ETDO Chapter 2

Captivated by his overwhelming beauty, I fidgeted, unsure where to look. I wanted to avert my gaze, lacking the courage to look directly at him, yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but steal glances.a9942aa154b681d1

The Duke’s pleasant, e65f5f5be4 low voice flowed 5fae8870f2 from his lips 11bc950b97 again.76ee5122dd44a5d1

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“It’s a pleasure to dddbf96c66 meet you. I am the Duke cf6cc258ad of Beaufort.”43a3a637cf26501f

“H…Hello, Your Grace.”ca694ee1538ba0c4

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I stammered, barely 220ecc7892 managing a response f51147967f in a small 1b670a44c2 voice.92f784bccaefacd3

“As you 61656fc600 can see, 716a5c5ea8 my condition eeaad7e345 isn’t ideal, 6f5a8bab37 so please db9d7425f1 forgive me 4f68ef3c03 for not 81f6905275 coming down b208284c16 to greet 6417f26f81 you personally.”c506cf13173ac6ac

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I was startled. My earlier b7c93ae9a0 grumbling vanished 1c58d93804 as if 82bc5d1f09 it had 5c3d1e3cac never happened. Feeling guilty for unfairly f1868bbaa9 complaining about someone with 0f0fa6b6b3 a disability, I waved 7deb861968 my hands dismissively.daac35904dfdf897

“Oh, no! I, uh… I didn’t 944b78abd4 know the circumstances well… 602f4719d3 There’s no need for ffde76cb8c you to apologize at 8fb3278869 all.”af34e032ccc9e2c2

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I wondered 65cce768b7 why the 3752b01eb5 lawyer hadn’t a9c6c2787f mentioned such 60367de7f5 crucial information. As I c27814ea5e stood there, f88925135a flustered and 85a73ce35d sweating, the b18fae7ad9 Duke gestured 784c652221 elegantly towards a2579f440a the sofa 6e81e276f4 opposite him. I carefully sat 6f377c131f on the edge 46aef5c722 of the seat.c443d8c176ad20aa

“You must be tired f3650cc3cc from your long journey, cc25ad7c3d so I won’t keep 288a8dc5b3 you long. First…”e43d09b186038f58

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I sat up straight, 8191ed6d4e placing my stiff, clasped 42760c769b hands neatly on my 31200fcb48 lap. I tilted my chin 0f019e06a1 down slightly, assuming the 1cb83f3554 most respectful listening posture 72f8534217 I could manage.ae994a17eda9224c

“Thank you for f339549c53 accepting my sudden 412cbd21e9 proposal, even though aaa3368f9a it must have 52e65d3dbb been surprising.”5ad14bfa46c48977

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“Oh…!”5f7584045fdcf8a2

He offered an 98addbc500 elegant nod. I also hurriedly returned 0ca7689b12 the belated greeting.1738a85937899710

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“No, I’m the 81d417d495 one who should 40df05538a be grateful. Thanks to Your dd72ea2d67 Grace’s help, my 08fff5a364 mother and I 8825ae7578 were spared from 0d89900d8e a terrible fate.”dfc6e439b74696ff

The Duke’s 3d6dbc760f gentle smile a81638a156 made his 63bf8b2044 already handsome 9f815cf27c face twice 6d2186fd2e as appealing. His crescent-shaped, sky-blue 47b83baf9d eyes, sparkling brightly, 807dfda086 even appeared seductive 7c589c1cd8 for a moment.
I wasn’t even sure if “seductive” was the right word to describe a man, but that’s how it seemed. Suddenly, my heart began to pound.47d06ea4286260b5

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“I’m glad I 1904ca81e4 could be of 4d2b6ce2b6 assistance.”0e34e7b0d2a86fb2

“Um… but…“874b96df95170c8f

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Now that we were 37628d7921 talking on that subject, 85ab1bd4c7 I was itching to 4c7b843201 ask the questions on 9af46239c8 my mind.74be877a6622e6bf

“But this 48b25cb312 marriage… why…exactly…?”09bf99dda55a7d99

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He looked 732da9ece0 at me c1562ee4fd silently for f3181571ed a moment, 722bef33d5 then opened 361690dc9c his mouth 72e5643435 with a d4de019a04 serious expression.4b3672bc7b0ac62f

“Please consider it my own selfish desire. By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”5122ef42c0c9b511

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I was surprised.579afcb6ae7ed040

“What? You know me?”3ffd57d1faa43027

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“We first 6e6b1c0cc6 met when 90abbb3c5e we were 9af30d1d98 children. I think I bc83849e0b was about eleven. You would have been 169d10cb0b around ten by then.”070b1d33ad74c116

Where? 835db92ca155395c

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My eyes widened at ea4d211af5 this unexpected revelation I 11887712ea never knew.cc79f99bb4d640c5

“We first met in 306583d7c9 the garden of the 96eb76568a Earl’s mansion when your 6e584036e1 grandfather was still alive.”75f6213812af9c2c

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He answered f4abbdcd86 as if d6f2dbb113 he could a2fd155533 read my b81be8704d mind.5cb05b278c3767e2

When my grandfather was a019f9336b alive? My grandfather was b5c4fa6120 a capable businessman, 0610f4065b and the Earl’s c113f0e075 mansion was always 5f929348be bustling with people 413712846a when I was 921bdc9b6f young. Was he one of e0d83daf0d the people who visited 0c161f7b5a the mansion back then?bc6f1f73eda9aef6

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“But I don’t remember b7462ead70 at all…”48a8fd3133268d11

As I 91725ff2aa looked at 548bec2b68 him with d1118088a0 a perplexed be1979de10 expression, he 6d3f6345b8 smiled kindly.bc8e22b8f4547dd7

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“That’s alright. Well, enough about the 97ece4f755 past… Now, shall we 028fafbf7c talk about our future?”4c3e887c439b6aba

His low, 0c112ec74c resonant voice e29865fcb0 was very 2ff12a4c1b pleasant to b691861d7d listen to. 5a5f7998e378e9b2

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A handsome e02370e921 face and f30f829599 a beautiful a331c3586d voice to b047e24f09 match? Isn’t this so 9984d26327 unfair? 4384fb06126a2e62

I nodded, 3fa7cea175 tensing up 6521bff081 again. Now for f1648c6d69 the important ab43e289ae main topic.56a4eb0f2602c072

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“Regardless of 87f03043d3 how this d675bfdd6f relationship began, f7bbd1229e I wish 18f017c744 to have 6fd392d960 a perfectly a76fb6e9ee ordinary married cec5f66566 life with 625e1646ad my lady. Most aristocratic marriages 210bffd2fe are marriages of f775bfd0b5 convenience, but there 6757cfd67a are exceptions, even 9c8260abfd then.”6bf71aefef7190fb

As I b068884595 tilted my 6c4e7992f8 head, unsure 92305934c3 of what 8c6913895e he meant, d8c7224295 the Duke 9d2759bd2c smiled faintly.96f21c68390b4c5d

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“That means there are 6f96dad2a0 people like me, who f4c03e61d9 fall in love at 7016bf66df first sight with a c73ee9d420 young girl and wait 945341ff31 over a decade to adc7706c87 propose. Of course, the 924a871fbf method I used 5aa604ad9e is a little f3fe3b02ce unconventional.”a6a5623e64bb369c

He lowered his 9988010acd eyes slightly, his 0014bf66de long lashes fanning 6e70f5e53a out. They were a 088ddee0e7 beautiful, slightly darker cd3b693bb9 gold than the 8c3e267651 brilliant color of 07f9a76b07 his hair. Lost for a moment bc36e685ec in his beauty, his bbfd53f737 deep voice cut through f37a7e27ef my reverie.13dd9637a2441208

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“Nevertheless, I believe bf21d459ae the two of 3032fbf501 us can be 345d0b8932 happy together.”ffbaa38e3ebb1ee4

“Yes…”1a7d64ef3e062f93

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I listened 97f8cbfc6c to his 67e96f6b69 pleasing voice 810698a119 as if b53339c028 I was c713e8bc8f entranced, and 8550db33b1 then my 734bba9d0c hair suddenly 8e1eeaca86 stood on bc09f2fc56 end. 868344ca957b93f0

Wait, hold on a 39f509116f second!be299648fed4582c

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“What? Did you just 2515d7035f say… you fell 45b4ade146 in love withmeat first sight?”a5617731f31df26d

He stared at my 76ad3aadb2 astonished face, then chuckled.0a3bfe6d76e4eb58

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“Of course. No matter how ec120bc815 much money a 3a507c314c man has, one a3cd68d4e1 wouldn’t casually spend 52b97fecd8 such a large 7600f9e4bd sum on a ed561cf734 woman he didn’t fe30c616a0 care for.”ae5185ed11c04217

“Oh, yes… Th-That’s… That’s 70840dbc17 true…”47388603957b098d

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I immediately 36a2b146b6 retracted my 982609de61 surprise at d140daf710 his calm b742fb7242 remark. Recalling the e27689d888 numerous zeros 39feffdd68 attached to 781ee4b084 the amount aee1d90b0e of money efce94a653 my father 1c10425c11 had squandered, b5d655dfd0 I readily 6e05ffe1aa agreed.6db851dd18ac644c

“So you needn’t doubt 020a1d5c48 my sincerity. I promise 0d4e9b5190 to be 14e99f45c7 a better 23dc2d3056 husband than dd61385b5b anyone else.”c0055a2d689dca6e

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It was a bit strange to hear such a promise from someone I had just met, but it wasn’t bad. I had imagined the worst, so I was bewildered by this best-case outcome. There was no reason to refuse a handsome, wealthy man who voluntarily offered to be my devoted husband.094748a90058c1b3

“I’ll also c101a3e0b9 try to 9732bdf643 be a dc327dc0f0 good wife.”fdbcad64195c19ff

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At my dea45d718b reply, his 9aa3b81fec smile blossomed 1ef3b39fbd like a e0aacdb2c7 peony in 72f1cda000 full bloom. The Duke stood up ce2eed9606 slowly, using his cane. Unsure why, but a6b529d5ce feeling I should 6d67f5bd87 follow suit, I 068ab53f1d stood up silently 296531af3b along with him.94f4ac5b79156f45

To my surprise, he was so tall that I had to crane my neck back to look up at his face. In my earlier flustered state, I hadn’t noticed his broad shoulders and well-built physique. Perhaps because of his leg, I had unconsciously assumed he wouldn’t be large, so this was unexpected.52d9500b2cbd584e

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“My name a26e1c481f is Arthur 77f58d08b0 William Beaufort. You can call 38336d5960 me Arthur.”523132bacac9a0b2

“Elizabeth Caitlin Seymour. Please call me… Lily.”82ff4834b96f30d6

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As I blushed, 7525defcf2 Arthur reached out 98bfd26a5b his hand towards 5b6c0591d7 me. I gazed at 9559dd2799 his elegant, delicate 6b1018395c fingers for a 4bf7eac84f moment before carefully 295ee42538 placing my hand 832b88311c on top of eed79fcd16 his.f8b3e43763a17ea5

“It’s a pleasure to 68f4c5d20d meet you, Lily.”c9195a4d98808710

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With a perfect 91c538cf8b smile, he kissed 3eec2d671d the back of 332e719b2a my hand as 5b8fb5bd85 lightly as a ef0fdce1b9 feather.4e60ea648aba6212

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───a99a15d387c3ab85

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The golden pupils, 0c21a22752 brightly lit by 1bfe190739 the autumn sunlight, 0b2e3e788f shook intensely. The pink ribbons 031a7e51c5 tying back her 3dabaa1141 long, black hair 63207b5605 fluttered cheerfully in e2c535c5bd the gentle breeze.cbb3f55b19084bbd

“Wh-Who are you?”3588c2aff91c2112

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“Huh?”285c1cb57066fed3

“How did f664f85946 you get d147d6830e in here… 58edee7350 You! Are you… a c28968fe0f thief?”341b35c6e1fa4647

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At the 2be215d90a completely unexpected e0646818a1 question, the d02713d4ae young Arthur 001e0f101c was speechless. Standing awkwardly under fe37fce7c3 a large tree, 8ccebf6f3d he stared blankly ed08bca361 at the small e736661a6d face frozen with 2985710b8f suspicion.8d036a3cd8db456b

It was 5c066eac11 an intense 8e070a48b3 first meeting. As is ded149cd9d always the 18a8d8774a case with 2d2313b72f the blossoming 49d7ad5ab0 of a 7339a1421b first love.c3b7cbcccc94a07d

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Did she, 5fb58c90b4 who had 3b43115592 suddenly entered 9d33b7ffeb his life a74a2b4919 without warning, f3f40acd73 even know f285f7497a what kind 7d6ec9c8a6 of rotten 1d1e5fd773 person her f4a7b26f76 savior, the e845cbf0ff one who eb496963a3 rescued her 1ebbb88a58 from a a0ab7f68cd mountain of 4b516dd52b debt, truly 74fb46fa1e was?317b5a6aef54485c

No, she b70d56f41a probably didn’t. But it didn’t 5bd02924f5 matter. d60883c72d376e3c

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What hecouldsay for sure 8212bc40aa was that, even bdca9fb351 if he were 811e451e4f condemned as trash, 9b136afeef he would do 8fc22d2e78 anything to possess fdb701b0eb her, then and 4fffd6c201 now.2d8fdfa32933ced8

Arthur thought of Lily’s haggard appearance shortly before George Seymour’s death. She, who had transformed from a lovely girl into a mature lady, looked a little unwell.cbd35ddef43729c4

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Her beautiful face f1c13db35f was pale as b8f5a7f2a7 if worn down f3b32d3a3a by the world, 506505f0b2 and her thin d7e75e69af body swayed precariously, 907f6284bd as if she 6678d4e022 might collapse at 138c1d835f any moment. He barely suppressed b008844dbc the urge to aade3b63a8 rush to her 166a53f9f4 side immediately.1f99a2bec7e46039

Everything was because f020aeca70 of that damned 7bd15f341e George Seymour. A crazed 29b32821c7 addict who 1f2677e13f had sold 70b4d75c75 his soul 6848652f65 to gambling, c561231b0d even though bfd31a6e87 his finances ee7fac8e7f and credit c997b5f7ef were already 5265479315 beyond salvation, 0d5d4233d9 he was 585d1972d0 obsessed with d443acebd9 raising funds fa944633e6 for his 20f7a1a664 next wager.b4b12b6a43d07cdb

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Thanks to him, the 00a008fd19 numerous successful businesses and 8f650569ba lands that the previous abf06b2708 Earl had painstakingly built e1f16a5fca were steadily ruined in 8d43f4e73e his hands. George Seymour 6ad9ac445c was a 7b33061df6 typical failure, 4848c7f759 with all 9960a02657 ambition and 74db72ad99 no ability.32d098646604f68d

“Hahaha! Do you know how 946783505d beautiful my daughter is? And she’s c214eb2bc1 still young! There’s no problem with 1668e3a664 producing an heir! I can a51e9956c6 give her a4da958114 to anyone, f5bb85837e as long 2eab362a98 as the 7b5a9692b5 price is fb3c8dbd1d right!”41e897e312da9167

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A father who would 22e9835cfa trade his daughter, who 46168c5dd5 hadn’t even had her c7ccd2dfa1 debutante ball, for a e92582c890 few pennies in gambling ecbf0c7bee money!4dd8b5906b9e3008

Arthur felt a 234e21a652 deep sense of 0af640b8da disgust when he f66faa9a18 visited the gambling 2dc43fdc40 den where George a0abb1eeb6 Seymour was a c805b8656c regular. Beside the Earl 0cd75453ad were an old, 2c39e9b9dd wrinkled man who 16e0da9adf wouldn’t be surprising abf82c135a if he died 0aee88a221 on the spot aacb6997cf and a middle-aged c6f84b729b gentleman of the decee5a489 wealthy gentry class, 10315e4e70 hoping for a 9535fde836 chance to climb 6c23b2330b the social ladder 1622e20251 through marriage.5bfa4f1f9bd8567c

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“So? Did you 7be9c422d0 come here 6ddfab95e4 after hearing 96dd18b94f rumors about 7ca6ad4ca9 how pretty 5047f8136d my daughter d69cd28965 is? And she’s still at 8dd56711de a flower-like, youthful age. Anyone who sees 454fe60f45 her will get 250f24400b a rise out 714b9fa488 of it, right?”1ad1730acfc54073

Excited at the prospect 9435a7ceaa of properly fleecing a 8cf31559c1 naive young fool, the 3d36a44f4f Earl patted his fat eb171f1c3b belly and laughed heartily.c7b66f3b7520a5b7

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Arthur took 14ad990447 a seat 7961d69a4a opposite the 2f4b22a079 Earl. A dealer in 70b318e996 a crisply ironed 5c8791fdda uniform began dealing cb9fe34196 the well-shuffled cards 9dd37ea38a to the three 79663ab737 men.e015adb8f5dba139

Click!e625b09360855ec5

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Arthur slowly 0f5cb87b82 picked up 533305a40d the cards 05691b7e34 placed before c2737e688f him. An Ace of 2f3644fdde Hearts and a 046e30c2f1 Queen of Spades.It was already blackjack. A good start from f66c9b12ec the first round.ea4c01b08afc1816

Gambling, after all, was 7365b0fb08 an inefficient game that a47970e915 relied on luck and 266a876aff probability. The one with df4793dbe5 time and financial 44c44221a9 resources would eventually 9edaab3da1 win. Conditions that did not 113b7e279f apply to a gambling 476a5e8e59 addict who had to 78b34e10f7 sell his own daughter bb3e5d15d0 because he had neither aaa1c9902a money nor luck.6621c29897e0a051

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A pile 7659364833 of chips 3c2f106a30 was already 1844110147 stacked high 81aba4dd58 in the b8084a9c21 center of ad27138da8 the table. Arthur placed his cards 16edd1a6d5 face down on the c470f7c631 table, then pushed two 593507c4af stacks of his own 244cbc1548 chips, piled high like 5cb9e54859 towers, into the middle 143d41e3c8 of the table.69a12fe38f544fe8

The Earl’s eyes, gleaming 5829cdc4a2 with greed, stared intently 336c59aaf9 at him. Arthur, with a 9fa337c992 faint smile, spoke 8df90a8690 to him in c1c253b628 a soft voice.fbad8206f6a2f0e6

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“Well then, let’s see, 36a2c32eda shall we?”211ee8729a679990

As he’d said, 326cbb0d93 he would do 37b4725c07 anything to get f67e897e5e Lily. No matter how 3179834c1b immoral it was, 0bd47cf8fa it didn’t matter. Even if it meant ebe4f5cba6 driving her gambler father 4c3e2747ee to despair.12a5ffb5536b0efa

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