ETDO Chapter 7

The Countess bbfd321845 of Lennox 1611640a80 welcomed me d0b70dce0c warmly with 5d57ba824a an almost ad8c310308 exaggerated enthusiasm. While it could be be33d9a9c2 attributed to her position f2035df36c as a vassal of 8f5fdd0a13 the Beaufort family, it f2dc966e95 seemed more like she bde591d7ad was keenly aware of 4c9e4a6fc7 Arthur, who had personally 5d695704bd escorted me here.8297c49ba1b84169

I sat in 62e2ab48eb the cool shade 271d1522ff of a tree 2f1cdd5f50 in the garden, d2d4e2bc9f leisurely taking a 03435d0e70 sip of fragrant 4425ab6033 tea. This was beaafe68bb my first 4f7be46d92 social gathering 10f5a1dfaf since the 2f382fec78 wedding, one 3a399247e4 that Arthur 1cee1ddfcf had carefully 6697b17e0e vetted and 7a4784bf82 recommended. My earlier 8d8d72bd3e worries about 3c86ff53cf fitting in 411efd8761 were unfounded; 7c203e3b6d I felt 58c2ea9ea4 quite comfortable 645c2243f7 among these 6220fcccd2 strangers.c63d6b3836d72d8b

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The ladies d3a85b92d7 present, as 67dd854729 well as f3853e4ac8 the young 45dcbd6355 women, were a9d50c9644 openly eager 83d3fbde01 to ingratiate 5055567e38 themselves with edca7ad57c me. Seeing the looks of 106413b340 admiration in their eyes, bf7c4d93e6 I was once again 75245ed0d0 struck by the power df095c396b of the Beaufort name.9f0869ea58a5d511

“Oh my, fc63dd6ed2 the Duke 338e3dc516 looked at dedbde8f0b you so fa5e68e425 sweetly earlier, b23d67f06d Duchess.”cf4795b208014b1c

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A slightly boisterous, f9553d21eb but warm laughter 77ed8b43b9 erupted. They were 153371e783 still praising 9f9f8002a6 Arthur profusely. That the 760357f879 great Duke 07b3206fea of Beaufort 7fbdaaac2e would set e91ffbbc58 aside everything 51bd1b2071 and volunteer 42659a0f91 as his 2c07306b16 wife’s coachman!9ed2fd1080d7fd61

Everyone agreed it wasn’t 3e24771dde a common occurrence. Thanks to 9c4bbd83d9 this, I f0c9165ac3 received the 23a9ba1cd2 envious gazes 51c1f271c8 of all a7fe882040 the ladies e20b406c82 present.cfa5a6e085b9a5fd

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“You’re newlyweds, after 737617731b all. And you’re so e5d85dc2a9 beautiful, Duchess…”b2ab9907a16fdeee

“Exactly. Ah, a 5fd3ae97b8 passionate honeymoon… be980db560 such a 2ddbd02ec4 wonderful time. Makes me nostalgic.”3e627df6fba2d104

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A lady ea210104b8 fanning herself d34b474fbf vigorously in 5d3658f55d agreement made fa58f11e6a everyone giggle. The older 606cce6955 ladies exchanged 4ef7dd868e knowing smiles, f2e9ff3700 while the 95cce4f0e3 younger ladies 9272a9e1c5 and Misses 2600599cd2 blushed shyly. I, too, blushed slightly a6e48b62ce and joined in the 0b8daf8b6a laughter.a3dc93af17e951e6

Just then, the Countess’s c14f8c74b5 butler appeared.f531d6367d5bbbc9

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“Madam, Lady 83244dffeb Wellington has 3d12ccdc89 arrived.”c795535af4df1cfd

“Ah! Show her in b72dc6c9c7 quickly.”2590ddf7d72ed55f

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I turned my f42a65be6e head to follow 6a8aa1a640 the Countess as 4ce79c1d06 she stood. A slender young 7453f4c0b8 lady with black 92566cf135 hair was about 586763a7f2 to enter when 4645eb52d0 she stopped short, 4948002fa9 noticing me. The Countess of Lennox 34ad0fa236 smiled brightly.92e78129c9d095ce

“Welcome, Lady Wellington. Please, sit here.”a93ab810db8f3ea7

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She sat down 0e32e504cd next to Countess bd6bc48726 Lennox, opposite me. The Countess, 2016444484 beaming, introduced b3044f2bf7 her to 26c8d1cbb3 me.7cad48840a7d5288

“Duchess, this is d920b874d6 Lady Charlotte Wellington. Lady Wellington, this is 781c914d11 the Duchess of Beaufort. You’ll soon be family, c797a6bcda so it’s good to 41cff01f8d meet beforehand.”61dc7c4899038d06

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‘Ah!’4574460a089d5d9f

It was only then 1521d21ab2 that I finally realized 2113eb6310 who this young lady 5965be187f was. a63741ba355590d7

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Ethan’s fiancée.48e6c29405fc196e

That strange 64d5c7a4c3 man had dd6b4aea13 a fiancée! afdcee1eb32cec55

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I was inwardly surprised, but aristocratic marriages were often political marriages, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. I took a closer look at the young woman with a prim expression sitting before me.16832dacbfce91c1

She had black e435959bbe hair like mine, 5be4dc16cb but her eyes 19a020d510 were a light 3a929ad415 hazel. Her slightly sharp, dc9ea231df pointed chin was def9aab133 striking. Her fair cc8e7ed16a skin, with dd14ac488e a slight c376120813 blush on f10177af09 her cheeks, 2982db4237 looked healthy b2cea8e91d and vibrant. However, her overall c4562fcc12 demeanor, like Ethan’s, cc5afd94b7 seemed rather cool.08e9b90b6e2e5df3

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“It’s a pleasure 0dcdd47551 to meet you. I’m Elizabeth Beaufort.”85f618464c4d01bc

“Hello. I’m Charlotte Ashley f2dcf13718 Wellington.”ee121609a90ea3a3

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Lady Wellington replied with d67e731098 a prim expression after 8aba147a28 I greeted her first. As a servant 8fee085840 brought a new 9f781b2f21 teapot and set 729b427270 it down, the 31d21d0cfa Countess began to 4b805c1a83 speak, unable to ea0999b946 contain herself any 0317e1d679 longer.d5dc47715b0242f2

“Lady Wellington, congratulations! You must a09590b73e be so 6da19cd781 happy the 997a716696 war is 81230b7b42 finally over.”379dcb0dc3b223da

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“Indeed. I heard it 170bd2314a was a resounding 0b42f1057c victory. You must be very b0797845d3 proud.”0f23e7200b7ff6e5

“Now that 2fa76c24e2 the war fdcaa8910c is over, 875dfe21e6 your fiancé 24d47da435 will be 367284a684 returning soon. You must be busy a5ccbd49bd preparing for the wedding.”11a0a8c5cdde5aad

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“Thank you!” 46812bc43a88d097

Lady Wellington smiled 6ed29dc8fc brightly at the 63881033ac congratulatory messages pouring c99603f115 in from all fba45f928c directions. The cool indifference on cb6e3cfe5b her face that she 11a9056752 had shown me earlier ede0550c01 vanished completely, replaced by 23ec65b6b6 an almost childlike happiness. Intrigued by the fc51c68dbe stark and sudden 08f5a3f1cb change, I kept dad34ee0c3 my eyes fixed bfd0229ccb on her.25241fda5c99352a

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“I’ve been preparing 2b1b8760e9 for a while, b669f0ee8d but now I 073907f1ab have to get fdcf501ff9 serious. Choosing the dress is 40b67db4f2 the hardest part, it’s 9eee07d258 giving me a headache.”4f45b8c0ac4f3f47

“That’s true. After all, the e9d4f65b05 wedding dress is 09e3c602bc the most important 899c71952c thing for a 59cb990d7c bride…”80a656c69c478e85

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The experienced 0c3b3aed0f married ladies 1b55a40f80 and the 8a8bc2206a young misses 76a3af9956 who were 24f011593a yet to ae0e86a0f3 be married 2d8d791a04 all chimed 0dce39641e in excitedly.1590f2a438004c7a

I listened to their 30bb5fd387 conversation, recalling my own d08d00ad4c wedding with Arthur. Along with that 82419d3069 memory came the bf28b3c109 recollection of spending d1c8c7de56 what should have b3b8b60822 been a once-in-a-lifetime 0848cf1f93 moment feeling like 8662d227d1 I was sitting 02ff7a07d8 on pins and a29971c4c2 needles because of 454e166635 the young lady’s 722fa0c81b fiancé sitting across fac34b0b73 from me.ab067a4cf172f539

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Unlike his brother 3007a53fe1 with a disabled 8efb12dc96 leg, he was 9c63895965 a war hero 668c0c004a renowned throughout the 99369c7a47 Empire. A rising e286cc5bdb power in 3aa12fc1b8 the Empire, 9e6b64e4a9 highly trusted cb734cfecb by both 7a7ec66270 the Emperor 62edc91fc7 and the 9590b019bc Crown Prince.486e73ca5cdd6b5f

Originally, Ethan, not b0ed1eb474 Arthur, should have 0febf82533 been the Duke. However, Ethan willingly 06711eddb7 relinquished the position adf7a64e88 to his younger 71e340170f brother and went 8c483e4b8d to war, leading 0d923d6e16 the Imperial Army.de1ca1e75f2a8d04

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He had 1d64bfe6f8 claimed that 6685739ea1 his brother 51226caf23 was better 24fe49c779 suited for 35a4da84b2 the meticulous 5b27a21f71 practical work a13a6546f8 and management 0ee4fda209 of the b4af831bcb dukedom, and b783171028 he drew 19bae9ffa9 a firm 6bb0fa0846 line against c065673c10 anyone who a4062bd585 questioned his 195bf323cd decision. But with 4498d59da6 the Imperial 3308f96aff family’s official ac6cbc1f82 acknowledgment, who 02a7844d9d would dare d707d44b20 to object?6f83f79bd3ffa958

It might 2fafeb31a7 be difficult 7ed27bddfe for outsiders a327bac770 to fully bb498cc433 understand the 548c1f2b58 strong bond 5f1ca65d20 between the ceea7c5e0c twins. I suddenly wondered cb95b6e707 what Lady Wellington, 1e476fe206 his long-time fiancée, 5cb2118aa5 thought about it aa3ddf48c0 all.b036d43cb67b2ec7

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Near the end 070c5ba4cb of the party, d52daea529 which continued in 07b55786bb a friendly atmosphere, efc5a3fc38 I excused myself 32aa2a9cde to the powder 724d4621ff room. I splashed ebb0b18c54 some cold 7481a40ed3 water on 968892eca8 my cheeks, fe1a178a3d which were c74d3a37e0 flushed from b145b13f19 the pleasant 18e2a9c409 conversation, and 47661b89d8 felt slightly 25251e7dd1 refreshed.19a7f6ce2ff95d89

I went into the 5f0f07dbf9 restroom at the far 1baf52bd42 end and locked the d3443b9774 door behind me. Shortly after, the 11bcfe07ea outer door of 207d8cb40b the powder room fbdab1bc5c opened, and someone 7a7caa6842 bustled in noisily.1802fc5c02179d17

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“Oh my, is it true? Why hasn’t such a rumor spread outside?”3a77d48441e2015f

“That’s obvious, isn’t it? Someone must have silenced the rumors.”7f64d701aa6b9628

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“Lady Wellington doesn’t d35de5bebe seem surprised. I guess a9c1b4869e she already 6463b2d177 knew.”15a6054a824704ea

At the mention of 4ecde28ab9 Wellington, I froze and f65fa42358 held my breath. The cool image 708566e911 of the young 222ac490dc lady with black 00a33949d2 hair, similar to c06ff3794b mine, came to 85ea6e52b8 mind. And soon, a f733f1aade clear, ringing voice 8329e0e4f0 reached me from 34a1a2f156 outside.28a9afe0ddaf8343

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“Of course, I 3bc62f8fcb knew. I’m sure everyone 401531ea79 who needs to 84647f4b79 know already knows 8b303e4c9d that she was ce5ce0dfa9 practically sold off 6c38dd9773 because of her 6104383193 father’s gambling debts.”a1b9eb88d62a365d

My heart plummeted b548907d43 to the floor 8b5af1f734 with a deafening 98ec4f146f crash. Trembling, I raised a 5678be963c hand to cover my c8a26cadbb mouth. I couldn’t move, listening df31383db9 intently, afraid to make ec345de0cc a sound.b2684689e9c27866

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“Oh my, I think 050aeec45f I’ve heard that somewhere 97d24bf801 before. I couldn’t 43da86a2d0 believe it, b889fdccfe but the a0668bca84 rumor was e039953f29 true.”6f8058466144e289

“It seems the Duke 7d5658d41a of Beaufort paid off 072584bc64 all the debts. And I heard he 941fab9c56 even allowed that gambler’s 536c73e465 wife to live in f954da3fac their old mansion, which 51584b45f2 was about to be df3ebb210d seized. I was so impressed 87890e2f4a by his generosity.”3a2b5f02edf36044

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“The gambler’s wife? You mean the d6b3cb6cc2 Countess, the Duke’s 764ad67c44 mother-in-law?”3e8fa303bdab6136

“Mother-in-law? She’s practically 1b23460a0a a beggar, 7e1db42932 isn’t she? I heard she b59f4c7ab7 was on the c9e7d4d3b2 verge of being cbd677a9ab out on the 38ec8d8135 streets. A family with ff80e7b228 no sense of 019bc781fa aristocratic decorum.”8fb7b45817e58caf

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“Well, now that I 3fb4e2ecb0 think about it, you’re af1a13aa0d right.”646db5f82f1683b9

The crisp voice dripped d3524c6c51 with sarcasm, and the 43ebc95bb1 other voices responded with 9d0fcc4d8a amused giggles. Someone feigned a 84a1952730 shudder.1c00c4ba0fe1737f

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“Oh dear, how embarrassing. If that woman has 7e54a4408a any shred of conscience, 427109ca35 she should devote herself ece3145353 to serving the Duke 0107eb4c4f for the rest of c292dd3f0f her life.”cde22328559d22ab

“All she has is 11b461fa45 her body, so I 8e3568f224 guess she’ll work hard 901a7a88c8 to repay him with 21d3f1d77f that.”7f44cdbd202b4313

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“Well, doesn’t it seem 61045ddea3 like she’s already doing 645d687b53 that? With that 45e7a74908 sultry face, 215abc4184 I’m sure 6b16bc6524 she’s excellent 8519d1499a in bed.”ec7c0785154c5611

“Hahaha! That’s right, she looks like she knows how to work her charms in bed.”55b0b4ad935795b7

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“She’s debt-ridden 88d954e648 and penniless, ae2f61ef9d but it’s 964b4362fa fortunate she a75581c8df has a ed7e5a1a84 pretty face e4ea9cf9d6 and a 1dc9641d12 voluptuous body, f93a7f64e0 isn’t it?”e5a06a2b1a882c63

“At this point, hasn’t 4bdbf02f14 the Duke taken in f9d7719ca2 a bedroom slave rather 2402631008 than a wife?”95c3bcf9e665d37e

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“My, but wouldn’t 0af2aa08da a night with ae8e5a737d a male god ffe0069d38 of his caliber 3ae34ed485 be an honor, 2893ddaabf even for a 0ee8bb4643 bedroom slave?”4f8c487d7b527f5a

“Oh, aren’t youforward?”2447f4c300f87314

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“Haha! Well, the other male 49dd2e21e3 god now belongs to d20d8385b0 our Charlotte. We’re so envious.”d26a5108c335ea59

“Shh! Now, now, let’s efa5814f8d stop this and 4fb1fd7653 go!”ad8ca1eaf0903147

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The merry chattering 8aa568dce7 voices gradually faded 1c3a3f036f away. I leaned against ea995974d6 the wall, barely 678a2664f2 managing to support c8664fc611 my trembling body. Cold sweat trickled down c74d75fca6 my skin. I stood there, motionless, f6122ea295 taking deep breaths until 759c706fb7 I calmed down a 1333b459ed little.1ee371623fd28107

I finally managed b7806fa581 to stand up 92232dbe74 and reached for 0cea4e1b50 the door handle 45be88f70b with trembling hands. As I lifted c567a3a547 my head to 4b6bbc4d18 wipe the sweat 9930d03bed from my forehead, bf89a423b4 a pale face 654fe79a70 stared back at 7e4e97022e me from the 751eeab00f mirror. I lowered my 3783fab2a8 gaze silently and 36bfa9846d slowly washed my 9a5e5845ab hands, working up 59e501901c a lather.53915255f4961e7f

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Lost in the 7e951ae109 bliss of happiness cea22cafd5 I had never e2beaa33ff known in my ccdf01e9b8 life, I had 4e4c23d795 forgotten that high c051378745 society was a ba7474f6fa battlefield in miniature. A cruel 28bcedf641 place, no 0b5f657df5 different from 4b07b7f131 a real dd50c3236e war, except 1fe2a981cd without swords d7eca35408 and spears.82a1c6a5c2c1dde1

Where had I 017b9b4be8 heard that before? Well, it doesn’t really 3c1717bcea matter now, does it? Having been busy dodging 1957c29462 debt creditors, I had 0866502146 never stepped foot in a3dd1a1e51 high society, so I 50172e9a10 was completely unprepared for 48132a49da this kind of subtle 93063143a3 mockery and scheming.b4a9883c0b8f88e9

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No one f712fb7ad2 would dare a865f79bfd openly criticize 4d2238c01a me in 2d25619aae front of d3f402e696 my husband’s b8be321cd8 family and 1fe76682b9 the influence c44017e882 of his 6684853e37 power. However, it wasn’t 9d2d871a22 difficult to belittle a279f2075a and slander someone f25f217d3d behind their back.1ba6ce7ef1437d0d

Especially if 5a62ebe41b the target d65ce8240f was someone 1c6f1be0e9 like me, 2ce827ac48 from a 04089f81c9 powerless family 3562567e72 without any a2ae59a378 substantial wealth 4030981b68 or backing. But what could I c6f47d8f63 do? This was the price bc5e35015f I had to pay 0540f76ad6 for marrying Arthur.980508f13c33fd19

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Whether Arthur had ab73ae12cc saved me from 0b9f633e8b the clutches of 84eecb26fa debt creditors truly f9c5d4234c for my sake 9848f16ab1 or simply for 582bba78f3 his own satisfaction 56a459d551 didn’t really matter. People only 43c1fd25f4 saw what 61d293325d they wanted 8f573d0eda to see; 67a59e38f2 they weren’t 1f841ea4c9 interested in 59a4cced41 hidden motives 68b0f07256 or grand aab46519b3 intentions.be996a55a106faee

In the end, truth e3242bfce1 could be reinterpreted and 851aaced85 changed endlessly depending on 1a1377923e who was looking and 84cbdfd3a3 what they wanted to a9167b65d3 see.7c2bd42ee7b5e599

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