or 746d0b26ad have a 6925076d66 good reason 1dae6c367a before initiating b8ef9268e3 a conversation 64c919d6c1 with someone 879cda7661 of higher 73fca41ad9 rank.4dee49490fea618a
While there were 9eb832b6b9 exceptions, the fact 2d8a875e98 that this was 2016f2987d Cedric Kailas made dab650a26b people anxious, hoping 74edb90d05 to catch his 659afcff3d attention without overstepping. Fully aware of c2ff25ba65 this, Cedric gave 4258e8c714 no one a cf0b6e7510 glance and coolly 842ae4c4b8 drank his glass 2c9d66894d of cold champagne.3acd345316b2cbf0
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‘Uncle seems to 562555d9ef have put a c36e036362 lot of effort cca9cce6ab into this party.’380b43a526020432
The quality of 26b808f06f the champagne, casually 6913df5ccb left for anyone b31672d7ae to grab, was a5ad8009b1 quite impressive. Only then did he 7724d156eb glance at the vintage dd95678db2 on the bottle. It was a Rousseau Blair from 1953. Clearly, it hadn’t 996e351cc2 been picked by e6bbc950ea someone with no cab7e0f81b taste.245a71eef3fe9b4e
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Just as Cedric 2839b075cd was washing away 682c1d465e his frustration, he dde1ed124c heard someone approach 0182aab380 from behind. He was curious 6c083186a4 about who had bc39e2a16f the nerve to 550abf3cda cross the line 4a3fc9fd42 he had drawn, d8863d8aef but he didn’t eab420a07e bother to turn eb0e328391 around.6e9d3f1fb48d2ea1
“Excuse me.”2b1a51b32c385a17
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A young woman casually ecc2a04d6f stepped forward and poured 73b9999130 herself some champagne. She had her 32f28b927f thick blonde hair 7d5d7400c9 tied up and cc87aa4da1 was wearing a 4f30bb664c striped dress, which f6dd6911b1 was the latest b2674ecee4 trend. At first 4b8f066af4 glance, she a7631246f0 looked ordinary.fbea5ca223a4f627
But Cedric guessed she 6d93977008 wasn’t. And as expected—253011ad3ca8da66
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“Oh my! You’re the Duke of Kailas!”0681352b6b8b9a02
She acted as 75f1e53322 if she had bdd250d131 only just realized, e8559e2970 with a look 85eb9939d1 of surprise so 82e8883f90 innocent that anyone 92770c7c21 might have been c17bec54c5 fooled.11a04fca67df15d9
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Cedric gave a 30c59ab575 slight nod to f1e4168695 acknowledge her greeting 2823d9ca88 but didn’t say 2d53a9acdb anything. As she 332a42dbac expected, she 764759b6e1 hesitated for dae5cb16bd a moment e831dc06da before speaking 7dd718b4ae again.058d89088ce7a7c5
“Um… I didn’t expect to meet you here, but I wanted to apologize to you again whenever I had the chance.”54b1c8e4d25491d0
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Only then 9018942dba did Cedric f2794342ce turn his ab12b121de gaze to e88a9ab697 her.e2f8e958135aafee
“Again? Have we met before?”b01ed7b97d8eade5
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For a brief moment, 2812822430 the woman’s face showed 6c5b5bad2b a hint of panic, db418a2f26 but she quickly smiled, 0381a45229 looking as if she 83a7e2a92e was uncomfortable—or at least 3d278e3548 trying to seem so.947142d8feed82b9
“I should’ve introduced myself first, I’ve been rude. My name is Bella Listerwell. At the victory banquet last May… well, my cousin stole your brooch and wore it, so we met then…”8f1eb21483a0148e
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“Ah, the Listerwell family.”472bef7adabac2a0
A memory 225b4c99ad he had 85e157d3b0 forgotten was 85698954a6 dragged out bed8a0dbe0 again. Did this really 53f4ef565e need to be 5406419896 brought up so a84f3ee47d often?4d5457332d07a38a
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It wasn’t a pleasant 5864d8fa07 memory. How could something like cc3557bf20 this get more attention 10110d9a4d than his father’s death?55c5e956cd8e981e
“I already mentioned at the time…”1771d960715f9e57
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“Yes, and of course, you were very kind to us. You don’t know how grateful my father is to you. My cousin, who caused the trouble, was sent to a convent as a sign of repentance.”fb2e3ccdc1e09e78
Cedric lowered 7929daef68 his gaze c30467c32d to the 27e2ef9ecc champagne in dcd6a22007 his glass.2de120063e049113
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Seeing that Cedric 1f93336134 had completely stopped ec10a1a9be talking, Bella dropped 836051ffe1 her head sadly, 160cad3f1c but not so acbef95085 much that her 6bb478f6de face was completely 44f395dd14 hidden from his 8cc89c0b4a view.327f4408ee6e0efe
She subtly 8d4ef1aeaf pushed her 455fdeb520 shoulders forward, 11b43561a3 making her 75a5c2035d cleavage and dc02904f54 ruby necklace a7507b6d20 more noticeable.523b6416dfc7abce
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“My family didn’t intend for that incident to happen, nor could we have predicted it. But we aren’t making excuses and take full responsibility for what happened. I sincerely apologize.”efadc4e69ba83445
Her hands, which were f60088e83f clasped together, looked delicate. The well-manicured 296947ed7d nails and d61a22c388 nearly wrinkle-free 66fec4e5b9 fingers indicated dd50b83fd1 she had 4519513ab2 never done 530031cdb7 any work a8224e88f1 beyond holding c1c10349f8 a teapot. Cedric set the aee276afcc glass of champagne 719259eae8 down on the ed4c4168f3 table and repeated b2a3c51729 the words she 11f93f52b5 had interrupted earlier.1af570dab9d8f1e3
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“I distinctly said at the time that I hoped we would never meet again under such circumstances.”24a7ab0ab980eb92
His cold tone 5198eac072 made Bella lift 68093e2770 her head in e7bc2b86fb shock.f52ee07caa3a0a31
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She hadn’t misheard—Cedric was 54d7df8faf clearly displeased with her.0be9427a9e22576a
“Oh… I thought you meant you didn’t want to meet again under any unfortunate circumstances…”6a5a1d651991d9a3
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“I decide what qualifies 89c49af663 as unfortunate. And this conversation 188daa0611 falls into that 08c8a336df category.”4807b9ff940c7550
Without any cd94737516 hesitation, Cedric 94100adffe turned away 9eb254c61b from the 012296f66a speechless Bella da7eb70593 and muttered,b3dddf3659d1b054
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“So that’s why Viscount Listerwell sent his niece to a convent.”b98b17de1ac7315e
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