ETDO Chapter 12
by lily plum“She was having quite a bit of fun playing princess and prince by herself. I craned my neck to watch her, but I ended up losing my balance and falling down from under the tree. The girl let out a startled scream as I landed flat on my back.”
I giggled, vividly picturing the scene in my head.
“The girl was furious when she saw the apple in my hand. She said it was her apple tree, and I had stolen an apple from her without permission. She accused me of being a thief.”
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Arthur smiled sweetly as if recalling the moment. His sky-blue eyes gazed intently into mine.
“She was so angry that her big eyes were brimming with tears. But at that time, instead of feeling sorry for secretly taking and eating the apple, all I could think about was how beautiful her sparkling golden eyes were. So I couldn’t answer and just stared blankly at the girl.”
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I listened to his story as if I was entranced. Now I knew for sure who exactly that girl was.
“After that autumn and winter passed, I unfortunately couldn’t see the girl again. But after that, I made up my mind. I decided I would become a great person, find that girl, and make her my wife.”
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Arthur gently kissed my lips as I stared at him blankly.
“And that girl is now nestled in my arms.”
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Arthur smiled happily. I smiled back and hugged him tightly. I felt so fortunate to have such a loving man as my husband.
“It seems your father saw a big difference between Ethan and you.”
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“Ethan…”
Arthur let out a shallow sigh.
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“Ethan, actually, wasn’t very different then from how he is now. As my older brother… even though he was young himself, he always stepped forward and tried to protect me. Whenever my father mistreated me, he always stood in front of me. When my father hit me and hurt me, Ethan couldn’t do much because he was young too, but he held onto that anger for a long time.”
Arthur stared at the ceiling, lost in thought for a moment, then continued.
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“As we got older and approached adulthood, Ethan went to the Emperor alone to negotiate.”
“What? With His Majesty? What kind of…?”
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My eyes widened in surprise. I imagined the teenage Ethan standing proudly before the Emperor. It seemed like a fitting image for that arrogant man, somehow incongruous yet fitting.
“Ethan used the fact that he had saved the Crown Prince’s life a few years ago at a hunting competition as leverage for a negotiation. He said that if I were allowed to succeed the dukedom, he would live the rest of his life as a dog for the Emperor and the Crown Prince.”
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My jaw dropped. Such audacity sounded just like Ethan’s. But for a teenage boy to openly propose such a negotiation to the Emperor was truly bold.
“The Crown Prince at that time was Edward’s older brother. As you know, we are cousins with the Imperial family.”
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I nodded silently. The face of the Crown Prince who approached me and entrusted the twins to me flashed through my mind. He looked similar to the twins but had a slightly more decadent aura.
“Edward doesn’t show it outwardly, but he is wary of the Beaufort family. He always suspects that we might be coveting his position. Of course, the Emperor pitied his nephews, who grew up without a mother and were abused by their father. In any case, Ethan, knowing this, made the first move.”
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Arthur sat up, propped his head on one arm, and looked down at me.
“He said that since I was much more capable in administration, he would leave the dukedom to me, his younger brother, and serve the Imperial family in the Imperial army. Well, they were satisfied. The most potentially dangerous one, Ethan, had willingly crawled in his own two feet and handed them his leash.”
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His hand gently stroked my shoulder.
“They summoned us and made us swear an oath of loyalty. And after the oath, Ethan managed to get a promise from the Emperor. He asked the Emperor to swiftly announce me as the next Duke upon our father’s death.”
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I tilted my head. Did the Imperial family really need to announce the next head of the family? Arthur seemed to sense my question and smiled faintly.
“That’s right. As you guessed, there would be no need for that in a typical succession. However, my father is the Emperor’s younger brother, and if the Emperor finds any suspicious circumstances, he could order an investigation at any time. Ethan wanted it to pass quietly without any incidents.”He sighed softly.
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“If such a scandal arose, there would be accusations that I had usurped the dukedom from my brother. Ethan didn’t want anyone raising unnecessary questions about my legitimacy.”
I was quite surprised by this, as I hadn’t expected such selflessness from Ethan. The Crown Prince’s words about Ethan doing anything for his brother came to mind once again.
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“And, as everyone knows, my father died a few months later. The Imperial family officially recognized me as the Duke as promised, and Ethan went off to war the following year when it broke out. No one objected. With Ethan himself and the Imperial family acknowledging it, who would dare to raise an objection?”
I blinked, dazed. It was certainly a well-crafted, touching story, but…
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“Then… how did your father die? Did he have any underlying health conditions?”
A picturesque, captivating smile spread across Arthur’s face.
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“My father died of a heart attack. That was the official cause of death confirmed by the Imperial physician. Quite a lot of people die of heart attacks. It wasn’t really anything unusual. My father was notorious among everyone who worked at the ducal estate, so not many people mourned his passing.”
He shrugged with a slightly indifferent expression and I asked.
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“What about you? Were you sad? Or…?”
Arthur grinned at me as I looked at him worriedly.
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“I don’t think I was sad. To be honest, it would be more accurate to say that I felt relieved. The man who hated me so much and beat me up whenever he felt like it was finally gone. At that time, what was more important to me than my dead father was the fact that Ethan was by my side.”
His expression became slightly complicated. But soon he lay back comfortably on the bed and pulled me close. Once our naked bodies were tightly pressed together, he spoke again.
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“Ethan knows and understands me better than anyone, even without me having to say anything. He’s my most precious friend, the one I’ve had since we were in our mother’s womb, the brother with whom I shared everything. I owe Ethan a lot, and I feel sorry for many things.”
The more I listened to Arthur’s explanation, the more confused I became. In my eyes, Ethan was an arrogant, cynical person filled with an overwhelming sense of self-importance.
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But regardless of that, for the first time, I thought that perhaps things could be entirely different for Arthur. Although Ethan had spouted a lot of strange things to me, he seemed to have been a truly good older brother to Arthur.
If that were true, shouldn’t I try to reduce my animosity towards Ethan, even if I didn’t quite like him? For Arthur’s sake. My head suddenly filled with complicated thoughts, and I sighed softly.
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“…Lily?”
Arthur murmured my name. His voice was already heavy with sleep. I looked up at his face. He was starting to close his eyes, seemingly sleepy.
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“Yes?”
“Ethan… doesn’t… dislike you.”
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I was utterly dumbfounded, my mouth hanging open. What kind of nonsense was that? That arrogant and rude man? It seemed more believable that the sun would rise in the west.
He had just spouted such bizarre things about me marrying Arthur for money and whether I was attracted to him. Someone who keeps saying such things couldn’t be normal. For a moment, Lady Wellington’s words came to mind, but I shook my head.
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No. That’s ridiculous.
While I hesitated, unsure of what to say, soon his even breathing could be heard softly. I looked up to check on Arthur’s face. He had fallen asleep with a peaceful expression, his beautiful golden eyelashes neatly together.
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With confused feelings, I pulled the blanket over Arthur’s bare shoulder. Hugging him close, I sighed softly once more.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
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We all returned to our daily routines. Arthur was busy in his own way, and Ethan in his. I was busy planning the upcoming birthday party for the twins with Mrs. Wilson and James.
I didn’t know how it had been done before, but this was the first party I was hosting as the Duchess, Arthur’s wife, so I had to be thoroughly prepared. I wouldn’t mind if I were the only one subject to gossip, but I couldn’t bear it if the Beaufort family’s reputation was tarnished along with mine. I had to avoid that at all costs.
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Fortunately, James and Mrs. Wilson were experienced and seasoned veterans, which was a great help to me. Drawing on their past experiences from when the previous Duchess was alive, they were able to assist me in many ways.
Thanks to them, we chose luxurious curtains and furniture together for the new interior decoration and adorned the entire mansion so that it sparkled. We reviewed the menu for the day and created a guest list for the invitations.
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The gardeners tended to the newly built greenhouse, the spacious rose garden, various spots in the garden, and the pavilion covered with ivy. Considering the warm early summer weather, we planned to actively utilize the outdoor spaces as well.
We called in the most famous dressmaker in the capital to have new formal attire made for the twins. Of course, I didn’t forget my own dress either.
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With all the preparations proceeding smoothly, I felt a sense of accomplishment and cut a bunch of lilies. They were blooming so beautifully that I could understand the gardener’s earlier praise.
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