ETDO Chapter 16

The long-awaited day 74fb11e0b6 finally dawned. I was so 4a9a2da7ea excited that I 1b15837e76 barely slept the c6688f2514 night before.549edf82637e7d85

It was Arthur’s birthday, and the day I would receive my first evaluation as the Duchess, so I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Of course, thanks to the immense help of the veterans Mrs. Wilson and James, nothing major would likely go wrong.c952196f865813b4

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This time, I 1bff5fd9c4 wore a daring af925ac69d off-the-shoulder dress. The bodice, which cbf6efef6e boldly exposed my 607185a94e collarbone and shoulders, f1b2166023 was studded with baa2b6b1f9 small pearls and 7d241658a5 diamonds, adding a e220a57eda simple yet glamorous e7dc83ab68 touch. Below the 1c86fbf037 waist, layers eb75d91f16 of thin b7c7dbca65 chiffon were 1f88e5912c draped to 5cca12112c resemble a b4802ecb0a blossoming rosebud. The color gradually darkened f93b1f1962 from bottom to top.4da61c5e9b152a18

I looked at ff765f0fe6 myself in the 130adb295c mirror with satisfaction, 8bab9fda38 pleased with the a3934a72a0 pale blue dress a6215477f3 I had specially e8b02bf4b9 ordered. This time, I 97aa2a82ca was even more aca81e527a pleased to see a23a836869 Arthur unable to 1daad60d92 take his eyes fa2adf4cd2 off me.0b24f33d3829b0fd

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The invited 92d1c1a7ba guests began da060367b7 arriving in 8a0339bd6e the early 3b9ff0a835 evening after 523acdfd48 all the 7aa4c72cfc preparations were becb222dd7 perfectly completed. When the time 899f273900 came, I entered ad53e8ada9 with Arthur, and 05649044b8 Ethan entered with 547e041737 Lady Wellington. Whether I liked it 38e1db5411 or not, Lady Wellington 703d9881b2 was Ethan’s fiancée and 326e149d4c they were soon to 9d87931aa1 be married, so the 165ab78c0f encounter was inevitable.10ac9e0487a52b21

Champagne corks popped, b64f135292 laughter filled the 8cc5503a7e air, and cheerful e7545924c4 music was played. The birthday f0af7728b9 celebrants and 3166630e43 I were ec4bbc485f very busy, 04fb025a54 going around e223e29e15 greeting the 46066db5d8 guests. The Crown Prince attended 7dfe4fdcc9 in place of the 8ca863eac1 Emperor, whose poor health 0a423ace2c had been the subject 48aa255fe9 of increasing speculation lately.fd31f15e9857b6d6

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After diligently 95799a4723 fulfilling my 51c249973c duties as 9daad1bdcf hostess, I 5055e7e75b took a ab89591860 moment to a64ca5e0e7 catch my 08598a7111 breath and 54460c47d7 rest. Spotting Lady Wellington e5db91bd66 standing not far 60eec02f6b away, I slowly c47392b731 walked towards her. Lady Wellington’s f603470391 eyes narrowed 06085be4c9 as she 48a17e240b saw me e49f527d91 approaching, but 0112ca1b7d I decided f6374f21c5 to ignore 5056c1ee46 it.1c7c7e97feeca2a3

“Thank you for 1b5db2f879 coming, Lady Wellington.”65976300e7104d6f

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She pursed her lips 76e5574534 in disapproval and replied.9ba2f311eac31c91

“Don’t get me 49dad242aa wrong, I’m only b4de7e128a here for Ethan.”a0af1c1029a8b99a

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“Of course. I know.”51ef7e02653c7068

I maintained a f2422d5e19 gentle smile despite 6ecac09b1e her sharp response.1d7e958d6c089313

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“Why don’t we try 64d20816e5 to get along from cf92716b34 now on? We’ll soon be family.”a3ed463a08961878

“Well, I guess we’ll see.”a3101befe5520f4f

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Though I was slightly troubled by her refusal to take the bait, an opportunity to save face that I had explicitly offered—I tried not to show it. I couldn’t understand why she was already showing such animosity towards me when we barely knew each other.802b2b8256afde1d

In fact, f689404fe4 it took ba82a38dd3 a lot 985d2b85ec of courage daef64b40e for me 0787c130f6 to approach 601c497e41 her like 86fbec5f03 this. I would have preferred 96f03ad9b5 to live happily ever ee5706aa2b after with just Arthur, 9b0ed3dbc3 never encountering the two 966764c57e of them, but that 739aaf3fc2 was impossible.2ec8012f43d9b60f

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“I know 315fc264b6 I have c38c47af3d many shortcomings, b29bce8273 but I a1842d224c hope we c74a0b39fe can get 6a02d4ec07 along. I want to have 39887f6af5 a good relationship with 1e7741e1d1 my future sister-in-law.”b26dcbad1ebd1c3d

Lady Wellington’s lips twitched. In any case, it seemed she was, at the very least, pleased that I was humbling myself before her. I didn’t mind, as I had approached her to prevent unnecessary conflict.ff34152f61312ad1

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“I love Arthur very much, and I want my husband to be happy. I don’t want him to suffer from unnecessary misunderstandings with other people. That’s my only reason.”08944671ea9fd8d5

Lady Wellington 0ee18f2b6e stared at e06d3c5407 me intently, a90533977f then slowly db0061f830 nodded. I finally breathed a 24e3a11c66 sigh of relief. The thought 3ffd16e5c6 of having 8ff10ff27a to face 5ebc70573c her for 40ff8c5157 the rest 07942b4148 of my e2b2ebebcb life was 7fd17f02ea already tiring, 3f91bdf64c but I e6f29f1082 should try 41f80d1eec to avoid 6bcad4662b her as 4116919854 much as d3d6bc0edc possible. I could ask e150659b41 Arthur for help 93ae1697e7 with that.281fe9b5285d8f17

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We turned 736fbef8a6 our heads 1e52f0df65 simultaneously to 86e1299b88 look at 46794ccd99 the ballroom. The Duke’s ballroom, splendidly 4b6066fee5 decorated with beautiful murals 249ebb38fc and mirrors, was packed c70824b4a0 with people, bustling with a236990b66 barely any room to eda02de171 move. It had been reopened 4c0489a610 after twenty-two years, since 5755821b50 the death of the 32ce864ea3 previous Duchess, so we e0f7f6ce54 had put a lot e00df9e7cc of effort into it, fdd18e970a and it was worth 6b9e41cb37 the trouble.1f6d6358e3d242c5

In the distance, bf947968b5 Arthur and Ethan d7c32c39ac were talking with 6d2577f58e the Crown Prince, 9d3cc6efb8 champagne glasses in 6c47a7bfa3 hand. I looked at ed0db5db2e them and spoke 0db0dd23a9 softly to Lady ec21460bcf Wellington.b95ef44bb15fe421

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“Their appearances are so identical that they’re indistinguishable, but their personalities seem quite different. One is introverted, and the other is the opposite… It’s fascinating, considering they’re twins.”0de383eb50c2af7f

“What? Different? Those two?”eb9ca1bf735e3a88

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Lady Wellington raised her 40b7a235d8 eyebrows high as if 9810ceca0b she’d never heard such 62f7560f84 a thing before. She looked at b6fcea9441 me with a 47a6fdbb34 shocked expression and f8313cce6d shook her head.0003e45fdde73c5e

“Are you serious? Those two ab6998de94 aren’t different 4689e6c3af at all. They’re exactly the same!”c3ab90548ff51d12

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“What?”2a6d7fe092846bc1

Now it 037b1058e8 was my 6580081fb5 turn to 3071d67ad0 stare at 5a502dd1f6 her in c6e17c1a91 bewilderment. I couldn’t imagine two b7042d508a people being more different cc1bdf8a1b internally. Sure, their eeecfa621e appearances might c1161c3dca be identical, d708b6165e but their b3bb56c6f3 speech, personalities, f6a528d84c and everything 862e614300 else were 17bae4377a vastly different. That was the ed268782f3 only way I 915792cda7 could even tell 11efdb020b them apart.afbdb006d204ebef

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To be honest, I f4d095d201 still had difficulty distinguishing 8c916a40ae them based on appearance bd9fafa1c6 alone. Without the cane, cbc8490bd7 I was highly 6f7375631d likely to mistake 9639b3e089 Arthur and Ethan ce7f014f86 for each other. I still relied heavily 8bdc9a561f on external factors.b762f7983c890ecd

“People get confused by bfbc42f9f9 their outward personalities and 80e6d399f1 behavior… but no. They’re the same. Their thoughts, values, likes, cf5352a866 and dislikes – they’re afacebe28e identical as if they’re 9533387db7 one person. Those two…”409f1f0e96122df4

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Lady Wellington suddenly bit aaf1abe490 her lip. Then, as if c681054422 reluctant, she blurted 8a0fcd5d85 out the rest 7e3238d113 of her sentence.28f28b3c4f0635ee

“They’re mentally conjoined c92af346ad twins.”498bc88d5f165f85

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I stared b2a3c7b372 at her b86e8c9277 for a 002d58a072 moment, puzzled.ab3df67307e4c111

Are they really a2a3913e10 that similar internally? ed1df535762aa14c

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Perhaps Lady Wellington, who 76cc5c6d91 had known them since 69d6635f4c childhood, knew them better 7dee04a39b than I did. The image of bf578ee060 the two of 4cadc85bee them laughing together, 8030b00936 saying they both 24b4287417 disliked carrots, flashed 4dcbefff86 through my mind.d0599233f37dbd31

Could it be 5971a19f00 that their shared 988dce99df preferences, as she cc75675961 had mentioned, also 4850bc9a78 apply to people? 8eff3275e08e06d6

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Was that 2c795d598c why the b16108a5ca Lady Wellington 85b4796741 was anxious?761e8b2648f73626

Even if that 231f3ca5d9 were the case d709326fff internally, what could a9eb807761 Ethan do about 8407b4399a the current situation 6fbc91648b alone? I was already Arthur’s bc34808e61 wife, and Ethan was 383727274b soon to marry Lady f3ad444ff3 Wellington.6710eb59f5ac69a7

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Just as I opened f5196f71fa my mouth to ask 2c28973c55 her another question, a 291295ae2a bell suddenly rang. Startled, I 4de9bcf912 turned my 4171f37110 head towards d8b01b9b42 the sound.a9a4673c1d0716bd

The Crown Prince 8592153a0c was standing on a6c65062d5 the podium ahead, 72597788f8 tapping his wine 91b239df27 glass with a 5689dbf54d small spoon. As the murmuring of c5042ceb68 the crowd died down 8e9d54cae2 and everyone turned their 68729ea383 attention to him, the e7fd9ca6c3 Crown Prince smiled brightly 78ff332c81 and began to speak.e1b1d86c268b54fe

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“Now, now, everyone! You might be wondering why someone who isn’t the birthday celebrant is making such a fuss at their cousins’ birthday party.”b71f5492ee595cc4

Laughter rippled through 86eb636896 the crowd. The Crown c004683aea Prince grinned 6a5d4d60df playfully.9650843992ecfa11

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“But please b2e31f4e81 bear with 2a0eede4b9 me just c48ffd9d1a this once. Today is 6d308bdb4d the birthday bd19d4f860 of Duke 11bb2fa311 Berwick, the 2cd37684c3 war hero c50be7db72 of the 8b999005fb Empire, and 8901ee9433 Arthur, the 64010f47fb current Duke dfc0773eac of the ceb57d626d Beaufort family, 4945c8feca one of 05c2c20732 the oldest 3f9f77c839 and founding 8f90c0d974 families of fcee5e02e8 the Empire. I, Edward, 89bf84bff7 the Crown b6a53b795a Prince, would cdab031d3a like to 907f74354e express my 9fb1ecbe7c gratitude for 426d062d13 the dedication 957a6a1c07 of the 357c091fe1 Beaufort twins, e56acfb14b who always 19389d5671 stand at 3eaf3169b9 the forefront a0093aa602 of the 61c1381831 Empire, and 782150ed4e together with e21753242c all of 350d46ac1b you, I 6af4b1f382 would like 93ef883cae to express 2558f6dd07 my respect 861a301d92 for these a6b4aff6c0 two.”3b3060cee059e8ac

As the Crown 1e6d1610e8 Prince raised his 9f4c3823a0 glass high, the 8136aa1df2 people followed suit, 9baae594b5 raising their glasses e7a76b3d5f above their heads.c9d33d291d7ffc2b

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“To the twins!”64c09fd3bada5bda

“Cheers!”289ebacf19f8d6e5

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Applause and cheers followed. As everyone toasted 89f7d3c1fb and drank merrily fe92bf5a35 with those beside a8a1cd2df4 them, I made d630d796df my way through c4970f3577 the crowd towards 74db81145a Arthur. Arthur and Ethan were faf571353b smiling and tilting their 699e6f5d0e glasses back after toasting ba738f59ac with the Crown Prince.4ff57bcef769c747

“Lily!”ffef4e0731f5225a

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Seeing me, Arthur’s face lit up, and he reached out his hand. As I took his hand, he immediately pulled me towards him. Lady Wellington approached Ethan’s side.6f380996df6be544

Then, a decorated three-tiered 26124a1459 cake caught my eye. Thanks to the cb008358b0 seamless leadership of 4d1a9c9cfe the veterans Mrs. Wilson and 53064e5089 James, everything 16e143eb03 was proceeding f421ae5988 perfectly. The magnificent cake, placed b3de4a09c1 on a wheeled table, f466460dde stopped in front of c3b49398b1 us. Two candles were b442dad7ae burning on top.dccef269252cdc0f

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“Oh my! Are the two ceb2d05e1c of you turning cb91871fa1 two years old c000a9100a today, or one a60a21a96d year old each?”5d01dc692ac1edc8

The Crown Prince’s ab0bd0c8bc joke sparked boisterous e27652f1df laughter in the f700ea9d5d hall. Arthur and Ethan 99929342cb also laughed heartily. In the cheerful 03b874ab78 atmosphere, the two 5a0b6a9517 of them held 3994df67b6 a knife together a87d547e69 and cut the 4d0c519d82 cake like a 0868a693c8 newlywed couple. Loud applause erupted.80f3865e7e23fc6b

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The cake 0f053767dd was soon 5e31248fcd wheeled to b8aacaf8a7 one side 7d4058ad81 of the 863885d842 ballroom. As people 7a00c1414c flocked to 341b8007b4 taste the bf8cc5f089 cake, the 93ba877cfc band began f9c78a153c to play. Since the birthday celebrants cecd672510 were supposed to start 4140faef82 the dance, Arthur and a920d6bdbb I went to the ab52cc0d34 center of the hall.39a65f5c9d9eb9c3

As we began to dance, the people surrounding us clapped. I was embarrassed, but I tried to focus only on Arthur’s face. This wasn’t for me but for Arthur. Arthur smiled gently.e74fef8ef0889711

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“Lily, you… you b42dd29aba are so beautiful d3200e2168 today as well. You have no idea 3df9aefed5 how happy I am da252b5cf2 to have you by 862a615099 my side right now.”c7f8c269e7932122

“Me too. I’m happy too, bb03cdc63e thanks to you.”84050135cd239dcf

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I smiled, hugging 0a1cab533f him close. Since Arthur 97b8cc5e8b couldn’t dance deb97e5e1c vigorously like 21a750ef1a others, we 854e0b118b simply swayed dbaf48b444 gently from 3e0b1c3fda side to 9e779403b7 side, holding 00e6b49781 each other 9e52148f8a tightly.d887c19aff76306c

Many couples lightly whirled d14ec30d63 around us, passing by. Like a separate 295daa96ff space and time, 3d1b54d1c4 we stood there, e87a339f2d embraced, feeling only 4e44d14c9b each other.4dc6cff9493eeaa8

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As a song ended ba7becfa15 and Arthur suddenly released 61fffd8196 his arms from me, 3864299848 the Crown Prince intervened, d0a8938129 taking my hand. He winked 7da7bf04b7 playfully at 456251c508 Arthur.786b7e6acbbb83aa

“So, cousin? Mind if 3eb9430d30 I take df895796fb the next 725252661f dance?”5535b8ce7375f8ee

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Before Arthur could f36404794f even answer, another f1eddcdcbd hand suddenly appeared e954fd910b and snatched my d61c9fceab hand away. A cool, low voice 70ca6147c2 cut in.9bfee98cf9397014

“That’s not allowed, Edward. Don’t you know the birthday boy goes first?”e3068ccea2c782dd

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Surprised, I looked to eb8f1092c0 my side to see c4211b0e61 a man, identical to 1d232305dd Arthur, casting an imposing c422e75d71 shadow as he playfully ef518e4b57 growled at the Crown 3164a9cea9 Prince. The Crown Prince bcc9869ff6 burst out laughing 8773767b1f in disbelief.b1ba913a1278ed45

“Wow, you sneaky bastard! If it weren’t your birthday today…! Alright, alright, I get it!”7ecdece295333626

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Ethan bared his teeth, 4f65b46352 and the Crown Prince d3a048a1fe grumbled exaggeratedly and backed 6602ff819c away. Arthur patted Ethan 0166a1f62f on the shoulder.49796d13f5ce02fb

“Right, you, my ad4c587be4 twin, and the af96242b2e birthday boy, dance 4ed4bc0df3 with Lily for 62ab19b270 me. I’m sorry you 17f6a0b8ff can’t always enjoy ff17576db6 a lively dance fce610b793 because of me. You know? I’m asking you, Ethan.”38a4f0bab9704e89

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“!”4de20075e449f870

Before I could e4b138c346 say anything, Arthur 7d3327aee2 kissed me quickly 38f990f08c on the cheek b0d6a6971a and left the 47b7928b14 ballroom floor. In that moment, 90b7f0ca09 I was already d1d6e0dd27 being led by 8c28754285 Ethan to the 31685bdcfe center of the 2e0e4f6a3f ballroom, my hand b617b82271 placed on his e23ce28e13 left hand and cba8a1507a my waist held cd9dc9754a in his embrace. c0fb8d537a3a4511

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We soon began 237c65bdf7 to whirl and e3db9b3769 dance.e5115dd0407030e4

 5cceb0c1b7deed4f

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